A reliable internet connection is vital for Aloware users, whether for businesses or individuals.
It's crucial to understand your network's bandwidth requirements to maintain smooth operations. This article will guide you in troubleshooting and testing your network for quick issue identification and resolution.
Therefore, the easiest way to check your current network is to use the Twilio Network Test Tool and determine the strength of your connection.
Internet Bandwidth Requirements
For a comprehensive understanding of bandwidth requirements, we follow industry best practices, namely created by our premier carrier Twilio. Check the table below, to get a general guideline on bandwidth requirements based on the number of concurrent calls:
| Requirements | Description |
Bandwidth (Uplink/Downlink) | Opus*: 40kbps (upload)/ 40kbps (download) PCMU: 100kbps (upload)/ 100kbps (download) | To check your internet speed, you can use a free online tool. Here's how to do it:
|
Latency (RTT) | < 200ms | Latency, or Round-Trip Time (RTT), is like the time it takes for a message to travel back and forth between two people having a conversation. For example, you are sending a message to a lead, it takes some time for your message to reach them, and then it takes a similar amount of time for their reply to come back to you. The total time for this back-and-forth communication is the latency or RTT. |
Jitter | < 30ms | Jitter is like the inconsistency in the timing of your online messages or data packets. For example, you are sending a series of messages to your customer, and normally, they arrive at your customer's place at regular intervals. But sometimes, due to traffic or other reasons, these messages may arrive at slightly different intervals. This irregularity in the arrival time of messages is called jitter. In short, lower jitter means your data packets arrive more consistently and everything works smoothly. |
Packet Loss | < 3% | Packet loss is losing some of the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle when it's being delivered to someone. For example, if you are in a voice or video call, some frames may be missing, causing the video to freeze or skip. You might experience gaps or dropouts in the conversation. So, lower packet loss is better for a smoother and more reliable internet connection. |
Connectivity Checklist
When you're fixing problems with your network, it's really important to follow a step-by-step plan to find and solve issues. You can quickly see how strong your network signal is by looking at the bars on your Aloware phone dialer.
Here is a simplified connectivity checklist to assist you in this process:
Check Physical Connections - Ensure that all cables and connections, including routers, modems, and network devices, are properly connected and secure.
Verify Network Settings - Confirm that your network settings, including IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways, are correctly configured for your network infrastructure. Refer to the Internet Bandwidth Requirements table.
Check Network Traffic - Monitor your network's traffic to identify any abnormal patterns or bottlenecks that may impact performance. This can be achieved using Twilio Network Test Tool. By using Twilio's Network Test Tool, you can understand how well your network performs and find areas that need improvement. The tool also gives you suggestions to optimize your network for the best performance.
Remember, reliable internet connectivity is the backbone of modern communication, and investing time and effort into understanding and optimizing your network will yield significant benefits in the long run.