Call Quality Archives - United World Telecom

6 Ways to Fix VoIP Jitter

Posted on December 28, 2020August 15, 2022 by Luke Genoyer

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#1497111 ID#27446420

When conducting business calls, interruptions, low call quality, or missing audio can lead to miscommunication. Part of running a professional business is ensuring that your business calls, whether for queries or support, occur smoothly without any distortion or jumbled audio. Interruptions during calls can lead to losing valuable clients. One important element that affects VoIP business calls is jitter. In this post, we explain what leads to jitter and how to fix VoIP jitter in 6 useful ways.

Why You Need to Fix VoIP Jitter

In order to fix VoIP jitter, one must understand VoIP jitter and how it affects a business’ VoIP phone system. During VoIP business calls, voice messages are transformed from analog to digital signals and stored in data packets. For VoIP calls to connect two end-points successfully, data packets need to be transmitted effectively without delay or disturbance.

While these data packets move from one end-point to the next, the packets travel through different paths and may not take the same path. However, due to a variety of reasons — such as low internet speed, a low-quality router, and so on — the data packets may not be delivered at the same time. Instead, they may arrive at irregular intervals affecting VoIP call quality. Additionally, this can lead to missing or jumbled audio. This is known as ‘VoIP jitter.’ Jitter within business calls can lead to miscommunication and frustration for users. Here are 6 reliable ways to fix VoIP jitter:

1. Invest in a Powerful Router

When purchasing a router for your VoIP phone system, do your research and find one that is powerful and can handle your VoIP needs, especially the bandwidth capacity. Carefully review the product and see if it matches your needs. Study customer reviews and testimonials and look for complaints and potential issues.

2. Utilize an Ethernet Cable

Use a high-quality ethernet cable to connect your VoIP system to your router. This way, you will have a better connection and no interference from sources out of your control that can lead to jitter, latency, packet loss, and more. Additionally, if you already have an ethernet cable but are still experiencing jitter, then perhaps it’s time to upgrade your ethernet.

3. Subscribe to High-Speed Internet

Next, as is widely known, low internet connection speeds can affect the quality of your VoIP phone system. Low internet speeds lead to jitter, latency, and more. Make sure that your business has high-speed internet connection to ensure smooth connectivity.

4. Conduct Bandwidth Tests

Besides securing a high-speed internet connection, you also want to ensure that your bandwidth is strong enough to carry the weight of your VoIP phone system. Ask your ISP to test your bandwidth and then resolve jitter issues. You may even connect with your VoIP phone service provider for help in resolving VoIP jitter issues.

5. Consider Getting a Jitter Buffer

Another way to fix VoIP jitter is by using a jitter buffer, a device that intentionally delays an incoming data packet. By delaying an incoming packet, the receiver of the call will hear the voice message clearly and with very little distortion. This is because the jitter buffer will re-group delayed data packets and then play them together, steadily. Your data packets will be stored in the right sequence and played accurately and clearly.

6. Reduce Unnecessary Bandwidth Usage

Lastly, make it a practice to reduce unnecessary bandwidth usage, especially during office hours. Teach your staff to not use large amounts of bandwidth for non-work-related activities. This includes streaming videos or content from Netflix, etc. These services use large amounts of bandwidth and can lead to jitter during VoIP calls.

Convert More Customers with VoIP for Business

A business VoIP phone system can greatly improve the way your business communicates with its customers. Additionally, getting this service from a reliable VoIP provider can help improve VoIP call quality issues such as jitter, latency, and so on. Ready to upgrade your business phone system and get VoIP? Speak with our representatives today!

Understanding Voice Over IP Jitter, Latency, and Packet Loss

Posted on November 18, 2020February 23, 2024 by Beny Mouen

The key to good VoIP call quality depends on a few factors such as jitter, latency, and packet loss. We discuss these elements below so you can ensure your business has strong and reliable VoIP quality for customer calls.

Understanding VoIP Call Quality: The Basics

Voice over IP (VoIP) calls use the internet to transmit voice or data packets from one user to their destination. On VoIP calls, your voice is transformed from analog to digital signals in data packets and is sent to your destination. Upon arrival, these packets are converted back to analog and the audio is heard. Data packets generally contain about 20 milliseconds of audio and this whole process occurs at lightning speed.

