what are voip phones

A VoIP phone, or IP phone, is a type of telephone that uses voice over IP technologies to place and transmit telephone calls over an IP network, such as the internet. This is in contrast to a traditional phone that uses the public switched telephone network. VoIP phones can come in the form of specialized digital hardware or a program running on a computer or mobile device. They convert analog voice signals into digital signals over a broadband internet connection, allowing for high-definition sound quality and other features not found in traditional analog phones. VoIP phones can be set up for Power over Ethernet (PoE), meaning they get power over their Ethernet network cable instead of a traditional power adapter. VoIP technology involves a set of different protocols working together to replicate telephony functions, and VoIP traffic typically uses port 5060 for both TCP and UDP connections.