I sometimes experience dropped calls. What causes this? (0)

Dropped calls can usually be traced back to two problems.

• High latency
• Packet loss

Both of these situations are caused by a poor Internet connection from your ISP, a firewall, Internet congestion, or heavy bandwidth usage (bit torrent, online gaming, and large uploads). Depending on the cause, there are several things that can be done. To help troubleshooting, it is a good idea to use a bandwidth speed tester.

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When I am on a call the person I am talking to tells me that I sound choppy. What causes this? (1)

When the person you are talking to hears choppiness, the first thing to look at is your upload bandwidth. With broadband connections the upload bandwidth is far narrower than the download bandwidth. It is always a good idea to check your upload bandwidth. If the speed is not what your ISP advertises, you should give them a call. Other things to check are the computers on your network. If someone is uploading data, they may be using up some of the bandwidth that the phone requires to operate. By stopping the uploads, if there are any, you will be able to quickly determine if it is the cause of the choppiness.

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When talking on the phone I hear echos and feedback. What are the causes of this? (0)

An echo is related to the analog portion of a phone system. The two causes of echo in a VoIP system are:

• Electrically - through poor quality phone lines and telephones
• Acoustically - through feedback on a phone

There are essentially two ways to combat echoes. The first is to have the called party reduce the volume on their phone. The second is to have the called party replace the phone cord running from the wall jack to the phone.

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I have no dial tone when I pick up my phone. Why is that? (0)

First, make sure that your Internet connection is on and working correctly. Next, check that the phone is actually plugged in to your ATA and powered on. If it is, you may need to simply reboot your modem and ATA.

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