Service FAQ's - Glossary

ATA

DHCP

NAT

Omni Phone

SoftPhone

UDP

USB Handset

ATA

Abbreviated term for Analog Telephone Adapter. Typical home and single-line office phones, whether corded or cordless, use analog signaling to communicate with your local telephone company’s switch. An ATA takes those analog signals and converts them into data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

DCHP

Abbreviation for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, which allows the automatic assignment of IP addresses

NAT

Abbreviation for Network Address Translation or Network Address Translator. It is the translation of an Internet Protocol address (IP address) used within one network to a different IP address known within another network.

Omni Phone

A telephone that has an ATA built into it, so it natively sends and receives VoIP. The OmniTalk Omni Phone is a 2-line office-type phone, with multiple “soft buttons” that can be configured to transfer calls, access voicemail, do speed dial, etc.

SoftPhone

A software application that runs on your computer, allowing your computer to work as a phone. All SoftPhones present a dial pad on your screen that can be used to place calls. For communicating, you can either use your computer’s microphone and speakers (usually not very good quality), or you can use a headset that is plugged into the headset port of your computer, or you can use a USB handset that looks like a mobile phone and plugs into a USB port on your computer.

UDP

Abbreviated term for User Datagram Protocol, which allows exchange of data packets of information between computers.

USB Handset

A portable IP phone that connects to a computer via the USB port.