Troubleshooting Audio

At times a user will report audio/call quality issues on calls. In order to resolve these issues, we recommend the following.

Define the Issue

First and foremost we need to know exactly what they mean by audio issues. Reproducing the problem yourself is the best way to get a clear answer.

• Does the issue happen at the IPitomy Extension or at the Far End?
• Can you reproduce the issue on Extension to Extension calls without using their lines?
• What is the problem?
  • Choppy audio
  • Static
  • Low volume
  • Robot voice
• How are they using the phone?
  • Handset
  • Headset
  • Speakerphone
• Was the issue reported on a cell phone call?
  • Cell phone calls are prone to audio issues, see if you can find an example that doesn't involve a cell phone

Make Adjustments at the Phone

If the problems are at the phone, you'll want to try adjusting at the phone before anything else.

• Adjust the input and output gain in the PBX for the handset, headset, or speaker, whichever is reporting the issue.
• If they are using a headset with a base unit, make sure the base unit is not directly behind the phone as that can cause issues.
• Make sure they don't have speakers, cell phones, or other devices too close to the phone that can cause interference.
• Replace the (handset/headset) with a known working one to see if the issue persists. You can also replace a phone with a spare to help rule out if the issue is the speakerphone itself.

Make Adjustments to their Lines

If the problem only occurs when making or receiving calls on their lines, and doesn't happen on ext to ext calls, you'll want to troubleshoot the lines themselves.

Analog Lines

Audio issues with analog lines are usually caused by the lines themselves. Test the lines for idle voltage, connected voltage, and loop current when connected. They should be as close to 50v idle, 0v connected, 23mA loop current as possible.

See the following guide for Analog Troubleshooting

SIP Trunks

Audio issues with SIP trunks are usually related to their router and internet connection. Dropped packets and high jitter can result in problems with the quality of their calls.

See the following guide for Troubleshooting Remote SIP

Packet Captures

When an issues is elusive, a packet capture may shed some light on the audio issues experienced.

PBX Side

Under Diagnostic=>Packet Capture you can set the PBX to capture all inbound and outbound traffic. We recommend to only run this for short durations while you are actively troubleshooting. You should not leave the capture running all the time hoping to catch the issue.

Phone Side

If you log into the phone GUI via IP address you can enable a setting that will mirror all traffic from the LAN port to the PBX port. This will allow you to set up a PC with wireshark connected to the PC port and make a packet capture of the local phone traffic. This can be helpful to pinpoint an issue, especially of done at the same time as a PBX packet capture for the purposes of comparing.

• Log into the Phone GUI
• Navigate to Phone Settings=>Basic=>Basic
• Set Network Packet Mirroring to On
• Connect a PC with Wireshark to the PC port of the phone
• Start a capture with wireshark and do your testing, stop the capture when finished