VoIP For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) Review

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(More customer reviews)Businesses and organizations have the potential of saving large numbers of dollars if they move to running their phone system with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). But to pull it off, you really do need to have an understanding of how it all fits. VoIP For Dummies by Timothy V. Kelly does a nice job of getting you there.
Contents:
Part 1 - VoIP Basics: Getting Down to Business with VoIP; VoIP: Not Your Father's Telephone Service; Everything You Need to Know About Charges
Part 2 - Taking VoIP to Your Network: Road Map to VoIP Transports and Services; Getting Switched; Going Broadband; We're Dedicated; Going Wireless; Using VoIP on the Internet; Telephones and VoIP
Part 3 - Making the Move to VoIP: Simplifying Cost Management; Locations Galore; Setting Up the Smaller Office; Providing Dollars and Support for VoIP
Part 4 - The Part of Tens: Ten Reasons Why Your Company Should Switch to VoIP; Ten Reasons Why You Should Switch to VoIP at Home; Ten VoIP Myths; Ten VoIP Manufacturers
Part 5 - Appendixes: VoIP Providers; Glossary
Index
I've had the opportunity to read and review a number of VoIP books lately. Many of them have been more geared towards the consumer application of VoIP with services like Skype and Vonage. The business titles have been more into technical details of VoIP implementations in an organization. This book fills a nice niche on the business side. Kelly effectively takes the reader through phone technology, both past and present. Building on that information, he then transitions into how VoIP offers alternative solutions that save a lot of money. The book doesn't go into details on packages like Vonage, but you'll walk away understanding the entire spectrum of phone systems and how to plan for a successful VoIP implementation.
I'd see this book being a good read for a networking or communications professional who wants to explore VoIP for their company. It'd also be a good read for someone who wants to put VoIP to work for them in their house, but also want to know exactly how phone systems work. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who just saw a Vonage commercial and wants to sign up right now. There are better titles out there for those types of consumers.
Bottom line... really good read for the right audience. I don't think I've seen a book this readable that explains telephony in a way that makes it understandable for someone who hasn't worked for Ma Bell for years...

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Put your phone system on your computer network and see the savings
See how to get started with VoIP, how it works, and why it saves you money
VoIP is techspeak for "voice over Internet protocol," but it could spell "saving big bucks" for your business! Here's where to get the scoop in plain English. Find out how VoIP can save you money, how voice communication travels online, and how to choose the best way to integrate your phone system with your network at home or at the office.
Discover how to:
Use VoIP for your business or home phone service
Choose the best network type
Set up VoIP on a wireless network
Understand transports and services
Demonstrate VoIP's advantages to management

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Unified Communications For Dummies Review

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(More customer reviews)I may be very skeptical and suspicious, but these 5-star reviews for this UC for Dummies book seem to be too professional - more like something the authors' colleages, editors and buddies would write as opposed to the typical person that reads these 'For Dummies' books.

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Session Initiation Protocol (SIP): Controlling Convergent Networks (McGraw-Hill Communication Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)The book is not an easy read. Let me say that right up front. In part due to the inherent complexity of SIP. And the fact that when you try to use it in tandem with other protocols and products, the complexity increases.
However if you persevere, it may be worthwhile. SIP's main usage in the marketplace seems to be as one of the enabling underlayers of VoIP. And VoIP is growing strongly, due to the allure of free long distance calls.
Not that you are necessarily restricted to VoIP. Another advantage of the book is its delineation of various other applications that also use SIP.

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Build a next-generation telecommunications infrastructure
Consolidate divergent networks into one seamless, high-performance communications landscape using cutting-edge SIP technology, tools, and techniques. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP): Controlling Convergent Networks explains how to deliver Internet phone calls, IMs, video streams, and teleconferences across legacy, wireless, and wireline networks. Learn how to manage SIP sessions, build layers and proxies, interpret control codes, set up gateways, and comply with IETF and 3GPP standards. You'll also get details on using the latest methods, maximizing QoS, and implementing security measures.

