VoIP and Latency Worries

Latency, latency, latency and the annoyance they give while you are Voiping. What is this Latency anyway? It’s a major dread to Internet Phones and other communication services. Latency is infact, the time duration between the instant a voice data packet is transmitted and the instant it reaches its requisite destination.

Now, because of the way that IP networks are created, particularly the internet, there are a number of ways in which data packets can get disoriented, which in turn leads to latency and poor service levels. Applications, which use “Low-Bandwidth” such as email may not go through and suffer because of service hiccups and disruptions. Nevertheless, VoIP applications, which require high-bandwidth, therefore, will translate these delays into a seriously irritating situation. With VoIP, latency is rather worse in case a two-way conversation is going on. In order to attain high quality voice, the highest desired one-way latency is 150ms. With Network congestion, data packet loss is likely to play a significant role in loss of voice signals, on top of, causing perverse delay.

Latency causes delays and to make it worse, creates echoes.

Check out the following effects of latency over voice quality:

    * It holds back or slows down your phone conversations.
    * Overlapping of voice is an evident effect in latency, with one speaker’s speech cut in the middle by the other
    * Echo issues.
    * Disrupts the synchronization between voice and other data types, particularly when you are in the middle of a video conferencing.

Latency is usually seen to occur when telephone calls using VoIP service are broken or interrupted and you are unable to hear the person properly. Since latency, generally occurs in milliseconds, it usually cannot be figured out and fixed immediately. In case when it occurs at a rate somewhere above 150 milliseconds, then the voice of the person on the phone call is heard in broken up fragments, which is highly incomprehensible and to make it worse, there’s an echo as if you are talking in a studio or even giving a speech on a loudspeaker. Problematic isn’t it? It sure is a real pain but this pain can be fixed. How? Follow the lead. Mentioned below are some easy methods to fix latency on your VoIP phone:

Before you are attempting you make a call, switch off your router for at least 15 seconds and then switch it back on. After a few minutes -  the time for the connections to complete their initiation cycle -  make the call that you want to, and while you are on the call, keep a good check on any latency issues, to see whether u were successful in fixing the problem or does it still persists.

Next, check for your connection’s bandwidth. Sometimes, latency also occurs in case of insufficient or inadequate bandwidth. Internet phone or VoIP phone requires at least 90kbps of bandwidth in order to give an excellent functionality.

To make a phone call, it is better to shut down other heavy applications which utilize a lot of your bandwidth such as online games, images and videos. This way your phone call won’t suffer disturbances.

If you are using a broken or used up phone adapter, change it immediately to refrain from any particular latency issues.

Get yourself a traffic-shaping modem or software, since it would enable you to certify that your VoIP phone line is given required bandwidth, when other applications are in use.
Well, your Voip service provider is always there to guide you and help you out with things. In case a certain problem you have encountered is out of your understanding, just dial your Voip service customer care and seek their help.