If you are using a VoIP system then you might have come across the echo problem during calls, which, not to mention, is really annoying. Echo is a problem that PSTN phone systems have been struggling to stave off for long but to no avail. Echo cannot be introduced by the digital part of VoIP and instead it is the codec related delay times as well as the buffering that creates the annoying echo.
Echo in a PSTN generated when the 4-wire circuit is changed to a 2 wire circuit (often it is the 2-wire devices like the telephone handsets) or low-grade handsets. If you really want to know about the echo on your pone then it is important to determine the type of echo you are hearing.
You need to find out whether the echo occurs on the PSTN calls with LINE Port – here models like Vigor 2100V, 2500V or 2700V (2S1L) are the ones that experience echo or it occurs during the VoIP to VoIP calls. You also need to check whether the echo occurs when calls are made from VoIP to PSTN devices or is it just the innocent talker to listener. Talker echo takes place when the sound of the talker echoes back to the talker i.e. the talker ends up hearing his voice only. The listener echo takes place when due to some kind of reflection the talkers echo is heard by the listener.
In case of a convergence echo, it occurs in the beginning itself but soon is eliminated. You also need to find out whether the echo problem originates at your end or is it from the listener’s end. When you are hearing the echo then it probably originates at the other end or on the PSTN network but when the other person hears the echo then it is probably your end that’s generating the echo.
Echo is generally caused by the imperfect impedance matching at the conversion point of the 4-wire to 2-wire in the PSTN network. The hybrid echo is the result of signal reflection. Echo can also result from the acoustic feedback where the microphone picks up the sound from the speaker of the same handset. This often stems out of poor designing of the echo cancelling circuit of the telephone. As mentioned earlier the convergence echo cancels out after the initial echo. The long distance calls on PSTN phones experience higher echo whereas echo during the short distance calls can hardly be detected.
So how can I remove echo?
Users can try two of the most popular methods to prevent echo on their phones and they are known as ERLE or Eco Return Loss Enhance and ERL or Echo Return Loss. The major VoIP providers around the world include the echo canceller on order to eliminate or minimize the echo from the analog loops. The routers too include the echo canceller to provide a clear voice signal output.
Apart from these there are not many options available to a user to reduce the echo on their phones. Here are a few things that can be tried to bypass or minimize echo:
- You can try to make a new call by cancelling the last call. It often happens that the echo canceller fails to activate during a call.
- Replace your old handset as a faulty telephone system can result in the failure of echo cancellation system.
- If you are using VoIP then you can even enable the Voice Activity Detection function.
- You can even minimize the echo by reducing the transmit power level but keep in mind that turning it too low will result in a complete silence to the other end.
Author Bio:
Michelle Patterson is an excellent writer who understands the need for conferencing systems to improve the business assets. She suggests using voip phone system to business owners for best communication options to improve your business assets remotely.