Internet Telephony for Dummies

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.