Need help understanding VoIP please

[BobY777]

I'm trying to see how this VoIP works. I do the WiFi for hotels, but haven't gotten into VoIP yet.

1. Do I need a special access point to do VoIP or will a regular 802.11B work? Can VoIP coexist with regular WiFi users as long as there is enough broadband for them all?

2. If I want to call someone across the country or world, and we both have a broadband internet connection, and both have VoIP equipment, I assume we don't even need Vonage to do this. I can call him directly over the Internet using VoIP.

3. But if I have VoIP equipment and a broadband connection and want to all someone across the country, but that person does not even have a computer or even any Internet connection, but only has a regular land line telephone, I'm tryint to figure hot the call routing goes to call him? Since he does not have VoIP equipment or a Internet connection.

I assume this is where Vonage comes in? Might Vonage be the one to have all the long distance trunks that will interface my VoIP calls to other users who only have regular wired telephone service?

4. Can I cost effectively set up my own equipment to act like Vonage does. I might want to sell VoIP to my networking customers that we do networking for. Can I myself route my customers VoIP calls to the land line where by I could bypass companies like Vonage?

Maybe this may not be too cost effective since I might have to purchase long distance trunks to do so? So do most networking companies, like I work for, who are considering selling VoIP to our clients, utilize Vonage (and similiar companies) to interface VoIP calls of their customers into regular wired telephone system?

I think you all very much for your help

[golfnut]

Hi Bob,

Here's some info to get you started...

There are two types of VOIP standards, H.323 and SIP.

SIP phones are easier and less expensive to use for making out bound calls because you can use them with a number of broadband VOIP service providers (Oceans mentioned one in this thread that sounds really good).

I would recommend using them with higher end APs that can prioritize packets for voice and data (Cisco, 3Com), especially in a mixed environment where you may have a large number of both voice and data users.

Planning for this environment will take some work, especially if phone users roam from AP to AP or a different subnet. Symbol and Cisco has a really good white paper for designing this type of network.

When you sign-up with a wireless VOIP provider, you will be assigned a phone number to make and receive calls to anyone.

If you want to set this up yourself, you'll need a SIP Server however I don't think it's very cost effective when you can make unlimited calls anywhere in the country for around $20 a month through a provider.

Search google on this subject and do a lot of research. If quality of service isn't good from the beginning, people won't use it.

Greg

[BobY777]

Hi Greg:

Thanks for the info on the two types of VoIP.

From what you say here, it looks like most APs will work with VoIP and regular data, but it looks like the VoIP needs a better access points to prioritize the VoIP data.

You mentioned roaming. If a user has VoIP and walks from one location to another, then I can see where an AP with roaming capability could come in handy...since not all allow roaming.


I'll see if I can find that message by Oceans.

Thank you,
Bob