Initiate, modify, and terminate IETF-compliant SIP sessions

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VoIP Voice over IP 100 Success Secrets - 100 Most Asked Questions on VoIP Phones, Providers and Services Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm basing this review on the sample. The sample was so bad that I couldn't see buying the boook.
Specific issues:
Table of Contents - the Kindle version has the exact same Table of Contents as the physical version. The "chapters" are listed with page numbers, monumentally useless on a Kindle. One would have thought that any care at all would remove the page numbers and the trailing dots from the Table of Contents. But at least the Table of Contents links to the actual chapters.
The contents of the 100 FAQs is skimpy at best, and all over the place. There is no structure to this book. For example, the first chapters are:
AT&T VoIP Solution: Integrating Technologies to Make VoIP Viable
Avaya's Attempt to Conqer VoIP Supremacy
Things to Consider When Choosing the Best VoIP Service
Finding the Best VoIP Service: How to Lower Subscription Cost
Bluetooth VoIP: Adding Convenience to Internet Phone Systems
The Four Elements of Management Life Cycle for Broadband VoIP
Why VoIP is a Hit to the World of Business?
Getting Great Value Through Cheap VoIP
Ways to Find the Cheapest VoIP Service Provider
The Need to Evaluate Management Solutions on Cisco VoIP Environments
Save Company Money with Cisco VoIP Phones
Compare Features of VoIP Services
Making Free VoIP Phone Calls using Gizmo
This is where the sample ends. I you want to know if the book answers any of these questions to your satisfaction, download the sample. If you're like me, you'll decide not to bother actually buying the book, and you'll quickly delete the sample from your Kindle.


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Voice & Data Communications Handbook, Fifth Edition (McGraw-Hill Communication Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book covers wide variety of topics with such educated and organized fashion that the only thing I can say is: "I wish I had books like that when I was in school! " The book does have a "college" feel to it... Each chapter ends with the list of questions, to help you better understand and learn the subject discussed and do it the with maximum effect.
As authors state, "... if you are looking for techno-babble as designed by propeller heads, there are many other books on the market." and "If you want to learn the basics without having a degree in engineering... you came to right place."
The book is definitely not intended to be read from cover to cover. Personally, I obtained the book for the subjects of VoIP, IP Telephony, DSL and SIP - and I am not disappointed! This is a well written and structured book. Other chapters cover: OSI model, regulation in the industry, modulation and multiplexing, wireless communications, catv, and much more!
I would re-arrange some chapters, but this is my personal opinion which does not take away the value of the book.
All in all, this 600+ pages - 19 chapter treasure has found a well deserved place on my bookshelf!


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The Definitive Telecommunications Reference--Fully Updated

Understand cutting-edge telecommunication and networking technologies using this straightforward, real-world implementation guide. Fully revised to cover all of the latest transmission protocols, Voice & Data Communications Handbook, Fifth Edition covers all the bases-from analog transmission, VPNs, and LANs to DSL, CATV, WiFi, VoIP, and GSM. This authoritative volume covers the ins-and-outs of each vital topic, supplies practical examples and solutions, and provides helpful self-tests. You'll also find up-to-date information on regulatory standards, switches, routers, frame relay, and security procedures.

Use new wireless technologies

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Wireless Quality of Service: Techniques, Standards, and Applications (Wireless Networks and Mobile Communications) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book goes into the nuts and bolts of wireless QoS. I only read the parts relating to 802.11, so this review only applies to those parts.
The book focus on the following areas
*Study of the problems QoS is designed to solve
*Details of how the standards implement QoS
*Simulations and studies of the effect of tweaking QoS parameters on performance
Much of the book attempts to spoon-feed the reader the standard and various journal articles on optimizing performance under various conditions. I personally like books to spoon-feed difficult-to-read papers. My only complaint with this book is it does not spoon-feed enough. I often felt like I was reading an IEEE transaction paper. If you don't mind reading scholarly articles, the rigorous style used in this book will appeal to you.
It does not have too much in the way of practical rules of thumb, but the simulations it reviews can be directly applied to real-world problems.
For people interested in 802.11e, I also recommend Next Generation Wireless LANs by Perahia and Stacey. Perahia and Stacey go into more detail on QoS register fields and do a better job explaining it. If you do QoS-intensive work, though, you still need this book. Perahia and Stacey are a little clearer, but they only explain how the standard works. This book explains why they did it how they did it and how to tweak the parameters for various use cases.

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Focusing on an important and complicated topic in wireless network design, Wireless Quality of Service: Techniques, Standards, and Applications systematically addresses the quality-of-service (QoS) issues found in many types of popular wireless networks.
In each chapter, the book presents numerous QoS challenges encountered in real-world applications and delineates ways to overcome these obstacles. Some of the challenges explored are performance impairments in WLAN hotspots, video streaming applications, and broadband wireless access. The techniques and mechanisms covered to tackle these problems include medium access and call admission control techniques, a parameter tuning algorithm, the QoS-enabling features of IEEE 802.11e, a Markov chain model, a probe-based distributed admission control mechanism, topology-transparent scheduling protocols, and a novel multicast congestion control mechanism.
Addressing advanced topics and future directions, the expert contributors acknowledge the need for more research to solve several open issues. In the meantime, they offer innovative solutions to solve current QoS problems.

