The cost of Voice over Internet Protocol services along with the many features available are an attractive benefit that sway many buyers to using the service. Since VoIP is phone service provided over the Internet, it is susceptible to newer security issues. All services have its drawbacks and should be considered before choosing your telephone provider.
Electrical Outages
Electric outages affect VoIP phone lines. Once the battery dies, no phone line will be available until power is restored and the battery has time to re-charge. Some companies provide a battery backup to extend the life of the battery during and outage, but there are vulnerabilities depending on the duration of the outage.
911 Safety
VoIP-to-VoIP providers -- providers that offer phone completely over the Internet -- are not required to have 911 emergency services set up for its subscribers. This means if you call 911, your location and address will not be readily available. VoIP providers who connect to land lines still need to have 911 services provided. You must read your service agreement and be aware of what 911 services will or will not be provided.
Spam over the Internet
Telemarketing companies are able to take advantage of reduced calling structures offered by VoIP services. When subscribing to VoIP services you may find you are susceptible to more telemarketing. These calls may take up larger amounts of space within your voice mailboxes.
Spoofing
Spoofing is when a company uses available technology to place misleading information by intercepting VoIP systems. For instance, some spoofers can replace caller ID information to make it appear as though they are calling from a viable business that consumers are more likely to pick up a call for.
References
- Understanding Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Photo Credits
- Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images