BELKIN Play Max wireless router

One of the best routers available today with just one flaw. The name ‘Play Max’ raised our expectation before we actually tested this IEEE 802.11n based router and when we did it we were not at all disappointed, in fact disappointment came from other features. 

Once out of box what you have in hand is a compact clean looking router with hidden antennas and single indicator light and WPS button in front for hassle free secure connection setup. Number of connection ports at back is where Play Max has edge when compared with other similar products; there are 5 gigabit ports (1xWAN, 4xLAN) which would be ample for any wired connection plus being gigabit would mean faster data transfer speeds.  2 USB 2.0 ports are also present at the back for connecting external USB based storage devices with FAT 16/32 and NTFS file system, USB printers are also supported by Play Max giving you ability to convert your USB based printer to network one.

Setting up this router was the simplest of jobs and a mere 3 step process with initial configuration provided in small booklet attached to box. To use most of the features of this router including using USB storage/printer you have to install router management software that would sit in task bar and add to CPU usage, which as per us is a major con of Play Max. The main issue we faced with the router was that it does not support plugging in a 3G USB modem.

To test the performance of this router which supports true dual band in 2.5 Ghz and 5 GHz  band respectively, we carried out two tests. First we used Qucheck 3.0 to test throughput, we connected one machine with wire to router and other wirelessly to N based laptop (both laptop and machine were running Windows 7) and then checked throughput over TCP protocol. Play Max was able to transfer 1000 Kb payload at 64 mbps which is one of the best scores we have seen. In second test we transferred 40 MB of mixed data from machine to laptop; Play Max was able to complete this transfer in 4 seconds which is again very high when compared to other products. We also tried using the router to stream HD videos from a windows media center to an Xbox 360 over WiFi, and it worked great.

Besides performance and features there are number of bundled utilities for different purposes like torrent gene for downloading files to external storage, bit boost for traffic prioritization, music mover for wireless music play from external storage. All in all, a high performing router with not so user friendly bundled software.

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Walkie Talkies FAQ

Q: Which radio band is right for me?
A: FRS Walkie Talkies are ideal for folks who generally wish to use these for outdoor purposes such as when hunting, fishing or camping. They are free of interference from business and government agencies and don't require you to have a license. GMRS have a much broader range for talk, extending up to five miles. These aren't intended for hobby use, rather they're meant for purposeful communications such as business or commercial activity. You must obtain a license from the FCC in order to operate in this band.

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Q: What's the advantage of GPS-enabled Walkie Talkies?
A: GPS units are equipped to map out your route, location and destination. These are ideal for the great outdoors to ensure your safety and prevent you from getting lost.

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Q: What's the advantage of weather-alert enabled Walkie Talkies?
A: Weather-alert Walkie Talkies can provide you with advanced warning of severe weather to come. With an advanced signal to notify you of approaching storms, you can take the necessary precautions to make sure you and your family are safe.

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Q: What brands manufacture Walkie Talkies?
A: There are a variety of brands on the market today. Here, on WalkieTalkies.com, we'll be carrying brands such as Audiovox, Cobra, Kenwood, Cherokee, Garmin Rino, Uniden, Midland and Sylvania.

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Q: How do I know how what distance capability I'll need?
A: People who plan to use these for general outdoor activities such as walking or biking usually only need 2 or 5-mile capabilities. Same probably goes for business people who might use these at trade shows or the like. However, if the planned use is for greater distance activities such as hunting, hiking or camping, greater capabilities might be preferred to ensure safety and effective communication.

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Q: What's the difference in channels?
A: Channels 1-7 are solely for use with the FRS/GMRS system. Channels 8-14 are solely for FRS and 15-22 is for GMRS. Some radios will only give you one Channel option where some will give you seven. Consider a 14-channel unit if you plan to use your radio in a large, urban environment where GMRS is already popular.

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Walkie Talkie Distances

Size doesn't matter, right? Well, perhaps. But when comparing distance capabilities in walkie-talkies it sure does! There's the more common 2-mile and 5-mile units. And then theres the less common like the 7-mile, 8-mile or even 10-mile units. Your range of service needed really just depends on what your use will be. Hikers, for example, might prefer a greater range of distance.

 

The important thing to keep in mind when considering distance is that buildings, hills and other tall, solid structures can very easily get in the way of your transmitted signal. Distance is especially an issue with hunters, hikers and campers. FRS radios can grant you a range of up to 2 miles, whereas GRMS units can typically take you up to 5 miles. Just remember that the height of the antennae may be more important than the level of your radio's output power.

The greater distance units, like the 7-mile, 8-mile or 10-mile radios, may be more ideal for folks who generally do a lot of caravanning on road trips. The walkie-talkies would be great for outdoorsmen or hunters when they catch their target so they could buzz their buddies into helping them carry the large animal back to their vehicle.

