Call quality falling apart

[theoyster]

Hello all!

I'm really glad to have found this forum. Everyone here seems to know a lot more than I do about the MJ. I'm a very recent convert, and I like it very much. But I'm having a problem that maybe others here have seen...

My calls seem to go through fine. On my end, the person I call is crystal clear...better than Vonage! But on the other end, everyone complains that I sound slightly muddy. No big deal though, they say. Still perfectly audible. Over the course of the call, however, they report that I begin to cut out. Eventually, they think I've dropped altogether. So I hear them saying "Hello? Hello? Are you still there?" I hear them saying that with perfect clarity, of course. The call never falls apart on my side.

I'm using a DSL line, with 6Mbit service. Of course, I know that's only download speed, and upload isn't any better than 768. I've done some speed tests and I'm realistically getting more like 650 upload.

Is that my problem? Is the issue that my line is faster down than it is up? Has anyone else experienced this, and is there anything to be done about it?

Thanks everyone! Hopefully soon I'll be helping other people instead of just seeking help.

-Barry

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

Welcome to the forum!


I'm sorry to hear of this nagging problem you are experiencing.

There are a lot of topics about this type of problem on this forum. It seems there are many different causes. You could try searching them out and getting some good reading in.

Another helpful source of information is the Magic Jack wiki book. It describes various ways to improve voice quality.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MagicJack

Personally, I would try the following:

-Try different phones
-Try different usb ports
-Try a powered usb hub
-Try changing your proxy.

That last one seems to be the culprit in many cases, but it also takes the most "involvement" on your part to solve. The proxy server that your MJ uses to process your calls is based on the area code of your MJ number, and not your physical location. Some of these servers are either electronically dodgy, or are simply overtaxed (i.e. too many people with those area codes trying to use the same server, and the MJ engineers haven't bothered to either fix it, or scale up its capabilities).


The methods for blocking proxies on PC's is described in the wiki book.

I'm sorry I can't advise you on the methods to block particular proxies using a Mac, if they are different. However, as you've seen there are many knowledgeable people here who can help you, once they see your post.

Alternatively, many routers will allow you to perform the blocking actions internally.

Good luck!

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

I should also say that once in a while, those I am talking to will make similar complaints about my voice, though I can hear them.

Every time that occurred, I was actively surfing the net on the same computer with the MJ. It's not logical that it would cause problems, because I have a fairly powerful machine, yet it does sometimes happen.

Other family members surfing on other machines on the same network, do not cause any clarity problems for phone calls, so it is not a bandwidth issue.

[theoyster]

Thank you for your (incredibly fast) replies.

The proxy thing is interesting...I'll definitely look into it.

The thing is, I'm already not doing some of the stuff that others have had troubles with. For instance, I'm not using a phone. I'm plugging directly into my laptop with a VOIP headset. One of the things that attracted me to MJ was that I could use my computer as a phone. I have tried a real phone too, and the problem persists. But for the most part, I don't even have one plugged in.

Next, I don't use a USB hub. The instructions indicated that a hub, powered or otherwise, can cause issues, so I avoided that altogether. No reason to bring extra problems on myself, I reasoned.

Last, I was a Vonage customer for a very long time...longer than most...and since moving to North Carolina, I've had the exact same problem with them that I'm having now with MJ. Precisely the same. I thought it was a Time Warner Cable issue, so I switched to Windstream DSL, with no improvement. Then I figured it must be a Vonage issue, which upset me because I'm very fond of Vonage. MJ has the exact same problem.

It seems illogical to me that Vonage and MJ could have the exact same issue, and have it be them. Its got to be VOIP as a concept. Maybe ISPs are engaging in some sort of throttling. If you're chewing up your upstream pipe for any period of time, perhaps they assume you're torrenting and throttle back your connection.

Seems conspiratorial, but what other explanation could there be?

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

It seems illogical to me that Vonage and MJ could have the exact same issue, and have it be them. Its got to be VOIP as a concept. Maybe ISPs are engaging in some sort of throttling. If you're chewing up your upstream pipe for any period of time, perhaps they assume you're torrenting and throttle back your connection.

Seems conspiratorial, but what other explanation could there be?

It's not paranoia, if they really are after you.


With this information, there seems to be only three likely possibilities:

1) The government or ISP is on to your little game. Seriously, you may be right about the upload. Who knows?

2) Your computer and/or router has issues. Please let us know if you've tried a different machine.

3) You really do speak in a broken and choppy voice.

[GuyOnTheAir]

I'd take a look at the things in your system that have not changed, such as any router or firewall you have in your system (a Linksys, for example) Does your computer directly plug into your cable or DSL modem? Are you experiencing the problem when using a wireless connection?

Finally, it's possible that you just have a bad mJ. I don't suspect this first, as your mJ wouldn't be involved in your Vonage problems.

Check one other thing. For a test, disconnect every device from your network, except the bare bones, like the DSL or cable modem, and your computer. Test now. Does it work? It's possible some other device on your network is sending out packets of junk and causing a problem.