How Does VoIP Work?
When one mentions VOIP, the first thing that comes to mind is Skype. For those who have heard about it many times, they may also think about routers and soft phones. But VOIP, or voice over Internet protocol, is more than that.
VOIP can be pretty complex to explain, but you'll never be able to appreciate the technology and its purpose and benefits if you don't know how it works.
How You Get VOIP
VOIP, if broadly defined, is the transmission of video and audio through broadband Internet. This is different from the traditional method, where sound travels through the conventional telephone lines. Of course, how these media files are converted also varies.
When one calls a VOIP number, the sound travels through the IP network, which is connected to a computer (or a laptop) that makes use of VOIP. The user then hears the voice. However, audio does require a good amount of space in order to travel and be heard properly. To achieve this, it goes through a process called compression. This way, its large space is greatly reduced. A special algorithm is also utilized, which is referred to as CODEC. The sound is also broken into chunks but is put together into transmission packets known as IP packets. Each of these packages can contain as much at least 10 milliseconds' worth of audio.
Ideally, there should be no gaps between these packets, so you can definitely understand the message that is being delivered. However, technical glitches can happen, and VOIP can experience some delays. It's also possible that a number of these packets are lost in transmission. To compensate for the loss, the CODEC works to fill in the gap and provide you with the most fitting audio.
Installation: