China spies on Skype users
China keeps chat and phone calls from Skype users closely and see censorship as the speakers words like independence or Tibet are used. This is what Canadian researchers from the University of Toronto recently discovered.

The massive control operation of the Chinese authorities is possible by an exlusive partnership between the Chinese telecom provider TOM Online and Skype , owned by U.S. Internet auction site eBay.  Skype discovered that  TOM Online is changing applications without the knowledge of Skype, they showed very concerned about the fact that the privacy of the chatters is violated and offers apologies.  Skype said “the situation with TOM needs to be tackle soon’.

But mention sending faxes over VOIP and you will be greeted with less than happy stares. While VOIP offers many unparalleled enhancements, the process of delivering and receiving faxes is still a bothersome thing. Although there is a more pressing concern in the form of VOIP’s failure to convey emergency calls effortlessly, finicky users are still not satisfied that VOIP does not offer a steadfast way to send and receive fax.

Data delivery is one main factor that contributes to the problem of sending and receiving fax using VOIP. It is compulsory for voice data to be delivered in real time, but that is not the case with faxes. It is not a must for fax data to be sent in real time as long as it arrives at the destination in its original form. However, if a tiny piece of fax data is lost along the way, an unfixable error happens. To solve this problem, fax data must be transmitted slowly using a wide variation of codecs. Even if you do these steps, you might not be fully satisfied with the fax quality.

 
Still want to send and receive fax via VOIP? You can ignore these setbacks and ask your VOIP provider if the software sold supports fax sending. You will need to allocate extra funds so that they will modify your VOIP router and adapter to allow faxes to be delivered and received. You can rectify this yourself using the DIY way by changing the default codec too 711U or reducing the fax baud rate to 9600.

An easier way is to send and receive faxes using emails but this can also be rather wearisome in nature. First scan your documents with a scanner or a quality document imaging system. Set it so that the fax is attached to the email and delivered to the desired fax service. It will then send it over to a real fax machine.

All the same, there has to be a lot of changes made to VOIP before it can be considered a flawless mode of communication. The subject of cost effectiveness has already been covered but many are still seeing red over the quality and consistency of VOIP calls. The quality of voice calls have seen considerable improvements over the years but those who are used to the almost faultless voice quality when using old fashioned PSTN phones are reluctant to make VOIP their main method of communication.

VOIP calls are very much influenced by bandwidth where an extremely stable Internet connection is needed in order to make VOIP calls. It will not do to have a dial up Internet connection unless you want your VOIP calls to be affected in a major manner. Although broadband is used, it does not fully guarantee crystal clear VOIP calls if the connection is shared by many users accessing a multitude of applications at once.
 
VOIP voice quality can also be affected by hardware and equipment. To optimize the quality, one should shop around and pay slightly more for reliable VOIP adapters, routers or VOIP phones if you have the budget for them. These usually come with noise cancellation as well as firewall features for added protection.

How reliable VOIP calls are also depend on the weather, whereby rain and thunderstorm can cause annoying static in VOIP calls. This factor is out of our control so all we can do is hope that the Internet Service Providers are able to rectify this problem.

To wrap this up, we can conclude that VOIP voice calls is still a practicable way of communication even if you take into account the minor drawbacks which can definitely be eliminated in due time.

In contrast, VOIP is based on the packet switching technique whereby the connection is kept open in the blink of an eye, long enough to let miniscule chunks of data or packet to be transported between two varying systems. The first computer delivers the data by breaking it down then attaching special instructions detailing the destination of this particular information. After the second computer receives the data, it will immediately piece together the packets and restore them to the original structure.

That being said, one can tell that VOIP and its packet switching method is an efficient form of communication compared to circuit switching which is slowly losing its appeal. Circuit switching is the technique behind Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) phones therefore it is much more exorbitant to make international calls using a conventional phone compared to using VOIP. This is because a dedicated PSTN line is being rented by the minute whereby a VOIP network can be shared amongst other users instantly. Without circuit dedication, there will be no extra costs for a single person to bear.
 
