My dad recently won a Skype phone, but I have no clue what this is or what it does. Can you explain?
Sure! I’ll break this down into two parts: a description of Skype followed by the definition of a ‘Skype phone’. Skype uses a technology called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). It’s the same technology as Vonage and the telephone services you might see cable internet providers offer that they call ‘Digital Phone’. Rather than the phone company’s connection to your home, VOIP uses an existing ‘always on’ internet connection. The digital phone services do not require your computer to be turned on because they use the networked internet connection that is always on. However, Skype is different than a normal phone service. Skype is different to these phone services in a few ways. The most obvious is that Skype is a software program only. It is installed on the user’s computer, meaning that the computer must be on for calls to be placed and received. To use it, the user must have a microphone and speakers/headphones. Another major difference is that Skype users have the option to either get service for free or pay for services in an a la carte fashion. The options are as follows:
- Totally free service and only a free online registration is required. For a 100% free service, you can communicate only with other Skype users. To place a call, a far-end user’s username is typed into your Skype program. To receive calls, the far-end user must have your username and enter that into their own Skype program. In essence, your username is the equivalent of a traditional phone number. Once they answer the call, you can speak into your microphone and listen through your speakers.
- SkypeOut is a paid subscription service. For a fee, a Skype user can call any telephone that uses a traditional phone number (1-xxx-xxx-xxxx in the USA). The Skype user does not recieve a traditional phone number.
- SkypeIn is also a paid subscription service. By paying a fee, a Skype user is assigned a traditional telephone number. This allows other traditional phone line subscribers to call the Skype user on their phones. According to the Skype website, it’s still in the testing phase and not 100% stable.
With Skype described, let’s get into how the Skype phone works. The Skype phone acts like a computer. Instead of using normal cell phone technology, the phone connects to a wireless internet connection called a WiFi hotspot. This can be your home network or an open network somewhere else. When the phone connects to the hotspot, Skype can then operate as described above.
You can learn even more about Skype and Skype phones at the following links:
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