Internet communications have made significant advances in last couple of years, and it is marching forward rapidly, especially with services like VoIP. Although VoIP offers many benefits, there are still many drawbacks that hinder large-scale adoption, especially for businesses.
Some major business VoIP challenges to overcome before adoption are voice quality, power outages and 911 facilities, which were recently highlighted in a System Technology Telephone blog post. Because VoIP systems are completely dependent on a reliable Internet connection, the quality of VoIP communications is compromised when too many computers are connected to the company network simultaneously. Likewise, when there is a power outage in the company, Internet service stops and correspondingly VoIP stops functioning.
Similarly, when a call is made to 911, the operator communicates the address of the caller in order to send help to the correct location. This capability does not exist in a VoIP system, according to the blogger.
Weather can also contribute to the woes of VoIP communications. For example, torrential rains, thunderstorms and snowstorms can cause increased static on broadband lines. Although switching off the VoIP setup and re-starting can overcome this issue, it is advisable to replace the standard cables with higher quality cables to minimize the static.
Another challenge is the compression. Traditionally, VoIP compresses the voice data packets before sending them. If the codec software used for data compression is of no good quality, the audio quality will suffer.
To address these common problems, the blog post provides some useful tips. First, use a high-speed Internet connection that is reliable. Use an ISP that offers super-fast broadband Internet connections with very high reliability.
Your next aim should be to improve the contention ratio. That means ensuring that your ISP’s data centers are loaded with servers so that there are few subscribers connected to the same server concurrently. As a result, the contention ratio will be as low as possible for a faster service and better voice quality. Likewise, the computer must be optimized for broadband.
“By optimizing your OS for broadband it will be capable of handling more traffic and help improve your call quality,” according to the blog post.
Lastly, utilize updated software as it give you provide improved compression technologies, which will improve your voice calls. If there is Wi-Fi built in your VoIP system, search online for ways to improve your Wi-Fi signal, concludes the post.
Edited by Rachel Ramsey