Call Quality: Codecs, Your Connection and Starlink

What your connection needs

Each call uses about 100 kbps each way. More important than speed is a steady connection: low delay, no dropouts and no other traffic swamping the line. If calls break up when someone uploads large files or joins a video meeting, your router may need quality-of-service (QoS) settings that put voice first.

Codecs

A codec is how your phone compresses the voice. Click2Call supports:

Use a packet time (ptime) of 20 ms. 10 ms isn't supported. Phones set up through the portal already use the right settings.

To change this, open the number and choose Other Settings → Voice Quality & Codecs. Under Select your voice quality preferences, you can prefer excellent quality (more bandwidth) or good quality (less bandwidth). On a slow or busy connection, choose Prefer good quality calls with low bandwidth requirements. The codec tick boxes below are for advanced users, and most people should leave them alone. Restart your phone after changing anything here.

Using Click2Call over Starlink

Click2Call works over Starlink like any other internet connection. Starlink has a little more delay than fibre, but calls are normally clear.

• To plug in a desk phone or adaptor, you'll need Starlink's Ethernet adapter. A Wi-Fi phone or the Secure VoIP app needs nothing extra.
• Use TLS on your phones. It avoids problems caused by router features that interfere with calls.
• Expect short dropouts during heavy weather or when the dish's view is blocked.

You can keep your existing number. See Porting your number.

Choppy or one-way audio?

See Fixing one-way audio and dropped registrations.