Theres a lot of hype these days surrounding Internet-based voice communications (VoIP) replacing traditional telephone service. Most of this revolves around companies such as Vonage who coin themselves as the Broadband Phone Company. So what about those of us who dont have a broadband connection? Just because you dont have high speed Internet, doesnt mean that you cant save a fortune by using VoIP for your long-distance calls. Whilst a broadband connection will usually result in more consistent VoIP call quality, comparable results can be achieved using a dial-up connection provided some simple guidelines are followed. Shop Around Not all VoIP service providers support dial-up users. Companies such as Vonage bill themselves as alternatives to traditional telephone service and shy away from the dial-up community (who are tied to those traditional networks to access the Internet). Furthermore, some service providers only support dial-up above a certain speed (e.g., 56Kbp). Two companies whose VoIP softphone applications work well over low speed connections include Callserve and Go2Call. Free-up your System Resources In order to ensure the highest call quality, close programs that are running in the background. For Windows users, these applications can be seen in the taskbar at the bottom right of your screen. Right-click the icons and close those programs that arent critical to system security (e.g., dont close anti-virus software, firewall applications and the like). If youre using Windows XP with user switching enabled, log off all users except the one that will be used to make the call. This will prevent the other user identities from running software and/or using your bandwidth while youre making calls. Free Up your Internet Connection Given the limited data capacity of dial-up connections, its important that you devote as much of your bandwidth as possible to the VoIP softphone application. To achieve maximum call quality, dont do anything that uses your bandwidth whilst making calls. This includes instant messaging, checking email, using a webcam, browsing the internet, downloading, etc. In Windows, you can look at the two little computers in the bottom right of your taskbar to see whether your connection is being used prior to calling (the little computers illuminate when data is being uploaded and/or downloaded). Scan your System for Viruses, Spyware, Adware and Malware Some of these malicious programs can hijack your browser, tie up your internet connection and slow down your system (not to mention seriously invade your privacy!). I recommend AdAware for free scanning and removal of Spyware/Adware. Once youve checked and cleansed your system of these nasty programs, your virus definition files should be updated to minimize the chances of re-infection. Use a Headset with an Integrated Boom Microphone Last but not least, using a headset with a boom microphone should eliminate those annoying voice echoes often associated with PC to Phone calls. Echoes are caused by your microphone detecting the voice coming from your computer speakers and re-transmitting that voice signal back to the person youre talking to. By using a headset, the voice signals are limited in volume (due to the headset being directly adjacent to your ears) and thus the chances of your microphone re-transmitting those voice signals is greatly reduced. So there you have it. A Lack of high speed Internet neednt mean a lack of PC to Phone VoIP capability. Nathan Smith |
