There’s a good source of basic information from VoIP Supply, a VoIP equipment leader who supplies free resources to help you sift through the world of VoIP phones.

A VoIP phone, as VoIP Supply explains, is simply what you would recognize as a normal telephone but instead it uses built-in IP technology and transport protocols, in conjunction with a VoIP phone system or VoIP service, to make and receive calls. Other than the technology used to actually convey the call, it’s the same as the phone on your desk right now.

And not to get too technical, but again, the only difference is that you’re sending your voice over the lines you use for your Internet. The advantage there is that it’s a whole lot cheaper to do that. Yes there are some performance tics from time to time, due to the way information’s sent over the line, again we won’t bore you with the technical details, but if you tried and IP phone years ago and were turned off by the lousy quality, no matter how much money you’d save, ask for another demonstration, it’s gotten a whole lot better today.

There are some differences between the phones you would use with an IP network and the one you’re using now. Since it basically works like a computer, your IP phone may have such components as a screen, keypad, handset, microphone, speaker, Ethernet ports, headset jack and software.

And the actual phone itself probably has more to do with the quality of your calls than it does with a traditional phone line, so when you look to buy one, test a few of the best brands.

Earlier this month VoIP Supply officials announced that they are now a Polycom Certified Channel Partner (News - Alert).

“As Partners working together, we are proud to recognize the commitment to quality and excellence this Polycom Certified Channel Partner provides,” Polycom officials said, adding that  VoIP Supply is certified by Polycom as an expert in VoIP, Video, SoundStation IP, and Microsoft (News - Alert) Endpoint.

“VoIP Supply works hard to educate customers to help them succeed,” added Garrett Smith, chief marketing officer at VoIP Supply. “It’s rewarding to be recognized for our high level of service that parallels Polycom’s (News - Alert) VoIP solutions.”