VoIP: Click To Talk

Technology has taken us from the talk button on a basic portable telephone to click to talk. Click to talk is also known as VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. It is as simple as it sounds to use. You just dial the number, click a button with your mouse, and talk through your microphone.

Setup is a little more time consuming. First, you have to purchase the equipment, if you do not have it already. You will need to have a LAN (Local Area Network) card, such as Ethernet, and a network cable, at least connected to another computer. If you have only a connection to another computer, then you can only click to talk to the other computer. However, if you have an internet connection you can click to talk to anyone or any other click to talk user.

The biggest expense for click to talk service to incur is a person to setup the system or to get rid of worms or virus you have contracted. That is if you do not know how to install the hardware and download the software by yourself which really is not that difficult. Most computer consulting companies will charge in excess of $100 per hour for these types of services. Sometimes, you will find them cheaper, but not very often. Another possibility is to see if the hardware and software providers offer the information needed to install there equipment. This saves hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.

Once the click to talk system has been setup, using the system is pretty much free. The only charges you will be billed for are you normal internet connection charges and any country charges. Some countries are charging a fee for incoming or outgoing (or both) fees for using a click to talk method of contacting people. Depending on the country and the number of minutes or hours on the line, this can be pricey. The best way to avoid these charges is to do a cost benefit analysis on the telephone charges versus the click to talk charges that you will incur by making these calls.

Simply contact the person in the country that you are inquiring about, using both the telephone and the click to talk system and making sure that you stay on the phone the same amount of time for both calls. Then you will want to either wait on the bills to arrive or call both service providers to find out how much the charge was for each of the types of calls. Once, you have the numbers look at both of them carefully. I suggest making sure you are on the line for at least thirty minutes for each of the calls. Some countries that charge fees for click to talk calls charge you so much for the first minute, the first ten minutes, etc and then a much smaller amount for each minute after that specified time period. Some telephone companies charge you the same way when it comes to long distance charges, so make sure you inquire about that when you contact each company. Regardless of which method of charges, I have not seen one yet that had a flat rate for thirty minutes or more and then a smaller fee after you go over that thirty minutes time period.

Click to talk has all of the same features that your normal telephone provides. As a click to talk customer, you still have call waiting, call forwarding, etc. The only services that click to talk providers don’t offer yet are information numbers, such as 411, and emergency numbers, in particular 911. However, the government has created a law that is currently being enforced requiring that any telecommunication providers, including click to talk providers, have to offer emergency services lines, in particular 911. Many click to talk providers are also working on adding information services due to the fact that they want their services in every home. Without offering the communities the same advanced information services that they are currently getting from their telephone service providers, some potential customers are not even considering click to talk. However, there are quite a few click to talk customers who would rather spend five extra minutes on the internet looking the numbers up (through systems like whitepages.com) then spending extra money on a phone bill that they don’t necessarily need.

Many consumers are realizing the benefits of using click to talk services and many more will reap the benefits as soon as emergency services are included in the click to talk service packages. Now, click to talk services are not for everyone. I would not recommend using click to talk services unless you are familiar with a computer and how to navigate parts of one, including the internet. But, with how common computer use is, you can probably find a relative to teach you the basics and that is really all you need. From there you can explore the many features of a computer, the internet, and click to talk services.