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Registration & Login
Calling Instructions
Sound Quality
General Questions
Billing and Usage
Troubleshooting
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Sound Quality
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Is sound quality affected by the ISP service I am using ?
How can I improve the sound quality ?
The other person I'm calling and I am having problems hearing each other.
How can I check to see if my internal microphone is working ?
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Is sound quality affected by the ISP service I am using ?
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Yes, sound quality on the Way2Talk service is function of network conditions and international bandwidth provisioned by your Internet service provider.
For best possible results we recommend you use
Sifygold dial-up or Sify Home Broadband services.
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How can I improve the sound quality ? |
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When placing calls through Way2Talk, most users generally experience sound quality similar to a mobile phone. The quality of your call is dependent on a number of factors, some of which may be within your control, and others that are the result of your Internet connection.
Below are five (5) troubleshooting tips related to your Internet connection, followed by two (2) tips on hardware issues related to sound quality.
Please note: the information below is very detailed. You may even want to print this page to use as a guide as you troubleshoot your system
1. Internet Connectivity / Firewall
The Way2Talk Internet Telephony service would function ONLY with Dial-up Internet Connections without any Proxy / Firewall set-up
The service requires that your PC has a Public IP address when connected to the Internet
If you are using an ISDN / DSL / Cable Internet Connection you would not be able to use the service.
The service would not function in any Network where NAT (Network Address Translation) or PAT (Port Address Translation) is enabled, thus you would not be able to use the service in you are using a LAN (Local Area Network) setup.
The Way2Talk service will not function in Networks which are behind a Firewall, this is because, the default configuration of many Firewall would block the Voice signals from going out or coming in to the Network.
Also, If your Network is configured for Network Address Translation (NAT) or Port Address Translation (PAT), you would not be able to use the Way2Talk service.
This could apply to many Office / Corporate LANs as well as Home users who use Personal Firewalls such as Zone Alaram
If your Office LAN is behind a Firewall, we reccomend that you use our custom solution for Coporates
2. Network Connection/Speed
The speed of your Internet connection is one of the most important factors in the quality of your call, and having a faster connection to the Internet helps yield better quality of phone calls. We recommend you have atleast a 56k connection.
We reccomend that you make the following settings to your Windows Dial-up Networking Properties :
Open Dial-up Networking (by going to My Computer)
Right click on the Connection you use & choose Properties
Click on the Configure button in the “Connect using” option to configure you modem
Set the Maximum speed value to "57600"
Note : DO NOT ENABLE THE “Connect only at this Speed” option
3. Multiple Programs
Having other programs open while trying to place a call may result in break up or gaps, especially programs, such as Microsoft Outlook, that can consume much of the bandwidth of your Internet connection. Closing unnecessary programs can help improve the quality of your call.
4. Transferring Data Over the Internet
Checking or sending email, accessing the web or downloading files from the Internet can also affect the quality of your call. Again, the faster your Internet connection, the less likely these activities are to affect your call.
5. Microphone and Speakers
Problems with sound quality are most often related to your microphone and speakers, your PC sound card or a network firewall. Below are troubleshooting tips and links for more information on each of these causes.
Requirements:
All PC-to-phone calls require use of a microphone and speakers. The best setup is a headset with a microphone. Headsets enable the best quality sound and eliminate any echo you or the person you're calling might be hearing.
In the meantime, if you don't have a headset, we recommend you at least use a regular pair of headphones - those from any personal stereo will do just fine - in place of your speakers.
Echo on the receiver end is most often caused when the voice of the person you are calling comes through your computer speakers and is picked up again by your microphone, causing the receiver to hear their voice twice. Echo on your end is most often caused by microphone problems.
Troubleshooting:
1. Check the volume settings.
Slide the microphone volume control on the calling window up or down to adjust.
2. Check that your microphone is working.
You can test to see if your microphone is working by recording a short message in the Windows Sound Recorder program. You can find it under "Start," "Programs," "Accessories," "Multi Media" or "Entertainment," "Sound Recorder." Simply hit the red button, talk into the microphone, and then hit the play button. If you don't hear anything, there is a problem with your microphone.
Sound cards Requirements:
To use the Way2Talk Calling service, your computer must have a full-duplex sound card and be properly configured. Our application only works with full duplex sound cards so you need to contact your PC manufacturer or reseller to troubleshoot your sound configuration.
