With so many people interested in saving money on their monthly phone bill, it's no surprise that quite a few consumers are switching to internet-based phone services. Vonage is one of the most popular services on the market today. But for those who are not familiar with Vonage in particular, or internet telephony in general, the inevitable question is: How does Vonage work?

Internet Phone Calling Basics

First, you should understand that Vonage is one of several companies offering internet based phone service, also known as Voice Over Internet Protocol, Voice Over IP or just plain VoIP for short. That's right, you can actually make calls via your internet connection. This can include calls to other computers (where the person on the receiving end is set up to receive calls on their computer) or calls right to another landline or mobile phone, just like a normal call.

The way this works is that your existing Internet connection is used for placing calls rather than your standard phone line. You simply sign up with one of these services, connect a phone adapter to your existing phone (provided by most companies when you sign up) and use the phone as usual. The adapter that you connect to your phone converts your speech and shoots it out over the Internet, similar to sending a file to someone and on the receiving end, the process is reversed.

What Kind of Features Will You Get?

Vonage and other VoIP services give you local calling and long distance calling all in one package for a single monthly fee. Gone are the days when you have to worry about how long you've been talking to mom who lives two states away. What's even better is that with most VoIP services, you can make international calls cheaper too. However, except for the occasional special that your company might run, most services charge you extra for international calls. Still, it's probably cheaper than your local phone company and if you happen to have service with Vonage, they include calls to Canada and Puerto Rico for free and the same applies for some countries in Europe too, depending on your calling plan. Other services have similar exceptions so it's good to check out all your options if that's a feature that will be important to you.

Most internet telephone companies include a wide range of features with each calling plan. Features like caller ID, call waiting and voice mail are standard with the packages that most companies offer. In addition to great features, you get crystal clear calls that rival what you get from your standard phone line. This can be especially important on international calls where there can be increased interference and lower quality, but even local calls can take advantage of the improved sound.

Do You Have To Get a New Phone Number?

Most likely you can also keep your existing phone number if you want to. In addition, you can add another phone number to your account fairly easily with most services. So why would you want to do this? Well if you have a relative that lives out of town, you could set up a phone number on your account with that person's area code. That way, they can call you and have it be a local call and it will probably only cost you a few pennies extra per day on your bill. This could be a great way for parents to keep in touch with their kids off at college for instance.

How To Start Making Calls for Less Money

Whether you decide to sign up with Vonage or one of the other major VoIP services, you should try to find a service that doesn't lock you into a contract. That way, you can always try it out and if it doesn't suit your needs, you're not forced to stay with them or pay an early cancellation fee.

You can get started today by checking out your today through some simple searches online. Once you see the type of service and features they offer for such a low fee (anywhere from $10 - $40 per month), I'm sure you'll agree that VoIP services provide a great alternative for today's cost-conscious consumer.