Wireless IP Phone for the visually impaired

Wireless technologies and the Internet are two most significant factors influencing the development of new terminal equipment. IP telephony and wireless communications based on IEEE 802.11 standards are very popular, their combination brings powerful solutions and there are a number of producers focusing on WiFi phones. Nevertheless, wireless IP phones are not as widespread as DECT or mobile phones - this is mostly due to their price. WiFi technology is less complex than GSM and there is no argument why to charge a higher price on it than on the cheapest DECT or mobile phone. We decided to develop a new WiFi phone that would also be suitable for visually impaired users because we did not find a WiFi phone for them on the market. Our aim is to show how to build low-cost WiFi phone and the title of this paper should perhaps be Wireless IP phone suitable not only for the visually impaired. Our design cannot compete against commercial solutions because it is too rough, however, we proved that it is possible to develop a low-cost WiFi phone and that the solution is suitable for visually impaired users. This paper describes technologies and methods used in our design of a WiFi phone.