A burning question in the telecommunication industry – “what is VoIP and how does it work?”. Before answering this question you should know VoIP has changed the way we communicate with each other. Voice over Internet Protocol is the full abbreviation of VoIP, which was launched on the internet in 1995. No matter if you are a novice or a seasoned businessman, knowing internet phone services will be always beneficial for you.
That being said, we want to discuss what a VoIP server is and how it works in this article, including the ins and outs of it. So, let’s get on to it.
What is VoIP Server?
Like we have said earlier, VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is used to make phone calls over a reliable internet connection. Instead of a regular landline or mobile network, this technology takes analog voice signals, converts them into digital signals, and distributes them as data packets to the other end over the broadband line.
This technology brings innovation to internet calls. Initially, if you can successfully set up a VoIP connection; you will realize it is a lot cheaper than establishing a connection to a traditional phone system. You may not have to pay for phone calls depending on your setup and distance. However, not all countries accept VoIP as it is considered illegal. You need to make sure your government accepts VoIP services and try to abide by the government rules that are assigned for VoIP.
How does a VoIP Server Work?
VoIP is a very advanced way of making phone calls with tons of benefits. Because of this, many telephony and broadband service providers also offer VoIP as a part of their services. Perhaps, this makes them a little different from others. Many FTTP (Fibre To The Premises) providers consider it as one of their standards of the phone line. They will give you a briefing on their services.
You may know the traditional telephony system, which is known as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) allows you to make cellular phone calls by using cable systems, phone networks, and physical phone lines. The IP telephony is much more versatile enabling voice, data, and video that can be transmitted to a variety of devices at a lower cost.
Voice of IP is featured with many applications and software communication systems to unleash its full potential as internet telephony for personal use and other business communication solutions. This technology allows data to be transmitted to a variety of devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and IP phones.
Over a suitable computer network, VoIP technology uses packet-switched protocols to operate as a traditional telephony service. Packet-switched VoIP converts voice signals into packets. After this, the VoIP packets will be transmitted over a VoIP compatible network i.e. LAN (Local Area Network)
When you make an ordinary phone call from a VoIP phone, the call goes through the PSTN. This unit is preinstalled in the VoIP network for connecting to an ordinary telephone system.
The service of VoIP gets better when there is a PBX installed on the local network. Instead of the internet, the PBX system will be used to deliver better quality calls. Compared to other data resources with congested networks, the local networks have better resources for providing quality video calls.
You might be interested in reading – Importance of Firewall in VoIP Phone System
Functions of a VoIP Server
If you have come this far, then great! Because we are going to talk about the functions of a VoIP server.
Connect Multiple Protocols
The VoIP server allows you to communicate through various types of protocols. Considering different protocols, one can implement a module that is most suited. To put it simply, the VoIP server takes the role of a translator to interconnect various types of protocols. This is why it is called the proxy server.
Routing
Another important function of the VoIP server is call routing. After analyzing the endpoints, it puts the pieces of information accordingly to find the best path. In order to find the shortest, secure, and fastest path; there are various algorithms that help to determine it. And being an automated process, there is no need for manual input.
Manage Clients
In addition to a lot of features, the VoIP server looks after the clients that are under the same network. It handles the number of clients who use the same VoIP network.
Other Functions
Aside from the features that we have mentioned above, the VoIP server is associated with the following features –
- Call blacklisting
- Call forwarding
- Call waiting
- Anonymous call rejection
- Automated call return
- Caller ID detect
- Caller ID blocking
Overview
There! Now you probably got the answer to what is VoIP and how does it work. We hope we were able to break down the ins and outs of VoIP. VoIP blesses any business with a fully integrated modern communication system. More importantly, you will be trained initially to use VoIP in the right way. Anyone can make his VoIP business successful with efficient management skills.
