Fire the Phone Company: A Handy Guide to Voice Over IP

An Internet phone system really isn't very much use without an Internet connection. If you are a road warrior, especially if you travel with notebook computers, you are familiar with locating Internet access points. You know, for example, that many coffee shops offer wireless Internet hotspots and wired network jacks. You are also familiar with the process for obtaining high-speed Internet access in hotels, convention centers, and airport terminals.

For those who do not have this experience, I cover a few ways to locate and use Internet access points while you are on the road.

Tip

For a much more in-depth review of Internet connectivity options while you travel, Peachpit has a great book titled Global Mobile: Connecting without Walls, Wires, or Borders. It is written by Fred Johnson, former Yahoo! executive and current Apple product manager. This book presents great ideas for mobile connectivity for both Windows and Mac computers. I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Hotspots

Internet hotspots are all the rage today. Many companies are making good money providing this service to travelers in airports and customers of restaurants, coffee shops, and malls.

Let's take a look at a few ways you can locate a hotspot.

Airports

Most large airports offer Internet access to travelers. Often, you can obtain information about available hotspots by visiting an information desk or simply by powering up your notebook computer and seeing whose hotspot home page pops up when you open your Web browser.

Because you might feel a bit self-conscious unpacking all your Internet phone gear in a busy airport terminal, you may opt for a softphone in this environment.

Coffee Shops

The most likely places to find an Internet hotspot, coffee shops have a reputation as being places to connect and communicate. Some provide free access; others use fee-based hotspot solutions provided by vendors like T-Mobile. Look for a hotspot sign near the entrance to see which of these options the coffee shop provides.

Like airports, coffee shops are probably best suited to softphones.

Shopping Malls

Many shopping malls are beginning to offer public hotspots to give their patrons better communication abilities. Look for these near food courts or other large gathering places. Coffee shops in malls are a sure bet.

Hotspot Locators

Many hotspot locators are available on the Internet (Figure 9.5). These tools let you enter information about the area you are searching and return a list of public hotspots that you can use in that area.

These locators are excellent at locating hotspots that you might not otherwise know about. The only drawback is that you must already be online to do the search. Searching before you leave home is an excellent way to be prepared to use these services when you arrive at your destination.

Hotels

Hotels and conference centers often offer a mixture of wired and wireless Internet options. Many offer wired high-speed Internet in guest rooms and wireless hotspots in public meeting areas. Before you travel, call ahead to your hotel to find out exactly which options it offers and what you will need to bring along to get your systems connected.

If you plan to use your TA and a notebook computer in your room, consider bringing along a compact Internet gateway (Figure 9.6), which offers all the features of a larger gateway in a more compact size. Connection to the hotel's network is similar to your setup at home; you just need to get the appropriate addressing and gateway settings from the hotel staff.

If you plan to stay at your hotel for some time, setting up your system like you do at home will allow you to use the full capabilities of your VoIP service. In addition, having a familiar telecommunications setup will help you be more productive and is worth the extra effort that it takes to bring it on the trip.

Business centers

Many hotels and conference centers offer business-center services where you can use networked computers, copiers, faxes, and printers (Figure 9.7). Many of these centers also offer connections for your own equipment. If you do not have high-speed Internet in your room, you can use these facilities to connect and communicate from your hotel.

Wireless cities

Many cities are undertaking wireless Internet initiatives to provide their citizens affordable access to broadband Internet. Cities like Grand Haven, Michigan, and Chaska, Minnesota, have installed systems that let citizens connect to a citywide wireless network with Internet access (Figure 9.8). The cost of these connections is much below that offered by cable and DSL Internet providers because of the large volume of users who share the cost of the system.

If you are interested in wireless Internet in your community, attend a city-council meeting or inquire of city staff whether they have plans to install such a network. If they do not, you might have to be the one to make it happen in your community.

Using wireless Internet

"But my TA needs a wired connection!" you exclaim.

You're absolutely right.

There are a few tricks, however, to getting connected to a wireless network.

Wireless Network Bridges

One way to connect to a wireless network is to find a way to enable your equipment to communicate wirelessly. You can accomplish this task with a device called a wireless Ethernet bridge (Figure 9.9). This device connects to a wired network, a computer, or a TA and transmits and receives data across the wireless network.

To connect your TA to the wireless network, complete the instructions provided in the bridge's quick-start guide. When the bridge is online, connect and power up your TA. It should locate your provider and be available for calls within a few minutes.

Wireless Phones

Many manufacturers are now producing phones that are designed to connect to wireless networks and make Internet calls (Figure 9.10). These phones include wireless network transceivers along with the functionality of a TA, all in a package about the size of a cell phone. As you will see in the next chapter, there are even devices coming onto the market that will function as cell phones when wireless Internet is not available.

Note

The computer and networking press has published many reports lately about the existence of "open" wireless networks. Groups of computer hobbyists travel the country, mapping these unprotected wireless networks via a practice called wardriving. Most wardrivers would never consider actually using the resources of these networks; rather, they locate them as a hobby. You should never attempt to connect to these networks. Use of a computer or network without the owner's permission is against the law and can land you in jail.

Wireless phones do have their limitations. Hotspot operators must make a provision in their networks for these devices. Many hotspots require some form of authentication that verifies your identity before they will allow you to use the network, but these phones have no way to accomplish this. Open hotspots, such as those in many airports and convention centers, allow these phones to connect and call without any problem.

As wireless phones gain popularity, more hotspots will begin to support them, making them more useful as an alternative to cell phones or softphones.