VoIP IP Phone System FAQ

VoIP stands for “Voice over Internet Protocol,” which is a method for call signaling and two-way audio over a computer network.

VoIP is specifically designed to be used for telephone communications over a computer network.

A traditional phone system has a fixed number of ports that can connect to phones. Since an IP phone server is a computer, there's no limit to the number of phones that can be connected to it.

There's no need for phone cabling, since the phones connect to the network LAN.

Administration is much easier, as the phone server and phones can be accessed and configured through a web page.

As many as you have network ports for.

IP phones connect like computers, so if you want to connect 20 IP phones, you'll need at least 20 free ports on a network switch.

Not required, but they can make use of a PoE switch.

PoE stands for “Power over Ethernet.”

A PoE switch is like a regular switch, but it also provides enough electricity through the network cable to power an IP phone. An IP phone will power on when it's connected to a cable from a PoE switch.

Yes. A PoE switch typically costs a little more than a non-PoE switch of the same size.

Yes. Most IP phones have an extra port on the back that a computer can connect to.

SIP stands for “Session Initiation Protocol.”

A SIP trunk is an internet connection to the public telephone network that allows you to make and receive phone calls from a VoIP phone server or SIP device.

The number of calls a SIP trunk can carry is limited only by the internet bandwidth available. A modest internet connection of 5 Mb/s can handle over 50 calls at once.

The cost savings of using SIP trunks over copper lines is considerable, especially for companies that require multiple lines.

You can connect to a SIP trunk anywhere you have an internet connection, so you're not tied to a location that has copper cable.

The biggest drawback is that if you lose your internet connection, you lose the ability to make and receive outside calls.

SIP trunk vendors provide a feature called “fail-over,” which is a very effective safeguard against internet outages. When the connection to your provider is lost, your incoming calls are automatically routed to a backup number (usually a cell phone) so you don't miss calls.