. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How much bandwidth is required for VoIP phones?

A long-standing question for potential VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) consumers is “How much bandwidth does a VoIP phone require to make quality phone calls?”

First, bandwidth is defined as the ability to transfer data (such as a VoIP phone call) from one point to another in a fixed period of time. The higher the bandwidth speed you have, the more data you can send through your broadband Internet connection.

There are two types of bandwidth at your location: upload bandwidth and download bandwidth. Upload bandwidth is the amount of data you can send to the Internet, and download bandwidth is the amount of data you can receive from the Internet. The more internet bandwidth you have from your ISP (Internet Service Provider), the better.

In most cases, the normal VoIP phone call will consume up to 90 Kbps (kilobits per second). If you have a broadband Internet service provider that does not offer a lot of bandwidth, most VoIP providers offer you the option of reducing VoIP voice quality by reducing the bandwidth used for VoIP calls to 60 Kbps or, to really conserve your bandwidth, 30 Kbps. Most people cannot differentiate between the three settings. We suggest that you use the high sound quality setting (90 Kbps in most cases), if bandwidth is not an issue. High VoIP voice quality is generally the default setting, but if you are in a situation where your bandwidth is limited, you can adjust your VoIP bandwidth to one of the lower settings. Some consumers with 128 Kbps upload connections may receive a lower quality VoIP service due to a poor quality ISP (Internet Service Provider). By selecting a lower quality VoIP bandwidth setting, this problem can be avoided.

If you plan to use a VoIP service provider, should you get a cable or DSL internet access provider? In general, DSL upload bandwidth starts at 128k, while cable Internet upload bandwidth starts at around 600k. Cable Internet is a bit more expensive, but it is also about 4-5 times faster than residential DSL and a bit friendlier for a VoIP phone call. That said, both high-speed DSL and cable modem services provide enough broadband Internet access bandwidth to support any of the major VoIP service providers. If you are experiencing low bandwidth from broadband internet service provider, we suggest you try Packet8 VoIP. Packet8 VoIP features advanced compression technology in which each active voice line uses approximately only 23 Kbps of total data throughput, upstream and downstream.

The amount of bandwidth a VoIP provider requires to make a quality phone call is just one thing to consider when choosing a VoIP service provider. In fact, there are many things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider. An educated consumer generally results in a satisfied consumer.

See the VoIP Issues to Consider article (http://www.voipchoices.com/voip-considerations.html) for a list of more things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider. You can also compare VoIP providers side by side by price and features at http://www.VoIPChoices.com

Leave A Comment