Communication is essential to any garden office. There are few different methods in speaking to the outside world, and each should be considered before making a decision. For calls, you may choose to go with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services or a conventional land line telephone provider.
For data exchange, faxes may be necessary. You may want to rely on the use of a fax machine or send and receive your faxes through your email account. Read on to discover the benefits and disadvantages to each feature.
For a few different reasons, VoIP is seen as a better choice over a traditional land line phone. One reason is its simplicity. It works with your broadband connection, and requires a Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) which is often supplied to your by the provider when you first sign up for their service. Set-up is easy, as it is connected to the computer, and your telephone is then connected to the ATA. There is no need for a phone jack or long wires being run through the garden office, since your computer and telephone are likely to sit together on your desk.
Another reason VoIP is chosen regularly is the costs. There are no installation fees associated with this method of communication. It only takes about 10 minutes to get everything ready to use. If you choose, a technician can make a service call to your home to complete the initial set-up.
With most VoIP companies, you can get basic telephone service including Caller ID, Call Waiting, and all the other standard features, as well as long distance for somewhere around £9.99-£18.99 per month. Land line providers may offer this same deal, but then you are taxed to death with the miscellaneous fees and charges which can almost double your bill.
If you like your current landline phone, then you can use this nifty phone adaptor to make phone calls with Voice over IP (VoIP) with services such as Skype.
The adaptor acts as an interface between your traditional telephone with your phone line and your PC. This allows you to use one phone for both internet and normal telephone calls.
This phone adaptor is available to buy at Maplin.co.uk.
While the VoIP service may seem like the best way to go for phone service, you should also consider the negatives of having this type of communication in your garden office. If your power goes off, so will your computer, making a VoIP service useless.
The same goes for your Internet connection. If you have technical problems associated with it, it is likely that you will not be able to make phone calls. In these situations, you would still be able to use a corded land line phone, as power and Internet outages do not effect it. If you choose to go with VoIP, a good back up for these occasions is a cellular phone.
Fax services offer two methods of sending and receiving information: A fax machine or fax by email. For a fax machine, a dedicated phone line is recommended so you will not interrupt the data transfer by answering the call. Fax machines tend to run between £50-£150, and there are no monthly fees associated with the use of the machine itself.
Email fax offers the convenience of being able to send and receive faxes anywhere, so long as you can access a computer or cell phone to check your email. There are monthly fees associated with this method, but you do not need a separate phone line.
Many UK fax services offer a prepaid method that allows you to send a certain number of faxes each month for a set fee. You will be given a phone number that you can use for faxes, but everything will be delivered to you via you inbox. However, if your Internet is down, you will not be able to access these documents.
An easy to use and popular VoIP handset that looks and feels like a normal phone. It comes with a 2 metre cable to plug into your PC's USB port.
The phone has a keypad to dial directly from the handset and features excellent audio quality. If you want a simple yet useful handset, this is what you'll be wanting.
This phone is available to buy at Maplin.co.uk.
