I remember in 2003, when I first started working with VOIP, it was horrible. Every customer we had, would complains about quality of service. Only way to fix the issue back then would be to recommend customer get MPLS or some kind of point to point circuit. This would fixed the problems, but it would come at a premium price tags and customer would be limited to using the phones at just locations that have MPLS and or Private Point to Point circuit with guarantee quality of service. I remember back then, internet speed were much slower, high end routers with decent CPU for processing also came with a premium price.
Last month, I probably setup a handful of customers. This time around, I wanted to run a tests. I’ve setup the system with a decent router without programming QoS (quality of services) and yet I have not had any complaints on the quality. I basically was in shocked. Regardless after a few weeks, I’ve program QoS anyways, in an effort to avoid future problems. With that being said, I’m much more comfortable with VOIP now then I ever was before. I went through a time of avoidance because of all the problems I’ve ran into in the beginning of VOIP.
How to test VoIP quality on a modern network
Modern internet service and faster routers have made VoIP easier to deploy than it was in the early 2000s, but a fast connection alone does not guarantee a good call. Test for packet loss, jitter, latency, and upload congestion while the problem is happening. Compare a wired phone with a softphone on Wi-Fi, and check whether calls fail only at one desk, one location, or during busy hours.
QoS can prioritize voice traffic through a congested local network when switches and routers are configured consistently. It cannot fix a failing cable, an unstable ISP route, a bad power supply, or a phone provider outage. Before changing settings across the network, record affected extensions and call times, inspect switch-port errors and PoE, and make one testable change at a time.
Dealing with poor call quality today? Our choppy VoIP call guide explains jitter, packet loss, cabling, and QoS. BCS also provides onsite and remote troubleshooting in Austin.
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