What Is A WiFi Phone?
A WiFi phone is an internet
or VoIP phone which looks and works very much like a regular cell
phone. Like a cell phone, it sends and receives voice signals by radio
waves, has a printed circuit board to connect its various components,
needs a battery for working and, like a cell phone, you can carry it
around with you.
The difference between a cell phone and WiFi phone is that a cell phone
is connected to the cellular network through signal towers while the
WiFi phone uses the WiFi hotspot
network to connect to the internet and then work as any other internet
phone.
In
this way a WiFi phone is just like any other internet phone, though
they work differently.
How A WiFi
Phone Differs From Other Internet Phones
Both
WiFi and other internet or broadband phones use internet for making
VoIP calls, the difference lies in how they connect with the internet.
When you make VoIP calls by your internet phones using a handset or a
headphone and speakers, your phone or computer are physically connected
to the internet line through your modem and routers.
But
a WiFi phone is not physically connected to internet.
It accesses the internet wirelessly by what is called WiFi (Wireless
Fidelity) network hotspots. So you can use your WiFi phone
while you are walking around in your office or riding your car.
How A WiFi
Phone Works
A
WiFi phone has an internal device NIC (Network Interface Card) to
detect radio waves in the surrounding area. When you try to call
somebody on your WiFi phone, the NIC tries to seek radio waves from a
nearby hotspot.
If a strong signal is found, your WiFi phone asks permission to be
allowed to login to the internet and then the call goes through like
any other VoIP call.
If
you are using your WiFi while driving, you would do well to park your
car while making the call. Because the range of a hotspot is limited.
So if you move out of the hotspot coverage area, your WiFi phone will
stop working until it enters the coverage area of another hotspot on
the way. This would also mean that you will miss any phones that may
come to your WiFi phone. One way to get around this problem is to use
the dual mode phones (box) which switch to the
cellular network when they are out of the hotspot range.
Read
Wifi Review & News
Future Outlook
|
Dual-Mode
WiFi/Cellular Phone
|
With
such a phone you are always assured of ongoing connectivity no matter
where you happen to be.
Use the WiFi mode when you are near a hotspot. If you move out
of the WiFi coverage, just click a button and your phone is
connected to the cellular network.
Dual-mode WiFi/cell phones have started coming on the market and are
expected to make a positive impact on the VoIP scene. (Click here to read
more.) |
WiFi phones have a great
potential because they allow you to make cheap or free calls while you
are on the move. This is why they have become highly popular in the
short time they have been on the market.
What keeps WiFi
phones from being accepted as a reliable means of communication at all
times is the absence of a country-wide hotspot network like the
cellular network.
A way to overcome this problem of connectivity is to install a internet
coverage over a wide area. When such a network is put into place wifi phones are
bound to become more popular than ever.
A step in this direction is that many cities are developing
city-wide WiFi networks and increasing number of cafes, airports and
public places are providing the free or cheap hotspot facility.
Another
development that should help WiFi phones gain wider acceptance is the
recent introduction of Dual-Mode Phones (see
box). With these phones you are assured of on-going
connectivity while enjoying the benefits of WiFi phones when you are in
the hotspot coverage area.
Related Page: What Is A Hotspot?
