VoIP–Voice over IP– means you are able to place phone calls over the Internet to any phone in the world. The phone you are calling does not need to have VoIP. Generally the cost of using VoIP is less than your local telephone company, and you can keep your existing phone number or pick a new one with an area code anywhere in your country. Prices may vary.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    Could a text message be received through fixed VoIP?
    Vivek Khangarot
    Vivek Khangarot
    Community Answer
    We might use virtual phone numbers for that and receive messages on out mobile phones based on VoIP technology.
  • Question
    Can I connect my base phone into the adapter and have a second phone in a different room from where the adapter is?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If the adapter is the modem, you can simply plug in a home wireless phone set which will communicate with the associated satellite phones.
  • Question
    I don't understand how to connect a second phone in another room. Will it pick up the signal from the adapter in the computer room?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If you use a home wireless phone system with one or more extension phones, you simply plug the phone line from the VOIP Adapter into the main/base unit, and one can then make and receive phone calls from each of the remote wireless phones that run off the main/base phone system. In other words, your wireless phones work just as if the phone company line was plugged into your wireless phone system base unit.
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Warnings

  • A few unscrupulous VoIP companies advertise an "unlimited" service tier, but in reality they will cut off service to what they consider to be "high usage" customers, or will force them to move to a more expensive class of service. If you are considering signing up for "unlimited" service and think you may fall into the "high usage" category, read the company's terms and conditions carefully, and read reviews of that company online to see if other customers have experienced problems.
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  • Any phone connection such as Vonage that goes through the cable connection, does not connect to any 911 police emergency. In an emergency, you may not get immediate response for your emergency. It is not advisable to only have a cable connected telephone as your only phone system in the house.
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  • If you are porting (i.e. transferring) your telephone number over from another provider, do not cancel service with your old provider until the number has been successfully ported to your new VoIP provider. Failure to adhere to this could result in the loss of your phone number.
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  • Should you attempt to connect your VoIP service to your home's inside telephone wiring, you must first completely disconnect your inside wiring from the telephone company's cable coming into your home. Failure to do this will damage your VoIP adapter, and for that reason some VoIP companies do not recommend connecting your VoIP service to your inside wiring.
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  • Some VoIP service companies require you to explicitly turn on 911 service, they don't do it automatically. Check with the company to make sure you will have 911 service.
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  • In the event of a power failure or an interruption in your broadband service, you will lose the use of your VoIP service for the duration of the service outage. You may be able to avoid an interruption during a power failure by using an uninterruptible power supply, provided that your broadband provider's equipment is also protected against power failures.
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  • When comparing prices of VoIP providers, note that some companies charge a "regulatory recovery fee." This fee is NOT mandated by any government agency and therefore is simply a mechanism they use to make their advertised price lower than the actual price that you will pay if you sign up. You may want to ask the provider what your actual monthly billing will be before you sign up.
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Things You'll Need

  • A Wire line
  • A Telephone
  • A UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply)
  • A VoIP Phone adapter with Service

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 39 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 388,813 times.
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Co-authors: 39
Updated: June 7, 2022
Views: 388,813
Categories: Online Communications
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