September 21, 2007
A VoIP Gateway: The Mediator in the Broadband Network
The era of VoIP phones are here, and slowly everyone is switching from the conventional phone lines to this service. Through this network service, you basically can call any computer or phone from your house through the internet. Many people are still not aware of this service, which is growing in popularity around the world. This VoIP system from your house is connected to the computer network, just like a phone network. And this network is connected to a VoIP gateway, which eventually connects the whole network to the internet. In simpler words, it is the entry point which you get connected to the internet, just like typical internet gateways.
What Does The VOIP Gateway Do?
A VoIP system works by transforming analog voice calls into data packets, sending the packets over broadband computer networks, and translating it back to voice at the other end of the line or call, as we all know. What the VoIP gateway does here is to bridge the circuit-switched telephone network into the packet-switched data network. This VoIP is very flexible, because it both ways. And that would be to allow calls from regular phone line to be transferred over the network to a compatible terminal point, which can be both a computer-client as well as another regular phone terminal point.
If one VoIP gateway can provide you such mediation works, imagine the combination of several gateways. Well in fact this is true; multiple gateways connected together can create a virtual integrated network that allows its users to make and receive calls over the multiple IP data networks without even having the need to connect to the internet at the first place.
How the System Works Through This Gateway?
There are some basic operations of how the system works. The VoIP gateway which is connected to your standard telephone line, takes the voice that comes in and converts it from analog signals to digital signals. Then, it breaks down the digital format into smaller units known as data packets and is transported through the internet line. The data packets will reach the nearest VoIP gateway to your destination and this gateway will do the same function in reverse; translate the signal back into an analog format. Finally, the transferred signal will then be directed to the number you dialed.
All gateways work the same way, regardless of the manufacturer or brand. The function is the same, and there are usually no inter-operability problems even if the multiple gateways are of multiple brands.

















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