If you've never heard of VoIP, get ready to change the way you think about long-distance phone calls. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method for taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. How is this useful? VoIP can turn a standard Internet connection into a way to place free phone calls. The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free VoIP software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you are bypassing the phone company (and its charges) entirely. Above all else, VoIP is basically a clever "reinvention of the wheel." The interesting thing about VoIP is that there is not just one way to place a call. There are three different "flavors" of VoIP service in common use today:

Soft Phones - This is certainly the easiest way to use VoIP. There are several companies offering free or very low-cost software that you can use for this type of VoIP. We give you the soft-phone FREE a $24 Value! All you need is the software, a license, a microphone, speakers, a sound card and an Internet connection, preferably a fast one like you would get through a cable or DSL modem. There are dozens of soft-phones on the market today but our soft-phone is different in many ways. See What is a Soft-Phone above.

ATA - The simplest and most common way is through the use of a device called an ATA (analog telephone adaptor). The ATA allows you to connect a standard phone to your computer or your Internet connection for use with VoIP.

IP Phones - These specialized phones look just like normal phones with a handset, cradle and buttons. But instead of having the standard RJ-11 phone connectors, IP phones have an RJ-45 Ethernet connector. IP phones connect directly to your router and have all the hardware and software necessary right onboard to handle the IP call.