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Fundamentals of Voice-Quality Engineering in Wireless Networks Review

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(More customer reviews)I was introduced to this book by my colleague. He lent me a copy he had. I was an engineer in audio/acoustics who started to work in the mobile telephony field. I found a wealth of information in the book, and found the book easy to read at the same time. No high-brow, difficult to read writing at all.
I bought my own copy shortly after. I read this book again just prior to my interview with my present employer. It certainly helped me landing my job! This is an excellent book, and I heartlily recommend all who are working in this area.

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Network operators are faced with the challenge of maximizing the quality of voice transmissions in wireless communications without impairing speech or data transmission. This book provides a comprehensive survey of voice quality algorithms, features, interactions, and trade-offs, at the device and system level. Using a practitioner rather than algorithm-designer angle, this book is unique. It elaborates on the root cause of impairments and ways for resolving them, as well as methodologies for measuring and quantifying voice quality before and after applying the remedies. The key issues are exemplified using case studies. Avoiding complex mathematics, the approach is based on real and sizable field experience supported by scientific and laboratory analysis. This title is suitable for practitioners in the wireless communications industry and graduate students in electrical engineering. Further resources for this title including a range of audio examples will be available online at www.cambridge.org/9780521855952.

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Wireless Networks First-Step Review

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(More customer reviews)I was recently tasked with creating a wireless network in our test lab. I managed to stumble through and ended up creating a very secure wireless network. However, throughout the process, I kept finding myself wishing I had more information on the technology. Not knowing the vocabulary made the process harder than necessary and I ended up with a lot of "what" and "why" questions that needed to be answered. Wireless networking is a growing market, and Cisco even recently added Enterprise Wireless Mobility to their new CCIE blueprint, so I figured I had better get it into my repertoire pronto. To begin filling in those gaps, I picked up Wireless Networks First-Step (ISBN 1-58720-111-9) from Cisco Press.
The book itself is a bit light, at only 200 pages, and is divided into 8 short chapters. The author, Jim Geier, attempts to introduce the material without getting overly technical. He doesn't make this a riveting read, by any stretch, and will probably lose most CIO types by the middle of the second chapter. The book claims to be for everyone interested in wireless networking, but I don't see it working for anyone above the "manager of engineers" level. This is primarily due to the presence of the unavoidable chapter on radio frequencies and modulation. I found it very interesting, but I know that the average non-technical manager is going to glaze right over and shut down. The chapters on the individual technologies (PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN) are interesting. I'd like to have seen a lot more material on Wireless LANs, since that is the area most engineers are going to actually deal with in their own networks. The final chapter, covering wireless security, is probably the best in the entire book. It answered many of the questions I had about the various security protocols I was implementing. For instance, I knew WEP was weak, but didn't know why precisely. The security chapter really brought the reasoning home.
My overall feeling on this book is that it is a little light to be list priced at $29.95. The sister books in the series are all around 400 pages for this price. Maybe the newness of the technology makes this book so light, or perhaps the mission can be accomplished in 200 pages, but you shouldn't charge the same for half the material. I felt that the author offered all the necessary information about wireless technologies, but virtually none about the actual implementation of those technologies. Perhaps that is where the other 200 pages went. I also would have like to have seen more references to other sources of information on these wireless technologies. The aim of these first-step books should be to whet your appetite for more, and this book doesn't really do that.
I give this book a score of 3 pings on my 5 ping rating scale. I'd give it 4 if it was $19.95.
!.!.!


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VoIP: Wireless, P2P and New Enterprise Voice over IP Review

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(More customer reviews)When you examine the table of contents you might get impressed because it looks so rich. It covers P2P, SIP, H.323, Megaco, IMS, VoWiFi, VoWimax, Codecs, etc. Table of contents is rich but this is a book with less than 280 pages so every major subject has been touched very briefly in layman terms. Normally it would have 900+ pages if all the subjects above in VoIP arena covered in reasonable details. In summary if you are not a technical person/engineer or a technical student and if you need a concise book covering VoIP technologies very briefly in general terms this book might be considerable but it is expensive for the detail level it contained because you can gather the same information easily by browsing in the Internet and from white papers available for free. For technical people in VoIP arena there are many better books available in the market which covers each subject individually.

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