Call Quality Slidder

This forum includes tips for maintaining the best audio quality possible with the Ooma System. If your Ooma system is having issues with dropped calls, static audio or echo, look here for assistance.
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Timothy
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Joined:Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:45 am
Call Quality Slidder

Post by Timothy » Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:58 am

I purchased my Ooma unit recently and installed on my Cable service which I tested averages 10 milsecond latency. I have a 15meg down and 8 meg up service. On a test call from my work land line to my ooma phone I was rather unhappy with the quality of call. There was no echo, no delay, no stuttering etc but the call sounded like being on cell phone. When I had Vontage I could adjust the bit rate. When I adjusted the bit rate to around 30-90 kbs the call sounded exactly like my test calls from my work land line to my ooma phone at home. My assumption is that Oooma has my setting at around 30-90kbs. I am hoping there could be a slidder to adjust this based on peoples connectivity. Since there is no slidder with Ooma, could somebody there adjust my quality much higher??? Then my conversation would sould crystal clear. Compared to Vonage and my Comcast VOIP Ooma doesn't sound great. Please help!

ram104
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Joined:Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:01 pm
Location:MA

Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by ram104 » Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:09 am

Thats a good idea. I think thats my problem. I seem to have toe same bandwidth as you ad my calls are "ok"

dlong
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Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by dlong » Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:35 am

I believe you are referring to the QOS setting. Log into your ooma hub to set this to match your bandwidth. Find out your bandwidth by running a speed test. There's a FAQ on this on this site.

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Soundjudgment
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Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by Soundjudgment » Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:54 am

Timothy wrote: could somebody there adjust my quality much higher??? Then my conversation would sould crystal clear. Compared to Vonage and my Comcast VOIP Ooma doesn't sound great. Please help!
There are a number of reasons for this. And for why you just can't 'expect' to be able to change your paulty audio quality to a concert symphony-hall experience. Many factors such as bandwidth and speed you are familiar with. But Ooma as with all carriers chooses and works with Industry-standard codecs. There are a number of them out there, and each claims to be either 'standard' service or 'high quality' for voice modulated communications. Add to that the need to TAILOR (trim) the audio with filtering and shaping, to increase the bandwith savings while cutting down the noise and hiss. Ooma has shown to be VERY limited in the audio spectrum, sadly, but it still works well enough to use. This quality-improvement issue is not something that can be tweaked on a dime or a whim because some customer notices the current limitations in its audio spectrum.

Now, funny thing but Skype is offering its highest-quality compression-codec algorithm for FREE to any rival telcom outfit who wishes to use it. But even with the best codecs available, the Ooma infra-structure has to be adaptable to support the change, and a lot of people have to be convinced it is worth the trouble to switch everything over to it. So don't hold your breath that the ooma techs, fresh out of college.. will jump at Skype's generous offer, or ANY other technical specification out there. After all, it is proven RELIABILITY (besides the licensing-costs) that most companies are after, and ooma is already working with a codec which IT believes serves the clients best.

So RA-RA! for your efforts, but good luck in moving that giant elephant twenty feet forward. ;)
ooma customer since December 2008
ooma hardware: core (hub/scout) and Telo
Premier, Lifetime Member
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Timothy
Posts:79
Joined:Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:45 am

Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by Timothy » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:29 pm

Ok, I appreaciate the explaination but part of the error is on my side as I did not notice Ooma has the QOS settings to allow for the additional bandwidth. I'm at work right now but when I get home will adjust the download stream to 384 as to match the upstream as its set to Zero for default?. I assume this is why when I'm at home everything sounds great but when I call from work on the Land line to home with ooma it sounds like a cell phone. I assume changing the downstream to match the upstream should do the trick? Again.. I have a cream of the crop drop connection to the house. Thanks again the quick responses from everyone!

Timothy
Posts:79
Joined:Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:45 am

Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by Timothy » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:46 pm

Well, I came home and made the adjustments in the QOS area to "0" Disabled as instructed by others and made no difference in sound quality. I must have a picky ear than most. When I am home using Ooma accepting a call or calling another sound quality is fine. Calling from Work on our land land to home speaking to the kids or wife, sounds like I'm on the cell phone so appears the Codec or bandwidth to the Hub is highly compressed and limited. As mentioned by the previous poster Nothing will be changed, but I do hope they make a beta test to allow additional bandwidth to be consumed by the unit to allow the extra quality just like Vonage does and works so well. The QOS function might be fine with people that have a very limited broadband connection but does nothing for sound quality if you do have a wide pipe and extremely good latency. If anyone at Ooma would like to work with me on a beta or test bandwidth settings, I'll be happy to try. Am I the only one noticing this??

ram104
Posts:293
Joined:Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:01 pm
Location:MA

Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by ram104 » Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:14 pm

Timothy I have the same problem. When I'm at home the sound quality is great, but if I am at work or on a landline phone and I call home (ooma phone) I get the cell quality sound.

Timothy
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Joined:Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:45 am

Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by Timothy » Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:13 am

Thank you Ram102 for your posts! Nice to know others have observed this quality of service issue. I assume many don't call there own home or location of Ooma Service and notice. Many have cell phones and of course wouldn't notice either. Calling from a Land Line its evident the sound quality is comparable to cell phone quality. I'm unclear why the sound quality is acceptable when at home receiving or calling using Ooma, but calling in from a Land Line is rather subpar from Vonage, Skype, and Compast I've used over the last 5 years. The reason of buying this expensive equipment and going away from my Cell phone is to get close to that of a land line. I realize that this is VOIP and it's issues and the service is fairly new. Just hoping the TECH Team/ Developers/ Beta Test Team would strong consider allowing upon request to have additional bandwidth applied either by a online adjustment simular to Vonage or a call/email to Ooma. Thanks again for everyone's help.

dlong
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Joined:Fri Feb 27, 2009 12:52 pm
Location:Sometime a while back, a caveman used it

Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by dlong » Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:14 am

If you use the QOS settings on the ooma, just make sure the ooma is behind the modem and in front of the router. If you have the ooma behind the router, ooma isn't in control of the QOS... the router is. ooma will control all the QOS traffic when it is behind the modem.

I might have missed it, but I didn't see how you have ooma configured in your LAN chain.

Timothy
Posts:79
Joined:Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:45 am

Re: Call Quality Slidder

Post by Timothy » Sat Mar 07, 2009 2:32 pm

Correct, The Modem to Ooma to Router. Cable specs during test 16 megs down 4 megs up. 10 - 50 millsecond lacency. Currently I have Comcast and had Vonage for years with perfect quality. As mentioned earlier. During the time I had Vonage they have a QOS setting allowing the amount of bandwidth you wish to consume for VOIP. At about 50-90 kbs the sound was identical to what I hear with Ooma. When the adjustment went to about 150K sound was stellar. I assume the codecs are different and so is the Kps ratio for Ooma but it's my guess its the bandwidth limitation. No matter where I place Ooma, after the router, before... even removing the router period and just Ooma.. It's the same issue. -Tim

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