ISDN vs VoIP

ISDN or VoIP? Which is the Best Choice for Your Business?

Technology is constantly evolving and being adapted to make things easier for us, to make tasks more efficient – and even automated in some cases. Technology is one industry that moves at an overwhelming speed. You can buy a computer or telephone today, and then next month or next year new and improved components could come out making your device no longer ‘state of the art’.

It plays a huge part in business too, without technology in business, the world as we know it would not exist! Communication technologyhelps businesses and organizations in a number of ways. It helps them to collaborate, it helps to manage time and productivity, it can help to manage products and inventory, and it dramatically reduces the costs and time involved in certain tasks – like marketing, collaboration, meetings, invoicing and so much more.

VoIP  (Voice over Internet Protocol) a category of hardware and software that enables people to useVoIP system actually converts the analog signals to data packets so that the voice transmission can happen properly. This is very important that the voice transmission is clear and VoIP system ensures that. You do not really need any complex hardware for the whole set up and that is a big benefit of using the VoIP telephone system. You can even use this service for long distance calls at a cheaper rate. This is really money saving when you need to pay just a fraction of the original cost what really goes in hand if you are a business owner or at large company that makes a lot of calls, ether local or long distance.

the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls by sending voice data in packets using IP rather than by traditional circuit transmissions of the PSTN. The

ISDN (Integrated Services for Digital Network) is a set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network. ISDN is a circuit-switched telephone network system, which also provides access to packet switched networks, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires, resulting in potentially better voice quality than an analog phone can provide.

VoIP

• Overview: Uses software installed on your computer or mobile phone to place your call over the internet. It supports real-time, two-way transmission of conversations over Internet Protocol. It’s represents the best solution business users as well as personal users, and can also
  
  include participants using a standard telephone.
• Required Equipment: You will need VoIP Software, a computer with internet access, computer audio system and microphone.
• Benefits: VoIP allows you to access calls anywhere there is an internet connection, it’s often much cheaper than teleconferencing, and often includes additional features and functionality like video conferencing or IM and file sharing features too.

ISDN

• Overview: Requires a conferencing service provider and places calls through telecommunication networks using a landline phone.
• Required Equipment: You will need any standard telephone, a telecommunications service provider (you can also get special conference phones for meeting rooms if you need them).
• Benefits: Telephone conferencing delivers the same audio quality as a regular telephone call, it’s as easy as placing a regular phone call and it works without an internet connection. Often these services include recording and playback services, and they are not impacted by internet usage limitations. 

As you can see, VoIP conferencing and telephone conferencing both allow you to do the same thing, and perform the same functions, but different requirements are needed for each. But considering the technology and constant development of communication services and internet the advantage goes to VoIP lines. 

There are a few reasons to do this. The first are cost savings. Line rental is considerably lower, there are no installation costs or tie-ins when adding or removing lines, and calls to other VoIP users on the same service are free. There’s another advantage of VoIP. Rather than being limited to fixed groups of numbers in your local area code, you can add as many numbers as you like. These can be in any dialing area, including overseas numbers and non-geographic numbers. You’ll normally have existing numbers that you want to keep. These can be “ported” to your VoIP lines and added to any new numbers you need. Once you’ve done this, you’ve broken free of the constraints of ISDN lines where your telephone lines are physically located. Calls to your numbers can connect anywhere with an internet connection. This makes moving office extremely easy and in case of emergency calls can be instantly routed to your  emergency  number or recovery site.

There are considerable advantages to VoIP over ISDN, and recommend you look into these advantages for your business and we are sure that with Orbex Solutions you can make a step forward in your business communications.

Orbex.co.uk can supply the widest range of communication services with a VOIP telephone system or PBX telephone system available for your business to give you the right solution for all your business needs.

ADSL vs Fibre

Firstly, to explain some of the terminology: ADSL (asymmetric digitalsubscriber line) uses the copper core present in telephone lines. It differs from old dial-up broadband in that it uses frequencies that aren’t used by voice phone calls.

An ADSL filter is used to allow both voice phone calls and internet connection to share the same line. In the past there have been some problems with other services sharing the same line, such as faxes, though these have been largely alleviated by better filtering and, to an extent, people not using traditional fax anymore, preferring web-based services instead.

