How Does Datavo Deliver VoIP?

If you have never heard of VoIP, be prepared to radically change the way you think about your current local and long distance plans. VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is a method for taking analog audio signals and converting them to digital signals that are sent over the internet.

Datavo can provide VoIP to a business customer with the following two methods: ATA or IP Phones.

What is an ATA?

An ATA or Analog Telephone Adapter is the most common way of using VoIP. It is a communication device that allows you to hook up the phone or phone system that is already in your business to your Internet connection. It converts the analog signals your phone sends out into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet. ATA's are largely cheaper compared to normal analog telephone systems.

Most ATA's are a small box with an Ethernet port, a power adapter, one or many FXS telephone ports and at times may include a FXO link as well. Depending on the brand and model, it consumes around 3-5 Watts of electricity.

What is an IP Phone?

The next type of VoIP usage utilizes IP Phones instead of you desk phone. The IP Phone looks just like a normal phone, with all the same buttons and cradle, the only difference is that instead of plugging your IP phone into the wall jack like you would with a normal analog phone, it gets plugged directly into your router or modem.

This option allows you to circumvent your personal computer, and it also means that you will not have to install any software, because it is all built into the handset. Additionally, the fact that WiFi IP phones have now become available, which allows callers to make VoIP calls from any WiFi hotspot, make this option an exciting possibility.

What is an ATA?

An ATA, or Analog Telephone Adapter is a communication device that connects one or multiple analog telephones to a computer or a digitalized telephone network using VoIP so that users can make fast and efficient phone calls over the internet. ATA's are largely cheaper compared to both normal analog telephone system as well as specialized VoIP phones that are directly connected to the USB port of a computer.

How do ATA's work?

Most ATA's are a small box with an Ethernet port, a power adapter, one or many FXS telephone ports and at times may include a FXO link as well. Users have the provision of plugging in one or more traditional analog telephone equipment into the ATA and all connected analog devices operates independently over a VoIP network. ATA' s generally communicates with VoIP servers using a set of protocols like IAX, SCCP, MGCP, SIP and encodes or decodes voice signal using voice codecs like iLBC, GSM, G.729, G.711 etc. Depending on the brand and model, it consumes around 3-5 Watts of electricity.

Types of ATA's:

Next, there are numerous types of ATA's that create a physical connection between a computer device or a computer and a phone. Some other types of adapters also performs functions like analog to digital conversion by connecting directly to the VoIP server.When used in a commercial setting, in most cases an ATA comprise of a few telephone jacks and an RJ-45 cable connected to a standard 10/100 Base T Ethernet switch or hub which in turn is connected to a LAN.