Latency is a term most commonly used to describe delay or lag in a system, especially in the industry of communication. Latency can be found on computer networks and even while establishing voice communication through traditional telephones. But it is majorly found in internet voice calls, where the said words reach late with unclear sound effects to the receptor. Latency is considered one of the major issues in the industry of internet service.
Latency in Voice Calls
To explain briefly, Latency is referred to as the time that lies between the moment when a voice packet gets transmitted and the moment when it reaches its destination. If there is a delay or echo found in the voice quality, the blame goes to the slow network links.
Telephone latency is also known as mouth-to-ear delay, while internet-related audio latency is mostly referred to as QoE.
How Latency Affects Voice Call Quality
The reason why latency in voice calls become a major concern in the IT industry is the compromise that it does to the call quality. Here’s how latency badly affects the quality of internet voice calls.
- Slows down the pace of telephonic conversations
- Overlapping noises create miscommunication where one speaker often ends up interrupting the other.
- Echo in the calls makes the conversation inaudible.
- Disrupts the synchronization between the voice data and the other data types and fails to conduct smooth video conferencing.
Getting Rid of Voice Call Latency
If your voice calls are often getting affected because of latency, here are some tips to get rid of this issue without too much effort. Here we would analyze the factors that cause voice call latency and fixing up these factors would eventually resolve the issue.
Insufficient Bandwidth
If your Internet connection is getting slower, and the data packets are taking more time to flow, then the communication is bound to suffer. Hence, you need to check with your internet service provider, if your bandwidth is sufficient to carry out advanced tasks like video conferencing, internet voice calls, etc.
Firewall
Sometimes even a firewall can block out the flow of data traffic. As checkpoints always create a bottlenecking situation, allowing clearance to the voice-calling apps will mostly solve the issue.
Old Hardware
Many times using old hardware to work with the new breed of software can cause latency. Not all the new networks will be compatible with the old hardware settings and therefore cause delay and latency while functioning. In that case, it is always better to use a different telephone adapter or even a new phone to make things work in tune with each other.
Signal
If the communication system is converting the signals between analog and digital, the process itself can create latency due to the complex process it involves. Buffering too takes place when audio data gets transferred and if there’s any difference between the time between both events.
The Bottom Line
If you can successfully identify the reason behind the latency by doing a bit of research on the system your network is following, it won’t be too difficult to address the issue of voice call latency and improve the quality of calls.
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