Sure Signal - Call Audio Quality Issues

[Retired-George]

This issue has the following symptoms:

• Poor audio quality on both outbound and inbound calls
• Particularly affects customers using a Virgin Media cable connection

If you’re only experiencing poor audio quality one-way (for example, the call sounds fine to you, but the person you are calling reports poor quality), then this is most likely due to insufficient bandwidth on your broadband connection and is not an issue with your Sure Signal.

Troubleshooting:

If the person you are calling can’t hear you, this is usually caused by low upload speeds.

If you can't hear the person you've called, this is due to low download speeds.

Check if your broadband connection meets the minimum requirements.

Please run the broadband speed checker.

If your connection fails any part of the test, this indicates an issue with your Internet Service Provider and you’ll need to contact them to discuss this further.

Your connection speed will vary throughout the day, so we recommend running it at various times to get an accurate reading.

Check for planned maintenance.
Planned maintenance can cause periods of downtime, so check the forum for any planned maintenance. If there is, this will be announced at the top of the Sure Signal forum.

Reset your Sure Signal:

Sure Signal version 1

• Connect device to internet and power supply

• Press and hold down the reset button (located near the internet port) until end of the process which will be indicated

• Remove the power cable at back of the unit and wait for five seconds

• Reconnect the power cable back to device

• Wait for the LED sequence to flash from top to bottom and back to top

• Wait for five seconds

• Release the reset button

• Within 10 minutes, all the 4 LEDs will start to flash in sequence – 1^st & 3^rd then 2^nd & 4^th then 1^st & 3^rd – with the sequence repeated. This sequence indicates the start of the factory reset procedure.

Sure Signal version 2

• • Connect device to internet and power supply
  • Press and hold down reset button – located near the internet port
  • Wait for all the LED (power + 2 white LED) to light up for few seconds (power LED will always remain lit)
  • Wait for five seconds
  • Release the reset button
    
    
  • Within 10 minutes, 2 white LEDs will start flashing continuously – power LED will always remain constant in addition (unless there is an issue with local connectivity)

Sure Signal version 3

• • Connect device to internet and power supply
  • Press and hold down reset button – located near the internet port
  • Wait for 20 seconds
  • Release the reset button
    
    
  • All the LEDs will temporarily switch off for about 10 seconds. The power LED will then light up and remain constant whilst white internet LED flashes continuously.

The Sure Signal will be back online in around 1 hour.

Move Your Sure Signal Away from the Router
Sometimes the Wi-Fi signal from the router can interfere with the 3G signal from the Sure Signal and this could result in poor audio quality.

In order to prevent this from happening, please ensure that your Sure Signal is moved away from the router as far as the cable will allow.

If you’re still experiencing poor audio quality, post in this thread and we can look into it further.

Thanks,

Jenny

[HakOmaN]

Hi Kay,

I have just checked again for any updates for the router firmware and there are no updates available. All looks up to date.

I am homeworker and do lots of Lync calls using my internet connection and I experience no problems at all. Similarly, I am also using the EE's femtocell without any issues. I'll do my best to try the Sure Signal in a different location but let's not wait for that.

I am now under the impression that something might be wrong with the box itself. Is there no way to run remote diagnostic checks or me checking for logs in the box?

[Retired-Dave]

Hi HakOmaN,

We don't have systems we can use to try this. This is where an alternate connection helps as it removes all other elements of the process.

As you say other systems and devices work, are you able to try an Ethernet cable used for one of them with the Sure Signal? This would just guarantee that we're not overlooking that.

Dave

[Paffman]

Hi All,

I have just become aware that although I can hear the other person on a mobile phone call, the other person reports that my voice is very broken and sounds like I am underwater. This is from my home location where I currently have a Sure Signal 2? and have tried resetting it and I still have this issue. I have checked my broadband speed and I get 6.77Mb download and 0.27Mb upload speed.

I have tried and left a message on my answerphone when I am away from home and it seems OK, so if the broadband speed is OK, is there anything else I can do apart from buy another SS?

Regards,

Steve

[Retired-Lee]

Hi there Paffman,

For an outbound call to be good quality, the VSS needs the upload speed to be a minimum 0.3Mbps.

Please contact your internet service provider to see if they can do anything about the upload speed.

Cheers,

LeeH

[Paffman]

Thanks LeeH,

I have sent BT an email asking them about the broadband speed. How realistic is it for them to be able to increase the speed?

Steve

[Paffman]

Hi again,

I have been in touch with my ISP (BT) and they say that they have no control over the upload speed which can vary from 200 to 253kbps and sometimes over 370 kbps . They have said that their latest hub (V4) might improve the speed. I have the V2 hub, but I am reluctant to loose the V2 hub as I use the voip phone line for my FAX line, but am willing to try the V4 hub without this feature as my out going mobile voice quality is more important.

Any ideas where I go from here?

[Retired-Dave]

Hi Paffman,

The key thing is that the speed needs to hit that minimum. Without that, the Sure Signal will not get the data responses it needs quickly enough for the connection to stay active. 

The only options available to increase that available speed are to reduce the number of items using the connection to free up bandwidth or to increase the overall speed on the line.

The former might not make enough of a difference as we cannot see the amount of bandwidth other items are using. As a test, try disconnecting everything but the Sure Signal, both cabled and wireless connections, and running a new speed test to see how much it frees up.

Dave

[Paffman]

Hi Dave,

I'm one step ahead of you there. I have made sure that there are no other devices using broadband and then used my mobile to ring my land line number and left a message on my answer phone, the message was very bad quality and sounded like I was underwater. Broadband speed then was just under 7mbps down load and the upload speed was a silly

[Paffman]

Hi Dave,

I'm one step ahead of you there. I have made sure that there are no other devices using broadband and then used my mobile to ring my land line number and left a message on my answer phone, the message was very bad quality and sounded like I was underwater. Broadband speed then was just under 7mbps down load and the upload speed was a silly 0.210, sometime it is well above 0.350. As I said I will try the new BT hub 4 with the lose of the voip phone and see what happens.

As they (BT) say they can't do anything about the upload speed, strange though as it used to work fine. Three next step is to try a new Sure Signal, but I don't really want to spend £100 on a new SS and I don't really like the new SS plug in model..

[Paffman]

Hi all,

I have been in contact with BT and although they say they cannot control the upload speed, I now have an average speed of 380kbps AND I have upgraded from my Home Hub 2 to the latest Home Hub 4, but I am still suffering the bad outbound call quality from my mobile through the Sure Signal.

So, any more ideas?

I am reluctant to splash out on a new SS at £100 so any advice would be great, but I think I have done all that I can without going down the route of buying a new SS :smileysad: