Phone:
Plain-English definitions for common phone system and VoIP terms. No jargon-filled explanations here -- just straightforward answers so you can make informed decisions about your business phone system.
A small device that connects a traditional analog phone or fax machine to a VoIP system. It converts voice signals to digital data so your existing equipment works over the internet without replacement. If you have analog phones or a fax machine you want to keep using, an ATA lets you do that.
See our analog adapter rentals
An automated phone menu that greets callers and routes them to the right person or department. You've used one before: "Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support." An auto-attendant means every call gets answered professionally, even when your staff is busy or it's after hours.
See our IVR script templates
The amount of internet speed available for data transfer, measured in Mbps (megabits per second). Each VoIP call uses roughly 100 kbps of bandwidth. A standard 100 Mbps business internet connection can comfortably handle dozens of simultaneous calls. If your calls sound choppy, insufficient bandwidth is one of the first things to check.
See our VoIP readiness test
Small LED lights on a desk phone that show whether other extensions are available, on a call, or ringing. Receptionists and office managers use BLF to see at a glance who is free before transferring a call. It saves time and prevents blind transfers to someone who is already on the phone.
Using your own phones or equipment with a VoIP provider instead of renting or buying from them. If you already have compatible SIP phones, you can connect them to VoipPlus without any equipment charge.
See our BYOD compatibility guide
Routing incoming calls to another phone number, such as a cell phone or home office. Useful when you are out of the office but still need to receive business calls. Most VoIP systems let you set up forwarding rules based on time of day, caller ID, or whether the line is busy.
Placing a call on hold in a shared "parking spot" so it can be picked up from any other phone in the office. Unlike a regular hold (tied to one phone), call park lets someone walk to another room or desk and retrieve the call. Handy in offices, warehouses, and any environment where people move around.
A system that holds incoming callers in line with music or messages until an agent or employee is available to take the call. Instead of getting a busy signal, callers wait in order. Queues are essential for any business that receives more calls than it can answer simultaneously.
Automatically recording phone calls for training, compliance, or dispute resolution. Common in law firms, insurance agencies, and any business that needs a record of what was discussed. Note: Illinois is a two-party consent state, meaning all parties must be informed that a call is being recorded.
CNAM (Caller Name) is the system that displays your business name on the recipient's phone when you make an outgoing call. Having your business name show up instead of just a number builds trust and increases the chances that customers pick up.
One concurrent (simultaneous) call path. If your business needs to handle 5 phone calls at the same time, you need 5 channels. VoipPlus pricing is based on channels -- $20/month per channel -- rather than per phone or per user. You can connect as many phones and extensions as you want; you only pay for how many simultaneous calls you need.
See our pricing page and channel calculator
Short for "coder-decoder." A codec compresses and decompresses audio during a VoIP call. Common codecs include G.711 (high quality, uses more bandwidth) and G.729 (compressed, uses less bandwidth). Your phone system handles codec selection automatically -- you generally don't need to think about it.
A phone number that rings directly to a specific extension or person without going through a receptionist or menu. For example, your sales manager could have their own direct number that bypasses the main auto-attendant. DIDs let customers reach the right person faster.
The technical name for touch-tone signals -- the beeps you hear when pressing phone buttons. DTMF is how your phone communicates menu selections to an auto-attendant or enters a conference PIN. It works the same way on VoIP as on traditional phones.
The system that routes emergency 911 calls from VoIP phones and sends your registered address to dispatchers. Unlike landlines, VoIP phones can be moved between locations, so you must register your physical address with your VoIP provider to ensure emergency services can find you. Keeping your E911 address current is critical.
See our E911 support page
An internal number (like 101, 202, or 350) assigned to a person, department, or device within your phone system. Extensions let callers and employees reach each other by dialing a short number instead of a full phone number. With VoipPlus, you can have unlimited extensions regardless of how many channels you have.
Automatic rerouting of calls when your primary internet connection or phone system goes down. For example, if your office internet drops, calls can be forwarded to cell phones or another location so you never miss a call. Good failover planning means your business stays reachable even during outages.
Receiving faxes as PDF attachments in your email inbox instead of on a physical fax machine. You get a dedicated fax number, and incoming faxes are converted to PDF and delivered to one or more email addresses. No paper, no toner, no dedicated phone line needed.
A call routing feature that rings multiple devices in sequence until someone answers. For example: ring your desk phone for 15 seconds, then your cell phone, then your home office. Follow-me ensures you are reachable regardless of where you are, without the caller needing to know which number to dial.
A business phone system managed entirely in the cloud by your VoIP provider. You don't need to buy, maintain, or house any server hardware on-site. All the call routing, voicemail, auto-attendant, and other features run on your provider's infrastructure. You just plug in phones and go.
