voice over ip

I have been told that it is possible to make free calls using voice over ip. Is this true and if so how do i do it. I have a microphone and speakers already, what else do I need? Any info will be appreciated.

I guess it depends on the context in which you heard it. True Voice-over-IP is referred to as Toll-Bypass. This involves Company X that has two (or more) locations. Between those locations they have a Leased Line...usually a T-1 (1.5Mbps). Fiber is also being used more everyday as its availability increases.

On either side of the T-1 is a router which converts Analog signals into IP packets, compresses them, and then sends them over the link to the other side, which decompresses them and then converts them back into analog signals. This allows the company to avoid using the PSTN (public switched telephone network). Instead, they are using their network that already existed for data...for voice as well. IP Telephony takes this one step further by keeping the voice as packets and removing analog signaling altogether.

Many cable providers are now offering broadband phone services which are similar, but not free by any means. I think you might have the two confused?

I think he was talking more along the lines of skype.

As for what else you need, your buddies have to be on skype to. They do have a version that will call any phone but it costs money.

to the forums!

Free-World-Dialup is probably what you are thinking about, and there are others as well.

Linkage

Skype is probably the easiest to set up. I have used Picophone for a bunch of years now and the sound quality is great. YOu just have to forward the port in the router and know the Ip of the person your calling. I use it to game with a friend of mine that lives on the othe side of the city. Its just like hes in the same room as I am.

There are also a good number of companies providing VoIP service.

At home, I use Vonage (www.vonage.ca .. or .com for americans).. I make very few "local" calls, and my bill for 500 minutes long distance is less than a bell line with no long distance charges.

At work, we use a combination of real phone lines, a babytel.ca VoIP trunk for outgoing calls, VoIP phones (and softphones), using asterisk as a VoIP server. Saves us a lot of bother with wiring, and cheap long distance.