Troubleshooting poor network connectivity

In this article

What are common symptoms of poor network quality?

What are common causes of poor network quality?

What can I do to improve network quality?

What are common symptoms of poor network quality?

Microsoft Lync 2010 communications software handles a wide range of network conditions while still maintaining high quality video. Lync 2010 also gives you several options to test and monitor network connectivity. For example, you can place a test call to determine network quality before making a real call (on the Audio Device tab of the Options dialog box). The conversation window also displays bars to indicate network conditions; if poor conditions exist, fewer bars are displayed.

Under severe conditions you may experience one or more of the following effects:

• Tinny audio   The person you are talking to sounds unnatural and may have a higher pitch than expected.

• Loss of words   Portions of the conversation are lost.

• Choppy video   The video image does not have a smooth motion.

• Long delay   There is a long delay between when one person talks and the other person hears the audio.

What are common causes of poor network quality?

Poor network quality may occur due to the following:

• Network congestion  Routers or other network equipment are overloaded with too much traffic. This could occur on your home network, your Internet service provider (ISP), or your company's local area network (LAN). Some common causes of network congestion are file downloads, streaming video, and other types of Internet traffic.

• Wireless LAN interference   A large number of wireless devices are connected to the access points. It can also occur when there is interference from other devices such as mobile phones, cordless phones, or a microwave oven.

• Faulty LAN cabling or connection   A cable is defective or becomes damaged.

• Hardware configuration   The network equipment is misconfigured in your home, at your ISP, or in your company's network.

What can I do to improve network quality?

If you are on a wireless network, try the following:

• Move closer to the wireless access point.

• Find a less busy wireless access point to use.

• Switch to a wired connection.

• Check whether other computers on the network are using a lot of resources or performing heavy downloads or uploads, and see if they can be delayed or halted.

• Stop unnecessary video.

• Ensure that your router or modem has the latest firmware available.

• Check the network cables between the router and modem to ensure that they are plugged in and do not show signs of damage.

• Contact your ISP if you are at home.

• Contact your support team if you are at work.

 Note   You can also refer to the product documentation for the router/WLAN card for additional ways to improve the wireless connection.

If you are on a wired network, try the following:

• Check whether other computers on the network are using a lot of resources or performing heavy downloads or uploads, and see if they can be delayed or halted.

• Stop unnecessary video.

• Ensure that your router or modem have the latest firmware available.

• Check the network cables between your computer and the router and between the router and the modem to ensure that they are plugged in and do not show signs of damage.

• Contact your ISP if you are at home.

• Contact your support team if you are at work.