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Guide to setting up and using VoIP at home

Hailey Avatar By: Hailey | Last updated February 11, 2021

guide voip home set up laptop and headset on monitor blue background


In this guide, you will get all the instructions needed for setting up your VoIP system at home for your office. You can install a hardware or a software VoIP phone system.

What do you need for a hardware VoIP phone system:

  1. Broadband internet connection – The better internet connection you have the better quality of phone calls you will have.
  2. Wired Ethernet router – If you want to run a small wired network, one router will be enough. In other cases, you will need multiple routers or switches that will connect to each other. For your home office, it is recommended to use a VPN router (Virtual Private Network) because they have the best quality of service. Also, the secure and anonymous feature comes with it. 
  3. PBX Server – This means that your computer with its requirements will act as a PBX server. This phone system can be used for communication within your company or externally and worldwide by using a VoIP phone system. Using a hosted PBX server, like the one that RingCentral provides within its offer, is better than using a hardware PBX server.
  4. IP Phones – In order to purchase the best IP phone that will be suitable for your VoIP system, you need to find the one that is compatible with your PBX server. Many of these IP phones use up to date phone operating systems. One of them is Android which gives you a lot of features, like video calls, conference calls, conducting analytics and will act as a multi-user platform. After connecting the phone, you need to plug in the adapter into the power source.
  5. PBX Server Software – VoIP compatible phones are required. Depending on the VoIP provider you choose, you will get the best recommendation for software and its features. They are a basic component of any cloud-based IP solution, completely virtual and placed on the remote servers. 

The PBX system needs to be connected to a stable IP address ensuring it is also connected via a Standard Interface Card (SIC). The next step is to connect your IP phones to the same Ethernet router where you connected the PBX server. This is an easy task to do if you purchased a compatible IP phone from your VoIP provider. You will connect all this hardware with RJ45 cable that will be included in the package. The last step is to activate the VoIP software that you purchased from your provider.

Setting up a software VoIP phone system

Many VoIP providers offer a softphone feature that is a part of the desktop application. Most of the providers will offer this feature at no additional cost. With this software you can run a video conference call, switch calls, use voicemail and many more. With a software phone system, you don’t have to worry about connecting any additional hardware, like phones.

With a VoIP phone system, you can run a small business office from your home with lower international phone costs, multiple features like conference call for up to several hundreds of people at the same time, administration management and mobility with using many applications wherever you are. 

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