Before looking at the network, rule out the phone itself.

Audio quality issues (choppy, echo, one-sided audio)

• Try the handset and the speakerphone separately — if one works fine and the other doesn’t, the issue is with that specific component.
• Check the volume on your phone. Some phones have separate volume settings for handset, headset, and speaker.
• Check if the mute button is accidentally active.
• Reboot the phone — unplug it from power (or PoE), wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in.

Cable and connection

• Check the ethernet cable between the phone and the wall socket or switch. A loose or damaged cable can cause audio issues.
• Try a different cable to rule out a faulty one.
• If the phone is powered via PoE (Power over Ethernet), make sure the switch port provides enough power — underpowered phones can behave erratically.

Codec settings

• Make sure the phone’s codec is set to PCMA (G711.a). This is the recommended setting for our platform. Mismatched or lower-quality codecs can cause audio issues even on a stable connection.
• Check this in the phone’s web interface under audio or SIP settings.

Firmware

• Outdated firmware can cause unexpected audio problems. Check your phone manufacturer’s website for the latest version and update if needed.

If the problem only occurs with a specific phone or cable, the issue is likely hardware-related. Try swapping the phone or cable before continuing.

Before running network tests, check our status page. If the issue is on our end, multiple customers would be affected and we’d know about it quickly.

No outage detected? Run a ping and speed test — but only from a laptop or computer connected via a wired network connection, not Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi introduces its own instability and won’t give you an accurate picture of your connection quality.

A stable connection means your ping stays around the same value — for example: 4.4ms, 5.2ms, 4.9ms, 5.1ms.

Your internet connection is fine, but packets may be arriving out of order. Enable Quality of Service (QoS) on your router — ask your IT person to configure this.

Verify the problem is resolved after enabling QoS. If not, continue to step 3.2.

Your network is likely overloaded or there’s a hardware issue. If the setup is too complex to diagnose yourself, bring in an IT specialist.

First, enable QoS on your router (ask your IT person to set this up).

Does the problem occur at specific times, or all day?

If only at specific times, peak loads may be the cause:

• Schedule heavy tasks like backups outside working hours.
• Cloud services like Dropbox or iCloud sync automatically and can spike network load.
• Consider upgrading your internet subscription if capacity is consistently too low.
• A better router or switch can make a noticeable difference.

Run a ping and speed test at the times when problems occur to see if your adjustments help.

Hardware check:

• Always use a wired connection for your desk phone — never Wi-Fi.
• Connect devices via a switch where possible.
• The more complex your network (SD-WAN, VPN, MPLS), the more potential for routing issues that affect audio.

Still no hardware issue found? Bring in an IT specialist. High ping values always have an underlying cause — we can’t influence these directly since they depend on your network stability.

Using a cable connection? Check your contract for your agreed download and upload speeds. If the speed test doesn’t match, contact your internet provider.

High speeds on paper don’t always translate to stable VoIP quality. The speed test shows the real capacity your provider is delivering at that moment. If it’s not matching what you’re paying for, contact your provider — they can investigate modem settings, network load, or technical faults on their end.

If your provider says everything is fine but can’t send a technician, bring in your IT specialist.

Check our status page again — we may have caught the outage later than you did.

Run the test at the exact moment problems occur. Causes can be subtle: outdated hardware, temporary outages, or network load that only shows up at specific times and isn’t visible in a general speed test.

To solve the problem thoroughly, the full network needs to be examined: internet connection, modem, router, firewalls, and connected devices. Your IT specialist can investigate this with you.