See our hosted PBX service
See Ring Group. The terms are used interchangeably.
The technology behind auto-attendants and phone menus. IVR systems play recorded prompts and respond to caller input (button presses or sometimes voice commands) to route calls, provide information, or collect data. A basic IVR is the "press 1 for sales" menu; more advanced IVRs can look up account information or process payments.
See our IVR script templates
Variation in the timing of data packets arriving at your phone. When packets arrive at uneven intervals, audio sounds choppy or robotic. Jitter under 30 milliseconds is generally acceptable for clear calls. A good router with QoS settings can minimize jitter on your network.
The delay between when you speak and when the other person hears you, measured in milliseconds. Latency under 150ms is barely noticeable. Higher latency causes the "talking over each other" problem where both parties start speaking at the same time. Most modern internet connections have latency well within acceptable range for VoIP.
A standardized call quality rating on a scale of 1 to 5. A MOS of 4.0 or higher is considered toll-quality (as good as a traditional phone call). Scores below 3.5 indicate noticeable quality issues. MOS is useful for objectively measuring and comparing call quality across different networks or providers.
A function in your router that allows multiple devices to share a single public internet address. NAT can sometimes interfere with VoIP because voice traffic needs a direct path between phones. Modern VoIP systems handle NAT automatically, but if you experience one-way audio or dropped calls, NAT configuration is often the culprit.
Transferring your existing phone number from one provider to another. When you switch to VoipPlus, you keep your current business number -- customers won't notice a thing. Porting typically takes 7-14 business days for landline numbers. It's your legal right under FCC rules, and VoipPlus handles the process for you at no charge.
See our porting checklist and porting support page
A business phone system that manages internal extensions, call routing, voicemail, and other features. Traditional PBXs were physical hardware boxes in your server closet. Today, most businesses use a hosted PBX (cloud-based) which eliminates the hardware and maintenance entirely. The PBX is the brain of your phone system.
See our hosted PBX service
A traditional digital phone line delivered over a physical T1 circuit, providing 23 voice channels. PRIs were the standard for businesses that needed multiple simultaneous calls. Today, SIP trunking offers the same (or more) channels over your internet connection at a fraction of the cost -- and you only pay for the channels you actually need.
A router or network setting that prioritizes voice traffic over other data like file downloads or streaming video. Without QoS, a large file download could starve your VoIP calls of bandwidth and cause audio problems. Enabling QoS ensures calls always get the bandwidth they need, even when your network is busy.
A group of extensions that all ring when a single number is called. For example, calling your sales line could ring all five sales reps' phones at the same time (or in sequence). Also called a hunt group. Ring groups ensure calls are answered quickly without needing a receptionist to manually transfer each one.
The standard protocol (set of rules) used to set up, manage, and end VoIP calls. SIP handles the signaling -- connecting and disconnecting calls, ringing, transferring -- while other protocols handle the actual audio. When someone says "SIP phone" or "SIP account," they mean a phone or account that uses this protocol.
Connecting your existing on-site PBX to VoIP service over the internet instead of using traditional phone lines. If you already have a PBX you like, SIP trunking lets you keep it while switching your phone lines to VoIP for lower costs and more flexibility. Think of it as replacing the phone lines, not the phone system.
See our SIP trunking service
A phone application that runs on your computer or smartphone instead of a physical desk phone. You make and receive calls using your headset or device's microphone and speaker. Softphones are great for remote workers, road warriors, and anyone who wants to use their business phone number from anywhere.
Servers that help VoIP calls work through firewalls and NAT. STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT) helps devices discover their public IP address. TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) relays media when a direct connection is not possible. These work behind the scenes -- you typically never need to configure them yourself.
A fax protocol specifically designed for sending faxes over VoIP networks. Traditional fax signals don't travel well over the internet because they're sensitive to packet loss and timing issues. T.38 solves this by converting fax data into a format that handles internet transmission reliably. If you need to fax over VoIP, make sure T.38 is supported.
See our ATA fax setup guide
A feature that sends voicemail messages to your email inbox as audio file attachments. You can listen to messages from your phone, computer, or tablet without dialing into a voicemail box. It makes it easy to save, forward, or archive important messages alongside your other business communications.
Making phone calls over the internet instead of traditional copper phone lines. VoIP converts your voice into digital data packets and sends them over your internet connection. The result: lower costs, more features, and the flexibility to use your phone system from anywhere with an internet connection. VoIP has largely replaced traditional phone service for businesses of all sizes.
See our business VoIP service
We explain things in plain English -- no jargon, no pressure. Call us or request a free consultation to find out if VoIP is right for your business.
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