TIPS | Be 'VoIP Aware' when using a VoIP phone in a new network

Normally, it is best for VoIP phones to be installed in a very controlled network environment.  This is where they work best, and the operating environment (typically an office with several IP phones working within it) is typically very carefully designed and tested before the phones are deployed.

However, for several reasons - home office work, temporary relocation, a distributed workforce, and others - it might be convenient and necessary to install a VoIP phone in a far less 'controlled' environment.

When the VoIP service provider is of a high standard, the environment the phone is running in, as part of the 'last mile', has the largest impact on the quality of service provided.  If you are deploying a phone in your home office, for example, what can you do to get the best performance out of your existing network?

Beyond basic phone registration, and for optimal performance, it is usually a good idea to configure some kind of QoS at the router, to preserve bandwidth for the phone when other applications are also using the same uplink.  If your router does not have QoS configurability, you will want to keep some 'best practices' in mind when using the phone.

Some other tips for using VoIP in 'uncontrolled' networks:

• Remember that every Internet connection is unique in the quality of service it provides. VoIP is currently one of the most sensitive applications you can run over an Internet connection, so your regular use of the uplink is generally not a good measure of its' suitability for VoIP. 
• The phone should be connected directly to the gateway router if possible
• Ensure the phone is not 'behind' more than one router
• Also ensure the phone is not using any wireless bridge (ie: the router it is connected to is actually using wireless to connect back to the 'gateway' router in your location -- extremely uncommon)
• If no QoS is available, be very aware what else might be happening on the same uplink. Just because you may have a lot of bandwidth available, that does not mean that you are guaranteed no congestion issues. Keep all bandwidth-intensive applications (such as torrent clients, online gaming, large file uploads or cloud syncing) non-active when the phone is in use.
• Even emailing a large attachment or uploading a relatively large file can saturate an uplink for a few seconds, as applications tend to use all available bandwidth for the shortest period of time
• - Since most Internet connections are very asymmetric in nature (they have far more download bandwidth available than upload), uploads tend to be the most sensitive. This means that you will not notice a sound quality issue before the person you are talking to does, as your 'upstreaming' half of the conversation will be impacted before the 'downstreaming' portion.
• Reset your WiFi password to ensure no unknown parties are using your uplink
• Generally be aware of what other people in the network might be using your uplink for. Some routers allow you to limit or restrict certain applications - torrent clients, for example - so if other people may regularly be using your uplink, you can use tools like this to 'keep it clean' for your phone.