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VoIP Fundamentals

Introduction to VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) converts analog voice signals into digital packets for transmission over IP networks.

How VoIP Works

Signal Conversion Process

  1. Analog to Digital - Voice converted to digital signal
  2. Packetization - Digital signal divided into packets
  3. Transmission - Packets sent over IP network
  4. Reassembly - Packets reassembled at destination
  5. Digital to Analog - Converted back to voice

Key Components

Endpoints

  • IP Phones
  • Softphones
  • Analog Telephone Adapters (ATA)
  • VoIP gateways

Infrastructure

  • VoIP servers/PBX
  • Session Border Controllers (SBC)
  • Media gateways
  • Signaling gateways

Quality Factors

Network Requirements

  • Bandwidth - Minimum 100kbps per call
  • Latency - Less than 150ms one-way
  • Jitter - Less than 30ms variation
  • Packet Loss - Less than 1%

QoS Implementation

  • DSCP marking
  • Traffic prioritization
  • Bandwidth reservation
  • Jitter buffers

Codec Selection

Common Audio Codecs

  • G.711 - Uncompressed, 64kbps
  • G.729 - Compressed, 8kbps
  • G.722 - HD voice, 64kbps
  • Opus - Adaptive, 6-510kbps

Advantages of VoIP

  • Cost savings
  • Scalability
  • Mobility
  • Feature richness
  • Integration capabilities