IP Phones
Anyone who makes regular VoIP calls is likely to want to use a traditional telephone.
There are two ways to do this: by connecting a standard wired or cordless phone using an analogue telephone adaptor (ATA), also known as a VoIP adapter, or by using an IP phone.
An ATA sits between a conventional phone or phone system and the Ethernet broadband connection. It contains all the hardware and software to convert speech into digital data - and back again. It is a simple (and cost-effective) solution.
IP phones combine the tasks of a telephone handset and the VoIP adapter, and simply plug straight into an Ethernet socket or port. As IP phones are designed specifically for VoIP, they give easy access to features such as call routing, call forwarding or voicemail. Businesses often use IP phones where they need support for multiple phone lines or want to run all their phone extensions over their Ethernet infrastructure.
Another option is a wireless IP phone. These VoIP handsets use a WiFi rather than fixed Ethernet connection, so can work at home, in the office or even on the road. As they run over VoIP, your number stays with you when you travel and there are no roaming fees. A number of VoIP service providers sell pre-configured WiFi phones, for maximum ease of use.
