As we can see, the terms"ip phone"and"voip phone"are often used interchangeably.Hower，there are some differences between the two concepts.I think we should be aware of them when we want to make a purchase decision.

General introduction

Businesses are now using “IP Phone Systems” − sometimes called an IP PBX − that leverage the Internet Protocol to replace traditional phone systems in their offices. This does not necessarily mean the phone system is linked to the public Internet. An IP Phone System uses IP technology within the private data network in a single location or across a private network to reach remote locations.

“VoIP” refers to using the public Internet to carry voice traffic. When the public Internet is used, you don’t have the same direct control over the quality of the service as you do over your own network, so it is more likely that voice quality over the Internet could suffer. However, when properly engineered, voice quality over the public Internet can be as good as traditional phone lines. Invite us in to discuss the details.

Bottom line: You can use IP Telephony over your data network to connect remote sites with multiple workers or reach remote workers in home offices. If you don’t have a private network, you can use the public Internet to access them. And you don’t need to make a total swap out of your current phone system; it’s possible to gradually introduce an IP Phone System into your organization and interface it to legacy systems.

Contact the experts at Chesapeake for assistance in leveraging the advantages of IP Phone Systems or VoIP for your organization.

There isn't much substantive difference between VoIP vs. IP telephony, and in fact, many -- if not most -- IT professionals use the two terms interchangeably. Some experts argue, however, that VoIP specifically refers to sending voice traffic over an IP network. In contrast, IP telephony is a broader umbrella term that refers to any telephone-type communication service carried over IP -- this could include faxing, text messaging and more.

Additionally, some analysts note that the term IP telephony most often appears in a business context -- referring to the software and hardware that enables VoIP services -- while VoIP is common in both enterprise and consumer settings.

What is IP telephony?

IP telephony encompasses the technologies, products and services that enable voice calling, voicemail, video calling, video conferencing, faxing, messaging and other telephony-related services using IP's packet-switched connections. Such information traditionally travels over the dedicated circuit-switched connections of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), also known as the plain old telephone service. Instead, IP telephony technology converts calls, faxes and text messages into packets of data that travel across computer network lines, avoiding the tolls of PSTN.

What is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is the set of standardized technologies that delivers voice calls via the internet or a private IP-based network. In the narrowest understanding of the term, VoIP is voice over IP only -- a subset of IP telephony that does not include other, non-voice-based communication services, such as faxing or text messaging. But, again, it's generally fine to use the terms VoIP and IP telephony synonymously, as, indeed, many do.

Benefits of IP telephony and VoIP

Before VoIP and IP telephony, the typical enterprise had to deploy and maintain one network for phone calls and another for internet access. With voice and data convergence, an organization needs just one network to deliver both phone services and LAN connectivity.

Benefits of both VoIP and IP telephony include the following:

lower costs

streamlined infrastructure

better scalability

VoIP software, or softphones, also offer users greater mobility, enabling them to make and receive calls across a variety of endpoints -- desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets and standalone devices -- rather than only via fixed lines at their desks.

Challenges of IP telephony and VoIP

An enterprise can deploy VoIP and IP telephony services on premises, as a third-party service via the cloud or in a hybrid model. Regardless, the challenge is to deliver voice, fax, video and text packets in a dependable flow to the user, which depends on internet connectivity. A poor network connection can negatively affect call quality, and an outage will typically bring down the service entirely. Fixed-line telephones, in contrast, should continue to work even during a widespread power outage.