How to Make Phone Calls From a Computer
The very fact that you are reading this article indicates, that you have recently come to know from someone that with internet connectivity, one can make phone calls from computer to most of the countries around the world. This article will give you the low down on making phone calls from a computer. This is made possible by the Voice Over IP (VoIP) technology, which has revolutionized communication throughout the world. There are a number of services on the Internet, that offer you, free calling to mobile phones and landlines all over the globe.
Things You'll Need
Here is a list of all the things required to make free phone calls over the Internet. See to it that you have all these things fixed.
- High Speed Internet Connection: This is one of the important requirements of course. You need to have a high bandwidth connection for a VoIP application.
- Sound Card: This is an essential requirement for any kind of audio application. All computers come with an inbuilt sound card nowadays.
- System Requirements: At least a 400 Mhz processor, 128 MB RAM and 10 Mb of free hard disk space will be required. In case your computer is old and does not match these hardware requirements, you will have to go for an upgrade.
- Headphones with Microphone / Built In Speakers with Microphone/ Special VoIP phone: Any of these options will serve the purpose. Wireless headsets with microphones are most comfortable.
- Web Camera (Optional): This is an optional accessory and useful in case you want to conduct a video chat with another person on the Internet.
- Installed VoIP Software Application & Sound Card Driver: You will need software installed by a VoIP service provider and driver software for the sound card. Any software like Skype, Google Talk or Yahoo Messenger provides free computer to computer calling service by using an email account.
Once the hardware and software requirements for VoIP service are in place, you must search for a VoIP service provider that enables you to connect calls from your computer. All VoIP service providers provide free calls from computer to computer. However, phone calls from PC to landlines or mobile phones are generally not free and they charge according to pulse rate. These rates are substantially lower than conventional telephone calling rates in case of international calls. So, you must subscribe with any of these VoIP service providers and create an account with a log in name and password. Three of the best VoIP service providers are Vonage, Ooma and Skype.
These VoiP service providers give you a software, called a 'soft phone', which has a virtual keypad. You can make any number of phone calls from a computer to almost every part of the globe that has telephone connectivity and that too at much cheaper rates. The voice quality that you get from most service providers is excellent and in some cases it's even better than phone to phone calling. Once you have downloaded and installed the VoIP software, you can start using the facility by using your headset or a special VoIP phone (internet phone), that can be connected to the computer, through a USB port.
