Call Quality Issues
Call Quality Issues
Posted by AJ Jackson on 07 April 2009 03:15 PM
Quality of Service (QoS)
QoS refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements.
In particular, technology has been developed to allow computer networks to be used as telephone networks for audio conversations, as well as supporting new applications with even stricter service demands. The quality and configuration of your internet connection and network are critical to proper communications and audio performance with all Voice Over IP (VOIP) phone systems. Due to the real-time requirements of Voice Over IP, your phone service quality might be affected by problems that are not visible while using other internet services.
It takes an expert in Information Technology and Networking to identify and correct these problems. All of the Technical Support Staff here at LANgineers are highly trained and dedicated to helping our customers get the most out of their LANgineers Hosted PBX account. This includes testing and identifying network equipment and configurations that can adversely affect your call quality while using your LANgineers phones.
Network Communication Issues
Sound quality issues, dropped calls and other problems with your LANgineers phones can usually be traced to one of the network communication issues below:
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a measure of how much data your connection can transfer at once. Consider this analogy: Bandwidth is similar to the number of lanes on a highway. On an eight-lane highway, you can have more cars on the road at once then you could on a four-lane highway. When you purchase a higher bandwidth connection, you can have more data pass throughs at once than you could on a smaller connection. Bandwidth can affect your sound quality when there is not enough available. This is why it is important to run a speed test to see how much bandwidth you have available at the moment.
Take a look at the bandwidth requirements guide for more information.
Please Note: Many providers will provide you with a much higher download speed compared to your upload speed. If you run out of upload speed, the result may be that people are unable to hear you while you are able to hear them just fine. If this happens to you, please give us a call and allow us to test it to identify the problem for you.
Latency
Latency is how fast data can travel through your network and internet connection. Occasionally, the path your data is traveling on can become congested, which delays the time it takes for data to arrive. Thinking back to the highway analogy, this is like encountering a traffic jam, which will slow all traffic until the jam is cleaned up. This causes sound quality problems for the phones.
Jitter
Jitter is what happens when the connection’s latency is not constant. Using the analogy above, if there is a traffic jam with one lane left open, some of the cars pass through fine while others are severely slowed down. When half of your voice reaches the other caller before the rest, the phone has to wait for all of the data. This delay causes sound quality issues.
Packet Loss
Packet loss can occur when latency is too high. The term literally means that packets of your voice have been lost between the phone and LANgineers’s servers. Packet loss can also be caused by your modem. If the modem has gone too long without being restarted. There are also issues with the physical line from the ISP that can cause packet loss.
Computer Traffic
If the phones and computers are on the same network connection, the computer traffic can have an effect on the quality of your calls. Generally, the two can coexist, but it is important to be mindful of doing things like remote backup and storage, streaming audio, video, or using peer-to-peer file sharing programs, as these activities can have a negative impact on your call quality.
Equipment Issues
Both your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and LANgineers highly recommend conducting an entire network restart once per month. This can help to correct many issues with your network, including possible dropped packets or loss of sync.
If you have a wireless router, it is very important to make sure you are using some sort of wireless security. If not, anyone will be able to jump on your connection. We have seen many instances where unauthorized users consume all of a customer’s bandwidth using various programs, such as peer-to-peer software.
LANgineers does not support wireless phones. This does not refer to cordless handsets, but specifically to phones that would connect to your wireless router. The reason is that wireless networks are affected by many factors. Therefore, you will likely experience poor sound quality or dropped calls.
Network Equipment can also cause sound quality issues if the device’s firewall settings are not correctly configured.
Headsets or bad handsets can also cause isolated sound quality issues. If only one phone is experiencing an issue, try switching to the speakerphone to see if the issue continues. If it does not, this can indicate a problem with the handset or headset.
Troubleshooting Sound Quality Issues
LANgineers technicians are happy to help troubleshoot sound quality problems. If you would like to investigate the issue yourself, please review the common causes first, and then locate your issue below.
Audio Cuts In and Out
- If your phone’s audio cuts in and out, this is usually an issue with a lack of bandwidth or with equipment that is out of sync.
