Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has provided many businesses and homeowners an easier and more efficient way to make local and international telephone calls without the expensive prices imposed by traditional phone line services. This system has taken over the telecommunications industry by storm. In fact, the VoIP services market has been forecast to grow to a $140 billion industry by 2021, with only 6% of U.S. consumers left using the landline phone by the end of this year.
Although the technology of VoIP has greatly improved since its introduction in 1995, sometimes achieving a good-quality connection can be a challenge. The connection to the Internet and the devices used to connect plays a vital role in the call quality of VoIP services. Before checking out new Lingo offerings, here are a few ways to improve the quality of your current VoIP service:
Check the Internet Connection
VoIP service quality is very much dependent on an Internet service provider’s uploading and downloading speeds. A poor Internet connection can result in a lot of static, muffled voices and delays during a call. Check the actual speed of the connection, try disconnecting the call, and try to call again. Most often, this is all that is needed to correct a choppy connection. If establishing a new connection does not work, delve into the computer’s network settings and check for any hardware related issues. If the same issues are still happening, check whether an upgrade is available.
Monitor Network Traffic and Reduce Bandwidth Usage
Since the advent of the Internet, the term “bandwidth” generally refers to the volume of information that an Internet connection can handle per unit of time. Many problems with VoIP calls are often related to issues with bandwidth. Downloading a number of files, for instance, can use up a huge amount of bandwidth, causing a dramatic decrease in VoIP call quality.
Deleting programs that are not needed or restricting certain apps from running in the background can help VoIP quality issues. In business settings, many organizations can ensure the consistency in the quality of their VoIP services by dedicating a portion of their overall bandwidth to carrying VoIP traffic only.
Install a VoIP Accelerator
In the context of bandwidth usage affecting call quality, a VoIP accelerator is a device used to optimize the use of broadband bandwidth by employing traffic management features. If issues with VoIP calls are caused by too many people sharing the bandwidth and reducing bandwidth usage is not an option, the VoIP accelerator can help solve the problem.
Test Headset Connections
Computer headsets play an integral part in high-quality VoIP audio. Without the headset, users are left with the option of using a computer’s built-in speaker and microphone that are generally low-quality audio devices. Testing headset connections might sound too obvious, but many issues surrounding VoIP quality are usually caused by broken headsets. Investing in good-quality headsets with properly insulated cables, which can significantly improve the quality of VoIP services, are well worth the investment. Cables in poor-quality headsets wear out easily.
The core metrics that many people considered before switching to the VoIP phone system are call quality and call connections. If conversations are garbled or choppy, all the other benefits of VoIP do not really mean much. By understanding the few causes of a choppy VoIP connection mentioned above, troubleshooting poor call quality will be much easier.