The boundaries of internet have been spreading far and wide these days. The internet is finding new uses and applications day after day. The most recent inclusion to this field is the concept of VoIP which enables transfer of audio and video data through the internet. Recently, the method of sending fax through VoIP has become popular. Now, the idea of using VoIP for wireless applications is gaining momentum.Wireless VoIP is the combination of VoIP and wireless internet networks. To use wireless VoIP, we need hardware that can support this technology. For example, laptops with wireless VoIP connection and VoIP soft phones have the necessary hardware inside them to support VoIP. Wireless VoIP has large number of advantages:
• The cost of wireless VoIP is less than cellular connections and it also provides a greater bandwidth. Hence the transfer of data is faster.
• It is very easy to install WiFi networks and the time taken to expand the VoIP network is also less.
• The call quality and network coverage using wireless VoIP technology is much better than the usual cellular networks.
• It makes communication between colleagues of a company easier and this helps in maintaining flexibility within the work force.
• It helps to integrate different services like voice mail, caller ID and e-mail into one system which in turn helps to decrease the number of operators needed.
• As wireless VoIP system provider greater bandwidth, it is easier to download files and transfer data through your VoIP enabled device easily.
• Wireless VoIP provides faster connectivity than the cellular networks and has greater efficiency of operation.
At present, the usage of VoIP is less due to high cost of VoIP enabled devices. The number of networks supporting VoIP technology is also less. The wireless VoIP technology combines VoIP with Wi-Fi (wLAN) systems. Users must be within the wireless node range of the wireless network terminal can make and receive calls. Wireless VoIP phones are also called Voice over wireless local area network (VoWLAN) phones. The wLAN network has a number of access points. These access points receive signals from VoIP devices by means of an antenna and broadcast it.
The wireless VoIP devices convert voice into chunks of data and transmit it to the network. Here it is converted back into voice signal and sent to a phone network. The advantages of VoIP phones are limited by the fact that there can be only a maximum of five or ten calls in each wireless network. Hence the number of simultaneous calls that can be made in a wireless VoIP network is less. The reliability of VoIP phones is also less than the desktop phones.
However, lower costs of operation and maintenance are attracting the wireless operators towards this technology. The better call clarity and easy deployment of VoIP terminals adds to its value. So VoIP is definitely a technology of the future and will have a great impact on the life on mankind in the days to come. We just have to wait and observe the reaction of global wireless market to this new technology.