VoIP Basics - What is VoIP?

by Garrett Smith

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This is the first installment of Smith On VoIP Basics, a series dedicated to VoIP Education for the Novice or Beginner. The Smith On VoIP Basics series aims to arm individuals with the knowledge and ability necessary to make informed decisions on the migration to VoIP for their home or small business.

What is VoIP?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. The “Voice” part of Voice over Internet Protocol is self explainatory. The Internet Protocol is where some start to get confused. An Internet Protocol (IP) is a data-oriented protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched network (home, office, the internet). Internet Protocols (IP) allow you to transmit data any interconnected networks. Utilizing a combination of hardware, software, and voice protocols, your conversations are carried over the IP network to its intended destination.

In Layman’s terms: VoIP allows you to make phone calls over any interconnected network, mostly commonly thought of as the Internet.

Up next we will take a look at the different at “How VoIP Works.”