The advantages offered by the VoIP telephony compared to the legacy PBX phone systems are numerous, such as the quality of audio, more features, the channel of communication, cost-effectiveness and simple to configure.
Although a typical phone system that runs in the cloud is not high-maintenance and does not require a lot of setups, you might occasionally experience some problems such as audio latency, echo, or even lost calls. Luckily, the solutions to these problems tend to be quite easy to resolve and you can do it yourself.
This article will describe the most frequent VoIP issues and solutions for resolving these issue.
What is VoIP, Voice Over Internet Protocol?
Voice over Internet Protocol refers to the fact that your audio travels on the same internet network that you already have. Voice over IP performs well over most forms of internet connection. The Internet Protocol (IP) contains redundancies to provide reliability in the delivery of packets to their destinations.
Are VoIP Reliable?
VoIP is highly valued for its reliability. Still, despite the best technology, disaster can occur.
The impressive uptime record is the 99.999%, popularly referred to as five nines, in the service of reputable VoIP service providers. Such reliability means that the service is accessible to the users practically all the time, with minimal downtimes. But it is important to understand that the reliability of voip is also based on the availability of an internet connection linked with voip devices.
Nevertheless, often the VoIP data packets pass using the User Datagram Protocol or UDP. UDP is a high-speed mechanism of transferring data with no ability to correct errors. When the data packets are lost, there is no way of restoring them. However, in Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) the data packets are resent to achieve maximum reliability at the cost of lower speed.
What are Some Common VoIP Problems?
Possible Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) issues are depending on the place, the selected type of VoIP software and devices, the amount of network participants, and the peaks of the day calls.
Nevertheless, small businesses and enterprise users have numerous concerns about VoIP call quality irrespective of a virtual telephony provider.
The most common business VoIP issues, whose troubleshooting solutions we are going to discuss, include:
- Jitter and Latency
- Echo
- Devices that will not make and/or receive calls
- Choppy and poor-quality calls
- Not a single sound after a call connection occurs
- Dropped calls
- No ringing of the phone when receiving incoming calls
1. Jitter and Latency
VoIP jitter happens when some aspect of an ongoing VoIP telephone call is transmitted to the receiver in a disorganized order so that whatever you say will be senseless, scrambled, or stuttering. Latency is caused by auditory delay, which implies that the voice of a speaker will take a long period to be heard by the recipient.
VoIP phone systems need a fast internet and bandwidth in an ongoing conversation to send audio information between the parties in a call. When VoIP audio data is either dropped or blocked during its transmission, such data arrives at the recipient in the wrong sequence (jitter) or late (latency).
To check, ensure that you are used with latency or jitter on the VOIP calls, use a VoIP speed test. An interruption in calls can be prevented, so latency should be less than 150 milliseconds (ms) and jitter less than 30 ms.
How to Troubleshoot Jitter and Latency?
Good ways of addressing jitter and latency include:
- Free up bandwidth access in your LAN: This can either involve buying a new router that can handle faster data rates or clearing up local network congestion by restricting the number of active users on it.
- Test your Internet Service Provider: All the connected devices may not be able to get the energy they require due to a lack of bandwidth in your internet. Reach your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to determine better connectivity.
- Install a Jitter buffer: When jitter buffers reside on virtual phones, they implement a minimal latency to delay a few packets delivery to reorder packets in real-time, correcting jitter.
2. Echo
Phone echo repeats loudly either in short or long intervals when on a call and one cannot understand the conversation involved. Where one, the recipient, or all parties hear an echo, it means that there is a VoIP connection problem.
How to Troubleshooting Phone Echo?
Good tips on echo VoIP troubleshooting include:
i. Speakerphone
The simplest solution to avoiding the problem as well as to correcting it is putting your phone out of the speakerphone switch. Speakerphone sends your voice via numerous microphones and speakers and it may result in numerous additional audio feedback cycles.
ii. Headset
The problem could be with your phone headset. To test this, have one call with your head set and one without it and see whether when using the head set the echo can only be heard. And when that is the case, replace it.
iii. Broadband/bandwidth
Just like jitter, echoing may also be due to a failing Internet connection. We suggest performing an Internet speed test to determine the appropriateness of the level of bandwidth you experience in VoIP traffic.
iv. Electromagnetic interference
Electromagnetic interference occurs when you place your devices near other electronic devices. As an illustration, you will find very poor quality of voice when you place your smartphone on top of your laptop during the calls since both machines possess giant electric fields.
3. Unable to Make or/Receive Calls Via the VoIP Device
Your VoIP system at times will not enable you to make outgoing calls or accept incoming calls. Usually, it does not connect outbound calls, an incoming call does not register, or it shows an X when you attempt to make an outbound call.
How to Troubleshoot the Issue to Make or Receive Calls?
To fix calling or being unable to call, use the following possible solutions:
i. Disable SIP ALG
See which happens when you deactivate the SIP ALG (Session Initiation Protocol Application Layer Gateway) toggle on the menu of your router. The SIP ALG tool is used to alter the outbound voice over the IP (VoIP) packets of a network to facilitate their more effective transmission using firewalls. Yet, the change may occasionally direct the packets to the incorrect IP address, hence leaving the receiver with no information about your VoIP data.
ii. Software update
In case you have no possibility to make inbound calls, you should probably update software of your VoIP application and reboot your device.
