A Quick Fix If Your VoIP or IP Phone Has Static or Crackling
Posted on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 @ 12:04 PM
You hear static, crackling, hissing, or popping on your VoIP or IP phone. Maybe some other background noise is preventing you from hearing the person you are talking to without seemingly random - or at least unpredictable - breaks in the conversation. It is driving you insane and hurting your business but you don't want to call your carrier, internet provider, IT, or telecom person because they'll also drive you crazy (most likely by saying "it's not me"). Besides, you've got a business to run and work to do and you don't really have any time to dedicate to this.
The problem may be with your handset or the cord from the handset to the phone itself (no matter the brand - NEC, Polycom, etc). To see if this is the case, you'll need to replace the handset and cord from your phone with the handset and cord from another phone. First, disconnect the cord from the back of your phone and place that handset and cord aside. Go to another phone in the office, disconnect the cord from the back of that phone, and bring both the handset and cord from that phone over to your phone. Connect the new cord to your telephone and place the handset in the cradle. Now, make a few calls. If your calls are clear, you've likely identified and solved the problem.
To confirm that your original handset and/or cord was the cause, connect the original handset and cord to the phone on the other side of the room and make some calls. If you hear the static or crackling, you've found and fixed the issue. And if you really are into this, you can use the same "exclusion" process to see if the problem is with the handset itself or with cord by swapping the handsets and then cords to see which one causes your phone calls to become inaudible.
Don't forget to order a new handset and/or cord!
And if you want an answer to any other VoIP troublshooting question, send me an email at info@atris.biz - messages with the most information generally result in a more accurate response!