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Calls breaking up

Started by lasereyes, December 24, 2015, 12:07:14 PM

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lasereyes

I have been experiencing a problem making calls via Google Voice using the Obi100 device.  I am able to hear the callers on the line just fine, but they complain that the line is breaking up and they cannot hear me properly.  Sometimes, this happens right from the start of the call.   Other times, it will be ok for a few minutes and then break up.  One of these two happens on pretty much every call.

Help!

SteveInWA

The symptom you describe is usually caused by your internet service.

You haven't given us any information to help diagnose the problem.  What type of internet service do you have (DSL, cable or fiber, and what speeds up and down)?  What else is using your network?  Is the service dedicated to your home, or are you sharing it with other users?

yellowpage

Agree. This sounds like internet problem. Start a call with friend. In the mean time, go to youtube and watch an HD video. If you have the problem, you may have to Qos in your router or increase your bandwidth.

lasereyes

I have Frontier DSL service.  I just did a speed test and download is 5.62mbps and upload was 0.32mbps.

No issues watching youtube videos.

drgeoff

Your upload speed is close to the minimum needed for a single voice call when nothing else is using the internet connection.  It would not require much "disturbance" of some sort to give dropouts on your outgoing voice.

Is 320 kbit/s upload speed really the best that your provider thinks your copper pair should be providing?

KevKan

#5
Sounds like the same issue as posting http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9038.0

Who is your phone service provider?  In my case, my phone service provider, PhonePower, found the problem to be a Level 3 server, being utilized by my ISP, that was experiencing packet losses in excess of 55 percent.

After forcefully bringing this information to my ISP's attention, they rerouted me around the offending Level 3 server and the problem was solved.   Without PhonePower's excellent support in documenting and providing me with trace route information, I doubt I would have been able to convince my ISP they had a problem.  



SteveInWA

No, this isn't a VoIP service provider issue.  It's caused by the old-school DSL service's limited upstream bandwidth.   Furthermore, testing UPstream bandwidth by watching a YouTube video is useless, since the video is consuming DOWNstream bandwidth.

The only way for lasereyes to attempt to resolve this situation would be to contact Frontier and see if they have the ability to offer higher-performance DSL service to that address.  That would be dependent on the distance between the Frontier central office and the customer's premises, and/or any fiber or mini-CO equipment between those two endpoints, and possibly, by swapping out the old DSL modem for a newer-generation model.

KevKan

Steve, don't know for sure if your reply was directed at me.  If it was, I didn't mean to imply it was a VoIP provider issue.   I was just inquiring about who his provider was and to point out how helpful mine was in the enabling the resolution of the problem.

SteveInWA

#8
Quote from: KevKan on December 28, 2015, 06:50:27 PM
Steve, don't know for sure if your reply was directed at me.  If it was, I didn't mean to imply it was a VoIP provider issue.   I was just inquiring about who his provider was and to point out how helpful mine was in the enabling the resolution of the problem.

I'm glad your ITSP was helpful in resolving your specific problem.  However, it doesn't apply to the original poster's problem, which is caused by the OP's internet service, not the provider; contacting the provider would just be a waste of time, since they can't do anything about the underlying cause.  The OP's provider is Google Voice, by the way, per the first post.

Google Voice uses the G.711 PCM CODEC to transform audio into the bitstream that travels over the internet.  A G.711 stream uses about 95Kbps (64Kbps for the CODEC bitstream, plus network overhead).  A two-way conversation uses double that bitrate.  The symptom is that the called party (not the calling party) hears audio drop-outs or "breaking up".  This is caused by the upstream connection from the called party's home network to the internet.  That connection is being offered at a theoretical maximum of 320Kbps, which, if it was working well, and no other devices on that user's home network were sending data, should support a phone call just fine.

However, the 320Kbps isn't guaranteed, and many factors can cause it to degrade (e.g. excessive distance between the home and the central office, old, corroded copper wire, moisture in the wiring, load coils on the loop, etc.).  This puts it at the hairy edge of unreliable/marginal service for VoIP.  The solution is to attempt to get Frontier to either test and optimize their existing service to that house, or, if possible, upgrade it to a faster tier of service (or to leave Frontier and use cable internet for a lot more money).

SteveInWA

Here's an excellent article describing VoIP bandwidth consumption:

http://www.3cx.com/blog/docs/bandwidth-utilised-for-voip/

lasereyes

Lots of useful suggestions here - many thanks.   On vacation right now, but will look into everything when I return.   

lasereyes

Just got a response from Obitalk Customer Service after sending them a note outlining the problem.  THey are saying my firmware is not up to date, and since my unit is out of warranty, I have to PAY to update the firmware.

This sounds very strange to say the least.  Firstly, does the Firmware seem likely to be the problem?  Secondly, if it is, why would any company charge to update Firmware required to make their product (purchased in good faith) work?

drgeoff

1.  Updating the firmware is very unlikely to cure the breakup.

2.  The firmware can be updated without payment.  http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=10065.msg66486#msg66486

SteveInWA

Just contact Frontier when you get back, and find out what options they can offer to resolve this.