The information contained in this article, though not private or confidential, is not intended for Hudson client use.  This information is directed to and intended for internal Hudson company use only.

Setting the QoS Priority on your Network Router for VoIP devices.

If you have installed a Hudson hard phone extension in your office, and if you notice signal quality issues or degradation such as: echo, fade-out, or dropped voice packets either inbound or outbound, try the following router configuration modification. By changing the Quality of Service (QoS) setting and giving a high priority to the voice transmissions, you may clear up some signal quality issues.

Background:
Your internet connection is being shared and used by multiple applications: FTP upload/downloads, Terminal Services connections, Internet browsing, Voice over Internet (VoIP), streaming music, etc. When several of these bandwidth consuming activities happen concurrently, your router will act as the "traffic cop" and will from time to time pause or hold inbound or outbound data transfer. Usually this momentary pause is un-noticed except when you are in the middle of a VoIP phone conversation. By telling your router that VoIP phone connections are to be given the highest priority, then the router will pause or hold other connections when there are bandwidth issues, and will allow the inbound/outbound voice data packets to pass freely. Inbound bandwidth is rarely a problem on broadband or DSL connections, but outbound transmission of voice data packets may be effected.

To set your VoIP device so that it has high priority, you must have a router that allows for the configuration of QoS. Setting the QoS is possible in most newer routers. If you posesess a router that does not allow it, check to see if there is an online firmware upgrade for your router which may allow for QoS configuration.

Downloading and Installing Router Firmware

Whereas Linksys routers are perhaps the most commonly used (and the one this author is most familiar with) therefore these directions will focus on the Linksys WRT54G (Wireless G Broadband Router). Your directions and setup may differ if using a different router. Before making any changes to your router firmware or configuration settings, make sure you either make a backup of the settings or record them in a text document in case your original settings are lost. Informaiton to record should include DHCP settings, Firwall, Security, Wireless frequencies, Application and Port Forwarding settings, etc.

When you first login to your router, the Firrmare Version is displayed on the the main screen. If it is not displayed, browse to the STATUS tab, then view your current Router Model and Firmware version here.

Login to the Linksys website download page at: http://www.linksys.com/download/. From here you need to locate your specific Router name/model and specify your Operating System. Download and save your firmware upgrade to your PC. Find and run the upgrade wizard. Do not interrupt the process or turn power off to the router while the firmware is being updated. Once completed, recheck to ensure your Internet and other network connections are still working.

Configuring the QoS setting on your Router

Login to your router and locate the Applications and Gaming Tab. Select the QoS submenu item. Enable the Upstream Bandwidth and set to Auto

You then have the choice to assign a high priority to either a specifc device (e.g. your phone) or to a specific port on the router. When possible it is better (in my opinion) to assign the priority to a device so that if later on your change which router port your phone is connected to, you will not lose voice quality and have to reconfigure your router once again.

Device Name: VoIP, Phone, SPA-841 (phone model) etc, or some other text that identifies the telephone device.
Piority: set to HIGH
MAC Address: obtained from the web configuration tool for the phone - info tab (Sipura Phones).

All other devices and/or ports should be set to low priority. DO NOT set both your Phone device AND the port it is plugged into to High priority. The result would be that the phone would not work. So you can set the Device OR the Port# to high.

Save your router configuration changes and exit. Rebooting your router should not be necessary, but follow the router instructions if appropriate.

Check to see if the QoS setting has resolved your voice quality issues.

The information contained in this article, though not private or confidential, is not intended for Hudson client use.  This information is directed to and intended for internal Hudson company use only.