Have your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls been dropping or sounding garbled? While VoIP phone systems offer plenty of benefits, their performance depends heavily on network quality. Setting up VoIP Quality of Service (QoS) can help ensure clear and reliable communication.
What is VoIP Quality of Service?
VoIP QoS refers to managing and prioritizing the flow of network traffic through your router to maintain a reliable and high-quality calling experience. By prioritizing VoIP data, you can reduce issues such as echo or poor audio, leading to better productivity and smoother client communication.
Why is QoS important?
VoIP communication depends heavily on your network’s performance. Problems such as jitter, packet loss, and latency are common issues that can impact call quality. These disruptions can interfere with:
- Sales and customer service
- Client presentations and meetings
- Lead generation efforts
- Team collaboration, especially when remote
With QoS in place, these connection problems can be minimized, enabling your business to maintain functional and professional communication systems.
How to configure VoIP QoS
Follow these simple steps to set up VoIP QoS:
Prioritize network traffic by type
Rather than prioritizing traffic by device, assign priority based on traffic type. This approach makes sure bandwidth-sensitive data, such as VoIP calls, remains unaffected, even if other devices are actively using the network.
Assign DSCP value of 46 for VoIP traffic
Many VoIP systems use a differentiated services code point (DSCP) to label high-priority data packets. Configuring your router to prioritize traffic with a DSCP value of 46 for both inbound and outbound real-time transport protocol packets improves quality.
Enable Trust Mode with Strict Priority, if available
Switches that support Trust Mode can identify specific VoIP packets tagged with DSCP values, giving them top priority. If your router supports Strict Priority, activate it to prioritize VoIP data over less critical traffic.
After making these adjustments, reset your router to activate these settings. Once implemented, you should experience reduced latency and fewer call disruptions.
Best Practices for VoIP QoS
Implementing the following practices will help guarantee consistently top-notch call quality:
- Test your internet connection regularly: Confirm that your network has the bandwidth needed to handle VoIP calls.
- Use reliable Ethernet cables: Opt for CAT6 Ethernet cables to enhance data transmission and minimize delays.
- Monitor your network: Keep an eye on metrics such as latency, ping, and jitter, as these can indicate potential network congestion.
If you’re unsure about configuring QoS or want more expert advice on VoIP, reach out to our experts today.