voip speed test - can your office internet handle voip phones?

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good enough for Is Your Internet Connection VOIP?

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good enough forIs Your Internet Connection

VOIP?

Because

Is Internet-based phone service,

it’s ESSENTIAL to make sure your small business Internet connection can handle the service.

Without sufficient resources, the advantages of VoIP are lost

you’ll experience poor call quality, intermittent service, and other

difficulties.

Basic connection types:What do you need?

Including cable and DSL.

T1 and fiber networks can also handle the demands of VoIP service.

Most broadband connections can work,

Which you’re not likely to have, as a tech-savvy small business.

A notable exception areDial-Up Connections

bandwidthVOIP and

Bandwidth

The speed of Internet transmissions measured in

kilobytes per second (kbsp)

is the biggest determining factor in your connection’s ability to

support VoIP service..

DSLHas a more consistent bandwidth capability because it’s a dedicated connection.

CAbleCable bandwidth fluctuates according to how many subscribers in a network area are accessing the Internet at a given time.

How much

The second factor to consider is

do you need?

used by the VoIP provider.Audio Codecs

bandwidth

There are two types:

uses 33 kbps per call.

Full Quality Audio:uses 87 kbps of bandwidth for each call

Compressed Audio:

So, you can calculate how many VoIP lines your connection can support by looking at the bandwidth.

A typical DSL connection offers 600 kbps upload streams and 5,000 kbps downloads. Based on those numbers, you’d technically be able to support:

● 6 lines with full quality audio (600 / 87), or

● 18 lines with compressed audio (600 / 33)

HoweverEven with DSL connections, bandwidth capabilities fluctuate throughout the day with varying usage.

HoweverEven with DSL connections, bandwidth capabilities fluctuate throughout the day with varying usage.

Pushing your connection to the limit can result in lowered quality or dropped

calls if your bandwidth changes, so it’s better to estimate on the low side when

deciding how many lines you can support.

WirelessWired vs.

Does it Matter?

Some Internet service providers offer connections with wireless routers, which can be convenient.

But can a wireless router support VoIP service?

The short answer is: Not Reliably

Wireless transmissions can be interrupted, and bandwidth doesn’t typically remain strong and consistent.Your best option for VoIP service is to use a wired router to avoid poor sound quality and maintain a clear connection.

Testing your internet connection

Some websites dedicated to testing connection speed for VoIP compatibility include

• MegaPath Speed Test Plus • Visualware’s MySpeed • 8x8 VoIP Test

Some of the numbers you’ll see during this test include:

Download speed: This shows you what your connection’s download capabilities are in kbps—the higher, the better.

Upload speed: Again, this one is better when it’s higher. Upload speed reflects the actual bandwidth available to the computer you’re testing from.

Packet loss: This figure shows the number of packets that fail to reach their destination. A high packet loss can make calls sound choppy, due to delays in sent information.

Latency: This is the time it takes for a packet to travel to a designated point and back. High latency causes periods of silence and delays in phone conversations.

Some of the numbers you’ll see during this test include:

Some of the numbers you’ll see during this test include:

Jitter: Latency, when it occurs, is not always consistent. Jitter measures any variances in latency speeds that cause some packets to take longer to travel than others. If your connection has high jitter values, voice packets could be delivered out of order and produce a talk-over or echo effect.

And Finally...

the process of To learn how to

running your businesssimplify