How to fix VoIP phones’ call dropping issue?

In 2021, more than 31 percent of companies are using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems for business communications. This number is only growing upward every year as more and more companies are moving to the cloud to grow their businesses.

Switching to VoIP phone systems adds value to your customer services. They are more flexible, secure, and affordable than traditional phone systems.

Although there are many benefits of using VoIP phones, you will experience call-dropping issues on time and often. Call dropping can occur due to various technical reasons. But restarting your router every time is not the only solution to fix all your issues.

First, you need to identify what issue is causing your call to drop in the middle of a conversation. After that, look for a definite solution to handle your issue.

Without further delay, let’s identify and fix VoIP call dropping issues.

Why do VoIP Phone Calls Drop? The Common Call Dropping Issues

Call drops are a common problem for VoIP phone users. It gets really annoying when your established call gets disconnected mid-way. Here the question is, why do VoIP calls drop? To answer this, you should first identify what issue is interrupting your phone call connection.

Here are 5 common issues which can cause VoIP call drops:

1. Insufficient Bandwidth
2. Session timeout
3. Hardware malfunction
4. Signal loss
5. Undetected audio

1. Insufficient Bandwidth

Lack of sufficient internet bandwidth during VoIP phone calls can result in the loss of audio data packets. It results in audio choppiness or broken voice. This can cause your calls to drop immediately. 

Insufficient bandwidth can occur due to two main reasons. It usually arises due to an unstable internet connection. It also occurs when other applications on your network are overloading the bandwidth. 

2. Session timeout

Sometimes you can experience calls dropping down every time at a certain interval of time. This can occur when your VoIP service provider has set a time limit for each calling session.

Network congestion can also be responsible for your calls to end abruptly. This occurs when your network is unable to handle traffic flow and end call sessions. Sometimes UDP (User Datagram Protocol) timeouts are set on your router, and faulty SIP timers can cause call drops.

3. Hardware malfunction

Your network hardware can be an issue for a VoIP call drop. If your router/network devices are malfunctioning or damaged, your network will not get a proper internet connection for phone calls.

Another possibility is that the issue may occur due to your headset. If your headset is broken or malfunctioning, your clients may not hear your voice and vice versa. Since proper communication fails to take place on such occasions, your client can directly hang up on you.

4. Signal loss

Oftentimes, VoIP phone calls drop simply due to the loss of signal on your device. If your device loses signal during a phone call, then your calls will be disconnected immediately.

Well, signal loss can occur due to many reasons. If you have lost your internet connection or your softphone is not receiving enough signals, your call will drop ultimately. This can also happen if the signal is blocked or disrupted.

5. Undetected audio

When no audio is detected from the other end, the VoIP system suspects the call has failed and drops the call. Most VoIP equipment allows a minimum of 30 seconds of silence before dropping the VoIP call.

Some VoIP equipment detects “orphan calls”. It uses the media stream using RTP protocol when no audio signal is present during a call. This causes calls to drop. This can occur due to silence suppression or voice activity detection (VAD).

Fixing the common VoIP call dropping issues

Now that you know what factors can cause VoIP call drops. The next thing you should know is how to fix those issues.  

Follow the following points to learn how to fix VoIP call dropping issues:

1. Enhance your bandwidth performance
2. Increase session time
3. Use proper functioning hardware
4. Adjust signal reception
5. Remove RTP silence

1. Enhance your bandwidth performance

You must contact your internet service provider to improve your internet’s bandwidth strength. Sometimes resetting your network device and configuring settings can allow proper flow of bandwidth in the network.

You need to configure Quality of Service (QoS) in your router settings to prioritize VoIP. Also, any unwanted application running on your device’s background should be terminated to reduce bandwidth consumption.

2. Increase the session time

Contact your VoIP service provider to remove or extend time limits for each phone call session. You need to increase the UDP timeout duration set in your network router settings to increase session time. Also, adjust the Min-SE settings on your network device to handle SIP timer issues.

Additionally, you need to reduce network congestion by terminating unwanted applications to reduce network traffic. This will influence getting proper bandwidth for uninterrupted call sessions.

3. Use proper functioning hardware

You must replace or repair any malfunctioning or damaged network devices to enjoy clear VoIP phone calls.

Having high-quality network devices or headsets can improve the quality of phone calls and avoid call drops.

4. Adjust signal reception

As soon as you lose your internet connection, you should contact your internet service provider. Sometimes restarting your router can adjust the bandwidth for uniform signal distribution for all your devices.

Position your network router at the center of your floor so that all devices can receive the Wi-Fi signals properly. If you are using mobile data, then make sure your webphone is catching enough signals.

5. Remove RTP silence

You need to alter the settings of silence suppression or voice activity detection (VAD) in your devices to avoid no audio when you are not talking. By doing this, your devices can catch background audio and avoid call drops.

Troubleshooting VoIP Call Dropping Issues: Solving One problem at a time

Different issues can cause a call drop: from a damaged networking device, faulty wiring, or unstable internet connection, to server issues, there can be hundreds of reasons, if not more. Anything can be a culprit for interrupting your phone call connection. Here are some of the causes of VoIP call dropping issues and the ways to troubleshoot them.

1. Do you hear choppy audio?

The person on the other end of the call is talking, but all you hear is their broken voice. Whatever they said came back in choppy audio, and you could not understand. The reason behind choppy audio is the lack of sufficient bandwidth, causing call drops.

When you speak on the phone, your voice is converted into data and transmitted as packets. These packets fail to reach their destination due to insufficient bandwidth and cause packet loss. 

How to troubleshoot choppy audio on VoIP phones?

