Features to Look for in a VoIP Provider

With all the VoIP providers out there it can be quite challenging for you to pick which one will suit your needs best. Is it just about the free calls? Do you need all those other features that might actually be the reason the service is more expensive than those from other providers? Is a softphone better or should you stay with your trusty touchtone phone? Here are some factors to consider in selecting among VoIP brands:VoIP is all about convenience. Some phone providers cannot provide service in certain areas because they don’t have lines there yet. With VoIP it’s the Internet through which phone calls are placed and received. So that means it’s clear and reliable. As long as you’ve got high-speed Internet, that is. Even with a high-speed Internet connection, however, you should still check on call quality. Magic Jack is known for being one of the Voip providers that provide affordable service. But call quality with them is also known to be pretty bad.You have two options for your VoIP service: phone-based and computer-based. Magic Jack, Skype and Google Voice are computer-based services in that you need their device plugged into or their software installed on your PC. You then make calls through a softphone, which is a phone software. Vonage is an example of a phone-based service. You plug their device into your touchtone phone and your high-speed modem or wireless router and you’re good to go. It depends on your lifestyle what you might prefer between these two.In regard to the features, of course the more you get the better. But basic features such as call waiting, caller ID and voicemail should come for free already, just like free calls within the US and Canada should be a given as most other VoIP providers provide this already. And if you’re able to make free calls to other countries, even better!