Implementing a Unified Communication strategy like VoIP continues to be an increasing trend. The underlying technology supporting VoIP is network dependant. Voice Quality problems are often related to the network. As Voice is a critical application being able to troubleshoot these problems effectively and in a timely manner is critical to your continuing operations.

VoIP is extremely sensitive to delay and packet loss compared to other network applications such as web and e-mail services. This presents a real challenge and means we need to look at network statistics from a different perspective.

Network-Related VoIP Symptoms

Examples that you might be asked to troubleshoot include:

• Network Delay can cause a delay between the time you talk and when the other side hears you. You may start talking not realizing that the other party has already started talking
• Packet Loss can cause "holes" in the conversation where the other side is talking and you don't hear anything.
• Jitter can cause muffled or garbled words, or high distortion
• You can hear echo when you talk. This can be exacerbated by network problems, but a constant echo is usually not caused by network problems.
• You are not able to connect.

How To Debug and Troubleshoot VOIP

When you are having these problems you are going to need the right tools to troubleshoot so that you have insight into where the problem is happening.

Ethernet Monitoring Tools

This technique allows you to capture the actual calls and view what is actually getting sent and received by VOIP devices.

Diagnostic Tools

If a call has been identified with low call quality, Vivinet Diagnostic can run and determine why and where you are experiencing reduced call quality.

Monitoring and Test Tools

Your Network Monitoring system can be helpful in determining where problems are. Progressive managements system allow you to monitor each call and then run an investigation when a call has been breached.

 

Call Generators

Call Generators allow you to add actual call and/or call signaling to the network or in a lab environment so that in a controlled condition you can determine what is happening and the capacity that the network can maintain. This can work well with Ethernet Monitoring Tools such as Viavi Soultions Observer Analyzer to troubleshoot the problem

	LANforge Fire Stateful Network Traffic Generator		Candela Technologies