Bizarre behaviour: Sounds far away, echo, clicking

[threehappypenguins]

My in-law's Obi (Obi 110) is getting some strange issues. I've had them test it on more than one phone, and it is emitting the same behaviour (so it doesn't seem to be their phones).

It is not always constant, but sometimes the caller sounds very quiet and far away on my in-law's end, and then suddenly it will sound normal again. While this is going on, on my end I can hear my voice in an echo.

Also, and this this nearly constant, there is a "clicking" sound. It sounds like my in-law's are hanging on on us, and yet they're not. It happens nearly every call, but seems random within the call.

They also get dropped calls quite frequently. I know that their ISP has some issues on their end (I think they may have even said packet loss; can't remember), but they keep sending out a "technician" (who is useless) and they haven't been able to find the problem.

I have run various speed tests, packet loss tests, etc, and everything always appears to be normal. Even when they're getting the issues (choppy voice quality, etc). And then the issues will go away again.

Any ideas?

[Waterstone]

Who is the VOIP service provider.... wonder if same problem I am having with PP.

[drgeoff]

Four symptoms:

1.  Low volume

2.  Echo

3.  Clicking sounds

4.  Dropped calls

There is no way that a problem on the internet's digital transmission systems can give low volume nor directly cause echo.  Clicking sounds and dropped calls could be so caused but there are other possibilities.

1.  The ITSP (not ISP) has some faulty equipment.

2.  An intermittent fault between the LAN socket on the OBi and the handset on the phone.  If the phone has already been substituted with no improvement that leaves the OBi and its PSU.

If you and your father both have OBis, do these symptoms still occur if you call each other by OBi number?  Or if only your father has an OBi get him to call the **9 222 222 222 number many times.  Either of those eliminates the ITSP.  If there are no issues, pursue the ITSP.  If they are still present, suspect the OBi or PSU.