To find out if your sound card supports full duplex sound, try running following test:
Start Windows Sound Recorder twice (Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Multimedia or Entertainment -> Sound Recorder)
In one of them open a wave file (there should be some wave files installed with Windows) and click the play button.
While that wave file is playing in first Sound Recorder, click record button in second Sound Recorder.
If there is no error, then your
sound card supports full duplex audio.
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The other person I'm calling and I am having
problems hearing each other. |
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The major cause for one-way communication is sound card configuration
To use the Way2Talk calling service, your computer must have a full-duplex sound card and be properly configured.
To find out if your sound card supports full duplex sound, try running following test:
Start Windows Sound Recorder twice (Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Multimedia or Entertainment -> Sound Recorder)
In one of them open a wave file (there should be some wave files installed with Windows) and click the play button.
While that wave file is playing in first Sound Recorder, click record button in second Sound Recorder.
If there is no error, then your sound card supports full duplex audio.
Our application only works with full duplex
sound cards so you need to contact your PC manufacturer or reseller
to troubleshoot your sound configuration.
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How can I check to see if my internal microphone
is working ? |
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1. You can test to see if your microphone is working by recording a short message in the Windows Sound Recorder program. You can find it under "Start," "Programs," "Accessories," "Multi Media" or "Entertainment," "Sound Recorder." Simply hit the red button, talk into the microphone, and then hit the play button. If you don't hear anything, there is a problem with your microphone.
2. If the receiver on the other end says they can faintly hear you, try adjusting the microphone settings.
a) Advanced Microphone Adjustment: Under the tool bar, right click on the icon of an audio speaker and select "Open Volume Controls." Under the "Options" settings, select "Properties" and then highlight "Recording." Click "OK." A window will pop-up with Microphone settings. Make sure the Microphone Balance Settings are set to the highest level.
b) Microphone Boost: In addition, following the same steps as above, under the tool bar, right click on the icon of an audio speaker and select "Open Volume Controls." Under the "Options" settings, select "Properties" and then highlight "Recording." Click "OK." A window will pop-up with Microphone settings. Click on "Advanced" in the bottom right hand corner. Select the "Microphone Boost" and click "Close".
Doing this will help amplify the volume of your microphone.
Default Settings:
If your microphone has worked with other voice recording applications such as Microsoft NetMeeting, it is because these programs automatically adjust your default settings. Our program is a thin application for quicker downloads, so it will require you to initially adjust your settings. You can do this by following the steps listed in 2a. When you are in Microphone settings you can click on the Microphone Level Meter to verify the inputs. There is echo on either end of the call.
1. While there are several different causes of echo, audio feedback is usually the most common cause. The easiest way to get rid of it is to use a headset when placing calls (if you're not already doing so). Feedback occurs when the audio from your speakers loops backs through your microphone. Think of it this way: everything you hear coming out of your speakers your microphone hears as well. So when the person at the other end of the line speaks, her voice (which comes through your speakers) is picked up by your microphone and looped back to her via the Internet. When you use a headset, the voice of the person you're calling is trapped between the speakers and your ears, so it has less of a chance of being picked up by your microphone. If you don't have a headset, try using a pair of headphones in place of your speakers (even those from your personal stereo will work well).
2. Also, please double click on the speaker icon on the bottom right hand side of your Windows toolbar. Under "Options" select "Properties." Click on "Recording". If they aren't already selected, make sure that every box is checked marked, i.e. Master, Wave, Synthesis, Compact Disc, etc. and click "OK." After clicking OK you will see the controls for each of your audio components. Make sure that "Mute" is selected for each of your audio components except "Line In" and "Microphone." This will disable all audio components except the microphone. If after clicking OK, you do not have the option of selecting "Mute" for the inputs listed above, "Master," "Compact Disc," etc. but instead have the option to select certain inputs, make sure that "Microphone" is selected. This will enable your microphone.
3. Check the microphone settings on the computer to make sure that it is working well. If you are using a Windows operating system: look under the Start Menu/ Programs/ Accessories/ Entertainment/ Sound Recorder. Opening up this document will allow you to record with your microphone to judge how well it works.
4. Finally, if the person you are calling is
having trouble hearing you, it could be that your microphone volume
is not loud enough. Slide the microphone volume control on the
calling window up or down to adjust.
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