You should check the upload and download bandwidth using speed test tools to get insights regarding your internet speed. After that, choose any of the following options to troubleshoot choppy audio:

1. Contact your internet service provider to increase bandwidth.
2. Reset your networking devices to reduce loss of bandwidth.
3. Turn off unwanted systems or applications on your device to reduce network congestion.
4. Go to your router setting and set Quality of Service (QoS) to prioritize VoIP service.

2. Does your call drop automatically?

Sometimes your calls are cut abruptly without any reason. Networks with a high volume of traffic can witness this issue in outbound calls due to the old firmware of the networking devices. UDP Timeout, set on your router or firewall, can also be responsible for the call drops. 

Sometimes, calls get cut automatically after a certain interval of time. This means your service provider has defined and preset the duration of your Talktime. Your call will be automatically disconnected after that specific time. 

How to troubleshoot automatic call drops on VoIP phones?

You should measure the call time when a call drops to troubleshoot abrupt calls:

• If the calls have random call lengths, then:

1. Upgrade to the latest firmware of networking devices.
2. Go to router settings and increase UDP Timeout lengths.

• If the calls have specific lengths, then:

1. Call your ISP or phone service provider to extend the call duration or remove the call timer altogether.

3. Are you experiencing echo?

Echo refers to the noise containing audio from the source reverting back to the source itself. Echo arises mostly because of acoustic or electromagnetic interference. And sometimes, it is due to faulty equipment used in the system. 

Acoustic interference takes place when the mic or mouthpiece picks up the sound from the speakers or earpiece. On the other hand, electronic interference occurs when the two VoIP hardware are kept too close to each other.

When old and outdated equipment is used, call drops can get more frequent. This usually happens due to damaged components and loose internal connections. 

How to troubleshoot echo on phone calls?

You can troubleshoot echo by trying one of the following steps:

1. First, cover the mouthpiece on your phone. If the echo disappears, all you have to do now is lower the volume of your earpiece/speakers.
2. Remove your router from the vicinity of your computer’s monitor, CPU, and power supply.
3. Splitters and caller ID devices that are connected to your router and phone should be disconnected.
4. Examine the wiring in your system. Ensure that your cables are dry and not excessively lengthy.
5. Examine to see if your conferencing or phone equipment is outdated, and if it is, replace it.

4. Is your call not getting connected?

Whenever your two routers are dropping critical packets of data, it is impossible to make calls. This is due to the improper network layout. Your calls will drop immediately after dialing a number.

Application Layer Gateway (ALG) processes certain protocols and rewrites them for a better flow of data. Unfortunately, this causes errors in handling data.

How to troubleshoot a lost call connection?

You can troubleshoot your connection using any one of these steps:

1. First, go to your network setting on your device and disable SIP ALG.
2. Check if two routers are hampering the flow of data packets and if yes, reconfigure your routers.
3. Use Virtual LAN (VLAN) to place your VoIP phones
4. Check the number you are dialing is correct. 

5. Can you hear any sound?

You call someone, but even after the call connects, you don’t hear any sound from the other end. You encounter this issue when a firewall is blocking the flow of RTF packets. Also, it occurs when your speaker or your caller’s microphone is broken.

How to troubleshoot a call with no sound?

These points can help you fix your call with no sound. 

1. Check your network firewalls and open ports to allow packet traffic to flow.
2. Examine your headsets to see if it’s broken or not.

6. Is your audio quality low?

A bad internet connection is the first reason for your low audio quality. If your network is unstable due to lousy internet, audio will lose its quality to avoid call drops. Eventually, the call will drop due to network failure.

Another chance is that your network’s bandwidth might be full. There isn’t enough bandwidth left to maintain good audio quality.

How to troubleshoot low audio quality on phone calls?

You should check if your internet connection is good to provide enough bandwidth for good audio quality. You can also follow one of these steps:

1. Restart your networking device to reduce network fluctuations.
2. Check the quality of your network cables. Make sure they are of good quality.
3. Use Virtual LAN (VLAN) to place your VoIP phones.

7. Are your calls going to voicemail?

Instead of ringing your phone, if your calls go straight into voicemail, it is a huge call quality issue. It can happen if the VoIP service providers no longer register your VoIP phone. 

Your Do Not Disturb (DND) mode may also be active. This call drop is technically due to the current network configuration for call forwarding.

How to troubleshoot calls going to voicemail?

You can quickly troubleshoot this issue by following the key steps:

1. First, check if the current configuration for call forwarding is correct.
2. Make sure all your VoIP phones are registered and totally active.
3. Your Do Not Disturb (DND) mode is turned off.

To fixate on,

Business communication is critical when it comes to building relationships with customers/clients. If a call drops in the middle of the conversation, you can potentially lose your lead, sometimes, even your regular customer. So you should know how to fix VoIP call drops if any issue surfaces in the network.

Keep in mind that having a good VoIP service provider is necessary to minimize the issue during a VoIP phone call. Choosing the right VoIP service provider is also a way to handle VoIP call dropping issues. So if you want to enjoy uninterrupted VoIP calls, KrispCall would be the ideal choice.

KrispCall is a cloud telephony platform that provides good quality phone calls at a minimum expense. Using their VoIP service, you can meet all your business communication needs.

KrispCall’s caller ID and Contact tags features will never let you lose potential customers. If you ever face drop calls during a call, KrispCall will store the details of that call. You can tag this call and contact them to reconnect with them later.

KrispCall has many more features and solutions to offer you to experience amazing interactions with your customers.  With the fine addition of Krispall’s click-to-call widget to your business website, your customers can call you anytime in just one click.

Bivek Khatiwada

Bivek Khatiwada is a Senior Analyst at KrispCall with a wealth of knowledge in VoIP, virtual phone systems, and cloud call centers. His expertise allows him to elucidate the benefits and advancements of modern communication technologies.