Internet Phone Services Simplified (VoIP) [Paperback]

Jim Doherty (Author), Neil Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1587201623 | ISBN-13: 978-1587201622 | Edition: 1

Internet Phone Services Simplified gives you the most basic need-to-know information and then teaches you how to get the most out of your VoIP phone services:

• Understand how broadband VoIP, Internet VoIP, and VoIP Chat services work
• Learn about and compare different services, their advantages, and their limitations
• Subscribe to a service, install equipment, and troubleshoot issues that might arise
• Integrate services into your home, including reusing your existing house telephone wiring and phone handsets
• Extend VoIP throughout your home by using multiline, extendable cordless phone systems
• Take advantage of VoIP features, including virtual phone numbers and listening to voicemail using your computer while traveling

Internet phone services offer great advantages over existing telephone systems, allowing you to save money and make and receive calls using high-speed and broadband services. To help you take advantage of all that the Internet has to offer, Internet Phone Services Simplified provides you with an illustrated guide to understanding, selecting, and setting up voice over IP (VoIP) phone services.

 

Internet Phone Services Simplified isn’t overly technical—you’ll get just what you need so that VoIP doesn’t seem like a mystery and so that you can make good choices about Internet phone services.

• Provides a full-color illustrated and simple approach to learning about VoIP
• Follow step-by-step instructions for selecting and installing VoIP at home
• Explore new Internet telephony features and services 

Approved for Technical Accuracy by The Geek Squad

 

This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press®, the only authorized publisher for Cisco Systems®.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Doherty is the director of marketing and programs with Symbol Technologies’ industry solutions group. Prior to joining Symbol, Jim worked at Cisco Systems®, where he led various marketing campaigns for IP telephony and routing and switching solutions. Jim has 17 years of engineering and marketing experience across a broad range of networking and communications technologies. Jim is the coauthor of Cisco Networking Simplified and Home Networking Simplified and the author of the “Study Notes” section of Cisco CCNA Exam #640-607 Flash Card Practice Kit. Jim is a former Marine Corps sergeant; he holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from N.C. State University and an M.B.A. from Duke University.

 

Neil Anderson is a senior manager in enterprise systems engineering at Cisco Systems and is currently responsible for enterprise wide-area networking, branch-office networking, and teleworking systems architectures. Neil has more than 20 years of diverse telecom experience, including public telephone systems, mobile telephone systems, IP networks, wireless networking, and home networks. Neil has held roles in research and development, systems engineering, and technical marketing. Neil is the co-author of Home Networking Simplified. At Cisco Systems, Neil leads the development of network systems architectures, including voice over IP (VoIP), wireless LAN (WLAN), and security technologies, for enterprise and small-business customers. Neil holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Cisco Press; 1 edition (May 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587201623
• ISBN-13: 978-1587201622
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #827,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Over Simplified, March 18, 2007

By 

George G. Geller (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Internet Phone Services Simplified (VoIP) (Paperback)

This is an OK book. It provides the information a truly naive user would need to set up a commercial VOIP account.

This short book is very repetive and chatty. Beyond the historical perspectives, it conatins little useful information that can't be found by looking at a few web sites.

Some of the content is pretty, but usless, graphics. I hope you like the picture of the lady on the book's cover, because you get to see it five more times inside the book. Each time it occupies a full page.

Even though the book devotes a lot of content to analyzing to cost of various options, it doesn't even mention the fact that you can try VOIP free with a software phone and something like ekiga (the application formerly known as gnomemeeting). Softphone and SIP are found only in the glossary.

It is an easy read that will give you rock-bottom basics of setting up your home network and computer for commercial VOIP service.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for understanding services like Vonage!, May 27, 2006

By 

Sean Conway (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Internet Phone Services Simplified (VoIP) (Paperback)

Internet Phone Services Simplified

Neil Anderson and Jim Doherty * ISBN: 1-58720-162-3 * SRP: US $19.99

Reviewer Name: Sean Conway, Network Analyst III

Reviewer Certification: CCNA, CCDA

Rating 5 of 5

I would say that the contents of this book match the book's title completely. I found the book to be well organized, illustrated and supported by great practical examples. It's written in plain English where ever possible and when the technical jargon is used it was always accompanied by a clear explanation. Although having a basic understanding of a home network setup is helpful, it's by no means necessary to benefit from this book. Anyone looking to gain a basic understanding of how internet voice services work and how to select the appropriate service for their particular situation will find this book to be of great help.

There are plenty of examples to reinforce the text. The sections written by "The Geek Squad" were nice to see because they discussed the knowledge gained from the everyday implementation and support of internet voice services. The sections also included some humor which made reading the book enjoyable as well as informative.

Internet Phone Services Simplified is directed mostly at the home user. I've noticed more and more advertisements for phone services over a high speed broadband internet connection. It seems everyone from my phone and cable companies, to my Internet Provider and other various vendors have some form of voice offerings. And they all want my business. This book will help the reader understand the differences between voice services over cable, DSL and even Instant Messaging services with voice capabilities.

The book compares everything from cost, reliability, voice quality and most importantly, 911 and E911 services. It doesn't try to sell you on one type of service over another. It just explains well the differences between the services and leaves it to the reader to decide which would be best for them.

I was surprised to see services like Skype and Instant Messaging covered. These services are free and even with having a lower voice quality than the paid services, would usually work well enough for those making limited long distance calls.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone considering using Internet Voice Services. The cost of the book could very well save you some money by choosing the service that best suits your needs and at the least would save you some frustration trying to get your system set up and working. This alone is often worth the cost of many books.