What Is a VoIP Phone (+ How it Works)

- Hey, this is Tony with Nextiva,
and today we're gonna look at what a VoIP phone is
and how it works.
First, let's get a basic understanding of VoIP,
which is short for voice over internet protocol.
A VoIP phone system is one that uses the internet
to make phone calls instead of traditional landlines.
In other words, it's a phone system that uses the cloud.
Now there are two types of phones that will work
on a cloud-based phone system, hard phones and soft phones.
Hard phones are physical phones, similar to this one,
and connect to the internet using an ethernet cable.
This obviously looks just like a traditional desk phone,
but I'll highlight the differences in a moment.
The second type of phone I mentioned is a soft phone,
or a software-based phone.
This is actually an app that you can download
to your laptop, tablet, or smartphone,
and it gives you the ability
to make and receive calls using that device.
For example, if I'm not at my desk to make a call
using a VoIP hard phone, the app on my smartphone
can make that same call using my business number.
Another major difference between VoIP phones
and landline-based phones
has to do with their physical connection.
Traditional desk phones need to connect to a PBX box,
which routes calls to that specific device.
A PBX box is an expensive piece of hardware,
that's typically hidden away in your building server room.
This means a traditional desk phone
can't leave that location,
the PBX box is going to need ongoing maintenance,
and if it breaks, the owner eats the cost.
With VoIP phones, however,
they connect directly to the internet,
and the VoIP service provider takes care of routing calls
to that particular device.
This not only makes the cost of ownership incredibly low
and maintenance-free,
but it also means that this phone
isn't tied to any particular location.
As long as it's plugged into the internet,
your VoIP service provider will handle everything else.
Obviously, this is what Nextiva does well,
so you can learn more about switching to a VoIP phone system
by visiting nextiva.com.
All right, that wraps up what a VoIP phone is
and how it works.
If you want to learn more about VoIP
or Connected Communications,
be sure to subscribe to the Nextiva YouTube channel
and turn on notifications.
Again, this is Tony with Nextiva,
and we'll see you in the next video.