VOIP and packet switching cannot be compared to the PSTN’s network as a dedicated circuit gets you better quality. Information will always be delivered more efficiently, hence the higher costs. A VOIP’s open circuit will attract untoward congestion and hence cause bad call quality. Although this is the case, VOIP voice quality can be made better with TCP protocol so there should be problems attached to packet switching if you want to make VOIP your choice of communication.

Have you heard about “phreaking?” “Phreaking” is best described as unethically hacking into a VOIP service provider for the hacker’s own benefit. This is why many VOIP providers stress on Session Initiation Protocol. If it is encrypted, you can avoid “phreaking” from happening.

Eavesdropping is another major security peril where the hacker gains access to personal information like names, phone number and passwords to use them for his own personal gain.

To use VOIP, a computer that runs on operating system like Windows or MAC or LINUX is required. If your system is affected by viruses or malicious elements like spyware and adware, it is natural that VOIP will also be affected. This is where Denial of Service attacks take place. In such a situation, users will not be able to use the service for which he has paid for. One would be asked to go through unnecessary SIP call-signals. During this stage, hackers gain access to valuable information stored in your system.

The next VOIP-related hazard is SPIT, meaning Spamming Over Internet Telephony. If you receive sales calls that pretend to be voicemails, you can be sure that this is a form of a nasty SPIT attack. This is how a hacker can pour countless viruses and malware into your system. You might also have heard about “phishing” attacks. It is similar to phony websites that disguise themselves as genuine sites and tricking you into believing that you are remitting money into a reliable dealer, when it is only a bogus site you are dealing with. Similarly with VOIP, you would be asked to give away information like your username and password.

As there are security hazards that come with the advantages of using VOIP, one should think twice before switching to VOIP. Otherwise, if necessary precautionary measures are taken, using VOIP can prove to be a great experience.

If you look at the corporate world, almost all organizations have implemented VOIP as there are huge benefits attached to it. One of the major benefits is that they save a lot of money and it increases their revenue. You might have heard about Michael Powell, Chairman of FCC. He once said that VOIP has brought in a paradigm shift to the communication world. According to a recent survey, it is believed that more than 70% people use VOIP for communication. It was also said that by the year 2020, almost all people would start using VOIP instead of other modes communication. Great news for VOIP fans and providers!

Many VOIP service providers try their best to ensure that the sound or audio is clear. However, you may sometimes experience problems in hearing when using VOIP. Reasons for this could be due to slow Internet connection or poor Internet quality. Also, the absence of a stable broadband connection could cause less than clear VOIP quality.

Rather than getting frustrated, it is better to switch to broadband connection if you wish to use VOIP. VOIP is already cost effective in itself, but there is one more way to cut down costs. Ask your broadband company if they offer VOIP service and if they say yes, subscribe to them rather than finding some other VOIP service provider. This way you can earn substantial discounts and save more money.

Even though there are lots of advantages that come with using VOIP, you should think thoroughly before taking the decision.

You will be amazed if you know how many people use Skype for communication. A whooping 300 million people have been converted to be Skype fans once they get a taste of what Skype can do to enhance their everyday communication. This is certainly an achievement for a five year old communication entity. Skype can be considered as the pioneer in VOIP with its cutting edge features. You can run Skype via computers with operating systems like Windows XP/2000/Vista, MAC OS X, and LINUX. And here is an amazing fact about Skype - it is completely possible to run Skype from a USB thumb drive in a system that is running Windows OS without even installing the software! Skype has certainly made their program usable in multiple platforms.

Several features offered by Skype are SkypeOut, SkypePro and SkypeIn. With Skypeout, you can call either mobile phones or landlines for a very small fee. The fee is miniscule compared to what you would pay to your local telecommunications provider. Just remit a small amount every month to gain Skype credits and you can freely talk to your loved ones who live in other countries without restrictions. You can call any number at local call rates if you are using SkypeIn. Other handy features offered by Skype include Call Forwarding, Call Divert and Do Not Disturb.

Even though there are lots of advantages using Skype, they do not guarantee the conversion of landline or cellular phone to access VOIP. However, the barrage of advantages surpasses the disadvantages.

Do not hesitate to install the latest Skype software and you will be on your way to chat the night away with your friends and family!

Most of these routers have QoS (Quality of Service) which means that your VoIP call remains uninterrupted, regardless of how busy the network may be.