And while this process seems simple and straightforward, there are a few factors that can affect the quality of the call, interrupting it. Good VoIP call quality depends on keeping the following elements to a minimum:

Jitter
Latency
Packet loss

Let’s look at these issues more closely and ways to troubleshoot them.

Voice Over IP Jitter

For a VoIP or SIP call to take place successfully, data packets must be transmitted from one user to their destination. And these data packets travel through different paths before they reach the destination. As such, all data packets may not take the same path or time to arrive.

VoIP jitter refers to the data packets being delivered to the destination at irregular intervals instead of being delivered at the same time. In other words, one packet is delivered after the rest of the packet. This can lead to low VoIP call quality with missing or jumbled audio.

How to fix network jitter?

Generally speaking, 30 milliseconds (or less) jitter is acceptable. However, more than that can lead to serious call quality issues, affecting your calls and customer care efforts. And so, to fix jitter issues, you must first check your network and ensure you have a good internet connection.

Another way to fix network jitter issues is by using a jitter buffer. This is a space where packets are collected and stored. Then, they are sent out at regular intervals ensuring they move in the right order.

VoIP Latency

Voice over IP latency refers to lag or delay within the call. More specifically, it’s the delayed time between a caller speaking and the receiver hearing the audio. This lag or delay can lead to speakers talking over each other or echoes in the middle of the call.

It is also important to note that international calls may experience more latency than domestic or local calls. And while it is not desirable, users generally tend to accept latency in long-distance calls more than local ones.

How to fix this issue?

Latency does not necessarily affect VoIP call quality. However, it does make the caller experience less desirable, giving way to frustration and miscommunication.

Most of the time, latency is a result of network congestion, which also contributes to jitter. To combat this, you should prioritize voice over IP data ahead of other data transmitted across your network. And a high-quality VoIP router can help with this as well as other issues that may crop up within a VoIP phone system.

Voice Over IP Packet Loss

Understanding packet loss is pretty straightforward. It refers to data packets lost during transmission from one user to their destination. Packet loss occurs when:

Data packets are lost and never arrive at the destination
Packets arrive late and are discarded as a result
Packets contain errors and are discarded
High data packet loss which results in low VoIP call quality or missing pieces of audio.

When data packets go missing, communication between two parties is incomplete or unclear. Troubleshooting this issue is similar to fixing network jitter and latency: check your network. Congested networks where multiple and large files are downloaded or uploaded or transferred can lead to packet loss. Therefore, to ensure low to no packet loss:

Make sure you have enough bandwidth.
Minimize network congestion (don’t stream videos or download music or send large email attachments).

Get a Reliable VoIP Provider

To ensure you do not suffer through these issues, it is important to find a VoIP number provider that can handle your voice over IP traffic. Learn more about our VoIP service by speaking with one of our experts today. Call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 or chat with us online for more information!

How to Measure and Improve VoIP Call Quality

Posted on September 8, 2020October 8, 2021 by Luke Genoyer

Source: DepositPhotos.com - Lic#49280267 ID#27446420

A well-functioning business VoIP system ensures that your business stays connected with customers and clients, no matter where you are located. But an important part of using VoIP numbers or a VoIP phone system is to make sure your call quality is efficient and not compromised. In this post, we will look at how to measure and improve VoIP call quality.

What Are the Most Common Issues With VoIP Call Quality?

Before we delve into how to measure and improve VoIP call quality, it is imperative to first understand what are the causes of poor VoIP quality. There are a few different factors affecting the quality of your voice over IP system. Fortunately, these VoIP issues are easy to fix.

So, what are the major causes of poor VoIP quality?

1. Latency

Latency refers to lag or delay that occurs between a speaker and receiver. In other words, there is a delay between the time the speaker says something and the receiver hears it. This results in echoes or speakers speaking over each other. While latency doesn’t affect the VoIP call quality, it does make it difficult to communicate effectively, leading to frustration and confusion.

