VoIP and VoWLAN
Voice over Internet
(Protocol) and
Voice over Wireless Local
Area Network
This is telephone service over the
internet.
It is an ideal future solution for
management companies.
ADVANTAGES:
wireless phones, bypass phone companies, no long distance costs. If you’re already wired with broadband
internet, then you’re already wired for VoIP. Wireless VoIP is
even better so you can roam around your office.
Employees can field calls whenever they are within range of a wireless
access point.
PROBLEMS:
no security, no priority, less than ideal quality of service, expensive
proprietary equipment, hapless hand-offs between wireless access points, and
less than ideal throughput via the access points. Costs run over $400 per seat. Wireless IP was not designed for voice. Voice packets may not have priority over data
packets and thus may garble the voice.
VENDORS already in the VoIP
and VoWLAN business are Cisco, NEC, Qualcomm,
Motorola and Dell. SpectraLink
and Symbol are two popular product lines.
Software only companies are TeleSym, IP Blue,
and VLI.
RECOMMENDATION:
wait for the 802.11e standard which includes a Quality of Service (QoS) specification and the 802.11g standard which provides
faster service.
FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:
SymPhone, TeleSym www.infoworld.com/234
NetLink spectraLink
www.infoworld.com/235
Cisco wireless VoIP handset www.infoworld.com/236
NetVision Symbol Technologies www.infoworld.com/237
NEC handsets www.infoworld.com/238