Though VOIP is an excellent technology, getting one is not that easy. There are a couple of factors you need to consider, one of which is the bandwidth.
Bandwidth refers to how much data can be sent and received through the Internet. There are two kinds of it. You have the download bandwidth, which refers to how much information can be transferred from the Internet to your PC, and the upload bandwidth, a measure of data transferred from your PC to the Internet.
As to how much upload and download bandwidth you need clearly depends on your needs, preferences, or habits. For example, if you love to watch videos and listen to podcast more than storing documents online, then you definitely need more download than upload bandwidth.
However, if you’re using VOIP you definitely need more of both.
What happens if you don’t meet the required bandwidth then? For one, the quality of audio and video may suffer. There may be some delays, or worse, you may not hear or see anything at all. If you’re using VOIP to make calls, you’ll experience a lot of dropped or disconnected calls. It’s also possible that you can’t take advantage of other well-known features of VOIP.
How to Avoid Bandwidth Problems
1. Prioritize cable over other types of connection. High-speed DSL connection is actually already great for VOIP, as the bandwidth it provides can already sustain at most 2 simultaneous calls. If you’re running a small business, the bandwidth and speed is already enough. Moreover, you can use facsimile services.
Nevertheless, if you want to guarantee exceptional quality, you should go for cable VOIP, where bandwidth and speed is around 4 times much faster and bigger than that of other VOIP setups. You may spend more, but it’s going to be worth it.
2. Make sure that your VOIP provider always upgrades its infrastructure. When you’re up against a lot of VOIP users, there’s no way that your own bandwidth won’t suffer. You will experience a number of downtimes or slow connection. But these can be avoided only if the company is willing to invest in improving VOIP technology, integrating better hardware, for example.
3. See to it your computer is capable of high-speed connection. Sometimes bandwidth is already huge, but it’s not maximized because of your computer limitations.
