Networks and Wi-Fi
Why internet calls break up, and how the network fixes it
When an internet call sounds choppy, drops words or echoes, the phone is rarely to blame. Voice is sensitive to how data moves through your network.
1 min readExplainer
The short version
Choppy or robotic calls are usually a network problem, not a phone problem. Here is what causes them.
Why voice is different
Email can arrive a second late and nobody notices. A call cannot. Voice is sent as a steady stream of small pieces of data, and if they arrive late, out of order or not at all, you hear it right away.
The usual causes
- Not enough bandwidth. A large upload or video call can crowd out voice on the same connection.
- Jitter. Pieces of the call arrive at uneven intervals, which makes speech sound choppy or robotic.
- Packet loss. Some pieces never arrive, so words drop out.
- Weak Wi-Fi. Calls on a laptop or mobile device suffer when the signal is poor or the network is crowded.
How a business network fixes it
- Quality of service (QoS). The firewall and switches give voice traffic priority, so it goes first when the connection is busy.
- Separate voice traffic. Phones can sit on their own section of the network, kept apart from guests and other devices.
- Wired phones where it counts. Desk phones on a cable avoid Wi-Fi problems entirely.
- A second internet connection. If the main line fails, calls can move to a backup. See What happens when your internet goes down?
Questions to ask
- Do calls get worse at certain times of day, when the office is busiest?
- Are the problems on desk phones, on Wi-Fi, or on calls from home?
Talk to us about your technology
Tell us what you run today and what is getting in the way. We will get back to you about how we can help.