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Whatever the case may be, it's free two-way communications, where you don't have to rely on a cell-phone tower to get signal. With just the push of a button, you can easily get the attention of your friends, family and coworkers and get your message across. And you can do it knowing that in this case; when it comes to two-way radio distance range, size does matter.

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Walkie Talkie Channels

How many channels do I need? Just like your radio or TV at home, walkie-talkies utilize channels to obtain their signal. FRS radios typically have either seven or 14 channels. Though, in most cases, the manufacturer will give you 38 possible CTCSS tones to use in the receiving and transmitting of your handheld radio. This means that, with a 14-channel radio, you could have up to 532 separate channel configurations or frequencies. GMRS units provide you up to 22 channels.

However, please note that when in a well-populated area, anyone with CTCSS disabled on their walkie-talkie will be able to hear your radio transmission on their radio. The tones, sometimes called interference or squelch codes, are meant to help prevent this. They help filter out static, noise and unwanted chatter on the two-way radio channels. Just select a predetermined channel and code, and you can communicate only with someone using the exact same channel and code. Just remember that your conversation may be semi-private and that privacy is not guaranteed.

          

Channels 1-7 are solely for use with the FRS/GMRS system; including the more common 2 channels and 4 channels. Eight through 14 channels are solely for FRS, and GMRS gives you between 15 channels and 22 channels for a wide range of communication options. Even though FRS offers 14 channels, some radios come with only one channel and some with only seven. These radios can cost half as much and, for most people, be completely adequate. The sturdy single channel radios are good for business use. Other cheaper models with one channel are just toys. The one and seven channel radios generally have the GMRS interstitial frequencies and not the FRS-only channels. Consider a 14-channel unit if you plan to use your radio in a large urban environment where GMRS is already popular.

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Having a 15-channel or more GMRS unit definitely provides you with more choices for your business communications. Though, if you're on an FRS/GMRS system, having 2 channels or 4 channels might suit you just fine. Be sure to determine your use and functionality before making your final selection.

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Walkie Talkie

Welcome to the best source for Walkie Talkie Information!

Here, you'll find all sorts of information on Walkie Talkies. You'll learn about different scenarios in which one would need or want a hand-held radio. And you'll discover that there are plenty of options to choose from. Learn the difference between FRS and FRS/GMRS. Learn about GPS-enabled and weather-alert enabled units. And learn how distance and channels play a major role. Want to explore price, brand and accessories? That's all here, too & all at the click of a button. So, come on in. Take a look around. And educate yourself on the Walkie Talkie.

Walkie Talkies Information

• Different types of Walkie Talkies
• Accessory options for your handheld radio
• Available brands on the market
• The distance dilemma in choosing a Walkie Talkie
• Different channels for FRS and GRMS units
• You get what you pay for

WalkieTalkies.com is your one stop shop for useful information on two-way hand-held radios. Find helpful commentary to assist you in your education of Walkie Talkies.

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How to Choose the Right Walkie Talkies

Selecting the right Walkie Talkie for your needs is going to take some research. Things to consider include:

• What will your purpose be?
• Where do you plan on using the unit(s)?
• Will you need any additional accessories?

Check out the articles on this site to help you determine which type is right for you.

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Setting Up a Secure Wireless Network - Part 3

Welcome back! I'm glad to see you are not interested in "just" being secure, but you want to be very secure. There are pros and cons to this. You know the pros. Security! , but first of course is my:

DISCLAIMER: While every reasonable precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the author is not responsible for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

The information contained in this document is believed to be accurate. However, no guarantee is provided. Use this information at your own risk.

OK. Here are the cons:

• No DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocal) Server. You will need to set your IP addresses manually on all the wireless and wired clients you want to hook to your network.
• No viewable SSID. You will have to remember the name of your wireless network, then manually join wireless clients to your network.
• No standard IP address for your router. You will have to remember what you set that to. (This is easy as you can always check the IP address of a computer connected to your network.)
• MAC (Media Access Control) will be used. This is like a computers finger print. You will have to remember to allow this computer into your network. Unless they are explicitly allowed to join the network they will not be able to unless this step is complete, even though they know the SSID and Shared Key.

Note: on't make these changes with a wireless client. You will not be connected for very long if you do. Use the computer that is hard wired to the router. PRINT this document or save a copy of it local on your computer. There will be places where you will not be able to get to the Internet to read this until some changes are made. You need this document to make those changes. This documentation has been done with Windows XP. If you have Windows Vista the documentation will not match exactly. The settings are the same, but getting to the place the settings are made will be a little different. Read through this document before making any changes.

