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Potential Networking Issue - Prioritizing Audio Over Video

  • Updated

When SignalWire detects a temporary degradation in network quality, it will prioritize audio over video to ensure that you remain connected and can continue communicating.

What causes a temporary degradation in network quality?

Any number of issues can result in temporary degradation in network quality. Some of these issues are:

 

Lowered Quality of Service from your network provider

Most network providers connect to the nearest Internet Point of Presence via shared optical and/or copper lines. In other words, your last mile bandwidth to the internet is shared between you and your neighbors. Most networking providers use technologies to provide you a high Quality of Service (QoS) but a burst of networking activity from your neighbor can reduce your bandwidth or increase your jitter temporarily. This is a short lived problem as your networking providers' routing equipment will automatically adjust and restore your high bandwidth connection.

Other applications in your location or your computer are consuming more networking traffic

If someone else that is on the same network (either in your house or office) is streaming a HD movie, or if an application is starting to do a cloud-based backup (e.g. sending files to Apple's iCloud, Microsoft Office 365 or Google Drive) then your connection to SignalWire will suffer.

Distance from a WiFi access point

If you are more than 75 feet from a WiFi access point then your connection can suffer.

If the problem is caused by resource contention at your networking provider then in most cases you don't have to do anything. Otherwise, you can try the following ideas.

Here are some things to try to resolve this situation

  • Move closer to a WiFi access point and make sure that there are no walls or other solid objects between you and the WiFi access point.
  • Try a hard-wired connection to your network access point
  • Check if any backup applications are taking up bandwidth
  • Check if anyone else in your location is doing a backup or other network-intensive activity (e.g., streaming HD movies)