OBI with Netgear Orbi router - call quality

[Tangible2]

I've just set up an OBI200 to use Google Voice. It's connected via ethernet cable to the base unit of my Netgear Orbio router.

When I talk to people I hear them with very high quality. However they report that my voice is sometimes ok but sometimes "choppy", as if being broken up slightly.

Measured Internet speed is 223 down and 12 up, on a Comcast/Xfinity connection. There are about 20 devices connected to the router directly or by wifi, most of them dormant or doing very small tasks like lighting and thermostat control. The only real potential resource hogs are video streamers (Apple TV and Roku) but they were not active during my test calls.

The Orbio router is one of the new "mesh" types, consisting of a base station and a satellite to provide good wifi coverage over a large house.  But, as I said, the OBI200 is plugged directly into the base and not using wifi.

This router does not have QoS controls that can prioritize a device. They claim to do "automatic QoS", but I don't really know what they mean by that - presumably they try to detect the type of traffic somehow.

So, finally, my question: Is there anything I can do to eliminate this perceived choppiness? 

[drgeoff]

1. Set your Obi to 100 Mbit/s full duplex. https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=3788.0

2.  Disconnect or power down every networked item except the OBi.  If you are still getting complaints you have a duff router or internet connection.

3.  See https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=10767.0 and run the test that SteveInWA linked to.

Edit. that test link seems to be broken.  Use vac.visualware.com

[Tangible2]

Thanks.

I did the phone settings as described, and my caller was still reporting low quality. I immediately called her back on my Comcast voice line, which is sort-of VOIP but has its own box connected to the cable. She said my voice was much "richer" and less tinny, and not breaking up.

The Visualware test results were confusing to me. Several items were labeled Critical! in red, but accompanied by results that seemed not to be a problem. For example,

Max Delay: 36ms
Critical!

which when expanded says that a delay of more than 100ms is a significant quality problem.

Similar with packet loss and packets out of order: They were marked critical, but the count was zero. How do I interpret that?

Thanks.

[SteveInWA]

I'd suspect the router, given that it is (relatively) new technology, and there isn't any documented experience I could find on how that product performs with VoIP.  The symptom you're hearing is caused by packet loss and/or jitter in the upstream side of your internet connection (from your premises to the internet).

Try using a conventional (non-mesh) router, and see if the problem goes away.

[Tangible2]

That would be bad news, as I just sunk a lot of money into the Orbi system. I understand what you're saying about new tech, though all the fancy stuff is on the wifi side and my OBI is hard wired. Doesn't mean they didn't screw it up.

As an experiment I'll temporarily plug the OBI into the cable modem in place of the router. That will remove all the competition from other devices, and also exonerate the Orbi router of any blame. Then if the quality is still bad it can only be the OBI itself or the Comcast connection.

[SteveInWA]

As an experiment I'll temporarily plug the OBI into the cable modem in
place of the router. That will remove all the competition from other
devices, and also exonerate the Orbi router of any blame. Then if the
quality is still bad it can only be the OBI itself or the Comcast
connection.

Don't you still have some older/other router you can use to test?  Plugging a device directly into the cable modem may cause a problem:  If you don't first release the DHCP lease that your router has with Comcast, they may not permit a direct connection to a device with a different MAC address.  I'm not a Comcast customer, so I don't know how they deal with this (they might either have the DHCP lease expire frequently, or you might have to contact them or use a web portal to renew the lease).  Of course, using a different router would still present a different MAC address to Comcast, but at least you could get into the router's menu to attempt to release/renew the lease.

[Tangible2]

I was previously using a leased Comcast gateway combo modem and router, which I gave back to them. I should have an old Linksys WRT somewhere with the VCRs and such. I'll take a look.