Please be aware that these are no rock solid guarantees to keep people out of your network. These following steps are simply deterrents, and can be gotten around if the intruder wants in bad enough. If you have gotten to this point I need to make something perfectly clear. The encryption you are using is your number one defense. Don't do these steps if you have set a key like "mynetwork", or used WEP for your security. Use the strongest security available (WPA-AES) and have at least a 20 character key with numbers and upper/lower case characters. There should be no words in there that can be found in the dictionary. That being said let's get on with the deterrents.

Go into the local LAN settings and change the IP address of your router. If the default IP address of your router is 192.168.1.1 change it to something like 192.168.112.86. You can use 10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x. Replace the "x" with any number under 255. Remember the number you used as it will become the default gateway and the DNS server for your network and you will have to set it in the client since we are going to disable DHCP. Make the changes and apply them. This makes guessing your IP range harder for the intruder. Leaving it set to the default just makes it easier to get into your network.

The computer hard wired to your network should still be able to connect to the network since it is using DHCP to get an IP address. You will have to change the address in your browser to the new IP address to get back into the router settings. That will change with this next step. You will have to hard code the IP address in the client to be able to get back on the network.

Go into the web interface and to the LAN settings. Find the DHPC server and disable it, or uncheck enabled. Save the settings. At this point you will not be able to get into your network. You have just told your router not to give any computer an IP address. If they want in they need to know an IP address that fits the network. To get back into your network we need to do this.

• Right click on My Network Places and choose Properties.
• Right click on the Local Area Connection that matches your Ethernet adapter. If you have a wireless adapter you will see two. Choose the LAN connection, or the one that is hard wired to your network. Choose properties.
• In the box labeled This connection uses the following items:
• scroll down to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).Click on it then click on the Properties button.

Click the Use the following IP address and Use the following DNS server addresses radio buttons. The boxes will become white and you can enter data into them. Enter the following data: This is what you would enter if your routers IP address is 192.168.89.1

• IP address: 192.168.89.2
• Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
• Default gateway: 192.168.89.1
• Preferred DNS server: 192.168.89.1

Click the OK button and you should be able to get back in to your network from a hard wired computer. If you have a wireless adapter you will have to follow these steps in your wireless clients to allow them back into the network.

Note: ***You cannot have any clients with the same IP address***. Increment the last number by 1. Example, the wireless client would have an IP address of 192.168.89.3. The Subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server address will not change. Keep then the same on all clients.

Your wireless client should not be able to access the network. Let's make a few more changes before we join it to the network.

Next we are going to enable MAC filtering. This will only affect wireless clients. What you are doing is telling the router that only the specified MAC addresses are allowed in the network, even if they know the encryption and key. To do this go to Wireless Settings and find a box labeled Enforce MAC Filtering, or something similar to it. Check it an apply it. When the router reboots you should see the MAC address of your wireless client in the list. You can find the MAC address of your client by opening a DOS box like we did earlier and enter "ipconfig /all" without the quotes. You will see the information about your wireless adapter.

If you want to allow other wireless clients into your network you will have to edit the list and allow them. MAC addresses can be spoofed, but this is another layer of security that you can implement.

So far we have changed the IP address of your router, disabled DHCP and set MAC filtering. I will take it for granted you had, or have changed, your encryption to be as strong as possible. The last thing we will do is not broadcast your SSID. What this means is where you look for Available Wireless Networks you will not see yours.

To disable the broadcasting of your SSID from the web interface for you router go to Wireless Security and uncheck Broadcast SSID and apply it. Your router will reboot.

Now, on to the wireless clients. You will have to assign your wireless client a static IP address. Do the exact same steps as above to do this, but choose the wireless adapter. Once you have a valid IP address you should be on the network. Your wireless client already knows of the SSID and the settings. If you View Available Wireless Networks your SSID will be there.

If you bring in another wireless client it will know nothing about your network. You will have to do the following to get it into your network.

• Set your IP address, Default gateway, etc... on the new wireless clint
• From the Available Wireless Networks dialog choose Set up a wireless network for home or small office.
• Select Create a new connection.
• The Welcome to the Wireless Network Connection Setup Wizard will start. Click Next.
• Enter your Network name (SSID): "your network name"
• Select Manually assign a network key
• Check Use WPA encryption instead of WEP (WPA is stonger than WEP but not all devices are compatible with WPA).Click Next
• Enter your key twice. Click Next
• Choose Setup a network manually
• Click Finish

You should now be connected to the wireless network.

This concludes PART3 if you would like to get things even stronger please review the final chapter PART4

A direct link to this article, complete with images can be found at TechAlternatives

Helping you Discover Your Choices

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Hagans

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Verifying IP for Hard Disk Drives

A leading manufacturer of hard disk drives for enterprise, desktop, mobile computing and consumer electronics applications uses blocks of intellectual property (IP) in its next-generation disk controller application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Some of these IP blocks are used in several different products, making it an imperative that designs be exhaustively verified under all possible operating conditions prior to release.

