What does “Internet Telephone” or “Voice Over IP (VoIP)” mean?
IP is an acronym for Internet Protocol. IP is a way of computers communicating between each other. Data is broken in to small groups called packets. IP is what is called a routing protocol. It facilitates moving a packet of data by storing it and then forwarding it along a chain of computers until it reaches its destination. However sending a packet via IP does not guarantee that it will arrive at, or when it will arrive. Due to differences in the way packets are routed, it is possible for packets to arrive in any sequence, i.e. just because a packet is the first sent out in a group, does not mean that it will be the first received. An additional protocol called TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is used on top of IP to make sure all the packets in a message arrive and they are used in the correct sequence. The overhead of using TCP is to high for real time voice so it is not used for VoIP. Now a short lesson in physics. Sound travels in waves to your ear. Each wave has a width (pitch
