Resources

 Skype, a VoIP application, is currently one of the most popular voice communication services. VoIP stands for “Voice over Internet Protocol.” It allows people to make phone calls over their Internet connection. Skype provides excellent sound quality unlike some of the early versions of VoIP. Instead of using the telephone cables, your phone calls made through Skype use the Internet cables. Skype has been around since 2003.

Skype allows users to make free phone calls to other users of this software application whenever they want simply by using their computer. This is referred to as Skype-to-Skype calls. Plus, unlike some VoIP services, no monthly fee is charged to customers wishing to use this service to make free calls only.

Although basic services with Skype are free, premium services do come with a nominal fee which is used to offset costs. These paid services include voicemail, call forwarding, calling to land line phones, and calling to mobile phones.

The Skype service also allows users to make free video calls with high quality video. Plus, calls to call phones and mobiles are offered at great rates, featuring low per minute costs.

Skype is available in 28 different languages so it is used in many countries around the world.

Special features include the ability to forward your messages to your mobile phone whenever you are offline. Plus, you can use an instant messaging feature if you prefer. It even comes with an option to install a Google toolbar.

Skype features two versions of this application. One is for personal use and the other, referred to as Skype for Business, is designed for business use. Skype occasionally updates its application in order to improve its features or fix minor bugs. One such updated version was released in August of 2008.

What kind of operating system do I need?

Skype is available for use with a variety of operating systems including Windows (Business Version), Windows (Beta), Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows Mobile. It can be used with cordless phones, WiFi phones, Nokia N800/N810, and 3 Skypephone.

What do I need to use Skype?

It is necessary to have a few things in place in order to use Skype including the software. Skype’s software is offered as a free download from their website.

Only a few items are essential for using Skype. You will probably have most of these already: a computer, an Internet connection, preferably broadband, speakers, a microphone, a working sound card, and the software for Skype.

If you intend to use Skype for video calls, then you need to obtain several items. You should have a high quality video webcam and software so that your video will transfer in high quality mode. Also, you will need a fast broadband connection, which means at least 384 kbps. Plus, you should have a dual-core processor computer.

A few system requirements are also necessary. Your computer should have 256 MB RAM with at least a 1 GHz processor.

VoIP phones use the Internet to make and receive phone calls. While this saves you a great deal of money each month, it does come with its price: if your Internet access goes out, your phone won’t work.

So, what should you do? I have Vonage and I do like saving money. However, my high speed Internet access is a bit spotty. I’d say that my access goes down at least two or three times a month. Normally, these outages only last for a few minutes but it’s still a concern. What if I miss an important call? What if there’s an emergency and I need to dial 911?

In addition to cable company outages affecting Internet access, power outages also affect VoIP phones. If the power goes out, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the cable is out too - but the cable modem requires power as does the VoIP router. Without these pieces of equipment powered on and working, the VoIP phone doesn’t work.

To top it off, even if the cable Internet access was rock solid and the power never went out, modems and routers need to be rebooted from time to time. At least several times a week, my Internet connection will simply sputter and go out. According to the cable modem, I’m “online” but according to reality, I can’t check my e-mail, surf the Internet, or use my VoIP phone until I reboot both my modem and wireless router.

So far, I haven’t had any problems with the Vonage system going down though I suppose that’s possible too. If their system is interrupted, it would make sense that my phone wouldn’t work during the interruption.

All of this adds up to fairly unreliable phone service. Each week, my VoIP phone is temporarily not working. Vonage has a feature that helps with this - if you have a second phone such as a cell phone. When the Internet goes down or some other disruption takes place, Vonage will forward your calls to an alternate number, such as your cell phone. Simply log into your Vonage account and go to the Features tab. Find the Network Availability area and enter in the phone number that you would like your phone calls to be forwarded to in the case of a service interruption.

Until VoIP becomes more reliable, it’s smart to maintain either a single land line or at least have a cell phone available as a backup.

