The Pros and Cons Of VoIP
VoIP is both more flexible and cheaper than conventional phone services. You can use VoIP with a conventional phone, with a WiFi handset or with PC software. You can make calls both to other VoIP users and to ordinary landlines or mobiles.
VoIP is cost effective. Several popular VoIP services offer unlimited calls to domestic landlines for a flat fee, and reduced rates for overseas and mobile calls.
VoIP is also a cheap way to install another phone line. There's no need for an engineer to visit, and set up and rental costs are much lower than for traditional phone lines.
Nor does moving to VoIP mean you have to lose out on the added features. Call waiting, voicemail, caller ID and three-way calling are all available with VoIP. And your VoIP phone number can travel with you. Plug in to broadband or connect to a wireless hotspot and callers will find you anywhere in the world.
There are disadvantages. As it is Internet based, VoIP will not work during a power failure, as Internet hardware needs power. VoIP calls can also suffer from short periods of silence or delays, especially if there is congestion on the Internet, but higher-speed connections make this less of a drawback.
And some VoIP services cannot access the emergency services; those that can might not automatically transmit the caller's location. Although the industry is working to resolve this, most VoIP users also use a mobile or landline as a backup.
