Sound is an analog medium. It uses waves to transmit the sound from one end of a phone connection to the other. Telephone lines were designed to carry analog wave signals. A great example of this is connecting two cans with a long string, stretching it tight and talking into one can and listening on the other. When the line is tight, you should be able to hear clearly from one can what the other person is saying into the other can.
Enter VoIP. VoIP transmits signals digitally, meaning it transmits signals from one end to another in sequences of zeroes and ones. When person s
peaks into a phone, the analog signal is converted into digital signals, routed through an IP network, then reconverted to analog for the sound to be heard on the other end. As the sound packets get routed, it goes through various networking equipment such as switches, routers, firewalls, and sometimes though the cloud (Internet). Depending on how the equipment is set up, some packets could get lost, delayed or skewed. This can cause issues such as cut outs, echoes, static or a disconnection. Troubleshooting these issues can be burdensome and will require the expertise of someone well versed in not only VoIP, but networking and security.
The technicians at Yoji are all networking consultants. We understand both realms, voice and data, and make sure that the network is set up properly for VoIP. We set priority rules on the firewall to minimize delays of voice packets when it gets scanned, determine port settings for firewalls that may not play well with VoIP, and create separate virtual LANs for larger environments to create a clean voice segment and separate it from the disruptive data network. We also work with the ISP to fix line clarity issues that can cause problems once it leaves the local network and gets to the public medium (Internet). When we walk out that door during deployment, our phones are working properly or we put together a plan of action to get it working right. We feel the time invested will create a better experience for our clients while lessening the support issues that arise from a voice system deployed improperly.
Steve Choy – President – Yoji Inc.
