VoIP – IP Telephony Made Easy!

VoIP is an abbrevation for Voice over the internet protocoll and means the transfer of language information via an internet connection. It's the most common type of landline telephony today. In Germany, all remaining analog and ISDN connections will be switched to VoIP until 2018.

easybellʼs VoIP offers you lots of advantages:

• Much lower monthly charges and call rates
• HD quality Voice transfer
• No minimum contract period
• Worldwide from any broadband connection
• Blocking lists for inbound and outgoing calls.
• Sending and receiving of faxes online
• Configurable Caller ID
• Numerous additional phone functions

Weʼve already got years of experiences in VoIP. Do not wait any longer and start making calls with the new technology right now! All you need is a working internet connection and a device compatible with VoIP.

Many people think that making phone calls over the Internet is still just for nerds. But that’s not (any longer) the case. In fact, almost all phone calls today are made via Voice over IP. Technologies like ISDN and analog phone service have largely been phased out. Using VoIP is no different from traditional landline phone service, though. So chances are, you’re already making calls over the Internet at home and just haven’t realized it yet.

Incidentally, this is also increasingly the case with cell phones. That’s because so-called GSM telephony is on the decline. VoIP just goes by different names here, such as VoLTE for Voice over LTE or Wi-Fi calling, where calls are made over a Wi-Fi network instead of the cellular network.

Basically, with a VoIP connection, you can make calls exactly as you’re used to with a traditional phone.

When you call someone, a call is first established using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP for short). SIP essentially handles all the telephony negotiations between the callers.
As soon as you start speaking, your words are picked up as an analog signal by the phone’s microphone, digitized, and encoded into an audio format.
With VoIP, these audio codecs are called, for example, G.711 (ISDN quality) or G.722 (HD quality). Your voice is then divided into small data packets. These are sent over the Internet to the recipient in what’s known as an RTP stream, where the digital signal is ultimately converted back into an analog signal.
If you compare your VoIP call to a freight train connection, then the SIP protocol is the communication with the control center that coordinates the trains, and the RTP stream is the trains that transport the cargo (=data packets) from A to B and back.

The requirements for IP telephony are just as simple as the technology itself. All you need is:

1. A working Internet connection
2. A reliable VoIP provider
3. The right hardware

Your Internet connection should be able to transmit data at an adequate speed—that is, at least 100 kbit/s. This ensures good voice quality during calls.

When choosing a phone, it doesn't necessarily have to be a new device. There are various ways to make calls using VoIP.

The following options are available:

The easiest way to continue using your old phones with VoIP is to use a VoIP-enabled router. These include, for example, most FRITZ!Boxes, as well as many other routers. You can check whether your router supports VoIP using our Router Check.

To continue using your analog phones, you can also use an ISDN adapter (ITA) for ISDN phones or a telephone adapter (VoIP ATA) for analog phones. ITA stands for “ISDN Terminal Adapter,” while ATA stands for “Analog Terminal Adapter.” With this connector between your phone and modem (and thus the Internet), you can make your old phone VoIP-ready.

Even small ISDN systems can continue to operate when connected to high-quality routers, such as a current FRITZ!Box. For larger ISDN systems, however, you'll need what are known as media gateways.

To learn in detail how you can continue using your ISDN system with VoIP, check out our article:

ISDN Phone System: Use It with a VoIP Connection or Is It Better to Switch?

Although IP phones may look like traditional phones, they differ technically. IP phones support VoIP directly without the need for additional adapters or routers. The phones connect to the Internet via a LAN port or Wi-Fi. You can choose between desk phones, DECT phones, or Wi-Fi phones. Providers include Snom, Htek, and Yealink.

With IP phones, you can take full advantage of VoIP and enjoy numerous features such as HD calling and encrypted calls.

You can find setup guides for some IP phone models here:

Setup guides for various IP phones

You can also make calls using Voice over IP on your smartphone. To do so, simply use an app that you can download for iPhone or Android. This way, you can avoid having to buy a separate IP phone. Many apps also offer VoIP features such as HD calling and encrypted calls.

The easybell app is free.

More information about the easybell app

A softphone is a VoIP-enabled program on your computer—much like an app on a smartphone. Some softphones, such as Zoiper or PhonerLite on Windows, or Telephone on a Mac, are even free to use.

Once you’ve successfully installed your softphone, all you need is a working microphone and headphones or speakers. A headset is, of course, highly recommended for making calls.

You can find instructions for setting up softphones here:

Go to the softphone guides

VoIP is a mature technology that offers numerous advantages over traditional phone lines. It is important that the provider passes these benefits on to its customers. With easybell, you benefit from the following, among other things:

1. You pay significantly lower monthly fees and call rates, since transmission over the Internet is more cost-effective than operating a traditional telephone infrastructure.
2. You can make calls in crystal-clear HD quality from any broadband connection worldwide. This means you can call German landlines from abroad using your own phone number at local rates.
3. You can create block lists for incoming and outgoing calls. Manage these easily and intuitively via our customer portal.
4. Make encrypted calls that are secure against eavesdropping. This isn’t possible with traditional telephony or ISDN.
5. If needed, configure your caller ID or take advantage of the many other phone features that VoIP offers.
6. And Easybell offers all of this with absolutely no minimum contract term!

Despite its broader range of features and generally higher quality, VoIP can, of course, also have its drawbacks. After all, you’re ultimately dependent on a working internet connection. If your internet goes down, you won’t be able to make calls—just as you won’t be able to stream music or movies. And if your internet is slow, it can naturally lead to poor sound quality, just as your video or music stream might also freeze up.

Making calls with Voice over IP is surprisingly simple, hassle-free, and saves you money! Feel free to give it a try—we're happy to help if you have any specific questions!