VoIP Call Quality: What Your Internet Actually Needs

The number one concern we hear from folks considering VoIP is: “Is my internet good enough?” It’s a fair question, especially in rural areas where bandwidth isn’t always abundant. The good news is that VoIP is far less demanding than most people assume.

The Numbers

A single VoIP call uses about 100 kilobits per second in each direction. To put that in perspective, streaming a Netflix show in HD uses about 50 times that much. If your internet can handle a YouTube video, it can handle a phone call without breaking a sweat.

Even if you’ve got multiple calls going at once — say, a small office with three people on the phone simultaneously — that’s still only about 300 kbps. Most rural internet connections can manage that comfortably.

It’s Not About Speed — It’s About Stability

Here’s where things get interesting. Raw download speed is rarely the issue with VoIP call quality. The real factors are:

Jitter — This is the variation in how long it takes data packets to arrive. If packets show up at irregular intervals, your call can sound choppy. Think of it like a conversation where the other person’s words arrive in bursts instead of a steady stream.

Latency — This is the delay between when you say something and when the other person hears it. A little latency is normal and unnoticeable. Too much, and you start talking over each other like a bad satellite interview on the evening news.

Packet loss — Sometimes data packets just don’t make it to their destination. A tiny amount of packet loss is fine — your phone system compensates. But if your internet connection is regularly dropping packets, calls will suffer.

What You Can Do

Most call quality issues aren’t about your internet plan — they’re about your local network. A few simple steps can make a big difference:

• Use a wired connection for your VoIP phone when possible. Wi-Fi is convenient but less reliable for voice traffic.
• Check your router. If it’s the same one your internet provider gave you eight years ago, it might be time for an upgrade.
• Enable QoS (Quality of Service) on your router if it supports it. This tells your network to prioritize voice traffic over things like file downloads.
• Test your connection at a site like speedtest.net. Look at upload speed, download speed, and ping. If your ping is under 100ms and your speeds are above 1 Mbps in each direction, you’re in good shape.

The Bottom Line

Don’t let internet speed worries keep you from considering VoIP. The bandwidth requirements are modest, and most connection issues can be solved with basic network housekeeping. If you can send an email, you can probably make a VoIP call.

Not sure about your setup? Reach out and we’ll help you figure out if your connection is ready.

• Voip
• Technical