PC-To-Phone VoIP

What is PC-to-phone VoIP?

PC-to-phone is the ability to have your PC make outbound calls to a regular phone. So using a service such as SkypeOut, you can make an outbound call using your computer to a regular analogue phone number that you are traditionally used to.

What is the 'softphone' used in PC-to-phone VoIP?

Softphone is a software based phone. That's why it's called softphone. It is an application that installs on your computer that allows you to make calls. Now basically what it does is it communicates with your service provider. And it looks like a telephone on your screen. It has buttons and you use your mouse to dial and you can have an address book. It looks and functions just like a telephone.

Who can I call using PC-to-phone VoIP?

With PC-to-phone call, you can call anybody that you can traditionally call on a phone system, pretty much anywhere in the world. So, you have to sign-up with a service provider, like Skype, who will give you that ability to make those calls.

How does a PC-to-phone call work?

It works like this. You use your computer softphone to make a phone call by dialling in a traditional phone number into your system. You're going to be using your microphone and speaker to communicate and your voice is going to be converted to digital signal. That digital signal is going to go over to the Internet, over to your service provider who's going to convert you back to analogue. And that's how you communicate with the traditional phone system and that call will go to a landline and where the other caller is going to pick up the phone and have a conversation with you.

How much does a 'softphone' cost?

Softphones can be download from the internet typically, for free. There are some softphones that have lots of features that you would have to pay for. But there are free softphones available.

What are the advantages of PC-to-phone VoIP?

In most cases you want to use PC-to-phone for if you want to save money on making those calls. If you're calling for example from California to New York, you might have to pay 3 cents a minute on your traditional phone system, but on PC-to-phone you might get those calls for free.

What are the disadvantages of a PC-to-phone VoIP?

You might not want to use a PC-to-phone to make outbound calls if your call quality is not as good as your landline. The other reason is you will pay a monthly fee for that service, so if you already have an existing phone service you're going to have to pay that on top of whatever you have, so those might be some of the reasons you do not want to use a PC-to-phone to make your calls.

What equipment do I need to use PC-to-phone VoIP?

You just need a handset device such as a headphone and microphone. Or you can use your computer's speaker and microphone that's built-in, and that's all the equipment you need.

What software do I need to make a PC-to-phone VoIP call?

The software you need for a PC-to-phone is a soft phone. It is an application that runs on your computer that will interface with your speaker and microphone or headset. It looks like basically a regular phone on your computer. It has a dial pad and an LCD screen. You just dial the numbers and then you can make those calls.

What do I have to do to get a PC-to-phone system?

The first thing you should do to get a PC-to-phone system is select a service provider that can give you that service. You might want to compare rates and find out what the best services available for you are and install their software, subscribe to their service, and you should be able to make phone calls immediately.