Choosing the best VoIP software is as easy as 1-2-3

Believe it or not, compared to VoIP hardware phones, VoIP software phones are a lot less expensive and offer options that are a lot better especially in the area of computer telephony integration.

So how does one choose which software VoIP phone is the best there is?

Read up and study, just a bit though

First things first, you may have to read up a bit on call protocol controls. Find out if the software VoIP phone you are considering support the following: H.323, MGCP, SIP, IAX2. It is important that the software you are considering to use support the operating system that you currently have.

Also, you may also want to find out the codecs that the VoIP phone supports. The following are a list of these: G.711, G732, G722, G727, G726, G729, G728, Speex, ILBC, GSM (Full or enhanced rate), DoS FS-1015.

Just how do you want your phone?

The best determinant of what is best for you is yourself. Choosing the best VoIP software lies on just how it is you want your phone to serve you.

Therefore the best VoIP software is one that provides or does not provide the following features: a do-not-disturb feature, customized ringtones.

Or check and see if these questions would ring a bell, if so, base your decisions on how much Yes or No answers you may have.

Do you find the need to have a phone that offers a way to go around routers?

Do you want a phone that has STUN, QoS, support? How about outbound SIP proxy? RTP Symmetric? Phone encryption?

User-friendliness tops

A good VoIP software is one that you can use easily, conveniently and with little gobbledygook directions as possible. Or if there are any gobbledygook directions, these should be as easily understandable especially if one has little background knowledge on technical stuff.

Is the price, right?

Ask your wallet. Could it cover the expenses it would take to purchase a VoIP phone? But then, before asking your wallet, ask yourself. What do you need? Do you think you really should have that phone option feature wherein that call you do not want to receive immediately gets a busy signal?

Assess your wants. If you heavily rely on VoIP and intend to use it as often as you could for those business communication with various clients or simply for your personal use, avail of a software package that suits your needs, as well as your budget. The two go hand in hand.

However, if you think you will be using VoIP for brief periods for your small business, avail of a software VoIP package that costs a lot lower.

There are a lot of options available out there that will suit your varied business and personal needs and wants. Believe it or not, there is even a VoIP phone card available that lets anyone make a phone call whenever and wherever they are in the world via dialing a number that is toll-free. This method is perfect especially for those who travel a lot and do business away from the home.

All in all, choosing a VoIP software is easy if one knows what one wants and what one needs. To help one make that crucial decision of which software is the best, simply consider the following: a VoIP software should always allow anyone to communicate clearly and express one’s self freely, without the hassle of garbled or problematic connection.