Technology has come a long way in the past 20 years. People from opposite corners of the globe can now send and receive letters and documents in a matter of seconds. There are now a number of ways to carry out a conversation from thousands of miles away without paying thousands of dollars. And yes, face-to-face conversation across continents are now possible with video conferencing equipment.

Video conferencing equipment has made next-door neighbors of Europe and Asia. They allow people to interact as if they're in the same room through images, text, and sounds relayed real time. This technology is extremely beneficial for multinational businesses and companies with locations all over the globe, as well as for personal use.

Video conferencing can be either one of two types. Point to point, or P2P, allows live video and audio communication between two locations. Multi-point, on the other hand, allows links between three or more locations.

P2P and You In the past, video conferencing equipment was relatively expensive and was only utilized by businesses. However, with the evolution of technology, it is now possible for anyone with a decently running Internet connection to operate a video conference.

Video conferencing equipment includes the common and easy-to-use webcam. With this video conferencing equipment, you can stay in touch with family and friends wherever they may be in the world. And because you can actually see each other, conversations or chat sessions can be more personal, bridging the distance and bringing you and your loved ones closer. This is a good example of a P2P video conference.

Multi-point and Your Business Multi-point video conference lets you hold business meetings among several offices in different locations. This requires slightly more complex utilization of video conferencing equipment.

The H.323 standard demands the use of a video conferencing equipment called Multi-point Control Unit. This Multi-point Control Unit is the video bridge, and it functions by connecting to the Internet. Depending on its design capacity, a Multi-point Control Unit can handle a certain number of video conferences simultaneously. Each video conference handled by the Multi-point Control Unit is separate from the others, and has a specified number of users.

Other Multi-Point System Requirements Another video conferencing equipment required by the H.323 standard is the Gatekeeper. This video conferencing equipment acts like a client terminal that connects to the Internet. IP addresses are stored in the Gatekeeper.

By simply dialing a service number and password combination, users can already join a video conference. The Gatekeeper checks to see if the service number and the password provided are registered by the Multi-point Control Unit. Once identity is established, the Gatekeeper then completes the call by connecting to the specified video conference.

It's all very easy and painless. Like all new technologies, however, video conferencing equipment has specific requirements in order for users to take full advantage of their functionality. Users are required to have the appropriate video conferencing client terminals and an Internet connection with sufficient bandwidth. As long as your system has these capabilities, you're well on your way to carrying on those face-to-face conversations to your heart's content.