What is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology used to in the transmission of voice communication through IP packets through the Internet.

How Does VoIP Work?

VoIP is a method of sending packetized voice information in digital form over the Internet rather than by using traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN). 

This technology uses analog / digital converters (Gateways) on the sending and receiving sides to manage transmission of voice.

What do I need to take advantage of VoIP Services?

1.  A high-speed internet connection such as ISDN, DSL or a T-1 link.  

2.  A static public IP address.

3.  A VoIP gateway or IP enabled PBX

How much bandwidth should I have available?

A good rule of thumb is 12kbps for G729R8 Codec and 80kbps for G711 Codec.   An important factor regarding voice quality and bandwidth constraints is if the bandwidth is dedicated to voice or shared, other IP traffic will impact bandwidth requirements in a shared environment.

What are VoIP Gateways?

VoIP gateways are devices that take analog voice signals and convert them to IP for transport over the LAN or WAN.

What are IP Enabled PBXs?

IP enabled PBXs (Private Branch Exchanges) are complete phone systems that provide advanced telephony features and services between VoIP and PSTN networks.  Common features and services include: call transfer, conference, voicemail, music-on-hold, auto-attendant, and auto call routing.

Can I use my traditional phone or do I have to use a computer?

You can do both.  VoIP technology does not require any computer to make/receive phone calls and can integrate into your existing telephone infrastructure.  You may choose to use softphones instead of physical phones, each option has its own advantages.  Using a softphone will provide flexibility with user station while using SIP or IP phones will fit a more traditional office or call center environment.

How reliable is VoIP for my business?

VoIP is very reliable and is growing in popularity every day.  To increase its reliability and your migrations options you can have a mixed environment with both VoIP services and PSTN services.  PSTN lines in this model are called failover lines and are used as backup connections in the event your VoIP or Internet connection goes down.

How do I contact IP Communications?

Mail To:
IP Communications, LLC
Attention: Sales
1343 Canton Road, Suite D2
Marietta, Georgia - USA 30066

 

Sales and Service:
Phone: 1-678-460-1475
Toll-Free: 1-800-588-2350
Fax: 1-678-868-1606
Email: sales@ipcomms.net

 

Technical Support:
Phone: 1-678-460-3797
Toll-Free: 1-800-228-8596
Email: noc@ipcomms.net

What is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology used to in the transmission of voice communication through IP packets through the Internet.

What Gateway vendors do you support?

We support most Gateway vendors and protocols.  Our network has the ability to meet most any of your connection requirements.

 

And yes, we do support Asterisk open source PBXs!.

 

Do you have configuration samples for Asterisk?

Below are some configuration examples for the open source PBX Asterisk ^TM . These examples may vary depending on your software versions, implementation type, and more.  These are examples taken from most common customer configurations.

SIP.conf or IAX.conf Sample Entry - Inbound Service

Here is an example of what you would put in your sip.conf or iax.conf files.

 

[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]

type=user

host=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

context=from-xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

nat=yes

dtmfmode=rfc2833

allow=all

 

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of IPC's originating gateway.

 

 

Sample Extensions.conf Entry - Inbound Service

Here is an example of what you would put in your extensions.conf file based on the entry above.  Function is generic depending on what you are trying to do with the phone number(s) once they hit your network.

 

[from-xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]

exten => 6784601475,1,Function

 

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of IPC's originating gateway.

 

Sample Extensions.conf Entry - Outbound Service 

Here is an example of what you would put in your extensions.conf file.  You will need the following entry in the context you are originating traffic from.

 

For a SIP configuration:

 

exten => _.,1,Dial(SIP/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/yyyy${EXTEN})

 

 

For a IAX configuration:

 

exten => _.,1,Dial(IAX2/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/yyyy${EXTEN})

 

 

"xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" is the IP address of IPC's destination gateway and needs to match exactly what you have entered in brackets for IPC in your sip.conf or iax.conf files. yyyy is the prefix assigned to your account.