VoIP routers are also an ideal solution for businesses who operate from multiple locations, be they abroad or local. With a VoIP router at each end you will no longer have to pay for calls because they are transferred over your existing broadband connection.

Securing VoIP

VoIP, as it uses the Internet as its conduct is subject to the same types of attacks than any other Internet traffic. Your VoIP network may suffer from viruses, Trojans, denial of service and other kinds of dangers as a SYN flood or Ping of death. It  ’s also possible for an attacker to publicly available hacking tools to intercept packages VoIP and listen to your conversations. Implementation of VoIP with a solid platform of security will prevent these attacks. SonicWALL  ’s own VoIP solution allows you to deploy any combination of voice over IP anywhere in the network, and it also supports both wired and wireless VoIP. Both SonicWALL TZ 170 series and PRO provide VoIP capabilities already integrated in the firmware SonicOS. And because it is integrated with SonicWALL  ’s own Unified Threat Management (UTM) platform of security, your VoIP is protected against threats to the protocols of VoIP.

Excellent call quality

More stringent protection, SonicWALL also ensures that your VoIP call quality is excellent. SonicWALL  ’s bandwidth management tools to ensure that time sensitive VoIP traffic can be taken into account, and that all devices connected VoIP have enough bandwidth available at any time. SonicWALL  ’s VoIP solution is interoperable with all major providers of VoIP, and plug-and-protect support automatically recognize any VoIP device which is added or removed.
Additional security

For added security, May you decide to implement a  “closed ” VoIP network, in order to prevent the occurrence of any unauthorized calls. And of course, since your voice over IP is a part of your regular SonicWALL gateway device, you will automatically VoIP intrusion prevention, anti-virus and content filtering applied to your VoIP environment.

Reporting and Monitoring

Like the rest of your network, you need information and monitoring, and SonicWALL  ’s VoIP solution provides for the transmission of reports, and the ability to monitor VoIP calls each from the first package at the latest.(1sentence) From monitoring and troubleshooting, including dynamic direct all calls VoIP, is available on the firmware SonicOS Enhanced In addition, the audit logs of all voice over IP calls can be easily generated. For more reports and compliance needs, you can also create customized reports for all signals VoIP and media water. No additional equipment. You can apply immediately VoIP through your SonicWALL TZ 170 or PRO gateway device, without additional hardware is required.

There are also some drawbacks concerning mobile VOIP usage. One disadvantage in using mobile VOIP is that you cannot be sure of the strength in security. This means that it is easier to jump from one hotspot to the other using mobile VOIP. There are hackers who would try to shoot virus, malware and spyware into your system. Another disadvantage is that it can detect Internet hotspots only within a 90-meter vicinity. This means one cannot wander far from the hotspot in order to maintain connection. It can be very annoying for users who want to leave the hotspot in a hurry so this is one of the main reasons why many use their mobile phones instead of mobile VOIP.

As VOIP products are increasing day-by-day, the FCC along with the US Government have started to frame the necessary policies. Other disadvantages of using mobile VOIP are weak batteries and high expenses. Another great disadvantage in using mobile VOIP is that you should be within 90-meter range or else you risk losing connectivity.

According to a recent survey, it is found that mobile VOIP would grow to a sensational twelve billion dollars in Europe. Therefore, the world is now on its toes trying to see what great features would entail mobile VOIP.

To run a business effectively, communication is very much essential and that is the same for telecommunications. People have started to depend heavily on various telecommunication methods like e-mail, fax, telephones and web conferencing. So comfortable they are with these conveniences that people of this generation have trouble imagining how people worked earlier without these telecommunication modes. To use VOIP, you do not require any additional application and that is already a cost effective reason by itself. With VOIP, it is easy to integrate various telecommunication methods. This enables more income or revenue to be generated by the organization. To have VOIP, you definitely do not need any additional hardware. All you have to purchase is a computer or laptop that is equipped with VOIP software as well as a headset or a microphone.

Should you want to invite one your business partners who stays far apart to attend a meeting, it is an easy and simple process to call them using reliable VOIP software. Start saving money right away by using VOIP connection. Whenever you wish to get in touch with your virtual personal assistant who stays in a different part of the world, VOIP has made it easier to gain access to people who stay far away from us.