2. Jitter

Jitter occurs when a data packet is delivered later than the rest of the packet. VoIP and SIP calls occur through the transmission of data packets from one user to the next. A data packet can take various paths through the interweb to reach its destination. Furthermore, all the packets may not take the same path which can lead to one or two packets arriving later than the rest. High levels of VoIP jitter can result in bad call quality and missing or jumbled audio.

3. Packet loss

Packet loss refers to the loss of data packets during transmission. There are a few different types of packet loss:

Completely lost and never reaches the destination
Arrived late, therefore discarded
Contain errors, therefore discarded
High packet loss leads to bad call quality as pieces or chunks of audio are missed or are hard to decipher.

4. Poor internet connection

Since VoIP calls occur over the internet, having a strong internet connection is essential to the proper functioning of your business phone system. If your ISP is optimized merely for surfing the internet and uploading or downloading files, then you won’t have even bandwidth for speedy VoIP connections and transmission of data packets. You can use online speed testing tools to get a good understanding of your internet capabilities such as:’

Upload speeds
Download speeds
Jitter times, etc.

How is VoIP Quality Measured?

The Mean Opinion Score (MOS) is the leading tool to measure VoIP call quality. MOS measures subjective call quality and its scores range from 1 (bad VoIP quality) to 5 (excellent VoIP quality).

Some standards and metrics to consider when measuring VoIP include:

The ITU standards P.861 (PSQM) and P.862 that state how MOS scores should be calculated.
The ITU standard P.563 that calculates call quality passively and includes an R factor to estimate a MOS score.
PESQ and PAMS methods that need a license from Psytechnics.
Cisco IOS that has built-in tools to measure metrics and estimate MOS during test calls.

How Do I Test VoIP Quality?

In order to test VoIP call quality, you will have to monitor network latency, jitter, and packet loss. VoIP quality tests will enable close monitoring of calls. Call details, activity reports, and alerts can help you identify areas that need improvement or solutions.

What is a Good MOS Score?

MOS measures VoIP quality by assessing the user’s opinion of the call’s quality to score it. On a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent), a good score for VoIP calls falls between 3.5-4.2 range. This is what a MOS chart looks like:

MOS	Quality	Issue
5	Excellent	Perfect quality
4	Good	Less perfect; may include some loss of quality
3	Fair	Slightly strained quality
2	Poor	Strained quality
1	Bad	Heavily strained quality

7 Ways to Improve VoIP Call Quality

So, how can you improve VoIP quality, and what are some helpful troubleshooting methods? Here is a list of 7 ways to fix your VoIP call quality:

1. Check your internet speed

The first step to ensuring high VoIP call quality is choosing the right internet service provider. Make sure you have enough bandwidth for VoIP calls and regularly test your internet speed using online testing tools.

2. Check network & equipment configuration

One of the top troubleshooting methods is to check if your network and equipment are properly configured. A network that is not properly configured can negatively affect call quality. This is especially true if you are transmitting voice and data.

3. De-jitter your VoIP

Jitter is often a result of network congestion, packet lags, configuration issues, etc. The best way to combat jitter is to invest in a de-jitter buffer such as a router or Edge device that receives a Real-Time Protocol (RTP).

4. Check your cabling

Most of the current cabling for phone communication and data transmission is a CAT 5 or higher. Ensure your phone system has the right wiring and cabling for its purpose.

5. Choose good handsets

Another quick and easy troubleshooting method is to get new and improved headsets. Low-quality headsets can easily hinder call quality and make simple communication difficult and unclear. Get good headsets for your employees so they have the best tools to work with.

6. Avoid hubs on your local access network (LAN)

A LAN with multiple hubs can result in low call quality. The recommendation is that each phone is individually connecting to the switch.

7. Determine whether “crackling” is because of faulty wiring or hardware problems

Lastly, if you are experiencing “crackling,” it is important to identify where it is coming from so you can fix it appropriately. Are all lines experiencing crackling? Are cords not properly or tightly plugged in? And so on.

Improve VoIP Quality and Enhance Business Communication

One of the top reasons why businesses are switching to Voice Over IP is because issues related to these phone systems are easy to identify and fix. Ready to switch to VoIP for business? Call us today to find out how our VoIP service can benefit your small business!