If you are thinking about deploying VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) communication in a Hosted VoIP or Hosted PBX system and its many benefits for your business, you need to examine your Internet connection as it can be the source of many problems. Although you may be satisfied with the performance of your Internet connection for data purposes, it may not be adequate for Hosted VoIP service.

VoIP communication is very sensitive to network problems. In VoIP, the voice signal is converted into a stream of 1s and 0s. The stream of 1s and 0s are then grouped into individual packets similar to data packets. The packets are sent to the receiving end accompanied with the appropriate header (IP Address of the receiving end, prioritization flags and sequence information).

Packets travel the Internet frequently in different routes and will not be received in the correct order, if at all. Problems can occur at the receiving end where the packets must be reassembled in the appropriate sequence and in time to have the 1s and 0s converted back to voice to be heard without disrupting the natural flow of the conversation. Data packets are not time sensitive. Small glitches in your Internet connection may be perceived as slow Internet on your computer, if noticed at all. With VoIP, small glitches can cause choppy voice or more severe problems including dropped calls.

The majority of issues that cause voice packets to be lost or received too far out of sequence for quality voice playback happen on your side. These issues include insufficient Internet speed, poor Internet Service Provider (ISP) service, an unreliable Internet circuit into your building, wiring inside your building and outbound voice packet prioritization. It is not enough to simply have a broadband connection. You need a high grade broadband connection to deliver the call quality you require to run your business.

Most ISPs run on a business model of oversubscription. High demand on these ISPs results in jitter and latency. In addition, quality Internet providers do not always install the best circuit possible. In many cases, the circuit that connects you to the Internet is deficient. For example, you or one of your neighbors may be using a commonly deployed T1 circuit. If your carrier has placed a T1 and your Internet DSL in their same cable bundle, the T1 will interfere with the frequency of the DSL and will make good voice quality impossible.

Bottom line, for successful Hosted VoIP or Hosted PBX deployment in your business, you should make sure that you are using the right ISP for your area, you have sufficient Internet speed and you have a reliable circuit. Further, voice packet prioritization need to be properly set.

The following link will be helpful in determining the above:
Four Steps to Determine Whether Your Internet Connection is Ready for VoIP

I hope this article has been helpful to you. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are thinking of deploying a Hosted VoIP or Hosted PBX system for your business, performing the following steps will help determine if your Internet service is adequate.

1. Ask your VoIP service provider whether they have experience with customers in your area using your ISP. Good service providers will be able to tell whether their customers are getting good results with certain ISPs.

2. Do not take your ISPs word for the speed they are delivering. In most cases, it will be less. Connect a PC as close as possible to your ISPs modem or router and go to http://myspeed.visualware.com/index.html to run a speed test. Write down your upload speed and your download speed. The lowest speed is the most important which usually is your upload speed.

3. Determine your desired number of concurrent voice calls. Take 75% of your lowest speed (upload or download) and divide by 35Kbps (typical size of a voice call using G.729 codec which most VoIP service providers use). If the result is greater than the number of concurrent calls then your speed is sufficient. Don’t forget that if your speed is measured in Mbps that 1 Mbps = 1,000 Kbps (0.1 Mbps = 100 kbps).

4. Test the quality of your Internet connection using the HostMyCalls ISP Packet Loss and Delay Test Tool. It is free to use and will take less than 30 seconds of your time to start monitoring your IP address. The HostMyCalls Test Tool specifically checks the Internet connection for packet loss and latency (delay). If excessive packet loss or delay is found, it will report whether these are happening at your location or within the network of the ISP.

If you learn that you have a quality ISP, you have sufficient speed to support the number of concurrent calls that you need and you have a reliable circuit, then your Internet connection is ready for Hosted VoIP.

Although a quality connection to the Internet is required, it is not the only thing you should think about when deploying a Hosted VoIP or Hosted PBX system for your business.

The following links should be of further help: Will Your Internet Connection Destroy Your VoIP Service?

I hope this article has been helpful to you. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.