Plexus Tips – VoIP Quality of Service
Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP) is a rapidly expanding technology that provides voice communication services over the Internet rather than traditional phone lines. Australian businesses have been choosing to transition to VoIP for some time, and with the rollout of the NBN and removal of traditional phone lines, many more will have to. One of the ongoing concerns and fears surrounding VoIP has been call service quality.
The good news is that poor service quality issues are usually quite easy to identify, and then correct. Here we discuss some of the issues that are commonly identified, and some options for remedying them.
1. Insufficient Bandwidth / Poor Internet Connection
Whilst it may seem obvious, you would be surprised how many businesses are operating VoIP services over an inadequate Internet connection. As stated previously, it’s extremely important to seek specialist advice as to the compatibility of your VoIP service with your current Internet to a high-speed, business-grade connection.
2. Voice Delay
Referred as ‘latency’, the voice echo sound you sometimes hear in long distance or other calls is the result of poor quality of service. One way to prevent this delay is to ensure sufficient Internet bandwidth. Before moving to VoIP, or if you are experiencing ongoing problems, consultation with a technician and assessment of Internet speed is crucial. Another is to ensure VoIP services are prioritised within your network, using a router or other available technologies. Again, speak to a technician about how you can ensure prioritisation of VoIP calls.
3. Jitters
In technical terms, this refers to the measure of the variability over time of the latency across a network. In real terms, jitters result in poor or scrambled audio as a result of ‘voice packets’ arriving in different order to what they were sent in. This can be prevented by jitter buffers, which store packets temporarily and discard late arriving ones, minimising re-ordering and maximising voice quality.
As stated earlier, poor service quality issues are usually quite easy to identify, and then correct. If you have experienced ongoing VoIP service quality issues, it may be time to consider changing service providers.
For further information on VoIP, quality of service or to have your Internet speed assessed, speak to one of our technicians today.
