Many companies face issues with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems, which can affect the stability or even the continuity of service.
In this article, we highlight the most common VoIP problems that users may encounter,
as well as the types of issues that may affect your network.
We’ll explore the various forms and types of problems you might face in your telecommunications network.
The most frequent issues with VoIP or internet-based calls include:
Poor audio quality, dropped or intermittent calls, calls that are not audible, or calls where only one side can hear the other.
In some cases, calls may completely fail, preventing both parties from hearing each other.Persistent issues like these can damage a company’s relationship with clients and may drive customers to competitors.
There are free tools and simple tests you can use to determine the cause of VoIP issues, such as internet speed tests, network performance and quality tests, and packet loss measurements.
While these tools won’t directly fix the problem, they can give you insight into the location and magnitude of network issues.
Also known as a VoIP speed test, this measures whether you have sufficient bandwidth for VoIP calls.
It’s a quick way to determine if you have enough upload capacity to make calls over the internet.
The internet speed and upload capacity directly affect how well call data is transmitted between you and the person you’re calling, which can significantly impact call quality.
Each VoIP call typically requires around 100 Kbps for both download and upload.You should calculate the number of employees and expected concurrent calls accurately to determine the necessary internet speed and capacity to ensure stable and continuous communication.
If you experience problems during peak hours, it may indicate the need for higher internet speed or upload capacity.
During peak hours, employees are also sending emails, using web applications, watching videos, and consuming bandwidth on other activities, which directly and primarily affects call quality.
You should consider all these factors when determining your internet speed and upload capacity to resolve any VoIP issues that may appear in your company.
The ping test is a free network troubleshooting tool available on all operating systems.
This test measures the time it takes for data to travel between two points on the internet, for example, between your computer and another device on the network. It measures speed and packet loss rates, both of which can have a significant impact on VoIP calls.
For example, if the result exceeds 100 milliseconds, calls may be affected, and you should take a closer look at your internet line quality and the service efficiency of your ISP.
For instance, imagine two devices communicating via VoIP—one transmits data at 10 ms and the other at 200 ms. This will inevitably cause audio delays, affecting call quality and continuity.
Once you’ve determined that you’re experiencing packet loss, you can run a traceroute test to find out exactly where the problem occurs.
Traceroute can tell you what potential obstacles exist with your internet connection. This test displays all the points your data packets pass through and the time taken at each point.
For example, when communicating with a device in another country, data passes through an average of 12 points before reaching the other party. This test shows all those points and displays the time consumed at each one.
You can change your internet service provider or find an alternative solution for that point. Once the cause is identified, you can follow up with the person or company responsible, whether it’s your local area network (LAN), your Internet Service Provider (ISP), or your VoIP service provider.
If the problem is with your internal network, the Traceroute test will likely show you where the issue is within your internal network.
You’ll need to check your internal network devices and firewall until the problem is resolved.
If the problem is with your Internet Service Provider, then you need to review with your ISP. You should review your Service Level Agreement (SLA) to determine the cause of the problem, work to resolve it, and ensure it doesn’t recur.
The above are the most common VoIP problems and how to work on resolving and avoiding them in the future.
XonTel is a leading company in the Arab world providing solutions for VoIP and SIP problems, internet-based communication systems, SIP Trunk services, and all modern telecommunication solutions for businesses and individuals.
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The most common VoIP problems include poor voice quality, call dropouts, delayed audio, one-way audio, echo or distortion during calls, as well as calls dropping or failing to connect.
These issues can result from a weak internet connection, internal network congestion, data packet loss, or incorrect settings in the router, firewall, or PBX system.
Choppy audio usually occurs due to data packet loss, unstable internet speed, or a high rate of variation in data arrival time, known as jitter.
This issue can also appear when employees use the network to download files or watch videos during calls, especially if voice traffic isn’t given priority on the network.
One-way audio issues usually occur due to incorrect firewall or NAT settings, or because RTP voice ports are blocked.
The issue may also be related to router, PBX, or VoIP provider settings, so the audio path and the ports used in the connection should be checked.
Audio delay occurs when data packets take a long time to travel between the two ends of the call.
This may be due to the distance to the VoIP server, internet network congestion, a weak service provider, or the connection passing through a large number of network points before reaching the other end.
VoIP calls may drop due to an internet outage, even a brief one, connection instability, data packet loss, or an issue with the phone’s registration on the PBX.
This issue may also occur due to connection timeout settings in the router or firewall, or due to a fault at the internet service provider or VoIP service provider.
VoIP network quality can be tested using internet speed measurement tools, Ping tests, and Traceroute, in addition to measuring the data packet loss rate, jitter, and response time.
These tests help determine whether the problem lies within the local network, with the internet service provider, or along the path to the VoIP server.
Ping measures the time it takes for data to reach the other end and come back.
Jitter measures the variation in the arrival time of data packets, while packet loss refers to some voice data not reaching the other end. The higher these values, the greater the likelihood of choppiness, delay, or distortion appearing in the call.
Call quality can be improved by using a stable internet connection, connecting VoIP phones via network cables instead of Wi-Fi when possible, and prioritizing voice traffic using QoS settings.
It’s also recommended to separate the phone network from the data network, monitor packet loss and jitter, keep network devices updated, and ensure the firewall and PBX settings are configured correctly.