by Garrett Smith
Thanks for returning. You're a very smart person.
Earlier last week, one of my favorite companies, the ultra-successful Bandwidth.com launched the first ever VoIP and data pricing engine that allows businesses to purchase Hosted VoIP, Business VoIP Lines and Data pipes all without the need to talk to a sales rep. As an ecommerce guy myself, I love this move. By making it fast, easy and efficient to work with them, Bandwidth.com has raised the bar for other communications service providers.
While I am positive that there will still be a ton of calls into their inbound call center, the fact that customers can check availability and get service pricing without the need to talk to a rep is yet another example of why Bandwidth.com continues to grow year after year and maintain their 99.4% customer retention rate.
by Garrett Smith
The Smith On VoIP Word/Phrase of the Day is Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA).
An Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA) is a device that converts analog telephone signals into digital packets for transfer across an IP network. Analog Telephones (small office key systems can also can access to VoIP through an ATA) connect to the the Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA) via an FXS port and the ATA connects to the IP network via an RJ45 port. Some ATA’s also have an FXO port for connectivity to the PSTN. Analog Telephone Adaptors also convert digital packets back into analog voice streams.
by Garrett Smith
The Smith On VoIP Word/Phrase of the Day is Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a system to send electrical power and data to compatible devices over standard CAT5 cable in an Ethernet network. Power over Ethernet(PoE) eliminates the need 110/220 AC power adaptors. For some, this makes it possible to place devices in area where they previously could not. Power over Ethernet typically involves the use of a Power over Ethernet Switch or Injector.
by Garrett Smith
Smith On VoIP’s Word/Phrase of the Day is Quality of Service (QoS).
Quality of Service (QoS) can mean many different things, but when spoken in the context of Voice over IP, it is used to described subscriber satisfaction with of all imperfections affecting the service. Typically network elements (or imperfections) such as availability (uptime), bandwidth (throughput), latency (delay), and error rate are discussed. QoS is important due to the need to prioritize VoIP packets in order to ensure optimal call quality.
by Garrett Smith
Smith On VoIP’s Word/Phrase of the Day is Foreign Exchange Seat (FXS).
Foreign Exchange Station (FXS) is an interface on a ATA, or VoIP gateway that connects station devices such as phones or a pbx. I commonly refer to FXS as Foreign Exchange Seat, as the devices that typically connect to an FXS port can be found at your desk that has a “seat.”