 

Note: For IPC's entry in your sip.conf or iax.conf files, please be sure to change the type to friend.  Friend will allow both inbound and outbound traffic. Also, the entry above is set to send everything.  You can make it more specific if needed.

What do I do if my asterisk server has a private IP Address?

Asterisk Server has a private IP address.  Please enter the following two commands  in the general section of your sip.conf file.  Depending on your setup, you might need to forward all ports to your Asterisk server's private IP address or put the private IP address of the Asterisk server on the DMZ.

externip=WAN IP address

localnet=192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0 (or whatever your private LAN is configured for)

Do you have configuration samples for Cisco Gateways?

Below are some configuration examples for the open source PBX Asterisk^TM . These examples may vary depending on your software versions, implementation type, and more.  These are examples taken from most common customer configuration. Depending on your gateway version some commands may differ.

Sample POTs Entry - Inbound Service

 

!

dial-peer voice 6781475 pots

 description IPC

 huntstop

 destination-pattern 6784601475

 no digit-strip

 port 0:D

!

Sample VoIP Entry - H323 - Outbound Service

!

dial-peer voice 1234 voip

 description IPC

 huntstop

 destination-pattern . or .T

 progress_ind setup enable 3

 session target ipv4:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

 dtmf-relay rtp-nte h245-signal h245-alphanumeric

 codec g729r8

 tech-prefix yyyy

!

"xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" is the IP address of IPC's destination gateway.  yyyy is the

prefix assigned to your account.

 

Sample VoIP Entry - SIP - Outbound Service - Cisco

!

dial-peer voice 1234 voip

 description IPC

 huntstop

 destination-pattern yyyy. or yyyy.T

 progress_ind setup enable 3

 session protocol sipv2

 session target ipv4:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

 dtmf-relay rtp-nte h245-signal h245-alphanumeric

 codec g729r8

!

"xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" is the IP address of IPC's destination gateway.

"yyyy" is the prefix assigned to your account.

What Protocols and CODECs do you support?

Depending on your specific requirements, we support several delivery methods (VoIP protocols).  Below is a list of our supported delivery methods, and the associated Codec each supports.

 

H323  (g729,   g711ulaw,   g711alaw,   g723,   gsmfr)

SIP     (g729,   g711ulaw,   g711alaw,   g723,   gsmfr)

IAX    (g711ulaw,   g711alaw,   gsmfr)

 

Can all of my phone numbers be sent to the same IP Address?

Yes.  With  most services we can point your phone numbers to one IP address.

How often am I billed?

IP Communications bills monthly for most services.

 

Can I pay my IP Communications Bill online?

Yes. Your IP Communications bill can be paid online via credit card. To make a secure online bill payment from your credit card, simply go to https://www.ipcomms.net/payments. You may also contact IP Communications Customer Service to make payment via phone. By providing your credit card information and account number, you are authorizing IP Communications and your bank or financial institution to process a one-time debit from your credit card for payment of  your IP Communications bill. Automatic bill payment options are also available, call IP Communications Customer Service for more details.

 

What is a Universal Service Fund?

This is a charge to recover the amount telecommunications providers must contribute to the Federal Universal Service Fund, which helps keep local phone rates affordable.

 

What is a Payphone Compensation Charge?

Per-call charge to recover the amount telecommunications providers must provide to compensation for payphone calls to ensure that payphone service providers are fairly compensated for all completed, coinless calls made from payphones.

 

Who do I contact if I have a billing dispute?

BILLING DISPUTES: Customer shall notify IPC of any billing discrepancies in writing and in reasonable detail within 15 days of the date of invoice in question. Customer will be deemed to have waived billing discrepancies for which notice is received by IPC after such time. IPC shall respond to any notice of billing discrepancy within 30 days of receipt. Billing disputes should be mailed to the following address:

Customer Care - Billing Department
IP Communications, LLC
1343 Canton Road, Suite D2
Marietta, Georgia - USA 30066

billing@ipcomms.net