Print
Home | Telephones | Accessories | Product Explorer | Customer Care | Press
Professional Column
Making the most of VoIP
Making the most of VoIP
Making phone calls over the Internet is easy today; all you need is the right phone and broadband Internet access. Depending on your package it generally saves a significant amount of money and also offers a number of unique features designed to further improve and simplify everyday communications.
1. Set your status – “I’m busy”
To make sure that you’re not disturbed by calls when you are busy or receive calls from people you don't want to talk to you can set your presence status to “unavailable” or “busy,” just as you would with Instant Messaging. Callers who use the same Instant Messaging service can then see whether or not you are available.
2. One phone number, wherever you are in the world
You can choose to set up a local phone number so that anyone can reach you via a normal telephone and a local number. For example, if you have several family members in Spain and you live in Germany , your Spanish contacts can call you using a regular telephone and calling a Spanish number, but still speak to you in Germany .
3. Escape your computer
With a VoIP-enabled cordless phone, you are not tied to your computer when using the Internet to contact friends and family – you can call from anywhere in your house. There are special VoIP telephones as well as hybrid phones that enable calls via both VoIP and a fixed network. If you already have a wireless set-up at home, you can use a wirelessly-enabled VoIP telephone. But even “normal” analog telephones can be used to make calls over the Internet by simply plugging the phone into a wireless enabled router.
4. Instant conference calls
With VoIP, a spontaneous conference call with your best friends is no problem. Conference calls with several participants are easy to set-up through your VoIP provider’s service. You don’t need a special conference number, and there are no additional costs.
5. Voicemail wherever you are in the world
With VoIP you have access to your voicemail anywhere and at any time. S imply log onto your VoIP service provider and click “Voicemail.” Most voicemail applications also send you an e-mail every time someone leaves you a message. The e-mail contains information about the time and date of the call and is often accompanied by an attachment with the voicemail as a voice file, so that you can listen to the message right away and even share it with friends and family if you like.
Making phone calls over the Internet is easy today; all you need is the right phone and broadband Internet access. Depending on your package it generally saves a significant amount of money and also offers a number of unique features designed to further improve and simplify everyday communications.
1. Set your status – “I’m busy”
To make sure that you’re not disturbed by calls when you are busy or receive calls from people you don't want to talk to you can set your presence status to “unavailable” or “busy,” just as you would with Instant Messaging. Callers who use the same Instant Messaging service can then see whether or not you are available.
2. One phone number, wherever you are in the world
You can choose to set up a local phone number so that anyone can reach you via a normal telephone and a local number. For example, if you have several family members in Spain and you live in Germany , your Spanish contacts can call you using a regular telephone and calling a Spanish number, but still speak to you in Germany .
3. Escape your computer
With a VoIP-enabled cordless phone, you are not tied to your computer when using the Internet to contact friends and family – you can call from anywhere in your house. There are special VoIP telephones as well as hybrid phones that enable calls via both VoIP and a fixed network. If you already have a wireless set-up at home, you can use a wirelessly-enabled VoIP telephone. But even “normal” analog telephones can be used to make calls over the Internet by simply plugging the phone into a wireless enabled router.
4. Instant conference calls
With VoIP, a spontaneous conference call with your best friends is no problem. Conference calls with several participants are easy to set-up through your VoIP provider’s service. You don’t need a special conference number, and there are no additional costs.
5. Voicemail wherever you are in the world
With VoIP you have access to your voicemail anywhere and at any time. S imply log onto your VoIP service provider and click “Voicemail.” Most voicemail applications also send you an e-mail every time someone leaves you a message. The e-mail contains information about the time and date of the call and is often accompanied by an attachment with the voicemail as a voice file, so that you can listen to the message right away and even share it with friends and family if you like.