One of the major benefits of VoIP telephony is its flexibility and this extends to the type of handsets that are compatible with VoIP solutions. The short answer to whether a smartphone or normal landline phone can be used for VoIP solutions is yes. However, there may be some tricky configuration involved and a few features may not necessarily be available.
If businesses or individuals want to use VoIP services with their normal landline, they will first need to purchase some sort of adapter to connect their phone to the internet. Usually, this connects your phone to your wireless router using an Ethernet cable. Users will then need to enter the IP address of their VoIP adapter using another internet-connected device, following the instructions that came with the adapter. Once the configuration is complete, individuals can use their ordinary analog phone to make and receive calls over the internet.
Thankfully, things are even easier when it comes to using a smartphone to access VoIP solutions. As smartphones already have the capability of connecting to the internet, using VoIP services is usually pretty straightforward. In fact, there are several VoIP providers that are specifically targeting the smartphone market, looking to take advantage of businesses adopting bring-you-own-device (BYOD) policies.
With a call routing feature in place, employees can continue using their personal smartphone while it will appear to callers and recipients as though they are using their work number or extension. Employees using VoIP services on their smartphone can use the company Wi-Fi instantly to gain access to the usual VoIP platform but can easily switch off VoIP functionality outside of contract hours to ensure they maintain a good work-life balance.
However, although it is possible to use an ordinary landline or smartphone to access VoIP solutions, that does not mean that businesses and employees will be able to receive an optimum service. The kinds of handsets reviewed above are specifically designed to work with VoIP solutions and have particular hardware features that make them well suited to some of the modern innovations that are generally included with VoIP platforms.
Although standard landline and mobile devices will work with most VoIP services, they may mean that you are overpaying for a VoIP solution if you cannot access all of its features.