Introduction to Networking

Voice Over IP
Voice Over IP
 Voice over IP (VoIP) is a protocol that sends voice data over an IP network

 Instead of connecting your office to a phone network and a data network,

you can have a single network for sending both voice and data traffic

 VoIP is a protocol optimized for the transmission of voice data (telephone

calls) through a packet-switched IP network. It routes phone calls through an
IP network, including the Internet, instead of through the public switched
telephone system (PSTN)

 However, VoIP solutions are typically integrated with the PSTN to allow
VoIP customers to call any phone on the PSTN, and to allow phones on the
PSTN to call phones connected to the VoIP network
VoIP Architectures
 PC to PC

Internet
Internet
VoIP Architectures
 Phone to Phone via the Internet

Internet
Internet
VoIP Architectures
 Phone to Internet to Gateway to PSTN

Internet
Internet
GATEWAY

PSTN
PSTN
 VoIP Architectures
 PSTN to Gateway to Internet to Gateway to PSTN

Internet
Internet
GATEWAY GATEWAY
PSTN
PSTN PSTN
PSTN
VoIP Examples
 Xbox Voice
 Windows messenger
 AOL Instant Messenger
 Motorola Phone Adapter (Vonage)
 Cisco Phone
 Cox Cable in Hampton Roads, Virginia
 Skype
 etc
VoIP Implementation
 The regular analog voice network is called the public switch telephone
network (PSTN)

 PSTN will transmit the analog data directly, using circuit switching, which
maintains a direct connection

 Voice data generated using VoIP will be broken down into packets and
transmitted through your digital data network, the same we use for
computers. We call this type of routed network a packet switching network

 Analog phone calls are converted to digital packets, routed through the data
network, and then converted back into analog voice data
VoIP Device Implementation
 Obtaining VoIP service can be done in the following ways:
○ Using an analog telephone adapter to connect the existing analog phone system to a
VoIP network. Analog signals are converted to digital signals, then encapsulated into
IP packets for transmission on the VoIP network.

○ Using a VoIP phone that is capable of sending and receiving digital voice signals that
are already formatted for the VoIP network. When using VoIP phones, you may need
to connect the phones to special switches with Power over Ethernet (PoE)
capabilities. PoE supplies power to the VoIP phone through the Ethernet cable, which
is the same cable used for transmitting data signals. PoE requires Cat5 or higher
cabling.

○ Running special software that allows a computer to send and receive VoIP calls. The
software converts the input from the computer's microphone into VoIP data. It also
converts received VoIP packets into audio data that plays through the computer's
speakers.
VoIP Protocols
 There are several protocols that make this work. First is the real time
transport protocol (RTP). It contains the actual voice data stream
 Additional protocols are required to set up, maintain and terminate calls.
H.323 is a widely used VoIP protocol that provides communication sessions
on an IP network
 The session initiation protocol (SIP) is also a widely used option for
controlling communication sessions
 The media gateway control protocol (MGCP) is used to manage the VoIP
interface with the PSTN
 In general, we can split the protocols into two - the voice carrier stream that
carries the actual voice (RTP) and the call control signaling to set up,
maintain, teardown and redirect the call (H.323, SIP and MGCP)
VoIP Advantages
Using an IP network for voice has the following advantages:
 Administration is simplified because you maintain a single
network for both data and voice instead of using a separate
infrastructure for voice-only traffic
 Costs are typically lower than long-distance costs over the
PSTN
 Adding additional phone lines is easier and less expensive
than adding lines from the PSTN
 Because VoIP packets are regular IP packets, encryption is
easily added to VoIP data—something that is difficult to
accomplish for traditional PSTN calls
VoIP Disadvantages (Part 1)
○ Initial cost. It is going to be more expensive initially to set up a VoIP solution
than a traditional PSTN solution

○ Delay (or latency). Some latency is introduced if the signal needs to be

converted to and from a digital format. In addition, latency is introduced as
packets are routed between devices. Delays cause long pauses between speaking
and receiving, and can result in callers continually interrupting each other.
International standards call for a delay of 150 ms or less

○ Jitter is a variation in the delay of individual packets. Jitter causes strange sound
effects as the delay of packets fluctuates. This is caused by dynamically
changing network conditions changing the amount of time data takes during
routing
VoIP Disadvantages (Part 2)
 More disadvantages:
○ Packet loss. This occurs when packets do not arrive at all. Packet loss causes drop-outs in
the conversation. Most VoIP implementations attempt to reduce latency by using the UDP
protocol instead of TCP. However, because UDP packets aren't acknowledged, it is
possible for them to be lost in transmission. Because voice data is time sensitive, any
information that is lost will not be retransmitted. Retransmission would cause irregularities
in the words being spoken. Voice traffic is very sensitive to packet loss. Even a 1% loss of
packets will be noticeable
○ Echo. This occurs when you hear your own voice in the telephone receiver while you are
talking. Excessive delay can cause unacceptable levels of echo
○ Power loss. Power loss at your local facility or at any point in the IP network can disrupt
phone service. With regular phone service, power to the phone line is supplied separately
from the electrical power to the building, and you might be able to make calls when the
power is out. With VoIP, a power disruption will typically prevent you from making phone
calls. In addition, without some type of backup power source, an outage could also take
down the routers that are needed to put voice traffic onto the data network
Quality of Service
 The term quality of service (QoS) describes the mechanisms
that can be implemented with VoIP to help ensure call quality,
reduce latency, reduce jitter, and prevent packet loss. When you
sign up for VoIP service, you will typically get a guaranteed
level of service from the provider, however you will also need
to take steps on your own internal network to ensure call quality
as well
 For example, most implementations will use VLANs or even an
entire redundant network infrastructure dedicated to VoIP
traffic. Otherwise, peaks in traditional network traffic might
adversely impact VoIP traffic
Unified Communication Devices
 Many organizations use unified communication devices to
provide voice services. These are appliances that plug directly
into your network and provide a variety of communication
services, including:
○ Voice
○ Voicemail
○ Instant Messaging
○ Presence Information (Identifies if a user is online and available or not)
○ Video Conferencing
○ Faxing
○ Web Conferencing and Desktop Sharing
Gatekeeper –Does address translation and
bandwidth management