A Report on : Voice over Internet Protocol

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Pallavi Pandit Neha Mishra ME-CS(I sem) ME-IT(I sem) Agenda: VoIP basics-:
What is VoIP? Motivations for using VoIP Making VoIP calls Working of VoIP Signalling in VoIP

What is VoIP:
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line. Some VoIP services may only allow you to call other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers. Also, while some VoIP services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, other services allow you to use a traditional phone connected to a VoIP adapter. Voice over Internet Protocol is a method for taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. VoIP can turn a standard Internet connection into a way to place free phone calls. The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free VoIP software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you're bypassing the phone company (and its charges) entirely.

Motivations for using VoIP:

Network convergence Network convergence previously known as Voice and Data Integration, describes the process of transporting more than one type of information

across a single transmission medium. The scope of the carried applications has broadened in the last few years, because the number of applications available throughout an enterprise has increased. TCP/IP Developed in the 1960s, TCP/IP is a suite of protocols supported by practically every networked device in the world. It enables communications between those devices across local and wide area networks. It can be used in enterprise network, and is obviously one of the enabling technologies of the Internet. IP would seem the logical choice for the inclusion of voice. Nevertheless, IP is a connectionless protocol which delivers information on a best efforts basis. The protocol was not developed with real time information such as voice or video in mind. The basic protocol is completely unsuited to voice transmission: its delay characteristics cannot be easily predicted and no guarantees are made by the protocol that its data will be delivered in the correct order, or that it will be delivered at all. There is much research in progress to improve the Internet protocols to support voice and video with the aim of meeting the extremely high quality of service expectations of voice applications users. The Internet As discussed, network convergence across a private network can be difficult to justify. Arguably, the most exciting development is the passing of voice traffic through the public Internet allowing the passing of calls between two voice switches without having a direct connection between those switches. Similarly, calls to public telephone numbers can be forwarded through the Internet to Internet Telephony Service Providers for termination to the Public Telephone Network. Such carriers exist now, and are offering customers large savings in long distance dialling. The technology is in place to transport such calls across the Internet without a noticeable degradation in voice quality. Of course, the pricing model for Internet connectivity may change to reflect these demands.

Making VoIP calls

There are three ways of placing a call using VoIP.
1. ATA i.e. Analog Telephone Adapter connects a standard phone

to a computer or an internet connection. It is an A2D convertor. The ATA is an analog-to-digital converter. It takes the analog signal from your traditional phone and converts it into digital data for transmission over the Internet. Providers like Vonage and AT&T CallVantage are bundling ATAs free with their service. You simply crack the ATA out of the box, plug the cable from your phone that

would normally go in the wall socket into the ATA, and you're ready to make VoIP calls. Some ATAs may ship with additional software that is loaded onto the host computer to configure it; but in any case, it's a very straightforward setup.
2. IP Phones: special phones, which look like ordinary phones, are

used to make VoIP calls. They connect using an RJ-45 connector in contrast to the RJ-11(Ethernet adapter) used in traditional phones. They connect directly to your router.
3. Computer to computer: This is certainly the easiest way to use

VoIP. You don't even have to pay for long-distance calls. There are several companies offering free or very low-cost software that you can use for this type of VoIP. All you need is the software, a microphone, speakers, a sound card and an Internet connection; preferably a fast one like you would get through a cable or DSL modem.

Working of VoIP:
VoIP uses packet switching for its operation unlike traditional phone system i.e. Public Switching Telephone Network (PSTN). The public switched telephone network (PSTN) uses circuit switching to carry your voice from your phone to the person you are calling. This means that while you are on the phone, a connection is made end-to-end through the phone system. This requires resources (in this case, a series of wires, switches, and connections) in the phone network that are dedicated for the duration of your call. While you are using them, no one else can use them. The end-to-end circuit is reserved for your conversation.

