I called Sutus Support and asked about improving call quality. At their suggestion, I looked into the Internet Connection Settings of the Business Central 200, and found the section on Internet Rate Control Settings.Internet Rate Control (also called Traffic Shaping or Quality of Service) allows us to prioritize our internet traffic for VoIP. The BC200 has all we need built in, including a connection speed tester. Let’s go into Administration and see what’s there.

After entering your login and password, click on the ‘Internet Settings’ tool and then the ‘Internet Rate Control Settings’ tab. There should be a red X showing that rate control is off. Click on the ‘Change Rate Control Settings’ button, and then click the ‘On’ radio button. It’s easier to measure the upload and download speeds automatically, but you can enter values manually if you know the numbers for your internet connection. Ideally, and for the most accurate results, measurement should happen when there is no other internet traffic. After hours is probably best, and don’t forget to quit your email and instant messaging programs before starting! Click ‘OK’ so the BC200 can carry out a speed test and configure itself internally.

After the speed test has completed, the BC200 will display the measured speeds. Most DSL and cable connections are asynchronous (greater speeds downloading,) while T1s and are synchronous (equal speeds for downloading and uploading.) Try the test several times at different times of the day, and enter the greatest numbers. Your ISP can tell you the speeds for your connection as well. Click the ‘OK’ box, and you’re done.

Something interesting that I found out from the support staff is that Sutus has done some extra work with their implementation of traffic shaping. Most others just control the outgoing traffic, but the BC200 controls both ingoing and outgoing. This helps ensure that all participants in your VoIP conversation can hear and be heard clearly. The BC200 allots a portion of your connection to VoIP traffic and reserves it for the duration of the phone call. It’s dynamic, too – if another call is made, the BC200 will reserve its traffic as well.

I was a bit worried that this feature would affect my downloading speeds all the time, not just when I’m on the phone. It turns out, though, that traffic shaping only takes effect when a VoIP connection is made. The downloading speeds seem as fast as they were before!

So there you have it. Greater call quality for your business and your callers without sacrificing download speed, all with a few clicks.

-Dave.