VoIP is a powerful communication technology, but it’s not bulletproof against all issues. Service providers are not immune to the occasional outage, and even when everything seems to be working perfectly, there may still be problems that affect the quality of your call. Luckily, there are plenty of hassle-free solutions to get your VoIP up and running again.
Here are 7 of the most common problems with IP telephony and quick and easy solutions for you to tackle them.
Latency
One of the major VoIP problems is latency, or in other words a delay in data transmission. It’s the time taken for sound to travel from the device of the sender to your headphones. It’s measured in milliseconds and shouldn’t be more than 150ms because the sounds present as stuttering above those levels.
What Causes Latency?
Latency can be caused by problems at any stage of the path from your VoIP client to the sender or on the receiver end. It can be due to poor settings on your phone or softphone application, firewalls blocking data packets, network problems between your internet service provider (ISP) and the IP telephony providers and between your ISP and the receiver ISP.
Troubleshooting & Quick Solutions:
There are a few solutions to fix latency problems. Firstly, you should have a look at your equipment. Test the speed of your internet connection with a tool like www.speedtest.net to confirm that it’s not simply faulty hardware or an overloaded router producing these delays.
Then, prioritize VoIP traffic on your routers, get compatible headsets that can handle those calls, and check with your provider that there’s no problem with your ISP.
Jitter
Jitter occurs when the data packets are received out of order or later than they were sent, increasing the probability of lost data packets.
What Causes Jitter?
Jitter happens when data packets are delayed or lost during transit across a network. This can happen if traffic is being throttled or if there are routing issues. Sometimes it’s the fault of your ISP but more often, jitter has nothing to do with their network and can be caused by congested pathways between you and them.
Troubleshooting & Quick Solutions:
If jitter testing shows that your data packets are arriving late, one of the solutions is changing the router you’re using to a different one. If the problem persists, use a jitter test tool like PRTG Jitter Monitor. If everything looks good, contact your ISP and tell them about the issue you’re experiencing.
Dropped Calls
A dropped call occurs when you’re calling over a network and the call suddenly ends before it’s finished.
What Causes Dropped Calls?
These problems can occur because of congestion, packet loss or jitter but are usually caused by a problem between your VoIP client and the receiver end. Usually when the call is dropped (disconnected), both ends will be aware and you will see a message saying that the other person has hung up. If you’re using VoIP without any software on your computer, dropped calls may not show up at all.
Troubleshooting & Quick Solutions:
If you notice repeated unexpected disconnections when on a call, try sending a ping to a known good server from a command prompt to check that there are no routing issues, then use the jitter testing method mentioned above. If you’re not experiencing any problems with your network, one of the other solutions is to try using different VoIP clients and/or make sure you have the most recent version of each one installed.
Broken Audio
Broken audio is when your voice call can be initiated but it is impossible to hear each other. The voice of the person on the other end may be extremely quiet or sound distant. If you’re using IP telephony without any software on your computer, broken audio may not show up at all.
What Causes Broken Audio?
Broken audio can be caused by any of the problems that lead to dropped calls. It can also be caused by incorrect settings on your phone or software.
Troubleshooting & Quick Solutions:
Don’t use two different VoIP clients at once, make sure you’re using the most recent version of each one, get rid of any unnecessary software running on your computer, and try to keep everything up-to-date.
No Audio
No audio at all is when you are calling but there is no response from the other end. If your phone rings, it may ring indefinitely or stop ringing quickly without ever being answered.
What Causes No Audio At All?
If there’s no audio at all on the line, it is most likely because your phone or software is not configured to work with IP telephony. It may also be caused by a problem between the two ends of the call, poor quality equipment on your end or bad wiring in your building.
Troubleshooting & Quick Solutions:
If you have a standard telephone, make sure it has been converted correctly to ensure compatibility with IP telephony. If you’re using other software with your VoIP client, try uninstalling it and just using the VoIP client instead. Make sure that all of your equipment is compatible with IP telephony.
Inability To Make Outgoing Calls
If you’re unable to make outgoing calls in general or if the quality of your outgoing calls is much poorer than it should be, you’re having an outgoing call problem. This issue can be difficult to diagnose as there are lots of factors that could be causing it.
What Causes This Problem?
There are many reasons why these problems keep arising:
- Your IP address on the internet is wrong (i.e. it’s not the IP address that was assigned to you by your ISP).
- Your router may be blocking your traffic.
- Your computer could have the wrong network configuration for transmitting out through your internet connection, or there could simply be a problem with your network configuration in general (example an incorrect MTU size).
Troubleshooting & Quick Solutions:
You’ll need to fix whatever network issues are preventing the calls from being sent out of your internet connection. For example, if it’s due to incorrect routing, you could try asking your ISP for help or using a network tracing tool like WinMTR.
Echo
If you are hearing your own voice in your ear when you speak, it is called an echo and can be caused by one or more of the following factors:
Your microphone may not be aimed away from something that would cause an echo, such as a wall or screen.
You could be hearing yourself through your speakers or headphones because your microphone is picking up the sound it’s outputting.
What Causes Echoes?
An echo can be caused by an issue with the software, incorrect settings on your computer, problems with any hardware involved in making the call, or a physical problem with the connection.
Troubleshooting & Quick Solutions:
One of the simplest solutions to resolve an echo is to have somebody listen in to your call while you adjust your microphone or speaker settings until the echo goes away. If you’re calling someone else and they are hearing an echo, try having them put their phone on mute so you can talk to each other but not hear any sound being played back.
Once you have identified the issue, carry out all of the necessary hardware and software updates, check that your settings are correct, try adjusting the microphone/speaker settings on your computer, or replace any hardware that is faulty.
Final Words
VoIP is a great technology, but it isn’t without its problems. These aren’t hard to resolve and you can tackle all of the above issues by following the suggested fixes in this guide. For more information about IP telephony, benefits and providers, go over to voip-info.org.
April 7, 2023
Phone System 