| If you want to keep your conventional telephone | | | | only. That is way you can "we unlock VoIP |
| and still make calls over the internet, you can use | | | | adapters" in some advertisements. They offer to |
| a VoIP adapter. You can be attracted to do so | | | | "unlock" a VoIP adapter that was bought second |
| for economical reasons, since a good quality VoIP | | | | hand. |
| adapter will be less expensive than a good quality | | | | There are adapters that will let you connect Wi-Fi |
| VoIP phone. | | | | phones to them. Now, a Wi-Fi phone is a special |
| A VoIP adapter is a small box with two sockets: | | | | kind of VoIP phone and can be expensive, but |
| one to plug in a telephone cord (for your | | | | here is the good news: many manufacturers offer |
| conventional phone) and another socket to | | | | wireless VoIP adapters together with one or |
| connect it to the internet. VoIP adapters are also | | | | more handsets. The whole bundle will have an |
| called "VoIP gateways" or, simply "gateways". | | | | attractive price since it is consumer oriented, and |
| Some VoIP gateways will let you connect to | | | | you can use each handset as a Wi-Fi phone (that |
| different providers, but you will have to program | | | | is, a wireless internet phone). Certain VoIP |
| the adapter for each provider (usually, the | | | | gateways are plugged into the USB port of your |
| provider will tell you which adapters can be used | | | | computer. You can still plug your conventional |
| and how to configure it.) Other VoIP gateways | | | | phone, but they require your computer to be |
| will be already configured by your provider, but | | | | turned on whenever you want to make or |
| they will be 'locked' to be used with that provider | | | | receive calls. |