In the past, the manufacturers' ASIC designers relied on digital simulation as their primary means of verifying IP blocks. They also employed automatic constrained pseudo-random testbench generation to construct thousands of different combinations of commands and data packets. Early in the design of a new compute-intensive IP block, the design architects calculated that it would take approximately 500 CPU-years to simulate all the test cases necessary to test this particular design. With a six month design schedule, it was clear that simulation alone would not be adequate. That's when the designers decided to evaluate several hardware-assisted verification platforms. This proved to be the ideal solution for delivering a quality product within the tight design schedule. In this case, the hard disk drive manufacturer selected EVE's ZeBu-ZV platform.

The IP design presented unique verification challenges. The block had a 32-bit interface, over which commands and data were loaded into the block using a packet-based protocol. Once set up, it then processed the data for about four seconds of real time, after which it presented the results over the same 32-bit interface. At an operating speed of 150 MHz, four seconds represented 600,000,000 cycles. The design team needed to run several hundred thousand of these test cases to fully verify the design.

On this project, a digital simulator/testbench generator combination was used for initial verification runs to prove basic functionality, using about 50 tests per command. Once this verification methodology was generally functional, the designers switched to the combination of the hardware-assisted verification platform and testbench generator, which enabled them to run thousands of tests for each command.

To maximize performance, synthesizable transactors were used as the interface between the testbench code on the PC and the emulated IP block in the verification platform. Transactors performed the conversion from high-level commands and data packets to bit-level signals using the hardware-assisted verification platform. The SCE-MI standard from Accellera defined how the transactors were written. They consist of an application program interface (API) on the software side to exchange high-level packets or messages, and a synthesizable bus-functional model (BFM) or state machine mapped onto the hardware platform.

To further accelerate simulation, the design team took advantage of a property of this particular IP block: The only interaction between the testbench and the IP block occurred during the initial setup of the test and the downloading of results at the end of the run. In between these two interactions, the design executed a large number of cycles with no external communication. The designers exploited this by making the verification platform run in lock-step mode with the testbench generator only during these interactions, and switching to a 15MHz clock supplied by the verification platform in between these accesses. To implement this solution, they changed the main clock of the design to switch between two inputs: the clock coming from testbench generation and a clock generated by the verification platform's on-board clock generator.

Using this hybrid approach, the testbench generator produced each new command and data combination, and then transferred the packet through a C function-call to the verification platform transactors. The testbench generator then switched the verification tool to the fast clock and initiated the test. It was able to run the tests at 15 MHz, equivalent to 1/10 of real time. In 40 seconds, the test would finish and it would signal the testbench generator that it was ready to present the result.

Meanwhile, the testbench generator was computing the expected results in software, using the same algorithms implemented in the IP block. Once the hardware-assisted verification platform and the testbench generator completed their respective runs, they would compare their results and flag any differences that occurred as errors.

The design team was surprised that with the first exposure to the system it took them only two hours to get their IP block compiled into the verification platform and running correctly. With a few more weeks of effort, the team had implemented and debugged the transactor interface and had the system running at 15 MHz.

In the first few days, the designers identified 25-30 new bugs in the design, which had escaped detection using simulation without hardware-assistance. In the five weeks to follow, they ran the hardware-assisted verification platform 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, generating hundreds of thousands of additional test cases. Through these runs, they found four additional bugs that were obscure corner cases related to specific sequences of commands. These bugs would have surfaced during product testing, but would have necessitated ASIC respins at a cost of $500,000 or more.

The designers of this hard disk drive manufacturer plans to continue running additional test cases on their hardware-assisted verification platform 24x7 until the resource is needed for another project. Since it takes only one hour per week to kick off new jobs and check the results of the previous runs, there is little reason not to run the additional tests for added confidence. Their hardware-assisted verification platform has become the keystone of their design strategy.

Article Source:- http://www.edadesignline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192200261

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Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC

There are many benefits to connecting your phone to your PC. Thanks to the two technologies being merged now, you can enjoy more ease by using your mobile with your PC.
In this article, you will find:
Benefits of Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
Ways of Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
What You Need To Be Able To Connect Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
Benefits of Connecting Your Phone To Your PC
By connecting your PC and mobile phone together, you gain access to simplifying life. Your mobile may be too small to allow you to write a long text with ease, but connecting your PC and your cell phone, allow you to write your text with your PC's keyboard! This is not the only benefit, in fact more and more benefits are being found now.
You can transfer play lists between phone and PC. You can backup your pictures and video. You can use your phone as a gateway for internet access, if you find there is no connectivity on the home phone line. You can even control your PC with your phone, and use your mobile phone as a top end web cam! All these obviously depend on what your phone and the software capabilities are.
* Ways of Connecting Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
You have several options of how you can connect your PC to your cell phone. Again all of the connection options depend on your phones capabilities.
Most phones allow you to connect via infrared to your PC. However, connecting with infrared to your computer does have drawbacks. You may need to buy extra equipment to be able to connect your mobile phone to your PC with infrared. Also the transfer speeds a very slow compared with many connecting technologies available on phones today. Infrared connectivity also does have its limitations. For example, you can not use your mobile as a web cam, as the speeds of infrared are too slow.
Bluetooth is a faster technology than infrared. There are many advantages to Bluetooth that make it a good way to connect your cell phone to your computer. The first is that of the speed, next is the ease with which you can connect to your PC and start transferring files. The downside is that not all computers come equipped with Bluetooth connectivity. So, you may need to buy a device for your computer that enables Bluetooth on your PC. They are easy to find and the cost is very low, in most cases.
The de-facto choice of the person who wants connectivity with ease and offer many other benefits is via USB connectivity. All new computers come with USB, and most new phones offer USB connectivity, which is a match made in heaven! You can simply get a phone, which in most cases comes with the software to start using your PC with your mobile phone. You also get a USB cable with your phone, so from the get go, you can start connecting! Some phones may not have this option however. I have found many of the Sony Ericsson range of phones and other brands do give you all you need to start connecting your mobile phone to your PC.
* What You Need To Be Able To Connect Your Mobile Phone To Your PC
In the case of a USB enabled mobile phone, and a fairly new computer with USB available, connecting your PC and phone should be an easy task. The first thing you need is the phone, the USB cable, the software and a PC with USB enabled functionality.
After you install the software, connect the cables and set the phone up, you are ready to start using the benefits of mobile and PC connectivity! Now when your phone needs charging and you can not find the charger, you can charge your phone up, thanks to your PC and USB!
Trying to source Sony products? Find the best in Sony at the best prices, and the information you need to get the best products. You resource to find Sony Erricson Phones, Sony Viao laptops, and Sony Canada for Canadian visitors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Koz_Huseyin

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Deciding On A VOIP USB Phone

01. The advent of the Internet made communicating with the rest of the world extremely easy. Instead of having to pay through the nose for a long distance phone call that lasts five minutes, an individual could simply type out an email message and send it to his or her friend's inbox in an instant. However, that technology has now gone one step further. You can now make actual voice calls over the Internet using a USB phone or headset. VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and is one of the newer mediums of communication that involves opening a connection and dialling another user in order to have a conversation. It has revolutionized the way in which we communicate today and has made life easier for many businesses.

02. In terms of being able to make calls, you only need four pieces of equipment to get starter - a computer, software, the capability to connect to the Internet and a USB headset or phone. The latter is very important if you want to be able to talk to people on the other end! The majority of new computer operating systems have the ability to accept USB connectivity, thus making the USB device the device of choice.

03. A USB handset seems to be the choice of many a user for a number of reasons, including the following:

04. They are relatively cheap - USB headsets and headsets can be relatively expensive when it comes to purchasing a way and means of talking over the Internet. They are extremely fashionable and extremely desirable for business owners because they promote efficiency. As a result, USB phones happen to be a lot cheaper. They can be purchased for next to nothing in various stores. They do not have the operating system attached to the phone like a landline does, and that is what pushes up the overall cost. A USB phone therefore is less in terms of cost but you can get just as much out of it!

05. Tried and tested method of calling - Everyone knows how to use a phone. It is not difficult because the mechanism on every single phone is roughly the same. Sure, they have different features and can take a little figuring out as a result, but they are all basically the same. This makes the transition that little bit easier.

06. Ease of connection and use - With a phone, you just plug it in to the computer's USB drive, place the appropriate installation disk into the disk drive, follow the instructions and away you go! It really is that simple. If problems do occur, they can usually be solved b reading the troubleshooting section of the manual.

07. Personal comfort - The majority of people prefer to have a phone than a headset at their disposal. As we actively rebel against change, the phone is the best option because it will make the process of Internet calling much simpler an easier to get used to as a result of the familiarity.

08. VOIP is definitely the new trend in terms of easy communication and the USB phone definitely has its advantages and benefits, but how do you decide between those available for purchase on the market? If USB phones are associated with all of the benefits above then surely the brand and model you choose cannot make that much difference to you calling experience? Believe it or not, they can!

09. There are a number of things that separate the individual USB phones from each other and make it that little bit easier to choose between them, including:

10. The features - As with every technological innovation, some phones are better than others in terms of features. Some have the same functionality and capabilities as more advances telephones in that they have inbuilt volume controls, mute functionality, address book and so on. However, the majority of them do not have features quite this advanced yet and are simple to operate. Your choice would depend on how comfortable you are using a more complex USB phone. Consumer reviews may help you to decide what you do need and what you do not need, as well as how much you are willing to give up in terms of convenience and ease of use for features.

