webFones | Hosted Phone Systems for Growing Businesses

Aggregated Centralized Trunking

The ability to pool phone line capacity and share it across multiple locations in an organization, rather than require a dedicated line for each person or set of lines for specific workgroups.

ATA

A device that converts an analog signal into a digital signal and vice versa. An ATA is often used to connect analog wireless handsets or a fax machine to a VoIP phone system.

Busy Light

A status light on a phone or expansion module that indicates that another extension is being used.

Caller ID Number

The phone number of the person making a call.

Caller ID Name (or CNAM)

Name of the person associated with the device making a phone call.

Call Detail Records (CDR)

A log of telephone calls that includes information about each call, such as: the time, number called, call length, and who answered the call.

Centrex

A hosted service in which call routing and phone system features are provided by a service provider remotely, instead of by equipment residing on the customer’s premises. Since the phone system is centralized off-site, the same service can support multiple locations and the same pool of phone lines can be shared.

Codec

A method of encoding and decoding digital voice data between two endpoints. Some codecs require more Internet bandwidth than others. The g711 codec used by many providers requires significant more bandwidth than the g729 codec used by webFones. The g729 codec uses data compression to lower network bandwidth requirements without affecting sound quality.

Compression

A technique for ‘squeezing’ VoIP data by removing any unused or inefficient portions of the sound in order to minimizes the bandwidth required for phone conversations.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

A feature of most networks that automatically assigns IP addresses to network devices (phones, computers, etc.).

DID (Direct Inward Dialing)

The ability to route calls through a phone system to a particular user.

DNS (Domain Name System)

DNS is the system that translates Internet domain names into an IP address.

DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency)

The “touch-tone” sounds made by pressing numbers on the dial pad that are used to coordinate between phone systems or to respond to auto-attendant menus.

E911 (Enhanced 911)

The enhanced version of the emergency 911 system for VoIP providers. When someone dials 911, it provides the physical location of the phone to the 911 call center.

Ethernet

The networking technology used to connect computers and other devices on the same Local Area Network. Ethernet plugs (RJ45) are slightly bigger than traditional phone-jack plugs (RJ11).

Find Me

A feature (also known as Follow Me) that automatically and transparently forwards calls made to one number, typically an office phone number, to multiple other devices, for example, a mobile phone or home phone. The Caller ID is forwarded along with the call. Unanswered calls are routed to voicemail.

Firewall

A device or software program that inspects network traffic to protect a Local Area Network from threats on the Internet.

IP Phone

A device that plugs into a computer network and can be used to make VoIP calls.

IP PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange)

A telephone switch located on a customer’s premises that utilizes VoIP to manage and deliver calls to phones. While similar to a PBX, it typically enables a larger number of phones to share a limited set of phone lines. Unlike a Centrex solution, it is typically located on the company premises.

IP Soft Phone

Software that enables either a computer or smart phone to function as a VoIP phone handset, such as Soft-Phone software running on an iPhone or other mobile device that enables them to serve as a mobile VoIP handset.

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

A company that offers access to the Internet.

IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

Pre-recorded messages that invite callers to respond a menu of choices using touch tones (DTMF) to route their calls to the intended destination. IVRs are often used to lower the cost of handling high call volumes.

Jitter

A sudden variation in network performance that sometimes causes a distortion in sound during a phone conversation. Most providers use Jitter buffers to eliminate the effects of network variations on VoIP services.

LAN (Local Area Network)

A network connecting the devices within a small area, such as a house, office building, or group of buildings. Usually, a LAN connects to an Internet connection enabling all the devices on the LAN to access the wide area network (WAN).

Latency

The time it takes digital information to travel from its source to its destination. High latency on an Internet connection can sometimes cause a delay in conversation. A low latency connection is both fast and responsive.

Local Number Portability (LNP)

The ability to keep existing phone numbers when switching service providers. Providers that support LNP will let businesses keep their existing phone numbers when moving from analog to VoIP services.

Multi-Location Organizations

Businesses with multiple locations, such as retail stores, franchises, or remote employees.

Message Waiting Indicator (MWI)

The red light on a desk phone indicating there are new voicemail messages.

Network Address Translation (NAT)

Software used by network routers and firewalls to translate communication on an internal LAN network to the wider area network (WAN). NAT often represents all computers behind a firewall as a single IP address on the public Internet.

Packet Loss

A type of network communication breakdown in which packets of information are lost, often causing a gap in voice communication that can make a conversation sound choppy.

PBX (Private Branch Exchange)

A device (also known as a PABX), typically located on a customer’s premises, that allows a larger number of phones to share a smaller set of phone lines through switching.

POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service)

The standard analog telephone service provided by the phone company over copper wires.

PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)

The traditional way of transporting analog voice traffic over copper wires.

QoS (Quality of Service)

The ability of a network to deliver traffic with minimum delay and maximum availability.

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)

An application-layer control (signaling) protocol for creating, modifying and terminating sessions with one or more participants. Sessions include Internet telephone calls, multimedia distribution and multimedia conferences.

SIP Trunk

A VoIP replacement for the traditional phone line offered by a telephone company.

Toll-Free Number

Numbers beginning with 800, 866, 877 and 888, for which there is no charge to the caller.

T1

An Internet connection running at approximately 1.544 Mbit/sec that uses a T1 communication circuit. T1 Internet connections, while more expensive, are more consistent and reliable than broadband. Multiple T1s can be combined to provide higher bandwidth.

T.38

A protocol used for VoIP fax. It provides resiliency to latency and jitter and is more tolerant to packet loss.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

A type of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that specifies where an identified resource is available and the mechanism for retrieving it. Also referred to as a Web address.

VoIP (Voice-Over-IP)

A network service that delivers telephone calls over digitized networks, such as the Internet.

Terminology