Choosing a router with VOIP in mind

[Zen8]

Signed up for Zen 2mbs this week, and about to order a NetGear DG834 ADSL router.

I’ve not much idea how VOIP works. I presumed you purchase a special phone, plug it into the router, and you can make free calls to most destinations, yes? I doubt it’s as simple as that, but anyway... I was reading about QoS, which distributes the routers bandwidth, which may help with VOIP? I don’t believe the DG834 has QoS. Should I be reconsidering a different ADSL router, or will the DG834 be okay with VOIP?

 

[tolien]

Unless you're using the connection a fair bit at the same time, it's not a big issue.

 

[bledd]

qos for voip is only important on large networks from what i understand!

 

[tolien]

qos for voip is only important on large networks from what i understand!

You understand wrongly.

 

[stoofa]

From a home user point of view then there is not really a great amount you can do.
Even if you're doing things on a more corporate level there is only so much you can do - make sure you are providing enough bandwidth at your end of things.
You need to rememnber that even if your site is "fencing off" an amount of bandwidth for VOIP as is the destination there is a good chance the 8-10 routers your VOIP call is going over to reach its destination is offering your voice packets no priority at all over data packets.

At work we're currently in the process of moving from a single E1 (2MB/2MB) connection to a 45MB leased line which we're having tiered down to 10MB.
2MB of that will be "fenced off" purely for voice.
Although we hope to have "free" calls sorted out with regards calls to our oother offices in the US & HK our main phone system here in the UK will remain on ISDN lines.
I don't feel IP telephony is quite there yet.

 

[Zen8]

Thanks guys, very helpful. We'll go with the DG834. That will get us up and running, and we'll see how we get along with that. Cheers