- If only the person you are speaking with hears the audio issue, this is related to a lack of upload bandwidth. Run a bandwidth speed test Click Here Then consult our Bandwidth Requirements Guide for help in understanding the results.
- If your bandwidth is lower than expected, make sure that you are not conducting a remote backup during the day.
- If your computers are on the same network as the phones, sending email attachments or uploading to the internet can cause sound quality issues. In this case, you may want to consider a separate internet connection for your phones.
- If your bandwidth is lower than expected, and you are not uploading anything to the internet, you may have a computer infected with malware. You should consult your IT administrator for assistance. Some helpful third-party software includes: Please note that we do not support these software titles: Spybot Search & Destroy which will test for spyware. Networx which can be installed on each computer in the network and helps identify if that computer is consuming your bandwidth.
- If everything looks correct with your bandwidth, then the issue is likely related to overloaded routes your ISP uses for their back haul data connections. LANgineers’s Tech Support Team can assist you in testing for this and make recommendations for getting a new ISP connection if needed.
- If both parties hear the audio issue it is likely related to latency or network configuration. Ensure you are not running an online backup service. Run the VoIP Speed Test to check for problems with latency, jitter and packet loss. You may also have your IT administrator run a ping and traceroute test to 205.139.46.227. These tests can help identify latency problems on the public internet. Call or email Tech Support and we will check to make sure the necessary adjustments to your router and/or firewall have been made.
Static
If you have static on the line, this is usually an issue with a bad headset or handset. Follow these troubleshooting steps:
If you experience static on only one particular phone:
Switch from the handset to the headset to the speakerphone during the call. If you hear static on only one of these, then you know that particular device or part of the phone is malfunctioning. You will need to acquire a replacement to solve the problem. Please Note: Static is a common issue with wireless headsets, especially if the headset’s battery is low on charge. It is also more common to experience issues with more inexpensive devices.
As an additional step, change out the network cable or the curly handset cable connecting the handset to the phone. These cords occasionally get damaged, which can cause sound quality issues.
If you experience static on all the phones at one location:
Conduct a network restart to make sure everything is in sync. This involves unplugging all your network devices and then powering them back on in the proper order. You might need help with this so feel free to call LANgineers’s Tech Support Team for assistance with this.
Swap out any critical network cables. These are the cables that route all internet traffic, such as the single cable between your modem and router or the cable that runs from your router to the switch.
Echo
If you experience echo on only one particular phone:
Switch from the handset to the headset to the speakerphone during the call. If you hear an echo on only one of these, then you know that particular device or part of the phone is malfunctioning. You will need to acquire a replacement to solve the problem. Please Note: Static is a common issue with wireless headsets, especially if the headset’s battery is low on charge. It is also more common to experience issues with more inexpensive devices. Check the phone’s volume. If the volume is too high, it can cause a feedback echo. Swap out any critical network cables. These are the cables that route all internet traffic, such as the single cable between your modem and router or the cable that runs from your router to the switch. If you experience echo on all the phones at one location: Make sure that you do not have a hub as part of your network setup. If you do, you will need to replace the hub with a switch. Ensure that you do not have multiple phones on which the volume is up very high.No Audio or One Way Audio
This is nearly always an issue with the configuration of the router or firewall blocking the audio data. Follow these troubleshooting steps:
If you experience no audio or one way audio on only one particular phone:
Switch from the handset to the headset to the speakerphone during the call. If you have no audio or one way audio on only one of these, then you know that particular device or part of the phone is malfunctioning. You will need to acquire a replacement to solve the problem.
If you experience no audio or one way audio on all the phones at one location:
Make sure that you only have one router as part of your network setup. Having multiple routers can be problematic. You may want to copy down the make and model of the devices on your network and then research them on the internet to ensure that there are not multiple routers on your network.
Make sure you have made the necessary changes to your router and firewall.
Do you have an unsupported router? If so, we may be able to help you. Just give us a call at (650) 692-2001 or email at support@langineers.com.