11. The system requirements - Some USB phones have certain system requirements. The general rule is that older systems cannot sustain the new phone systems, but newer computer packages should give you access to the whole range.

12. Visual appeal - Of course, the visual appeal of a VOIP phone always plays a part! If you like the look of a phone then you will be more likely to use it! As a race, humans are shallow so of course this will affect your choice.

13. Pricing - Some USB phones are much more expensive than others. This may play a part in your decision if you happen to be on a tight budget. Always compare pricing before you choose your phone because the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive is vast!

14. Deciding on a USB phone may not be easy but making the right decision can make the difference between enjoying the experience and truly hating it. Of course, this could then be the difference between using VOIP and returning to your regular landline connection!

Dola Raheem is the author of several articles on Communication, Technology, and Voip Phone System Check out his website at http://www.jmdcomputer.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dola_Raheem

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How Does Email-Faxing Work

The very first Email fax was started on 1997. On June 24, 1997 - PSI Net, the first commercial ISP introduced Internet Paper(SM) a service that sent documents from your desktop PC to any fax machine on the planet through the Internet. Nowadays with the rapid growth of Internet users worldwide, Email fax has become one of the latest technologies that change how people connect to each other. By implementing Email faxing software, users can turn hard copy documents into Email attachment or vise versa, receive hard copy fax in Email format. The appearance of Email faxing reduces the faxing cost greatly and provides a powerful alternative for those that cannot afford a faxing machine.

So how does email faxing works?

To send an Internet fax, the user needs to create an email account. The fax content can be written in the body of the email, and attachments are normally permitted. The destination fax number is entered in the ‘To’ field, along with the Internet fax service name (efax for example). For example, if the fax number were 1-555-234-5678, the email would be addressed to 15552345678@efax.com. In the subject·field, user will need to input the recipient name, for example: Attn: Mr. Fax.

Receiving Internet faxes is even easier. If you are using Internet fax number, you will receive faxes as email attachment; if you are using conventional fax machine, your faxes will be receive from your fax machine just as others. Because Internet fax is sent in email form via the Internet - you can access your faxes wherever you have the Internet. This is ideal for mobile professionals, business travelers and for the ordinary person on vacation!

What are the options for Internet fax?

In the past year and a half, several vendors have produced and are selling Internet faxing services. There are several different flavors of this idea. There are companies that offer software only solutions that allow you to fax directly from your computer to any fax machine; and there are services offer fax-to-IP Internet gateway products, which are hardware-based routers that emulate a fax machines.

Faxing services that use software (for example eFax) require that you sign up with fax service provider. Using this software makes faxing as easy as printing. These services are good for companies that primarily send outgoing faxes from their computers.

The advantages of using this method are that faxing becomes considerably cheaper because you are not making long distance connections over the phone lines, no hardware is required, you get faster transmission, you can send many faxes at once, no dedicated fax lines are needed, and a web interface is available if you wish to add fax-on-demand capability to a website.

The disadvantages are documents must be sent from your computer. With these services, there is no support for fax-to-IP gateways.

While for fax-to-IP Internet gateway products you will need a hardware based routers that emulate a fax machines. With these, faxing is done in the regular way using the fax machine, but the gateway device, which then dials the destination fax machine and sends the fax, interrupts the process.

This service is good if you don't send a lot of faxes, but would still like to take advantage of the savings of using Internet delivery. It is also good if you do a lot of international fax calls. The disadvantages are that you won't save much on either domestic faxing, or faxing to countries where the Internet infrastructure is less well developed.

Conclusions

Wrapping things up, Internet services are one of the online services that can beneficial greatly to your business or personal expenses. Consider the scenario with a company purchasing a traditional fax machine, an extra phone line with a company settle its faxing needs with just a PC and Internet faxing account -- the savings will be significant if you go with an Internet Faxing service. So if you are one of those who are using conventional faxing machine day and night, why not spend 10-15 minutes check out Internet faxing at http://www.myinternetfax.biz.

The author, Teddy Low, is an experience writer and webmaster on Internet. Teddy strongly recommend business owner to send fax via email as the service will save up the faxing cost greatly.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Teddy_Low

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Searching For the Best VoIP Phone Providers

Telephones occupy a higher plane in the scheme of modern telecommunications technology. One of the most important modes of remote communications, it presents people with a convenient and easy way to touch base with anyone who is not with them. Because of its importance, almost every home in the United States owns at least one line, while there is always a phone ringing in offices and businesses at any time of the day.

A newer, but still equally vital, communications channel is the Internet. Developed in the second half of the 20th century, its usage has caught wildfire in the last couple of years, effectively breaking some of the long-held traditions of doing things.

