If you are a business owner, manager or entrepreneur you have probably seen at least one or two commercials or had several emails about the benefits of VoIP services and something that is called IP Telephony. You may be wondering just what is the difference between VoIP and IP telephony and how it matters to your needs.
The first thing to realize is that many people that aren’t in the business of selling or promoting either product often use the two terms interchangeably. While this may be common there are some differences between VoIP and IP telephony that should be considered.
IP Telephony
When thinking about the difference between VoIP and IP telephony it is easier to see which one is actually a part of the other. IP telephony is the big system that allows phone systems that operate digitally to use the internet. It is the standards, the IP or internet protocols, for the way that voice can be reduced or converted to packets of data and sent via the internet to the receiving device that reverses the process.
VoIP
VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is that small part that includes the actual conversion of voice into internet protocol standards. VoIP only works because of IP telephony, but with different VoIP services you have different features. With different businesses it is often those features that make one company, or one phone type, a better choice over the others.
Often the difference between VoIP and IP telephony comes down to what specifically you are looking at. If you want to know about the reliability of a system then you are really look at the IP telephony component. However, if you want a particular feature such as free long distance calls then it is the VoIP aspect that you need more information on.
Another difference between VoIP and IP telephony is that IP telephony can work on a private network where you can control a lot of the functions and features based on your own needs. However, when you are using VoIP services you are using the public internet system and will have less specific control.