4. Broken Audio or Choppy
Choppy voice and sound implies that the call is not totally lost but some words are lost and voices continue cutting in and out.
It may resemble your vehicle going through a tunnel where you can only hear in every third word the other person is talking.
How to Troubleshoot Choppy or Broken Audio?
The easiest and most effective way out of it is that your internet connection is adequate in terms of Bandwidth and speed. Measure your download speed and jitter by using a speed test such as a VoIP or internet speed test. In case your jitter exceeds 30 ms it is quite possible that you lack bandwidth.
These are some measures to troubleshoot choppy VoIP audio:
i. Ease Load on Your Local Network Bandwidth
Lessen the bandwidth load on your router local network by reducing activities that involve high data bandwidth such as video conferencing, streaming, gaming and simultaneous VoIP calls by several users
ii. Change QoS Parameters
This setting of Quality of Service (QoS) in your router will help you to prioritise some device or data type e.g. VoIP. In that manner, when the traffic on your internal network is too heavy, your router makes sure that the VoIP data is a priority when distributing bandwidth.
iii. Look at Your WiFi Connection
The wireless networks are easy to work with, and they are usually powerful enough to drive through simpler use of the Internet, yet Wi-Fi is not ideal with regards to VoIP strings. You can consider switching to an Ethernet home internet.
5. No Audio After Dialing a Call
Your problem can be that you cannot hear after connecting to your call. This audio problem can be one way or none being able to hear the other side.
How to Troubleshoot Audio Repair?
The fix for one-way audio or lack of VoIP audio would be to check the firewall setting on both sides of the router to determine that SIP ALG is disabled. The potential solutions to the problem of a lack audio are:
i. Turn off SIP ALG
The lack of sound in connected calls is a common result of SIP ALG firewall configuration interference with the RTP or the UDP packet normally required to enable the VoIP service. In a majority of the instances, disabling SIP ALG will correct the firewall settings which ensure that VoIP data are delivered to their destination location.
ii. Codec Settings
All call parties must use identical VoIP codec (G 711, G 722, Opus) to compress and send all audio information during a call. To be sure that both sides want to use the same codec, look at the Codec Settings within the VoIP extension.
6. Lost Calls
Lost connections or dropped calls are a great cause of frustration to both staff and customers as conversations are often aborted mid-call without warning.
After being on the receiving end of dropped calls, the worst case scenario happens especially in call centers that have a high outbound call percentage regularly.
You can observe that when you call, you drop randomly or at a particular mark in your conversation like a few seconds or minutes into the conversation.
How to Troubleshoot Call Drop?
When it comes to the constantly dropped-out calls the main thing to start with is to make sure your software and all the adjustable VoIP hardware and equipment are updated. Subsequently, you should strive to decrease the usage of your local network bandwidth.
The solutions to troubleshoot dropped VoIP call are:
i. Upgrade VoIP Software, and Hardware
Make sure all of your VoIP Application, devices, and routers are running the latest version, and enable auto-updates where available. Call your VoIP service provider to see that you are using its latest version.
ii. Unplugging and Plugging Devices
Disconnect all the systems that are attached to the VoIP network and be connecting them back to the VoIP network one at a time to identify which device is problematic. The problem can be caused by separate devices such as a caller ID device, dial up modem, or network alarm systems.
iii. UDP Timeout
There is a chance that your reseller also implemented a UDP timeout that disconnects automatically within the specified number of minutes after phone calls. Call your provider and request them to have the safety disconnect removed. Meanwhile, you will be required to make some calls back to clients.
iv. Setting of Router Timeout
It is possible that your router will time out in a call and drop the call. Modify your router setting by setting the timeout to a minimum of 60 seconds. Another mode you can switch to is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) instead of using the UPD as this allows retransmission of some voice packets that had been lost.
Final Words - Troubleshooting VoIP Call
One of the best things to do is using VoIP troubleshooting in order to diagnose the common VoIP problems in an independent manner without having to call to both your voip and your Internet providers. Correct troubleshooting allows you to tell where the problem is, the cause of the problem and how to resolve it. It will as well save you some money that you may have used replacing otherwise functional network routers as well as switches.
Once you have looked at all your cables, and power cycled all your equipment, without getting any success, it may be the case that your voip provider should do more advanced kinds of troubleshooting.
FAQs - Troubleshooting VoIP Call
When the internet is down coupled with VoIP, then all the appliances attached to it will fail in calling or using your VoIP application. But mobile phones are also able to place VoIP calls via cellular connection.
VoIP is the most susceptible to changes in your Internet connections and speed, particularly bandwidth. Poor bandwidth may interfere with the audio quality in the VoIP.
VoIP is highly dependable and majority of the networks have a 99.999% uptime ensure. But make sure that your VoIP equipment is on a steady Internet connection.
The easiest method to verify a VoIP connection and bandwidth speed is through an online VoIP speed detector. A jitter is less than 30 ms, and latency is below 150 ms.
Find the real cause, give VoIP priority in the network, upgrade hardware/software, optimize quality of service parameters, or expand bandwidth adjustments to resolve VoIP issues. In many cases, the real cause may require troubleshooting. The most important thing is maintenance to reduce VoIP quality issues.
