VoIP Acronyms & Glossary

A PBX system delivered as a service over the internet — no on-site hardware needed. Euphoria's Cloud PBX combines powerful calling features with local and long-distance services.

A virtual meeting room that connects multiple people over a phone line or internet connection for conference calls. No special equipment needed — just dial in.

A set of rules that automatically assigns IP addresses to devices on your network. When you plug in a phone or computer, DHCP gives it an address so it can communicate on the network.

A network area that sits between your internal network and the internet. The DMZ typically hosts publicly accessible services like web servers and email servers while keeping your internal network protected.

A phone setting that forwards all incoming calls straight to voicemail so your phone never rings. Useful when you're in meetings or need focused work time.

The tones generated when you press buttons on a phone keypad. DTMF signalling is used for telephone signalling over the voice-frequency band to the call-switching centre.

A call hunting feature that lets you enter up to five phone numbers to ring in sequence. If you don't answer at your desk, it tries your mobile, then your home office, and so on.

The most efficient codec for transporting voice over low-bandwidth networks, commonly used across South Africa. G.729 compresses voice data to use minimal bandwidth while maintaining call quality.

A call routing feature that rings extensions one at a time in sequence until someone answers. Unlike a ring group (which rings everyone at once), a hunt list tries each person in order — and can even hunt through multiple ring groups.

The fundamental addressing system of the internet. Every device connected to the internet has an IP address — it's how data knows where to go.

An automated phone menu that greets callers and directs them to the right person or department — "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support." Replaces the need for a receptionist. Also known as a Digital Receptionist or Auto Attendant (AA).

A network covering a small area like a home, office, or building. Your office network where all the computers and phones are connected is a LAN.

The ability to transfer your existing telephone number from one phone service provider to another. In South Africa, LNP lets you keep your number when switching to Euphoria.

A feature that rings your VoIP number and a standard phone number (or any other numbers) simultaneously when you receive a call. Ensures you're reachable on any device.

A router feature that lets multiple devices on a private network share a single public IP address to access the internet. NAT rewrites IP packet addresses as they pass through the router.

A feature that lets you specify up to four phone numbers to ring simultaneously when someone calls your main number. Ensures you never miss a call regardless of which device you're near.

A private phone system that switches calls between VoIP users on local lines while allowing all users to share a set of external phone lines. An IP PBX handles this over internet protocol.

A network protocol commonly used by South African ISPs to manage broadband connections. PPPoE handles authentication and connection management between your router and your internet provider.

Network settings that prioritise voice traffic over other data to ensure clear, uninterrupted calls. QoS mechanisms assign different priority levels to different types of data flowing through your network.

A set of extensions that share incoming calls. For example, your sales team can all be in one ring group so any available person can answer. All phones in the group ring at the same time.

The smaller phone jack used to connect traditional telephone cables. You'll recognise it as the plug on your landline phone cord — narrower than a network cable plug.

The standard network cable connector used for ethernet connections. It's the wider plug on your network cable that connects computers, IP phones, and other devices to your network.

The standardised packet format for delivering audio and video over the internet. RTP is what actually carries the voice data during a VoIP call.

The signalling protocol that sets up, maintains, and ends VoIP calls. SIP is an application-layer control protocol used for creating and managing voice sessions — almost all internet voice activity relies on it.

The fundamental set of communications protocols that powers the internet and most commercial networks. TCP handles reliable data delivery while IP handles addressing and routing.

A set of protocols that lets devices on your network discover and connect to each other automatically. UPnP simplifies setting up devices like IP phones — just plug them in and they configure themselves.

Making phone calls over the internet instead of traditional copper phone lines. VoIP routes voice conversations through any IP-based network, also known as IP Telephony or Broadband Phone.

A secure, encrypted tunnel over the internet that lets you communicate privately. Businesses use VPNs to safely connect remote offices and employees as if they were on the same local network.

A network that covers a broad geographic area — across cities, regions, or countries. The internet is the largest WAN. Businesses use WANs to connect offices in different locations.