State of knowledge

June 2021

Observation

Fluctuating voice quality or unstable connections/establishment when using the softphone at the workstation PC or on the smartphone.

Possible causes

For an initial narrowing down of possible causes, the following article can be used: Analysis of softphone behavior.

Other causes can be devices and systems located in the network. Internet connections via cable or LTE also have a strong influence on quality.

Procedure

The reasons for the above observations are manifold and can only be analyzed by looking at the entire solution, i.e. the systems active in the network.

To gain a better understanding of the influences in the network, VoIP readiness analyses are performed.

VoIP Readiness Analyses are not tested in the sense of a trial and error, but rather an "observation" carried out over a longer period of time (24/7) by saving the network traffic and analyzing it later. For this purpose, additional devices are installed on-site in the network, which collects the data required for the analysis. No voice evaluation takes place.

Certified service providers for VoIP readiness analysis

Here we cooperate with the following certified service providers:

  • Olaf Zäncker VoIP Consulting & Services

    VoIP quality expert – publicly appointed and sworn by the City of Lübeck Chamber of Commerce

    Member of the technical group Electrical and Information Technologies of the Federal Association of publicly appointed and sworn Experts (BVS)

    Phone: +49 (0)170 923 7617
    E-mail: oz@oz-voip.com

Recommendation

Get advice before starting a VoIP project with softphones and plan an appropriate VoIP readiness analysis. Whether costs will be incurred in the end depends on many factors that cannot be foreseen at the beginning of the project.

Do not be confused by the first successful tests. There is a big difference between a few users trying out the softphone as part of an evaluation of the solution and productive 24/7 operation. Take a step-by-step approach. Slowly increase the number of users using the softphone, and also consider temporary alternative communication options. A timetable cannot be set for resolving possible anomalies if the causes cannot be clearly identified and there is no known solution to the problem.

Accept our offer and make an appointment for a project workshop with our certified service providers, our partners, or us via info@estos.de. Everything we can clarify in advance will "pay off" later on.

Explanation

The system requirements (see also Current: Important information about the installation and setup of ProCall Enterprise) assume optimal prerequisites. At the same time, our software is developed to be fault-tolerant, so that the effects of known sources of interference and solvable limitations are cushioned as much as possible. However, this approach is not always sufficient and requires further changes, either in our software or elsewhere. For a targeted development of measures to improve the situation, additional services must be used, which are usually associated with additional expenditures (time and costs).

An initial Analysis of softphone behavior can provide first indications of possible anomalies, but does not answer the questions about possible sources of interference.

Do you offer VoIP readiness analysis?

If you would like to be one of our certified service providers for VoIP analysis, please contact us. Just contact us at info@estos.de. We will contact you.