If you’ve ever messaged or called someone with WhatsApp, you have likely used VoIP. Placing voice or video calls through WhatsApp means you aren’t using regular phone circuits. Without the classic phone system, you just use the internet to place calls. As a result, VoIP is a practical and economical way for businesses to access phone services.
As a result, a 2019 study from Global Market Insights believes the VoIP industry will grow to be worth an impressive USD 55 billion by 2025. You can see the same increase in your company by switching to VoIP and choosing appropriate equipment.
The guide will explain each component that goes into setting up VoIP, beginning with phones and routers and including more sophisticated tools such as Session Border Controllers and Unified Communications tools.
The Internet Connection Needed for VoIP Calling
The success of a VoIP system depends on having a reliable internet connection. If your internet is slow or doesn’t work properly, you might find that your calls drop, your conversations sound muffled and there are delays.
Why is it significant? So, they can shape how well customers are satisfied, how hard employees work and the efficiency of the company. This is why for a good VoIP experience, you need these two essentials:
i. A Strong Internet Connection
You should maintain your IP network equipment to stop connectivity issues. It may be a good idea to set up an additional backup internet line. So, downtime is reduced in case of outages. Applying these guidelines makes your VoIP calls dependable and easy to listen to.
ii. Sufficient Bandwidth
Because VoIP uses the internet, the speed at which data is sent depends on your internet bandwidth. Your needed bandwidth can change if there are more or fewer users at once and you want different call quality levels. Check the guidelines that show you how much bandwidth is needed to support the required calls.
Essential VoIP Equipments
Analysis by Telzio reveals that moving to VoIP can save businesses about half of what they pay for monthly telecom services. That’s why using appropriate equipment is necessary to ensure things run as they should.
Let’s begin by finding out what the basic VoIP equipment is for installing a VoIP phone for any organization. Let’s look at the tools needed.
i. Internet Connection
A strong and quick internet connection that provides enough bandwidth is necessary for VoIP systems, according to the discussion above.
ii. Router
It’s necessary to have a router to help with network traffic and give your devices internet access. You should set the router to prefer VoIP data and keep your video calls stable.
iii. VoIP Phones
These devices are the ones we pick up to use in conversations. Some phones are for simple calls, while others help make video calls. With AI support, JustCall’s phone system gives agents access to important summaries, reviewing analytics and understanding sentiment.
iv. PoE Switch
If your VoIP phones are powered by PoE, you have to connect them to the network using a PoE switch over the Ethernet cables.
v. Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs)
If your phones use analog technology, you need to install ATAs to link them to your VoIP network.
vi. Ethernet Cables
They make it possible to connect your call devices (VoIP phone, router, computer and so on) to the network.
Advanced Equipment for VoIP Connections
All the components listed are necessary for a secure VoIP network. But if your business gets bigger and your communication efforts involve more people, you might need to invest in more advanced VoIP technology.
Improved VoIP systems are ready to grow with you, delivering more features, the capacity to handle more people and devices, enhanced security and improved dependability.
Here are the main advanced tools needed for installing larger VoIP phone systems and what they do.
i. Session Border Controller (SBC)
It is used to guard and control access from your company’s system to the public internet, securing your information, outbound calls and voice traffic.
ii. Voice Quality Monitoring Tools
They allow you to track and assess your VoIP calls to find out what causes any unclear sounds. They monitor for jitter, packet loss and call latency, so the quality of your calls is improved at the same time. It immediately supplies administrators with useful feedback.
They are also useful for managing VoIP calls with IP-PBX systems inside a company. With this feature, anyone involved with the company can easily exchange messages and use voicemail, call forwarding and call routing.
iii. Unified Communications (UC) Platforms
With UC solutions like JustCall, different communication technologies such as voice, video, messaging and presence are all organized into one unified solution.
iv. Video Conferencing Tools
For the best video conferences, you should have cameras, microphones and displays.
Input and Output Devices
We’ve discussed various important hardware needed for VoIP. But, in any case, you need IP devices (called hardware) to both communicate (speak) and receive (listen).
In VoIP, the input devices are hardware used to get your voice and transmit it across the Internet. It includes:
- Standard microphone
- Headset microphone
- Bundle kit includes dedicated microphone for your VoIP phone
On the other side, “Output devices” allow you to hear the phone information going through the call. It includes:
- Computer speakers
- Headphones
- Headset speakers
Essential VoIP Equipments
If you’re building a small home office instead of a big company’s, then clearly your equipment needs will not be the same. The correct pieces of VoIP equipment can be chosen for your business depending on your needs and spending.
You’ll need basic equipment set up to get your VoIP system going.
1. Core Components
- Reliable internet: You need a strong and fast internet connection for VoIP to work well.
- Router: Making sure your VoIP communication runs smoothly, a router sends traffic from the internet to other devices on your network.
- Softphones or VoIP phones: VoIP phones are instruments made to help you answer and make calls using your internet connection. Their features include call waiting, caller ID and voicemail. Softphones work on computers or smartphones, so you can place and receive calls with a headset or microphone.
2. Additional Considerations
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch: Thanks to this, VoIP phones get power through the Ethernet, so you do not need extra power adapters.
- Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA): If you’re using analog phones with VoIP, an ATA transforms the analog signals into digital signals before they are sent over the internet.
- Session Border Controller: For large companies, SBC helps protect their system, allows for better calls and takes charge of traffic between various networks.
Having these key aspects sorted out allows you to set up a basic VoIP system.
Final Words - VoIP Equipment Guide
When you know which VoIP equipment is needed and which is optional, you can assemble a reliable system for your company’s communication. Always have a strong internet connection, use hardware that fits together and think about your personal case and budget.
If you properly set up your VoIP phone equipment, you can increase the ways you communicate and the results you achieve.
FAQs - VoIP Equipment Guide
UCaaS and VoIP are not used synonymously. Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP, is the technology behind talking over the Internet.
Call quality and reliability are not always given, but can be improved when you have the right hardware. If you choose a VoIP service like JustCall, your contact center’s productivity can improve for a small business.
To set up a basic VoIP connection, you only need Wi-Fi, an internet router and either a specially designed VoIP phone or one with softphone software on your computer.
You’ll have to pick a VoIP service provider, get an internet connection, configure your router and install your VoIP phones or softphones to use VoIP.
Some things you may need for VoIP system setup are:
- Hardware
- Software
- Installation
You are responsible for monthly service payment. If the system, equipment or service provider’s complexity is high, costs may go up quickly.
