About VOIP

Frequently Asked Questions


What is VOIP?

Voice Over Internet Protocol is a way of making telephone calls or sending/receiving faxes using your internet connection instead of dedicated phone lines.

What Is A SIP?

A SIP is the VOIP equivalent of a telco trunk line.  Each SIP can carry one two-way conversation. Newer PBXs can often use SIPS instead of telco lines.

Can I Keep My Existing Numbers?

Yes, unless your current numbers are not portable.

What Kind of Internet Connection Do I Need?

Reliable high speed internet is required. VOIP does not require a lot of bandwidth, but connection stability is important.  A standard "high speed" wired/coax/fiber connection (generally, the base offering of most ISPs) is all you need. If you have a connection that tends to drop or has variable performance, those issues should be addressed first. Stable DSL will work, but we recommend upgrading to current standard if possible.

We generally recommend against using VOIP with satellite or wireless ISPs because those types of connections tend to have a lot of latency.

Can I Use My SIP-Enabled PBX with VOIP?

Yes. You can subscribe to as many SIP Trunks as necessary to service your needs. Find out more about SIP Trunks.

Can I Use My Existing Phones with VOIP?

It depends. If you are switching from a different VOIP provider and your phones are up-to-date, then you probably can. If you are subscribing to SIP trunks with your current PBX, no hardware changes are needed.  If you switch to Cloud PBX from an older hardware PBX or any other non-IP phone, you will need to obtain IP Phones.

For a limited time, get your IP phones FREE when you switch to babyTEL.

Do I Still Need Roll Over and Back Lines?

With VOIP you do not need roll over and back lines, because you no longer use a specific pair of copper wire to conduct each unique telephone call. Each extension comes with the capacity to handle multiple calls; the capacity of your extensions is aggregated and shared, ensuring that you have more capacity than you'll actually use.

What is A Virtual Number?

One of the advantages of VOIP is that you can have "virtual" numbers.  If you need a local number in multiple places, even in different area codes, VOIP can provide that.


What is a PBX?

Private Branch EXchange, a way to create a private telephone system that shares one or more public telephone lines. A PBX interconnects all telephones in the system, handles connection sharing for outgoing calls, and handles call routing for incoming calls. Additional features a PBX should have include a voice mail system and auto attendants to handle incoming calls. Traditionally, a PBX is a piece of dedicated hardware that connects to your phones and to teleco lines. Most PBX's require you to use proprietary telephones that cannot be used with a different system.

What is Cloud PBX?

Cloud PBX puts all the functions of your PBX in the cloud, eliminating special PBX hardware. Your telephones connect via the internet and behave just like the PBX was still in your back room.

Can Multiple Offices Share the Cloud PBX?

Yes. Each unique extension can connect from anywhere, making it possible to link telephones across town or across the globe. With multiple offices, each office can have a unique telephone number that rings only those telephones, but at the same time have 3 digit access to any extension in any office connected to the PBX. That's something a traditional hardware PBX cannot accomplish.

What is an Auto Attendant?

An Auto Attendant answers and redirects calls that are not picked up. Multiple Auto Attendants allow your PBX to offer different greetings and options to callers depending what number they dialed and the day/time of an incoming call.

What Happens to my Phones if my Internet Connection Goes Down?

Never Miss A Call! When you can supply a backup phone number—such as a cell phone—the system will redirect all calls to that phone whenever it cannot contact your extensions.


What is T.38 Fax?

T.38 is a standard for real-time fax over the Internet.

What is an SPA?

An SPA is a device that connects to the Internet and to your existing phone-based fax machine, allowing the fax machine to send and receive T.38 faxes across the internet.

What is a T.38 SIP?

A T.38 SIP is a fax trunk line that connects directly to a computer, typically a fax server running on your office file server. T.38 SIPs allow you to send faxes by "printing" a document to a fax client connected to your server, and receive faxes as electronic documents. One important benefit for you is that most Practice Management Systems will allow you to directly import an electronic document, such as a fax, into a patient record.