During the southern California wildfires last October, the community of San Diego learned firsthand how Reverse 911 works. Mass evacuation orders were sent out using an emergency phone dialing system commonly known as “Reverse 911.” Imagine being sound asleep and having your phone ring, instructing you to evacuate your home - NOW!

This was a large scale test of this type of emergency phone system. It’s important to note that I’m using the term “Reverse 911″ generically and that several similar systems are used. For example, the county of San Diego also sent out evacuation orders over a phone dialing system called a “Universal Communications System.” I live in a different county which uses yet another system called the “Riverside County Early Warning Notification System.” Likewise my city has its own “Emergency Notification System.”

For the most part, Reverse 911 got the word out and the evacuations safely took place. However, a few discoveries were made along the way. For one, most Reverse 911systems use a database of phone numbers typically provided by phone utilities. What about people who have cut their land lines for good? Many people have switched to cell phones or VoIP as their communication tool of choice. If you’re one of these people, you can’t assume that you’ll be called in an emergency. Unless you request to be listed in the Reverse 911 directory, you might not get the phone call.

What to do? As the wildfires spread, these concerns crossed my mind. I have VoIP and a cell phone - neither of which would be called should the flames head my way. I checked with my city as well as the county and neither offered a way to add my VoIP and cell phone numbers into the Reverse 911 system at the time. I was on my own.

Fortunately, enough citizens expressed the same concerns and now the city and the county allow residents to add their alternative phone numbers to the Reverse 911 database. In both cases, all I had to do was go to the appropriate Web site and register my phone numbers. It took all of five minutes to do and now, I can rest easy, knowing that should something terrible happen while I sleep, I too will get the phone call telling me what to do.

If your community has a Reverse 911 system, early warning notification system, universal communications system, or any other automated emergency phone dialer and you do not have a traditional phone, do your homework and find out how to add your VoIP or cell phone number to the database. Not all communities offer these systems and not all have systems in place for adding alternative phone numbers to the system. Speak up now, before disaster strikes.

  Now that broadband Internet access is widely available, many home users are switching their land lines to VoIP. In fact, that’s one of the first things I did when broadband access finally made its way to my neighborhood. Why switch? Cost was my primary motive. Why pay the phone company a minimum of $35 each month (that’s with no long distance calls and no features such as Caller ID) when I could pay Vonage less than $20 for 500 minutes of local and long distance calls plus every possible feature I could imagine?

But, VoIP comes with its drawbacks including a major one: 911. Yes, you can call 911 with a VoIP phone (once activated); however, unless you have set up your VoIP account with your correct information, the emergency dispatchers won’t automatically know where you are physically located in an emergency.

Imagine calling 911 and passing out before you can tell the dispatcher where you live. With a phone company land line, the dispatcher sees a computer screen displaying your physical location and can send an ambulance, fire truck, of police car to your home. Help is on the way! With a VoIP phone, when you dial 911, you are dialing a centralized dispatch center. Unless you have gone in and typed in your location beforehand, the dispatcher will not know where to send help. They may not even know what state you are calling from!

In addition, VoIP phones are portable. Even if you registered your address, you can take your VoIP account with you on vacation or when you move. Let’s say you’re on vacation and use your VoIP phone to call 911 from your hotel. The dispatcher won’t know that you’ve taken your phone with you and may dispatch emergency crews to your vacant home.

If you have a VoIP account, do yourself a favor and register your physical location. For example, with Vonage, 911 calling is not automatic. You MUST activate it. Do this by logging into your Vonage account and going to the Features tab. Click the link under Dialing 911.

Be aware that VoIP 911 calls are not necessarily automatically routed to your local emergency dispatch center. First, when dialing 911 on a VoIP phone, you may be routed to a national call center before eventually being transferred to a local dispatcher. I have programmed the “local 911″ phone number into my phone so that I have a choice. Instead of dialing 911, I might be better off dialing this local number in an emergency.

Also, if your Internet access is down, such as during a power outage, your phone is useless.