GV quality problems

[stevea]

I seem to be having problems with GV voice quality.   I'm convinced this is not due to the OBI since I can initiate a PSTN to PSTN call from the google account web page and the same problem occurs.

The symptoms are occasional dropout, usually one way.  Often it seems like a really bad VOX where I miss the first one or two seconds of a speaker.  I've also had ~3 disconnects for no apparent reason out of perhaps 60 calls.

Am I alone ?
Am I likely to see improvement using another VOIP provider ?

No fault by Google - at $0 I refuse to complain.

[postino2]

¿Are you alone with regard to your complaints about  quality of calls on your <GV + Obi> device?

My results say yes - you are alone.  I set up my <GV + OBi110> right after I received it from AMAZON 2011-02-07.  It is my  "landline substitute," so it is for me NOT some auxiliary device. 

This setup has been working flawlessly for over two months now.  I have had zero problems with voice quality - no dropped calls etc.  And I should mention that I am using it over a marginal AT&T DSL connection;  It is slightly faster than normal dial-up.  And prior to 2011-02 I was using a headset with Google Voice since 2010-09 - again with no issues other than being tethered to the computer with a headset.

PS:  I wish I had the technical expertise to suggest what you might be doing wrong.  I would like that EVERYONE enjoy the same excellent quality I have experienced.

[stevea]

PS:  I wish I had the technical expertise to suggest what you might be doing wrong.  I would like that EVERYONE enjoy the same excellent quality I have experienced.

Sincere thanks for the reply - but the problem has to be on the Google side.

I use the GV web interface to do a PTSN-GV-PTSN call and the quality is bad.
Both PTSNs work well when driectly dialed.
The variable is GV.

[geobernd]

I wonder if it may be carrier specific... I have two GV numbers on OBI and both are ISDN quality with absolutely no issues...
check what carrier Gv is using at tnid.us   - mine is bandwidth.com

[stevea]

I wonder if it may be carrier specific... I have two GV numbers on OBI and both are ISDN quality with absolutely no issues...
check what carrier Gv is using at tnid.us   - mine is bandwidth.com

The number I use most. and has the most problems is also bandwidth.com for the DiD.

To be clear this problem is unrelated to the OBi. The  stutter/drop-out problem happens even if I go PSTN-PSTN through GV without any OBI in the path. *Seems* to be a GV problem.

[dysprosi]

I have a similar issue. I have GV as my primary line and have had repeated dropped calls. The call quality is excellent. There is no warning of a drop (no difference in quality before disconnect).

[jimates]

dysprosi,

Is the drop random or every time after a certain length call?
most dropped call issues are router related. I had dropped call issues from the start, changed routers and no problems. Other have had dropped call issues and were router related.

[stevea]

dysprosi,

Is the drop random or every time after a certain length call?
most dropped call issues are router related. I had dropped call issues from the start, changed routers and no problems. Other have had dropped call issues and were router related.

I have only gotten a few dropped calls, but by far the most common symptom is that there are 1 or 2 second long dropouts in the incoming audio.  sometimes I get repeated dropouts in the first minutes.  sometimes it's only after 5 or 10 minutes that I get one glitch.

This has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with my router, ISP or the OBi.   I have the same problem when  use googlevoice to dial my PSTN and the other PSTN end (no Obi, no voip on either end) .  I considered that my Ohio GV DiD might be the problem, so I created a California DiD.  I've seen the same problem, tho' it may be less frequent (unclear).

[andrewp]

I can confirm that I also have some quality issues on GV connection. It is occasional dropouts on downstream connection. The Packet Loss Rate stays within 10%-15%.

[RonR]

I can confirm that I also have some quality issues on GV connection. It is occasional dropouts on downstream connection. The Packet Loss Rate stays within 10%-15%.

That seems like a lot of packet loss to me (I typically get none).

What kind of packet loss are you seeing when you ping google.com from a DOS box?:

ping -n 100 google.com

(wait for it to finish)

[andrewp]

RonR,

That is the packet loss that I've seen yesterday on several calls through Google Voice. Today I hardly see any. On a 30 min phone call I've lost only 8 packets.

I'll keep an eye on that and try to find out what cause the problem.

[andrewp]

I have performed more tests over the weekend and found out that if I see Packet Loss during phone conversation than I can reboot my OBi110 device to fix the problem.
After OBi110 reboot I do not any packet loss for some period of time.

[RonR]

I have performed more tests over the weekend and found out that if I see Packet Loss during phone conversation than I can reboot my OBi110 device to fix the problem.
After OBi110 reboot I do not any packet loss for some period of time.

I assume the packet loss numbers you're referring to are coming from OBi status.  You need to be pinging Google Voice (74.125.157.125) from your PC at the same time to determine if the loss is only to the OBi or if it's everywhere on your LAN.

[andrewp]

RonR,

After rebooting my OBi110 I was not able to make it loss packets even when I loaded my WAN connection with a download that was going at 12Mbps. I have QoS setup on my router. Before the reboot I was loosing packets even on an idle network.

I'll do the ping test as soon as I see more Packet Loss. Today I've talked to Obihai support and they pushed a new FW to my device. They say that it "might work better with some routers".

andrewp

[andrewp]

After upgrading OBi110 to Firmware 1.2.1 (Build: 2289) I do not have packet loss anymore.