How do I know when dropped calls happen because of my equipment or my service?

How do I know when dropped calls happen because of my equipment or my service?

I use BroadVoice and it drops my calls on every other call without warning. Is there a problem with my equipment or an issue with the service? I checked with SpeakEasy and the upload is usually better than 248kbps. Do you have any suggestions for wireless routers?

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There can be a number of reasons why a call could possibly drop. The first thing to determine is whether your equipment has been interoperability tested with the BroadVoice network. If BroadVoice provided the equipment for you or recommended it on their website, the answer to that question is most likey "yes". If the equipment is not tested and approved by BroadVoice, it is unlikely that they will want to support it.

If the equipment is supported by BroadVoice, then you should call their technical support with a specific example of a call that dropped. If you provide them with the exact call information, they may be able to look at the signaling for the call to determine if the call disconnected from their server or from your equipment. If the problem is on their server, they may be able to fix it. If the call disconnect is caused by your equipment, they may be able to help you modify some settings on the equipment or indicate that you may have to update the software on your equipment.

If you just need a wireless router with a single built in AP, Netgear makes a number of them.

This was first published in June 2006