dsl

[christina]

hi

do i need to have a dsl connection and why

[andyf]

Hi Christina.

No definitely not. So long as it is a broadband connection (i.e. not dial-up) then you should be fine. The most common connections however are Cable and DSL. Mike our Broadband expert has some great comparisons of this technology by the way - so I'll give him a plug here :-)

http://www.whichvoip.com/index_broadband.html

Only important things I would like to point out:

1) Make sure you have at least 256Kilo bits per second on your uplink connection (from your house to the broadband provider). VoIP needs 90 kilo bits per second for really good audio (codec requirement) and if you have your PC on at the same time as making a call you want at least 256kb/s in my opinion. This should be fine though for DSL and Cable.

2) If you go with DSL then you still need to pay line rental for your phone service since DSL travels over your phone line. If you went for cable you could get rid off the phone line charge and indeed your regular telephone provider (e.g. Verizon) immediately.

Thanks.
Andy