Internet Telephony for Dummies

Free voice and digital video conferencing over the Internet -- too good to be true? Internet Telephony For Dummies, 2nd Edition, shows you just how true -- and easy -- it is to communicate by voice and video with most any Internet user anywhere in the world.

In Internet Telephony For Dummies, 2nd Edition, authors and telecommunications experts Daniel D. Briere, Patrick J. Hurley, and Rebecca Wetzel reveal What the Internet is and how Internet telephony fits in What hardware and software you need -- and where to get them How to make a call from your PC to a regular telephone How to set up videoconferencing How to get the best possible sound and image quality for your connection speed

Plus, Internet Telephony For Dummies, 2nd Edition, comes complete with a bonus CD-ROM containing Mac and Windows software such as AT&T WorldNetSM Service for Internet access, Internet Explorer 3.02 Web browsing software, and CU-SeeMe, Internet Phone, and WebPhone so that you can try out voice and video Internet telephony right away.

In an ideal world, Internet telephony would just be a matter of plugging in a microphone and camera. But, hey, this is the real world of competing standards and crazy software.

Authors Briere, Hurley, and Wetzel bring some order to the chaos. They begin with an overview of what makes up Internet telephony and how to put it to use. Then Internet Telephony for Dummies simply discusses the underlying history and technology of the subject--mercifully skipping over the basic "what is the Internet" material you've read in other books. From there, the authors--in the light-hearted Dummies manner--tell you how to ensure that your Internet service provider (ISP) supports telephony, what protocol to use, how to select and use equipment, what the leading software is, and more. The authors even discuss the gateway services that enable you to use the Net with a regular telephone or fax machine. The book offers a variety of troubleshooting tips for when things go wrong as well as a look at upcoming options. Internet Telephony for Dummies comes with a CD-ROM that includes telephony software--some demo software and some fully functional--for both Macs and PCs.