E-mails and instant messaging (or chatting) are used by top-level executives and rank and file employees. The Internet is also heavily used for sharing files, research, on-line shopping, and entertainment purposes.

Its primary purpose, however, is still communication.

A few years ago, the Internet-based phone service called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) became a huge thing in the market. Considered a breakthrough in the communications technology, it has since won over subscribers and customers looking for an affordable way of connecting with friends and family, and of conducting business. Some people have even cut their telephone lines and shifted to VoIP.

VoIP is popular because it works just like your conventional telephone. However, VoIP relies on the Internet to transmit and receive audio data, in the process converting your voice digital audio data. This means that you will receive and transmit clearer digital audio data at a much faster rate.

The fact that it uses the Internet to transfer and receive digital data, makes VoIP calls much cheaper than the conventional landline phone calls. With the landline phone, a five-minute call can cost a lot of money. Internet voice calls of the same duration costs a fraction of the landline charges. Some VoIP phone providers even offer free long distance and overseas call.

Besides free phone calls, VoIP providers usually throw in extra phone features, such as three-way calling, caller ID, audio conferencing, video conferencing, call waiting and return call, in the package. Traditional phone companies also offer these services, albeit, with extra cost.

If you are interested in getting VoIP installed in your home, get in touch with the VoIP service providers nearest you. There are quite a number of VoIP service providers, so it is best to study all their packages and choose the one which suits your needs and requirements best. Even with you scrutinizing each provider, there is no guarantee that the one you chose will deliver what it promised in its sales pitch.

With many providers offering a trial period (usually 30 days), you may now test the quality of their services. If you are not satisfied, you can simply inform the company that you are no longer interested to use their services. If you do this within the trial period, you will be refunded.

Here are some things that can guide you in choosing the right provider. Look for one that offers maximum benefits to their clients, including free ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), free or low cost IP phones, among other things.

For the best outcomes, choose the company trusted by your community. You can confer with your friends, colleagues to find out which service provider offers the best ones.

Aricle by Jessica Bradbury, you can learn more at her site on VOIP information, including VOIP phones.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessica_Bradbury

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IP Phone Services

IP Phone service allows you to make phone calls through Internet. You can reach anybody with a telephone number whether it’s a local, international or mobile number. Some services work only on the computer or through a special IP Phone while some others work even on the traditional phone with the help of an IP adaptor.

Apart from the Internet service charges there are no extra charges involved for the calls. There are a number of services that provide this kind of almost free IP calling. The most popular of them are Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, Skype, The Globe and Google Talk. However these free services have certain limitations. They require computer network and Internet or a special IP Phone.

There are many companies which provide commercial IP Phone services. Names of the service providers, their service features and tariffs are available on-line. These services allow an IP call even through the traditional phone lines. They connect an IP router, which is connected to the main router or the broadband modem at the service provider’s place, with the existing regular phone box at the customer’s place. This facilitates IP calls from a traditional phone even without computer network and Internet connection. But the problem is that when the computer network goes down there is no phone facility either.

The service provider charges for giving the connection. These charges include initial installation charges and the regular monthly service charges and or per call charges. The basis of charges differs from provider to provider. Some charge depending on the distance whereas some charge a flat rate for a fixed number of minutes irrespective of the distance. Some offer unlimited calls and unlimited talk time for a fixed monthly payment.

There are so many companies with varying service options and tariffs. Before choosing a particular service one should check the price range, features available and whether any technical support is offered. Also, one should check whether any emergency services are also provided and whether the IP phone number is portable with the existing landline number.

Even the paid IP Phone services are much cheaper than the regular phone call charges and prove especially economical for long distance calls. Due to the price war among the IP Phone service providers the customers can expect even more competitive prices.

There are only federal taxes on IP Phone services. The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates IP Phone services in USA, ruled that individual states have no jurisdiction to impose taxes on IP Phone services. This single point taxation helps the IP services stay cheap. Also, there might be only minimum regulation of these services for some time to encourage investment in broadband services.

IP Phones provides detailed information on IP Phones, IP Phone Services, Wireless IP Phones, IP Phone Systems and more. IP Phones is affiliated with VOIP Phone System.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_Riverside

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How VoIP Phones Can Connect You to Anywhere in the World

A technological communication breakthrough, the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can let you have voice conversations through a broadband Internet connection or any Internet Protocol-based network instead of a regular phone.

The other terms for the VoIP are: IP telephony, broadband telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband or broadband phone.

There are advantages in choosing to use VoIP over the standard phone line. You automatically receive phone calls once you get connected to the Internet, regardless of the network that you are using. Even during phone conversations, you can still access the other programs in your computer.

VoIP is also possible during road trips, you just use a mobile phone that can connect to the Internet. Incoming calls to your home will be treated as local calls wherever you connect to the Internet.

