Communicator - Poor Call Quality

VoIP phones are great alternatives to landline systems. They offer better call quality and reliability at a fraction of the cost of traditional phone lines or PBX.

But even the best technology can encounter hiccups. If you’ve ever been on a VoIP call plagued by choppy audio, dropped connections, or robotic voices, you know the frustration.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the most common VoIP problems and offer troubleshooting tips to fix recurring issues. You’ll save your IT staff time and get your business phone system in top shape in no time.

Common VoIP Problems

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems send calls over the internet and rely on your local network and bandwidth capacity. A weak link in the chain can negatively impact voice quality.

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Here are the most common VoIP issues to be aware of and fix:

1) Poor call quality or choppy audio

Since VoIP calls are transmitted in real time as data packets, any disruptions to voice packets reaching a destined IP address will get heard as choppy, distorted, or delayed audio on calls.

If you’re experiencing call quality issues, look out for these common culprits:

• Insufficient Bandwidth: VoIP requires adequate upstream and downstream internet speeds for high-quality calls. When your network’s bandwidth is full, or you have network instability, audio quality falls back to the most reliable, lower-bandwidth audio formats so as not to drop the call.

• Network Jitter: If packets are delayed or arrive out of sequence due to network congestion, calls will be choppy. Network jitter is the primary cause of most call quality issues.

• Packet Loss: Network issues may cause data packets to get dropped completely. This significantly impacts call quality.

• Improper QoS Settings: Failing to prioritize VoIP traffic can lead to choppy call quality due to packet loss and jitter as other network tasks compete for bandwidth.

Some ISP Web Site Support

https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/wifi-router-features

How to fix choppy voice

Start by checking your internet bandwidth. Insufficient upload/download speeds are the most common cause of choppy VoIP calls.

Run speed tests and make sure you meet the bandwidth recommendations from your VoIP provider. Ookla offers a handy VoIP speed test, enabling you to see how your network performs.

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Next, test your network for issues like high latency/jitter or packet loss during calls and troubleshoot accordingly. This may involve router firmware upgrades or contacting your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The site https://www.fusionconnect.com/speed-test-plus offers a good tool for this test, An example output is shown below.

A few more tips to fix choppy audio:

• Enable Quality of Service (QoS) on your router so VoIP traffic gets priority. This prevents VoIP packets from being delayed and helps calls sound smoother. Most modern routers, modems, and switches allow administrators to implement Quality of Service protocols that prioritize voice traffic.

• Use a wired ethernet connection rather than Wi-Fi whenever possible. Wireless is more prone to interference, which introduces latency and jitter. Wired connections are more reliable for crystal-clear calls.

• Disable unused network hardware like VPNs, guest networks, and high-capacity applications like YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming services, or double NAT configurations that could be impacting call quality over the network. Reduce internal network congestion from making calls within your office space.

• Place your phones on a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) to segment them from other network traffic.

If the problem persists, check your VoIP network or VoIP device. Reach out to your telephony provider because a problem could be at their end.

2) Dropped calls

A VoIP call disconnecting abruptly is incredibly annoying. This usually happens on outbound calls on high-volume networks.

The first culprit is not having the most up-to-date firmware on your device. A quick call to your phone provider should confirm this.

The second issue might be a UDP Timeout, which is the amount of time a UDP route stays open on a firewall or router.

UDP network traffic is faster because it lacks the error-checking capabilities TCP offers. As a result, it’s susceptible to firewalls closing the connection and terminating the call unexpectedly.

How to fix dropped calls

Start by troubleshooting internet connectivity problems. If temporary ISP disruptions or using Wi-Fi in dead zones causes dropped calls, use wired connections or mesh Wi-Fi to strengthen signals.

• Reset VoIP phones to re-register them with the VoIP server fresh. Power cycling fixes registration timeouts causing dropped calls.

• Check that firewalls, VPNs, or routers are not blocking access to critical VoIP ports and protocols. SIP ALG settings may need to be toggled.

• Adjust router settings to allow for longer UDP timeouts or switch devices to use TCP.

• Monitor your network quality during calls using built-in phone graphs and logs. Packet loss is a major culprit for call failures.

• Use Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches to hardwire IP phones. This provides consistent connectivity and power in case of WiFi drops or electrical outages.

3) Echo/feedback

Hearing your own voice reverberating back through the phone makes conversations very difficult.

Three potential problems cause echo/feedback on voice calls: audio configuration issues, headset lag, or network latency.

How to fix echo/feedback

Observe if the echo only occurs under certain conditions or directions to narrow down the root cause before troubleshooting.

• Use Proper VoIP Headset/Mic Setups — Use equipment designed for VoIP systems and position microphones away from speakers. Enable echo cancellation features if available.

• Fix Audio Configuration Issues — Misconfigurations commonly cause echo. Correctly calibrate volume levels, gain settings, and other parameters. An experienced VoIP technician can troubleshoot misconfiguration. Configure audio parameters like jitter buffers, packet sizes, and codecs used optimally for your network.

• Enable QoS Settings and VLAN assignments to prioritize voice traffic on your network so latency is minimized. Latency can exacerbate echo issues.

If you still experience echoes, you may need to improve your network stability.

VoIP Troubleshooting Tips

When things go wrong, VoIP issues often feel daunting to diagnose and resolve.

Here are some basic first steps to troubleshoot common VoIP issues:

• Check Internet Speeds/Stability — Use speed test tools and analyze connection metrics during calls. High latency, jitter, or packet loss indicate problems.

• Conduct Test Calls to remote offices or vendors regularly. Identify and resolve minor quality issues before they disrupt important client calls.

• Check VoIP Configurations:

  • Segment VoIP phones on your network into their own VLAN for higher performance.

  • Prioritize SIP traffic with QoS. Confirm that your router and switches prioritize VoIP traffic and devices.

  • Use CAT5e/CAT6 cabling with the same media type (10BASE-T vs. 1000BASE-T). Poor wiring causes excess latency.

  • Your ping should be less than 80 milliseconds and your jitter less than 30 milliseconds.

• Test QoS Settings — Toggle QoS settings to check whether they’re causing call quality issues. Resetting to default or consulting with a VoIP provider is recommended.

• Update Firmware/Software — Updating to the latest firmware versions for phones, routers, and other hardware is an easy fix for bugs.

• Contact Your VoIP Provider — Most quality VoIP phone systems have 24/7 technical support teams. They can access diagnostic tools and logs unique to their platform for rapid resolutions.

Best Practices To Avoid VoIP Problems

While technical problems generally require technical solutions, following best practices helps avoid issues proactively.

• Use business-class internet – Invest in dedicated business broadband at suitable bandwidth tiers for reliable connectivity.

• Limit phone calls over Wi-Fi whenever possible — Use a dedicated Ethernet line instead.

• Invest in quality VoIP hardware — Choose reputable brands and tested models known to work best with your chosen VoIP platform.

• Train employees — Provide users with proper headset/mic usage guidelines and general system dos/don’ts to avoid basic user errors impacting calls.

• Have a backup plan — Make sure remote teams have cell phones enabled as a backup way to make and receive calls if the VoIP system has interruptions.