How to Set Up VoIP VoIP is available for both residential and commercial use so long as you have an Internet connection. There are many ways to set up VoIP at home, depending on the connection, but the principle behind every setup is the same. Here are some basic explanations on how to set up VoIP at home under various scenarios. Through an Analog Telephone Adapter This is the simplest and cheapest way to switch your regular phone line to VoIP. To do this you must have an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter). An ATA device converts your analogue voice signals to digital signals and transmits them over the Internet. When you pick a VoIP service, the service provider offers you ATA free of cost. All you need to do is plug in the adapter to your existing PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) phone and your broadband modem and you're ready to make VoIP calls. You do not need a VoIP phone or a PC to use VoIP if you have ATA. (PSTN stands for public switched telephone network and it is the network used for standard phones around the world). 
So, in simple terms, this is how this method works: - Sign up for a VoIP service with a provider and they’ll provide the ATA adapter;
- Plug that into your phone;
- Hey presto, you can now use your regular phone for VoIP, being charged at whatever rates your VoIP provider offers.
The drawback of this setup is that you won’t be able to access your standard telephone calls. But you can set up a VoIP service and retain your standard PSTN line. The setup is similar to the previous one; the only difference is in the VoIP adapter. ATAs can have an FXO port (Foreign Exchange Office), a telephone signaling interface that can receive signals from telephone services) to plug into the PSTN socket to receive your telephone calls. Nowadays VoIP service providers are offering ATA that have an FXO port so you can access both your PSTN and VoIP phone at the same time. One major drawback of VoIP is that you can’t connect two VoIP phones to a single connection.  |