How Managed Routers Improve Hosted VoIP Call Quality

While each of our clients are unique, often there are two occurances that happen very early in the relationship -- in many instances on the first call or at the first meeting -- when there is a noticeable pause, and we’re asked to repeat ourselves or elaborate: because it just sounds “too good to be true”.

Enormous Cost Savings

The first instance is when we do the math and explain that, yes, the cost savings of switching from a traditional phone system to hosted VoIP is somewhere between impressive and enormous. Indeed, it is not uncommon for businesses to save 50 percent (and in some cases even more); and not just initially or during the first year, but every year. Talk about the investment that keeps on giving!

Minimal Hardware Footprint 

The second instance is when we explain that, unlike many other technology investments that require the purchase and installation of complex hardware (e.g.  mainframes, servers, workstations, etc.), with hosted VoIP all that most businesses need is a business-quality managed router, and certified VoIP phones. Both of these are very affordable, and installation (for the router) and setup (for the phones) is straightforward and rapid.  

In an upcoming blog post, we will focus on certified VoIP phones, and highlight how easy they are to setup (and to re-configure after an employee leaves/is transferred elsewhere). For now, however, we will look at how managed routers improve hosted VoIP call quality.

What is a Managed Router?

Simply put, a managed router is one that is (as the name suggests) managed by your hosted VoIP solutions provider. This frees your IT staff from having to monitor, configure and optimize your router in order to achieve peak performance and security.  

Through a managed router, your hosted VoIP solutions provider can monitor traffic flow, and ensure that your network does not get congested due to multiple services running at the same time (e.g. your hosted VoIP system, regular network use by employees, PoS systems, etc.). This monitoring happens automatically 24/7 365 days a year.

Furthermore, through a managed router your hosted VoIP Solutions Provider can also instantly detect a loss of connection to your ISP (i.e. if your ISP temporarily goes down or the cable is cut outside of your premises, etc.). In such cases, if your system is configured for automatic failover, it will kick in and your system will continue functioning as per normal.

Jitter Buffering

A managed router can be configured with built-in jitter buffers. These temporarily store voice packets as they arrive, which minimizes delays in variations. (Note: at Votacall, all of the managed routers we sell and install have built-in jitter buffers, since we want our customers to have superior performance at all times).

Prioritization

A managed router can (and should) also be pre-programmed to prioritize VoIP traffic over the network, so that call quality is not diminished by “echoing” (i.e. a delay in the time it takes speech to leave the speaker and get to the listener). 

Improved Security

In addition to improving call quality, a managed router – which sits behind your firewall – helps ensure that valuable data is protected, and calls cannot be “hacked” by unauthorized parties.

Ongoing Reports

It is also worth noting that a managed router captures key system data, such as usage, traffic, and so on. These can all be used to create reports, tables and graphs that help businesses get the most of their system.  

Learn More

To learn more about how managed routers improve hosted VoIP call quality, contact the Votacall team today. Your consultation with us is free.

To help you decide who the best VoIP vendor is to partner with, download our FREE eBook "How to Choose the RightPartner for Your VoIP Phone System":