A stable network connection between the Aircall application and the media servers is key to having good call quality. Instability can easily impact quality, and a common source of issues is the local network, between:

  • The device running Aircall

  • The device providing internet access (usually a router)

There is a quick way to check if the local network is generally unstable: using the ping command.

Aircall provides separate articles for Windows and Mac, as the syntax is slightly different. Follow the steps below if you are using Aircall on Windows.

Run the local network test

1. Open Command Prompt

Steps

  1. Click the Start button.

  2. Type command prompt in the search field.

  3. Open Command Prompt from the results.

A terminal window will open.

2. Find your default gateway (router IP)

In the Command Prompt window, type:

ipconfig

You should see an output that includes a line with Default Gateway.

Write down the IP address shown in the Default Gateway field. In the next steps, we will refer to this as A.B.C.D.

Example of an output with a Default Gateway field highlighted

3. Run the ping test to your router

Use the IP address from step 2 (A.B.C.D) in the following command:

ping -n 180 A.B.C.D > pingRouterTest.txt

Then wait around 3 minutes (the 180 seconds shown in the command).

A file called pingRouterTest.txt will be created in the folder shown in the Command Prompt line (the current directory).

Understand the results

The results of the test are stored in the pingRouterTest.txt file. Open it and review the following points to see if there is a local network issue that needs fixing:

Check the "time" values per line

  • Look at the time= values at the end of each line.

  • Ensure they have similar values; fluctuations of a few dozen milliseconds are fine.

  • This means packets from the router are taking roughly the same time to arrive and the transmission is uniform, which is good for call quality.

  • If you see big changes, the transmission is irregular and this will introduce jitter, usually perceived as distortion in the audio.

Check that times are not too long

  • When pinging the router from within the local network, the time values should be only a few milliseconds.

  • If you see larger values, there is delay in the transmission, which will cause latency in the call audio.

Check packet loss at the bottom of the file

  • Near the bottom (typically the second line from the bottom), check the packet loss count.

  • This value should be zero.

  • If it is not zero, some packets are getting lost in transit. For call audio, this means parts of the voice are lost and the audio will sound choppy.

If packet loss is zero and the time values are low and roughly the same, you can rule out transmission problems in the local network as the source of your bad call quality.

Suggestions

  • If the local network is wireless (usually Wi-Fi), run the tests again using Ethernet.

    • You will need an Ethernet cable and possibly an adapter.

    • Compare the results.

  • If test results are good over Ethernet but not over Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi stability or signal strength needs improving.

  • If the results are also bad over Ethernet, the problem will usually lie in the router itself.

    • As a first step, try rebooting the router outside of business hours.