Solutions & demos

VoIP, Voice over IP

Much gets written about VoIP, the benefits, features, low costs... you know, the next big thing. Most people however just want to make a phone call! What attracts people to VoIP though is simply the promise of a low call cost. So what happens when you install the latest and greatest VoIP hardware with all the whistles and bells? Quite simply you just spent the money you saved by going to VoIP in the first place!

What do you need to know about VoIP? This is what we think is important:

Firstly, a standard telephone call is made with a fixed link between two phones, the fixed link is from end to end and must be “rented”, this rental results in your call cost. A VoIP call uses the (free) Internet to connect MOST of the way between your phone and the recipient. If the number you are calling is a “standard” phone then you will still have to rent the last bit of the connection to the other end – but now you only have to rent a short local link (very effective for international calls) and hence the low call cost. All a VoIP system does is make this possible.

Secondly, a VoIP system is only as good as your Internet connection, if that is poor then so is your VoIP system. So if your Internet fails you can no longer make a VoIP call. The latter means you should plan for a backup solution of some sort, indeed many VoIP solutions are a hybrid type and have this built in.

eClarity offer two main VoIP solutions:

The first is a well featured remotely hosted system that gives you numbers for just £1 per month and most calls for 1p per minute. It is quick and easy to setup and can work with a variety of hardware. Such a system will suit many users from home workers to small sites and requires a minimal initial outlay. An advanced version is available that includes incoming call queues and a large number of additional call handling features.

Our second offering is supplied with a Telecoms partner as it involves an advanced hybrid hardware. Although the initial setup of such a system is more expensive it can work out cheaper for large volumes of calls and if you have many users.

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eClarity provide Asterisk SIP solutions with Snom and Siemens hardware