Aptela Glossary
  
A
  
Anonymous Call Rejection 
Lets you block calls that are set as anonymous on Caller ID so that they don't ring through to your phone. The anonymous caller will hear a fast busy signal and you no longer have to worry about taking a call from somebody you may not know.
 
Area code by choice.
Have an Area code of your choosing, no matter where are. Located in Florida but want a New York number, no problem!

ATA
Analog Telephone Adapter; a device by which you can connect a regular analog phone (wired or cordless) to the Internet to make and receive VoIP calls. It converts the analog signal from the phone to digital. Certain ATA work better than other, especially with fax machines. We recommend the Linksys SPA 2102 ATA device.

B

Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent over a communications channel in a fixed period of time. The higher the channel's bandwidth the more information it can carry. It can be stated in bits per second (bps), kilobits per second (kbps), or megabits per second (mps). Aptela states bandwidth in kbps and recommends at least a 100 kbps upstream and downstream for Aptela service.

Blocking 900/976
All calls to 900, 976 and related phone numbers are automatically blocked for your protection.

Broadband
Broadband is high-speed Internet access that you get through a cable or DSL modem. It has a continuous connection to the Internet at much faster speeds than dial-up. With Aptela service, high-speed broadband connection is needed.


C

Cable Modem
A cable modem is a device supplied to you by your local cable company that connects you to the Internet. It provides high-speed Internet access.

Caller ID with Name
Lets you view the name and number of each incoming call on your handset's display unit.

Call Logs
Use a simple web interface to see a list of all incoming, outgoing, and missed calls for each of your Aptela numbers.

Call Return
Retrieve and call the telephone number of your last incoming call.

Call Waiting
Allows you to accept an incoming phone call while you are on the phone. Put the first call on hold while you answer the second call.

Call Waiting ID
Signals another incoming call with the name and number of the person calling.

Cat5 Wiring
Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair wiring commonly used for 10BaseT and 100BaseT Ethernet networks.

Click to Call
Automatically place calls directly from your Call Logs or Contacts. Click on the number you wish to dial and the number will automatically be dialed for you. When dialing is completed your phone will ring signaling you to pick up the receiver. Once you pick up the call will be connected.

Codec
Coder-decoder software that converts audio signals into compressed digital signals so they can be transmitted across a digital network, then converts them back to analog at the other end.

Contacts
Keep track of frequently dialed numbers by accessing your Contacts within Aptela. Your Contacts let you quickly find phone numbers and email addresses, sort contacts by category, and operate Click to Call.


D

Demarcation
The point that distinguishes where Aptela's equipment and service ends and where the customer's begins. For practical purposes, this is the point where a telco hands control or responsibility of a line or network to the customer.

DID
Direct Inward Dialing. Also referred to as the phone number assigned to a VoIP user that allows that user to connec tto the old PSTN networks around the world.

Directory Assistance
Directory Assistance is available with Aptela Service. Simply dial the Directory Assistance numbers you've always used. Charge is $.79 per use, unless included with your service plan.

Do Not Disturb
Limit unwanted interruptions by enabling Do Not Disturb. This feature will prevent incoming calls from ringing through. Instead calls will be directed straight to Voicemail. Turn Do Not Disturb on and off via your Polycom Phone.

DSL
DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It is a technology that provides a high-speed Internet connection over ordinary copper telephone lines.

DTMF
Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency:  acronym for the telephone signaling also known as "touch tone."

E

Enhanced 911
The type of Emergency Service provided by Aptela to all new members.
With Enhanced 911, your call is routed to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) supporting the service address you registered with your account. The emergency operator receives name, address, and originating phone number of the caller. With this service, the caller does not need to verbally give their location to the operator.

While Enhanced 911 is the most advanced form of Emergency Dialing Service available, there are some limitations when it is provided by a VoIP provider as Aptela. Therefore, you should always have an alternative means of accessing emergency service.

Ethernet
Ethernet is a packet based transmission protocol that is primarily used in LANs.

Ethernet Drop
Is a data port that looks similar to a phone jack. You will note that Ethernet Ports are wider than a standard phone port.

F

Find Me
Allows incoming calls to "find you" at multiple phone numbers, one after another. If you don't pick up at one number the call will move on to the next number until either you pick up or the call terminates at Voicemail.

Full duplex
The ability of devices at both ends of a communications to send and receive information simultaneously.

G



H

H.323
This ITU standard is used for multimedia. With a packet-oriented network, interoperability between the various vendors is guaranteed and efficient. The H.323 is the infrastructure and utilization of different speech coders and signaling stacks.

I

International Call Blocking
Control unwanted per minute costs by blocking international dialing for individual users from your Operator account controls.

Internet Phone Service
Internet Phone Service is a service provided by Aptela. You can make and receive calls using your high-speed Internet connection, and save up to hundreds of dollars on your home phone service.

