4 Most Common VoIP Issues and How to Troubleshoot Them

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Being a VoIP user, you ought to have some essential knowledge about VoIP issues that arise while working with it. Here are some most probable VoIP issues and some tips to troubleshoot them.

If you haven’t joined the VoIP communication world yet, you might do so soon. Companies all over the world now use VoIP calling as their primary method of communication. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise because VoIP provides you with a cutting-edge, cloud-based system that is adaptable, scalable, and typically much less expensive than traditional telephone solutions.

Businesses that frequently talk to employees, customers, and prospects over the phone need to know about the issues that emerge while using VoIP as a primary communication platform. VoIP is probably necessary if you have a distributed team that works from anywhere. The phone calls are your primary method of establishing relationships with clients and customers.

Communication Issues Warn You!

Naturally, there is a caveat: in order for it to work, you need a properly stable internet connection. This indicates that a poor connection is, in fact, the most common cause of VoIP issues.

But for the current instance, if you’re having problems with VoIP, this blog can give you some tips to identify common VoIP issues as well as methods to troubleshoot them so that you can get it back up and running as soon as possible.

Are you ready for high-quality, streamlined VoIP communication? Then switch to the best VoIP Phone Providers.

Below, we have addressed some problems with VoIP that are most typical and need immediate attention. Also, we will try to inform you with some techniques to solve them after noticing.

1. Jitter or loss of data packets:

This is probably one of the most common problems with VoIP. On your end, it could be a disruption in the network, poor call quality or really slow service.

A brief overview on the operation of VoIP calls for better understanding of the issue! In general, you can make VoIP calls over the internet by sending small amounts of data in packets. In order to reach their destination, these packets travel along the network, typically in the most effective manner possible. Suppose it is a specific IP address. They are reassembled upon arrival to ensure that the person you are calling understands what you are saying.

“Packet loss” occurs when these packets fail to reach their intended destination. In some cases, your call may even come to an end if packet loss occurs. High-bandwidth services like video and audio typically experience packet loss first.

When packets don’t travel in the order they left your system, then jitter occurs! This is typically brought on by a congested network. A jitter buffer can fix the problem if there is only a little jitter. In order for media packets to reach their destination at the right time, they are shuffled here. The audio will become unclear as a result of jitter-induced packet loss if a fix is not provided within a reasonable amount of time.

Since jitter typically appears as a consequence of network congestion;

Troubleshooting Jitter:

Examining your wired and wireless configuration is a quick way to improve your business phone system call quality. Instead of using wireless earbuds, supports that you are using wired headphones to take calls. If you carefully observe, corded or USB-based wired phones tend to deliver a clearer conversation than wireless or Bluetooth headphones.

Now, it’s needed to look at your network if the problem isn’t with your VoIP headphones. Your technical department should be able to fix jitter by utilizing a network monitoring tool. Through this, it is possible to identify the packet streams carrying VoIP data and tag them for protection with Quality of Service (QoS) features. 

2. Broken Audio in the Call:

This is probably not a new thing to know if you use VoIP calls a lot. Poor voice quality can be really frustrating.

Meanwhile, it is not professional to ask your co-worker, or even worse, a customer or prospect, “Can you repeat that?” Additionally, it might cloud the trust you’ve established thus far in the conversation.

You might also experience strange echoes that make your call sound like it’s happening in a cave or robotic-sounding that make your voice sound odd. This kind of broken audio typically has to do with bandwidth capacity.

The amount of data that can be transferred over a connection in a given amount of time is measured by this.

Bandwidth is probably the reason why a VoIP caller is cutting in and out. Pick Vitel Global as your one stop solution for high quality audio.

Troubleshooting Broken Audio:

Run a VoIP speed test to make sure your VoIP phone connection is stable and your network is stable. This will clarify you with the performance of your network. Try three tests to get a more accurate average reading because network tests can vary. Contact your internet service provider (ISP) immediately if your bandwidth is less than expected.

3. Call Drop: 

When your phone disconnects from the network, this is known as a dropped call. Call drop may be a problem if you use a high-volume network and make a lot of outbound calls. Sometimes, all you have to do to fix the problem is update your devices to the most recent firmware.

Additionally, a UDP (User Datagram Protocol) Timeout could cause calls to drop. This is fundamentally how much time a UDP course remains open on a switch or firewall. UDPs are used by apps as a shortcut to eliminate error-checking and speed up the flow of information. This makes it vulnerable to firewalls closing the connection and abruptly terminating the call, which is a drawback.

Troubleshooting dropped calls:

Check to see if your router’s settings can be changed to make UDP timeout intervals longer. You also have the option of using a TCP connection, which, in contrast to UDP, is a connection-oriented protocol. This indicates that it sends an acknowledgement packet to the receiver to keep track of the packets it receives. After a predetermined amount of time, the connection timeouts if this does not arrive.

4. Latency:

The amount of time it takes for audio data to travel from a computer or phone to your headphones is known as latency. The network, the device itself, and even your headset all have an impact on the amount of lag. Callers typically perceive latency as an audio delay and occasionally as echo.

Verify that your devices have the most recent updates and are properly plugged in to determine what is causing latency. Re-test your calls using the failsafe tech tip of plugging and unplugging the device.

Troubleshooting Latency:

Some wired headphones can still cause barely noticeable lag. Headsets that are recommended for use with particular phone systems are available. 

Contact your VoIP provider if you still haven’t found the problem. They should be able to identify and resolve most issues you are having with VoIP calls. If everything has been updated and you are still having issues, it may be time to replace those devices.

Conclusion:

Every product or service has its two sides of a coin and they are its pros and cons. VoIP services come with minimal possibility of issues. Yet, issues regarding the network or the device are inevitable. Our expert technical team can guide you regarding this and we are available round-the-clock. 

To know more and to subscribe to a business phone solution with Vitel Global, Get VoIP Live Demo.

Published: October 31st, 2022