If calls are cutting out, sounding robotic, or lagging, work through this checklist before assuming it's your VoIP provider's fault — in most cases it's a local network setting.
1. Enable QoS on your router
Quality of Service settings let you tell your router to prioritise voice traffic over things like file downloads or video streaming. Most business-grade routers support this; it's one of the single biggest fixes for choppy calls on a shared connection.
2. Switch from wifi to ethernet
Wifi is inherently less stable than a wired connection — interference, distance from the router, and other devices competing for bandwidth all affect call quality. Where possible, plug desk phones directly into ethernet.
3. Check your available bandwidth
Each concurrent VoIP call needs roughly 100kbps. If you've got ten people on calls simultaneously on a slow connection alongside general office internet use, you'll run out of headroom. Consider a dedicated data connection for voice traffic on busier lines — see our guide to business leased lines.
4. Rule out wifi interference
Microwaves, other wifi networks and even Bluetooth devices can interfere with 2.4GHz wifi. If ethernet isn't possible, try 5GHz wifi or move the access point closer to the handset.
5. Test at different times of day
If problems only happen during business hours, it's likely a bandwidth/congestion issue rather than a fault. If they're constant, it's more likely a hardware or configuration problem.
6. If it's still happening — get it measured
Ask your provider to run a line quality test covering latency, jitter and packet loss — see our guide to what these metrics actually mean so you know what "good" looks like.
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