Fig 1 Packet switching works differently. Instead of having a dedicated connection end-to-end, packet switching breaks the voice conversation into pieces, transmits the pieces, and then reassembles the pieces at the other side back into the voice conversation. You might be asking yourself: How does that save anything? Well, if you remember in circuit switching, you are consuming a dedicated resource end-to-end. But in packet switching, many people can share that same resource at the same time. Packet switching opens a brief connection -- just long enough to send a small chunk of data, called a packet, from one system to another. It works like this:

The sending computer chops data into small packets, with an address on each one telling the network devices where to send them. Inside of each packet is a payload. The payload is a piece of the email, a music file or whatever type of file is being transmitted inside the packet. The sending computer sends the packet to a nearby router and forgets about it. The nearby router sends the packet to another router that is closer to the recipient computer. That router sends the packet along to another, even closer router, and so on. When the receiving computer finally gets the packets (which may have all taken completely different paths to get there), it uses instructions contained within the packets to reassemble the data into its original state.

Signalling in VoIP:
Signalling refers to how a central office switch in the phone network communicates between itself and your phone, or to other switches in the network. We need to understand a few important signals. 1. PSTN to PSTN signalling

Fig 2: PSTN to PSTN You pick up the receiver and listen for a dial tone. This lets you know that you have a connection to the local office of your telephone carrier. You dial the number of the party you wish to talk to. The call is routed through the switch at your local carrier to the party you are calling. A connection is made between your telephone and the other party's line using several interconnected switches along the way. The phone at the other end rings, and someone answers the call. The connection opens the circuit. You talk for a period of time and then hang up the receiver. When you hang up, the circuit is closed, freeing your line and all the lines in between.

2. VoIP to PSTN signalling

Fig 3: VoIP to PSTN In this case, a terminal adapter now connects the handset in your house to your broadband Internet connection. The terminal adapter acts as a translator, converting the handset signals into VoIP signals (in other words, it takes the analog voice and converts it to a digital signal). For example, when you lift the handset, instead of the

central office recognizing that your phone is off hook, the terminal adapter translates it to a message sent to the broadband phone provider that you want to place a call. 3. VoIP to VoIP signalling

Fig 4: VoIP to VoIP You pick up the receiver, which sends a signal to the ATA. The ATA receives the signal and sends a dial tone. This lets you know that you have a connection to the Internet. You dial the phone number of the party you wish to talk to. The tones are converted by the ATA into digital data and temporarily stored. The phone number data is sent in the form of a request to your VoIP Companys call processor. The call processor checks it to ensure that it's in a valid format. The call processor determines to whom to map the phone number. In mapping, the phone number is translated to an IP address (more on this later). The soft switch connects the two devices on either end of the call. On the other end, a signal is sent to your friend's ATA, telling it to ask the connected phone to ring. Once your friend picks up the phone, a session is established between your computer and your friend's computer. This means that each system knows to expect packets of data from the other system. In the middle, the normal Internet infrastructure handles the call as if it were e-mail or a Web page. Each system must use the same protocol to communicate. The systems implement two channels, one for each direction, as part of the session. You talk for a period of time. During the conversation, your system and your friend's system transmit packets back and forth when there is data to be sent. The ATAs at each end translate these packets as they are received and convert them to the analog audio signal that you hear. Your ATA also keeps the circuit open between

itself and your analog phone while it forwards packets to and from the IP host at the other end. You finish talking and hang up the receiver. When you hang up, the circuit is closed between your phone and the ATA. The ATA sends a signal to the soft switch connecting the call, terminating the session.

Emerging and current VoIP applications:

Videoconferencing Remote video surveillance Analog telephone adapters Multicasting Instant messaging Gaming Electronic whiteboards

References:

http://www.networksystemsdesignline.com/showArticle.jhtml? articleID=189600384 http://www.eetimes.com/design/audio-design/4016954/How-VoIPworks-protocols-codecs-and-more?pageNumber=4 http://www.voip-calculator.com/drivers.html

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