Internet Telephony
Also called IP Telephony, Internet Telephony uses the Internet rather than the traditional telephone companies copper wire infrastructure to make and receive phone calls.

IP Telephony
See Internet Telephony.

IP phone
Looks like an ordinary phone but connects to an IP router with an RJ-45 Ethernet connector. These phones run software that allows them to handle VoIP calls without going through an ATA.

IP
Internet Protocol; the network layer protocol by which computers on the Internet and other TCP/IP networks communicate with one another via unique binary addresses (32 bit addresses represented as "dotted quad" decimal addresses in IPv4 or 128 bit addresses represented as hexadecimal addresses in IPv6).

IVR
Interactive Voice Response; an application that allows users to access computerized information over the phone using keypad touchtones or voice commands. The commands are translated into digital queries and the results are returned from the computer hosting the information database, then the results are translated into computerized voice messages spoken to the caller.

J

Jitter
Variations in arrival time of data packets. The amount of Jitter can depend on the quality of your network and internet connection. If Jitter reaches high levels, it can cause call quality issues such as stuttering audio.

L

Local Number Portability (LNP)
Local Number Portability (LNP) is the process that enables you to change your telecommunication service provider, but keep your phone number.

Latency
This is the delay or amount of time that occurs between the voice, as it is digitalized at the sender's location and the output located at the receiver's end. Latency is influenced by three things: the distance in which data must travel, the size of the packet and the number/time of network elements that exists between the terminals.

Local Area Network (LAN)
A group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link and typically share the resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for example, within an office building).

M

MAC Address
A Media Access Control (MAC) Address is a physical address assigned to a machine (computer, SIP phone, network adapter, etc). Aptela customers will be asked to enter the "MAC Address" of their SIP phone into the Aptela web interface to match an employee name to an extension to the specific MAC Address assigned to the phone. (Note: You will usually locate the address on a label on the back or bottom of the phone, near the bar code.)

N


O

Outbound Calling
You will be able to make outbound calls using your Aptela Service once you hook up your equipment and hear a dial tone. Dial like normal using an Area Code + Number, or just 7 digits within your own area code. You do not need to dial a "1" for long distance calls, but if you dial a "1" out of habit, your call will still go through.

Outbound Caller ID Blocking
Prevent your name and telephone number from appearing on your call recipient's Caller ID.


P

Packet
A unit or "manageable chunk" of data into which complete messages are divided to be routed across the Internet or other TCP/IP network.

Packet Switching
A means of economically sending and receiving data over alternate, multiple network channels. The premise for packet switching is the packet, a small bundle of information containing the payload and routing information. Packet switching takes data, breaks it down into packets, transmits the packets and does the reverse on the other end. Packets can be sent in order and then be received in a different order - only to be put back in the correct order in fractions of a second.

Phone Adaptor
See ATA. This is a device that is commonly used with VoIP Phone Service.

PoE
Power over Ethernet; method for sending electrical power over Ethernet cable so as to alleviate the requirement to plug equipment into an electrical outlet or other power source.

POTS
Plain Old Telephone Network; a telephone industry colloquial nickname for PSTN.

PSTN
Public switched telephone network; the traditional circuit switching network used for transmitting voice conversations. Also see POTS.

Power Source
Plugs into a regular home outlet and supplies power your equipment.


Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
The world's collection of interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks, both commercial and government-owned. Also referred to as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).

R

Router
If you use a router to send broadband data between multiple computers or to enable a wireless card, Aptela Service will still work. Some Aptela equipment requires a router to share Internet connection. Check the packaging for system requirements.


S

SIP
Session Initiation Protocol; a small and efficient application layer protocol specifically designed for VoIP communications.

Soft Switch
Programmable switch that processes signaling for packet protocols and can be used to integrate telephone signaling with packet switching networks.

Softkeys
Buttons on a telephone handset or software keypad display that can be programmed by the user to activate a specific action such as speed dialing a particular phone number.

Softphone (Software Phone)
VoIP software that runs on your desktop, laptop or handheld computer and provides an on-screen telephone interface to allow you to make phone calls through your computer using its speakers or headset and microphone without a traditional telephone handset.

T

Taxes
All fees and taxes that apply to your service are included as required by federal agencies.

Telephony Gateway
The network device by which analog signals on telephone circuits are converted to digital data packets to enable calls between VoIP phone lines and standard PSTN phone lines.

Three-Way Calling
Add a third line to any established call and create a three-way conference call.


U

Unlimited Local and Long Distance Calling
The Aptela Business VoIP Unlimited Plans allow you to make unlimited calls to anywhere in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada anytime of day.


V

Voicemail
Aptela Voicemail does so much more for you than an answering machine. You can set up your service to send notification that a voicemail was received in your email or on your mobile phone and actually listen to the messages from those locations.

Voice Over IP (VoIP)
The technology that makes Aptela's service work. VoIP enables the transmission of voice data over the Internet using a voice adapter.