How to Correct Most VoIP Quality Issues

If you have internet phone service, you probably experience occasional call quality issues. Because of the nature of VoIP, it is not uncommon to hear background noise or to have your calls drop in mid-conversation. Fortunately, these issues are easily resolved yourself with a simple reset of your VoIP adapter or your home network.

Unlike traditional land line phone service, internet phone calls do not travel from point to point over reliable phone cabling. Internet phone call data packets can travel over hundreds of thousands of miles of Ethernet and fiber cabling as they bounce through the “cloud” known as the world wide web. These packets are routed from switch to switch and may travel half way around the world before they arrive at their destination (which may be just down your street). Your VoIP adapter and internet modem hand off and receive these data packets, and sometimes this equipment gets “out of whack” and needs to be “refreshed” in order to work in a more efficient manner.

Just like a restart “cures” most computer problems, restarting your home network equipment will “cure” most VoIP problems. Here’s what I do when my VoIP service isn’t acting the way I want it to:

Restart Your VoIP Adapter

Most of the time, you can fix any problems associated with your internet phone service by simply restarting your VoIP router. Just unplug the power adapter from the device and wait 30 seconds. Then plug it back in and give it a minute or two to set up. Make a phone call to test and see if this has fixed the problem. In my experience, this “trick” solves the problem about 90% of the time. If you still have issues with your VoIP service after this restart, it’s time to reset your entire home network.

Restart Your Home Network

If restarting your internet phone adapter doesn’t fix the issues you are experiencing with your VoIP service, a restart of all networking devices is likely necessary. You need to restart your VoIP adapter and your internet modem, as well as all switches and routers you may have. Because all these devices need information from each other in order to work together properly, it’s important to restart this equipment in the proper order.

The first thing to do is unplug your VoIP adapter and internet modem, as well as any switches or routers. You will also want to turn off any computers that are connected to your network. It doesn’t really matter in what order you turn off the equipment, but it does matter in which order you restart it!

When all networking equipment is off, begin restarting in the following order.

1 – Plug in your internet router and wait until all LED lights quit blinking rapidly.

2 – Plug in your router (if you have one) and wait until all lights quit blinking.

3 – Plug in your switch (if you have one)

4 – Plug in your VoIP adapter and wait a minute or so for it to set up.

You should now be able to make internet phone calls and access the internet without any problems. You have refreshed your entire network and should have corrected any problems you were having with your broadband phone service.

Looking for a VoIP provider?

If you are looking for an internet phone service provider, I recommend Voip.com or Packet8. Both companies are financially stable and offer decent service at a really reasonable price. I have personally used both of these VoIP providers and have been very satisfied with them.

For more information on VoIP service, visit: Long Distance Savings and Cheap International Calling Choices.