VoIP to VoIP calls are usually free of charge, which is a good advantage. But the VoIP user would be charged if he or she makes a VoIP to PSTN calls.

Stable Internet connection for VoIP service users is another advantage. This ensures faster access and delivery of good quality voice data.

There are other features in the VoIP services that are not available with the traditional analog phones. These include video conversation, conferencing, sending or exchanging files parallel to the conversation, managing your address book and more.

How does VoIP work? Through the VoIP service, your voice is converted to digital signals that pass through the Internet connection to a destination that you choose. Also, through this service, you can make calls by a computer or a VoIP phone. In case the computer is turned off, the standard phone line can be used to make and receive calls.

An important requirement obviously is that VoIP users should have a high speed broadband Internet connection.

The VoIP phone is plugged directly into the broadband connection and this can already be used just like any other traditional phone. But if you want to use your traditional telephone, you will need to connect it to a VoIP adapter. The dial tone will then be provided by the service provider. Remember that you would need the VoIP software and a microphone when you use the computer to make phone calls.

How does the VoIP system work for long distance or local calls? You would need an area code that may be different from the area code of where you reside.

This code would determine whether calls are long distance or local calls. If the person calling you is outside the area or the service covered in your VoIP, he will be charged for a long distance call.

But this could differ, depending upon the terms set by the VoIP service provider. There are some service providers who charge a fixed rate for a certain time limit regardless of the distance between you and who you call.

Who can you call with your VoIP service? This information would depend on the terms, conditions and services available of your VoIP service provider.

But you can call anyone who has a telephone or mobile number and this includes local or long distance calls. The person you are calling will no longer need any special device other than his phone to receive your VoIP call. You can also make simultaneous calls or conduct video conferences, again, depending on the terms and service of the VoIP provider.

One disadvantage of VoIP phones is that during power outage, some services are not available so some VoIP providers provide backup power. Another disadvantage is that you have be constantly connected to the Internet to make and receive calls.

But you can divert the call to an analog phone or mobile phone if you do not want to miss any incoming calls. You can also activate your voice mail box so your messages can still be received even when you can no attend to them.

It is advisable that you choose a VoIP service provider that offers the directory assistance or white page listings because not all service providers offer this feature.

Also, check with the provider if they can directly connect you to the emergency service 911. Nonetheless, calling 911 through your VoIP phone will be treated differently from that using the traditional phone. But what matters is that you are able to readily seek help at times that you need it.

Connection to any place around the globe is possible with the use of a VoIP phone.

Article by Randi Reese, you can learn more at her site on business VoIP and residential VoIP Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randi_Reese

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What is a VoIP Phone Service?

VoIP is a service where voice data is transferred over the Internet just like normal Internet data traffic. VoIP is also known as Internet Telephony or IP telephony. When the Internet connection is a broadband connection, VoIP is usually referred to as Broadband Telephony. Whatever be the terminology used, VoIP phone service is a method of providing voice communication using the Internet infrastructure.

VoIP Phone Service uses the existing infrastructure already installed for the Internet and speech signals converted to digital audio are sent in the form of packets. VoIP services can be interfaced with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and calls can be made to another computer, mobile phone VoIP phone or an ordinary telephone.

The services provided by VoIP are similar to those provided by PSTN with call forwarding, call waiting, caller identification, automatic redial and conference call facilities on offer. VoIP has an advantage over regular telephony in terms of security - the audio content is split into multiple pieces of very short duration and sent over the Internet as packets. The packets need not be received at intermediate points in sequence. It is very difficult for anyone to intercept a conversation being carried on VoIP.

VoIP has become very popular over the last few years as it has become a low-cost voice communication solution with wide user acceptance and a large consumer base. The service providers do not have to bear the expenses of installing infrastructure in the form of cables and switching equipment as the Internet infrastructure is already in place. In PSTN, the service provides is required to digitize voice and transmit the data after conversion to digital signals. The Internet infrastructure already carries signals of this nature and this reduces the cost for service providers significantly. This extends VoIP telephone services to the customer at much more economical rates than PSTN.

Another benefit of VoIP service is that it makes your physical location immaterial. All you need is access to a computer to be able to call any number of your choice, even international numbers for the cost of a local call.

There are downsides to VoIP services - Internet traffic is inherently unreliable in nature and in congested networks, the chances of dropped packets are very high. In such conditions, dropouts in conversation are inevitable. This is in contrast to the dedicated and reliable channel of communication provided by PSTN. For the same reasons, VoIP telephone services are unable to match the Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees provided by the PSTN.

Ms. Pinky is a Computer Support Specialist for more than 25 years. Has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Engineering, MS Research work in Systems Engineering.

Get more free computer tips on her blog at http://jmdcomputer.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pinky_Mcbanon

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