Calls breaking up
KevKan:
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:
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/
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