What is SIP and what is it used for?

IP….I’ve heard of that before. That’s right! Most of you must have heard of IP. IP stands for Internet Protocol. It’s a method of transporting packets across your local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). But what about SIP? 

What is SIP?

SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. It is a communication protocol used for initiating and integrating real-time multimedia communication sessions including video, voice, messaging and other applications. 

What does SIP do? SIP bridges communication services between multiple endpoints. Basically, you need SIP to set up a call through the Internet and get two or more telephones to talk to each other. 

Utilizing a combination of hardware, software, and voice protocols, your conversations are carried over the IP network to its intended destination. A VoIP system converts the analog audio signals (your voice) into digital data that can be understood by the VoIP devices and transmitted over the IP network to the other end of the call. 

Now that you know what SIP is, how about we explore the types of SIP phones and the pros and cons of using a SIP phone?

If you are new to VoIP and don’t know where to start, be sure to check out our new to VoIP page!