Clear and consistent call quality is a top priority when a business moves to VoIP. Monitoring your VoIP PBX performance and network for issues like jitter, latency, and packet loss is important.
The best way to do this is with a tool like PRTG, which will send you notifications as soon as VoIP call quality begins to degrade. A free guide allows you to proactively detect, troubleshoot and optimize your network for superior voice communication.
Ensure A Good Internet Connection
If you need a reliable internet connection, no amount of phone system configuration can save you from poor sound quality. This is one of the most common reasons for VoIP sound problems, and the good news is that it can be easily fixed.
The most important factor for VoIP quality is stable upload and download speeds, ideally gigabit or better. A wired internet connection like fiber or cable is preferred over Wi-Fi, as wireless connections are often unstable and can cause latency and jitter issues that affect voice and video call quality.
You should also ensure that your network prioritizes VoIP traffic over other data, as this will ensure that voice packets don’t compete with file downloads for bandwidth. This can be done by adjusting the router’s quality of service (QOS) settings. Consult your router’s manual or search online for information on managing QOS for your specific router model.
Optimize Your Phone Settings
Regarding VoIP, phone hardware is one of the biggest factors influencing call quality. Choose a reliable provider and invest in high-quality desk phones to ensure the best results.
Avoid Wi-Fi connectivity as much as possible since it’s not designed for real-time applications and can cause issues with sound quality. Instead, use an ethernet cable – preferably Cat6 or higher (Cat5e isn’t enough). You should also ensure that microwaves and fluorescent lights are not near your audio input.
Ensure your routers and switches have a quality of service implemented to prioritize voice traffic over data. This will prevent dropped calls and help to keep call quality stable. Use a real-time monitoring tools to track key network metrics like latency, jitter, packet loss, and MOS scores. This will allow you to quickly identify and resolve performance issues before they impact your phone calls. This will save you time and money in the long run.
Test Your Phone’s Performance
If you’re a business that relies on VoIP for call communication with clients, customers, or employees, then you know how important it is to have crystal-clear communication. Having to ask your colleague (or a customer, client, or prospect) to repeat themselves can hurt your reputation and create frustration for everyone involved.
The best way to ensure your VoIP phone operates at peak performance is to regularly test its speed, jitter, and latency. The good news is that you can easily do this with a simple internet connection test and free monitoring tools.
Obkio is a network performance monitoring tool with specialized VoIP performance monitoring capabilities. It measures metrics like MOS Voice Quality Score, latency, and jitter to help you identify issues, troubleshoot problems, and optimize your VoIP for superior communication. Plus, it uses synthetic traffic to monitor your network, so it doesn’t require any packet capture or impact user privacy.
Optimize Your Network
Sound delays and poor audio quality can make or break a call if your network needs to be properly optimized for VoIP. Whether you’re trying to close a deal or communicate with your customers, this issue can be frustrating and potentially detrimental.
Start by running a network speed test. This will help you determine whether your existing internet connection works well for VoIP and matches your internet service provider (ISP) promised speeds. It will also inform you about your upload and download speeds, ping, and bandwidth.
Once you know your speed test results, upgrade any routers or switches on your network to Cat6 or higher. This will give you more bandwidth and improve network performance and reliability. In addition, implement QoS on your routers and switches to prioritize voice traffic over other types of network traffic. This will help reduce latency and jitter, which can also affect VoIP phone quality.
