Echo

[ceg3]

I'm using an OBI100 connected to Google Voice and from time to time I hear a little echo of myself. Usually it's just a word that is echoing and not a string of words.  Anybody have an idea as to what might cause it?  It is possible I am not creating the echo on my end, though.  Just now I was on the phone with VOIP.MS just to look into their service and the echo was really bad, though the tech said he could hear me fine.  That call might have just been an aberration.

[ProfTech]

That can be the nature of VOIP in general, however remember Google Voice is free and sometimes we get what we pay for. Could also be made worse by your [type of] connection to the internet or your home network, if you have one. There are lots of low-cost VOIP service providers out there that you can try without too much trouble. Some may be no better than Google Voice.

[MikeHObi]

echo is not typical, but it is possible due to many reasons.  Google voice has this from time to time, which is why you can go to call history, find the bad call and flag it as echo, adding to the data google has on their call system and the routes.

If you see it regular, or with multiple providers, then you should take a hard look at your internet connection and any transient behaviors. I've used this sight to verify my internet from time to time: http://myspeed.visualware.com/indexvoip.php

[ceg3]

Thanks for the information. I prefer not to think in terms of you get what you pay for.  I paid for a netTALK DUO, which of course is cheap, and the call quality is very inconsistent.  Rather than accepting mediocre service and accepting what I paid for I chose to move on and bought my OBI.  Google Voice is much more consistent. If you let getting what you paid for be your guide then you allow providers to provide inferior service, even if it's free. I've experienced flawless VOIP with a premium provider (Lingo), so I know the potential is there if a provider has the incentive.  GV has the incentive of protecting its good name.

On the other hand, I wasn't aware you can send GV call quality feedback, which I did in this case.  I ran the VOIP test and my VOIP potential is good.  I suspect there is an excellent level, but good seems OK.

[jimates]

Thanks for the information. I prefer not to think in terms of you get what you pay for.  I paid for a netTALK DUO, which of course is cheap, and the call quality is very inconsistent.  Rather than accepting mediocre service and accepting what I paid for I chose to move on and bought my OBI.  Google Voice is much more consistent. If you let getting what you paid for be your guide then you allow providers to provide inferior service, even if it's free. I've experienced flawless VOIP with a premium provider (Lingo), so I know the potential is there if a provider has the incentive.  GV has the incentive of protecting its good name.

On the other hand, I wasn't aware you can send GV call quality feedback, which I did in this case.  I ran the VOIP test and my VOIP potential is good.  I suspect there is an excellent level, but good seems OK.

If you had problems with Nettalk also, perhaps the problem is not voip itself. Maybe your individual situation is causing some conflicts. I had no problem with Nettalk. I have been using google voice since it was grand central, without a problem.

[ceg3]

Interesting to hear someone say they had no problems with netTALK, since I've come to think of them as only somewhat better than Magic Jack. Glad that you had a good experience. My issue with GV is only very, very minor, all things considered. It actually works much better than my netALK service. I just wondered about an occasional echo. It might be that a netTALK setup needs to be just so, while OBI/GV combo is more forgiving. I've tweaked them both as best as I can and GV just works better for me.

I'm still running my netTALK DUO setup as my go to for 911 service.

[jimates]

I spent some time on the phone with Nettalk getting it to work right. I think my problem was the Dlink dr615 router more than anything. I had problems using that router when I started with the Obi also.