echo ... echo ... echo

zap

i get a slight echo when i cna hear my vocie when I talk, the person I am calling can't hear it but is there anyway I can reduce or remove this prob.

capistrano

Is this with a softphone?

I get an echo with a softphone but none with my DECT connected to the ATA.

zap

no its DECT through ATA

medO

zap wrote:

i get a slight echo when i cna hear my vocie when I talk, the person I am calling can't hear it but is there anyway I can reduce or remove this prob.

Possible causes / solutions:

1) Do you get the echo on calls to mobile numbers only? Several mobile networks appear to be trying every trick in the book to kill VoIP for obvious reasons (ie free or 2c/min on VoIP –v- up to EUR 1 or more per min using 2/3GSM networks). The good old echo and time delay (where you have to pause for one or more seconds before responding to the other party after each sentence) can be very effective at pissing people off from VoIP rather quickly. The longer the delay or echo the more effective.

2) Did you try the STUN server settings? (If not ask your VoIP SP for same, if they haven’t supplied them already).

3) ComReg - however it gets buckets of cash from the mobile lot, and very little from the VoIP lot. Eircom are well installed too. One shouldn’t hold one’s breath for any improvements via the regulatory route anytime soon.

medO

bhickey

zap wrote:

i get a slight echo when i cna hear my vocie when I talk, the person I am calling can't hear it but is there anyway I can reduce or remove this prob.

I also normally use a DECT through an ATA and the echo is generally worst when I'm speaking to another person using a DECT at the other end. The louder I speak, the more pronounced the echo becomes becomes. When either end is a wired handset the problem doesn't seem to be as bad. So many settings to tweak .........

aaronc

zap wrote:

i get a slight echo when i cna hear my vocie when I talk, the person I am calling can't hear it but is there anyway I can reduce or remove this prob.

The main causes of echo on VoIP calls are:

1. Feedback between microphone and speakers if using a softphone. This is usually the only type of echo you will get if the call is VoIP-to-VoIP (in your case since you're not using a softphone you can rule it out),

2. Unbalanced analogue telephone lines. In this case the echo is produced by electrical signals reflected by an analogue telephone line. Every analogue phone has a built in impedance that is designed to dampen the reflected signal produced in the telephone line. Often you will get “dodgy wiring” and the impendence of the lines will be outside the required tolerances and the echo will not be entirely cancelled by the phone, the impendence of the line and the telephone will be mismatched . For this reason you can have a perfect call to one analogue telephone line and a bad echo on the next one.

And since I'm sure you're thinking that's the biggest load of crap you've ever heard here's even more detail from Vonage one of the larger VoIP providers in the US:
http://www.vonage.com/help_knowledgeBase_article.php?article=266&category=47

There are also a couple of places where echo cancellation algorithms are used. Firstly most ATAs will have a builtin algorithm and most VoIP providers will also do echo cancellation on their servers. This helps a lot but it's by no means perfect, echo cancellation is not an easy task.

If you get echo on every call, regardless of whether it's the sender or receiver who gets it, then it's most likely something to do with your set up. If it's only occassional it is probably the network or the other end.

Aaron

WillieFlynn

Try pluging a different phone into the ATA to see if the problem is with your DECT phones, rather than the ATA / VoIP setup. Also does your DECT phone have the same problem on a normal phone line?

Most ATA will allow you to adjust the impedence the present to your phone, changing it to match your phone could help.