VoIP Glossary

Just like most other technologies, VoIP has its own plethora of acronyms and technical terms to describe its various aspects. Our VoIP glossary contains all of the most commonly used and most important terms that you may encounter when reading or hearing about VoIP services or products. We have made our VoIP glossary as easy to understand as possible, and made sure you understand how each term relates to VoIP.

Backbone
Refers to the high capacity internet infrastructure that typically connects major service providers such as your web hosting provider or internet service provider. Internet service providers with a large backbone connection offer better potential for a reliable VoIP connection than one with a smaller backbone. For example: When your internet service provider says it has an "ultra fast backbone connection", it is referring to the fact that its main communications channel with the internet is very fast to facilitate a large volume of communications.

Bandwidth
The maximum amount of data that can be transferred by a connection. VoIP is related to this term because the more bandwidth your internet connection has, the more reliable your VoIP connect can potentially be. For example: Your internet service provider may claim to offer you a cable internet connection with up to 8MB bandwidth, which means the maximum amount of data you can send through that connection is 8MB.

Byte
This is the most base unit of data volume measurement, from which larger sums are built upon such as kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes and so on. VoIP technology typically uses hundreds or thousands of bytes within seconds for a conversation to take place. For example: You may notice that your bandwidth consumption per second while using VoIP is 32Kbps (or 32,000 bytes per second). 

Cable
This is a type of internet connection that is used almost exclusively in residential environments. Cable uses the data transmission capacity of commonly available television coax cable to provide broadband internet connectivity. Cable internet bandwidth is typically measured in MB. VoIP is commonly used over cable internet connections. For example: My cable internet access has been great for making VoIP calls to my family.

Compression
You compress data so that you can store or transmit more of it in a given confinement. Compression takes data and makes it smaller typically by performing an algorithm against it that better optimizes (lossless compression) how the information is stored or transmitted, or by strategically removing unnecessary data (lossy compression). VoIP relies heavily on compression, because the audio it transmits between the two callers would require far too much information to be sent without it first being compressed. For example: If you have a large music file on your computer, you can compress it into a smaller size for easier storage and transmission, sometimes only a fraction of the original size, while still retaining most if not all of the musical sound.

Congestion
Describes the amount of communications traffic within a network or segment of a network. When the number of computers communicating simultaneously approaches, reaches or exceeds the limits of that network's infrastructure, it is considered to be a congested network. VoIP can be adversely affected by network congestion as it can limit the network resources available to successfully send all of the data back and between between computers a VoIP connection needs. For example: My VoIP conversation sounded distorted because there was too much network congestion.

DSL
(Digital Subscriber Line) This is a type of internet connection commonly used in residential or small business environments. DSL uses the data transmission capacity of standard telephone lines to provide a broadband internet connection. The bandwidth of a DSL connection is often measured in MB. VoIP is commonly used over DSL internet connections. For example: Since I installed my 3MB DSL line, my VoIP calls have been so clear and reliable.

Firewall
Is hardware or software that attempts to protect a computer or network against malicious attacks. By acting as a wall between one network and another, it controls the flow of data and methods in which one network can connect to another to limit exposure. People that use VoIP commonly use firewalls to protect their computer against internet predators. For example: Since I have a cable internet connection, my computer is always connected to the internet so a firewall helps to make sure my computer is safe.

GB
(Gigabyte) This is a commonly used large unit of data volume measurement. A single gigabyte consists of approximately 1,024 megabytes of information. VoIP is not typically measures in gigabytes per conversation, but over a period of a month make equate to gigabytes of data depending on frequency and duration of calls. For example: Our many VoIP calls last month totaled 1.24 GB in bandwidth usage.

KB
(Kilobyte) This is a relatively small unit of data volume measurement. A single kilobyte is comprised of approximately 1,024 bytes of information. VoIP would require a lot of kilobytes in order to transmit a conversation successfully at length. For example: My VoIP conversation is transmitting data at approximately 32KB per second.

LAN
(Local Area Network) A local area network is a collection of computer interconnected within a small proximity. A typical example of a LAN would be a home with a computer in each bedroom, networked together to share resources such as printers, hard drive storage, etc. Many homes and offices that use VoIP are in fact LAN's as there are more than one computer networked together within that building or space. For example: Our LAN is comprised of 5 computers, a printer and a scanner.

MB
(Megabyte) This is a commonly used unit of data volume measurement. A single megabyte is comprised of approximately 1 million bytes of information. The amount of data a typical VoIP conversation transmits would be measured in MB. For example: My last VoIP conversation, which lasted for 1 and a half hours, used 5MB in bandwidth.

Router
A router is a device that routes packets of data between networks, using protocols to determine how to talk with other routers to effectively send and receive information. Computers that are configured for VoIP very often have a router somewhere in its network configuration to route data between the computer in the LAN and the internet. For example: When I set up my VoIP software I installed the router that was given to me by my internet service provider.

Soft Phone
A soft phone is a software program installed onto a computer that mimics the functionality of a standard phone. Instead of using a dedicated telephone device, the computer simulates the functionality of a phone by creating an on-screen dialing method, in combination with attached speakers and microphone. A number of popular VoIP services use soft phones either exclusively or as part of the product or service offerings. For example: I made VoIP call on my soft phone yesterday.

TB
(Terabyte) A terabyte is a large unit of data volume measurement. A single terabyte is comprised of approximately 1,024 gigabytes of information. A terabyte of data in relation to VoIP would describe how much data a service provider would need to send and receive in order to provide service to its customers. For example: During the month of August, the service provider transmitted several terabytes worth of VoIP communications between its customers.

VoIP
(Voice over Internet Protocol) Describes the ability to communicate by voice over the internet using a combination of technologies. For example: I had a conversation yesterday using a VoIP phone over my broadband internet connection.

VPN
(Virtual Private Network) A virtual private network is a way of creating a secured means of communicating on the public internet between computers by encrypting the data that is sent back and forth. For security reasons, some businesses may require their employees to use a VPN in order to make VoIP calls. For example: Establishing a VPN connection between the notebook in your hotel and the server at your office allows you to safely transmit confidential data.