What Is A WiFi Phone?

A WiFi phone is an internet or VoIP phone which looks and works very much like a regular cell phone. Like a cell phone, it sends and receives voice signals by radio waves, has a printed circuit board to connect its various components, needs a battery for working and, like a cell phone, you can carry it around with you.

The difference between a cell phone and WiFi phone is that a cell phone is connected to the cellular network through signal towers while the WiFi phone uses the WiFi hotspot network to connect to the internet and then work as any other internet phone.

In this way a WiFi phone is just like any other internet phone, though they work differently.

How A WiFi Phone Differs From Other Internet Phones

Both WiFi and other internet or broadband phones use internet for making VoIP calls, the difference lies in how they connect with the internet.

When you make VoIP calls by your internet phones using a handset or a headphone and speakers, your phone or computer are physically connected to the internet line through your modem and routers.


But a WiFi phone is not physically connected to internet. It accesses the internet wirelessly by what is called WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) network hotspots. So you can use your WiFi phone while you are walking around in your office or riding your car.

How A WiFi Phone Works

A WiFi phone has an internal device NIC (Network Interface Card) to detect radio waves in the surrounding area. When you try to call somebody on your WiFi phone, the NIC tries to seek radio waves from a nearby hotspot. If a strong signal is found, your WiFi phone asks permission to be allowed to login to the internet and then the call goes through like any other VoIP call.

If you are using your WiFi while driving, you would do well to park your car while making the call. Because the range of a hotspot is limited. So if you move out of the hotspot coverage area, your WiFi phone will stop working until it enters the coverage area of another hotspot on the way. This would also mean that you will miss any phones that may come to your WiFi phone. One way to get around this problem is to use the dual mode phones (box) which switch to the cellular network when they are out of the hotspot range.

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Future Outlook

WiFi phones have a great potential because they allow you to make cheap or free calls while you are on the move. This is why they have become highly popular in the short time they have been on the market.

What keeps WiFi phones from being accepted as a reliable means of communication at all times is the absence of a country-wide hotspot network like the cellular network.

However, a step in this direction is that many cities are developing city-wide WiFi networks and increasing number of cafes, airports and public places are providing the free or cheap hotspot facility.

Another development that should help WiFi phones gain wider acceptance is the recent introduction of Dual-Mode Phones. With these phones you are assured of on-going connectivity while enjoying the benefits of WiFi phones when you are in the hotspot coverage area.