VoIP VPN

Security Uses and Implementation

A VoIP VPN combines Voice over IP and Virtual Private Network technologies to offer a method for delivering secure voice. Because VoIP transmits digitized voice as a stream of data, the VoIP VPN solution accomplishes voice encryption quite simply, applying standard data-encryption mechanisms inherently available in the collection of protocols used to implement a VPN.

Secure VoIP (secure voice) over an IP-based VPN most commonly uses IPSec as the encryption method. After the VoIP data is encapsulated into packets, it is encrypted by IPSec prior to delivery on the VPN. Consequently the encrypted voice conversation is secured from end-to-end by someone snooping on the VPN.

Free Implementation

VoIP VPN solution may be accomplished with free Open Source software by using a Linux distribution as an Operating System, Asterisk PBX as a VoIP Server, and a PPTP server such as [Poptop]

Other uses

Security is not the only reason to pass Voice over IP through a Virtual Private Network, however. Session Initialization Protocol, a commonly used Voice Over IP protocol is notoriously difficult to pass through a firewall because of its use of random port numbers for connections. Thus, when configuring remote VoIP clients, a VPN is one solution to avoid a firewall issue by virtually moving the user inside the network local to the VoIP server.

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