Fibre is able to transmit data much faster over greater distances and because the cable is smaller in diameter and weighs less, it makes an ideal alternative for a wide variety of cabling solutions. Since the conductor is glass and cannot generate electricity, fibre is immune to all sorts of interference.

Telephone companies have been using fibre optic connections since the late 1970s to make long distance connections between e

xchanges.

The concept of a fibre optic cable is quite simple. As opposed to a copper wire, which uses electrical impulses to transmit data, a fibre optic cable carries light impulses (from an LED or laser), which bounces down the inside of a very thin glass fiber tube. The ‘tube’ can flex (because it’s very thin) and the light impulses will still transmit. Fibre optic broadband takes advantage of fibre optic cable replacing the old copper cables between the exchange and the subscriber.

Fibre is better than ADSL in many aspects.

• Speeds achievable are much higher than ADSL via Copper based medium. Typically Fibre services can reach up to 100Mbps or approximately five times faster than ADSL.
• Increased reliability and consistence speeds as optical fibre is more resilient to degradation and other environmental factors.
• Lower latency means a higher degree of Voice over IP (VoIP) quality and other latency dependent applications.  

Fiber Optic Installation

But ADSL has its advantages as;

• Internet connection access by existing copper lines.
• Using telephone lines for both Internet & landlines.
•  Always active connection at a fixed monthly rate and cheaper installation

 

 

What makes Fibre services more stable than ADSL?

 

The stability of fibre speeds are generally due to the consistency of glass compared to copper. The outing coat of an optical fiber cable is similar to copper that is used with ADSL however the inside is made from strings of glass. This cause light to run through the glass which is faster than copper.

One final consideration is that ADSL connections are being phased out (gradually) anyway, which means all internet packages will get faster eventually, but choosing between cable, DSL and fiber all depends on your needs. If you only need to use the internet casually or want to save money, DSL is probably the best option.

Fibre would make the best choice for obtaining the fastest possible speed but the coverage and costs are always questionable.

Orbex Solutions Ltd provides a high quality service and installation of both ADSL and Fiber Optic services at a competitive prices. At Orbex Solutions Ltd we will give you a quality products and professional services to fulfill your business communication requirements so do not hesitate and contact us...

PAT - Portable appliance testing

Portable appliance testing (PAT) is the term used to describe the examination of electrical appliances and equipment to ensure they are safe to use. Most electrical safety defects can be found by visual examination but some types of defect can only be found by testing. However, it is essential to understand that visual examination is an essential part of the process because some types of electrical safety defect can't be detected by testing alone. 

Portable appliance testing (PAT)

A relatively brief user check (based upon simple training and perhaps assisted by the use of a brief checklist) and it a very useful part of any electrical maintenance regime. 

Health and safety regulations require that electrical appliances are safe to prevent harm to workers. Many types of equipment require testing at regular intervals to ensure continual safety; the interval between tests depending on both the type of appliance and the environment it is used in. For example, a power tool used on a construction site should be examined more frequently than a lamp in a hotel bedroom. 

Evidence of testing is clearly visible to workers in the form of "passed", "tested for electrical safety" and "do not use after..." labels affixed to various parts of the electrical equipment used. 

The Law (the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 ) requires that all electrical systems (including electrical appliances) are maintained (so far as is reasonably practicable) to prevent danger. A competent person must inspect the installation regularly in any public building or a place that people work but private houses do not need this test. It does not say how this should be done or how often. Employers should take a risk-based approach, considering the type of equipment and what it is being used for. If it is used regularly and moved a lot e.g. a floor cleaner or a kettle, testing (along with visual checks) can be an important part of an effective maintenance regime giving employers confidence that they are doing what is necessary to help them meet their legal duties. Orbex Solutions provides guidance on how to maintain equipment including the use of PAT. 

We strongly recommended that you make sure that equipment is inspected and tested before each usage, in order to ensure it is safe to use. The person when hiring the equipment should also take appropriate steps to ensure it remains safe to use throughout the hire period.  

Orbex Solutions Ltd provides a high quality service assured at a competitive price that will meet all your requirements. 

 Contact us and ensure your business meets legal and insurance cover requirements.