Hello,
When you get VOIP quality issues, it is related to your download and/or upload band width. If you are doing a lot of other traffic at the same time as your Skype. Then you might not have enough band with to be allocated for Skype. Thus, you get choppy speech being sent. or received. Your ISP might have some Quality of service (QoS) configured on their routers/switches not correctly handling Skype protocol. They might be treating Skype as a generic protocol meaning you are competing with all other general traffic on the ISP network. Another possibility is Skype has band width issues which I find very unlikely. If your router has the ability, I would configure QoS on it and try and allocate dedicate band width for the Skype protocol. I am not going to explain how to configure or the concepts of QoS because it is a subject of its own and beyond this list focus. A tip to trouble shoot on your Mac, I would suggest you do not have any other programs open that access the Internet. If you are sharing the network with others, stop them from using it as well. Basically, I you should be the only person using the link and Skype should be the only program. Then make a Skype call and see how it performs at similar time as the previous times you had poor quality. The final point is you might not be able to do anything about the quality because your router doesn't have a advance enough QoS. I would suggest talking with your ISP and see if they are doing anything unexpected with the Skype protocol. Be aware, if they are, they might not change their business policy. Sean On 06/07/2012, at 6:31 AM, josh gregory wrote: > Sweet! Do you think the manual ip address thing could help with an > occasional buggy skype experience? I sometimes have the call quality > go really low on people that have really good wifi, and they say they > can hear me just fine. Thoughts? Thanks! > > On 7/5/12, Chris Moore <moor...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: >> I came across this very useful master class on Macworld UK. It contains >> some very useful tips. >> >> Macworld Masterclass >> >> Intro >> >> Speeding up your systems isn’t just about tweaking the operating system. For >> many of us, the mains applications and storage we use are now in the cloud. >> Whether that’s iCloud, Dropbox, Google Docs or any number of social media >> and productivity services - that’s the direction app provision is going in. >> >> To get the best response from the apps you use, you need a steady, stable >> connection. You need a web browser that’s optimised and running at full >> speed. You need email that’s reliable and quick. You need our tips for >> making all these things work faster. >> >> These three - connection, browser and email - are the trinity of network >> computing. Optimise these for speed and the rest will fall into place. >> >> We show you how to improve the response of these features in Lion. In some >> cases we even suggest faster replacements for the defaults supplied with OS >> X. >> >> >> Step 1: Change the Channel >> >> Dropped connections? Channels 1, 6 and 11 are the most widely used wireless >> broadband and conflict between them causes interference. Try another WiFi >> channel to avoid this. Use your ISPs instructions to log in to the >> configuration screen from your web browser and find the wireless settings, >> then select a different channel - 3 or 8 may give better results. >> >> >> Step 2: Reduce the Guesswork >> >> Don’t want to guess which wireless channel is least cluttered in your area? >> Fair enough. There area a number of apps you can use to determine which WiFi >> channels are active in your vicinity. We currently like AirLock It’s pretty >> top look at, simple and free - but it’ll only work if your Mac, connects to >> WiFi using AirPort. >> >> >> Step 3: Eke out Speed >> >> Your router is probably configured to work in mixed mode, talking to legacy >> devices as well as those that understand contemporary WiFi protocols. You >> can eke out more speed by logging into your router’s control panel and >> setting your WiFi’s WLAN settings to “G only” - or “N only” if your >> equipment’s up to it. >> >> >> Step 4: Fixed IP >> >> You can speed up network connectivity by specifying a fixed IP address for >> your Mac. Go to System Preferences > Networking and select AirPort (or >> Ethernet if the connection is wired). Click Advanced then TCP/IP. Make a >> note of the currently assigned network settings. Choose “Manually” from the >> “Configfure IPv4” drop down. >> >> >> Step 5: Entering Details >> >> For IP Address, Subnet Mask and Router, enter the numeric addresses you >> noted down at the previous stage. In the DNS section enter 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 >> - this will use Google’s open DNS lookup service, which is faster than most >> ISP’s. Click Apply to enjoy your new, faster and more stable settings. >> >> >> Step 6: Corrupt Plug-ins >> >> Safari plug-ins can make your browser slower than a Slow Loris. Conflicts, >> load times, connectivity issues - who needs them? You can troubleshoot >> plugins by going to the Preferences in the Safari menu, clicking the >> Security tab, then unchecking “Enable Plugins”. Restart Safari to see if >> your slow browsing issues have been fixed. >> >> >> Step 7: Deleting Extensions >> >> Did that work? A plug-in could be the culprit if it did. You’ll find >> plug-ins for Safari in the folder: ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins. This >> location contains plug-ins available to all users. You should also look in >> the Library/Internet Plug-Ins in your user folder. Trash plug-ins you don’t >> need first, then restart Safari, If you’re in luck, then you should be up to >> speed. >> >> >> Step 8: Top Sites >> >> Safari’s Top Site feature creates a screenshot of every site you’ve visited >> and stores. After a while, the footprint of those stored screenshots can get >> pretty big and Safari has to search through the folder every time it starts >> up, adding valuable seconds onto your browser’s boot up time. The solution? >> Disable preview caching. >> >> >> Step 9: Stop Sites >> >> Open up Terminal and type ‘touch desktop/Webpage\ Previews’. This creates a >> new folder on your desktop. In Finder, browse to >> ~/library/caches/com.apple.safari in your user folder. Delete the Webpage >> Previews folder that’s currently there and replace it with the new version. >> No more preview caching. >> >> >> Step 10: Clear Cache >> >> Corrupt cookies, broken cached images, bad passwords - any and all of these >> can slow down your browsing experiences, so why not just zap the lot of >> them. Go to the Safari menu and choose “Reset Safari”. A menu full of stuff >> to remove appears. Picking “Remove all Website data” deletes cookies and >> cached files. >> >> >> Step 11: Change your Browser >> >> Sure, Safari’s fast - but is it as fast as Chrome? Most tests suggest that >> the Google app has a slight edge over Apple’s default Internet browser. >> They’re both similar in terms of HTML and CSS support, but we find Chrome’s >> a bit speedier when it comes to AJAX and JavaScript powered sites. Give it a >> try. >> >> >> Step 12: 32 Bit Mail >> >> Mail causing problems post-Lion? Here’s a widely reported fix. Find the Mail >> app in your Applications folder. CTRL-click on it and choose “Get Info” and >> from there, select “Open in 32 bit mode”. When you’ve got the 64 bit power >> of Lion it’s not an ideal solution, but better than sluggish access to your >> mail accounts. >> >> >> Step 13: Spotlight Builder >> >> Mail relies on Spotlight to index, display and search headers you’ve already >> downloaded. To keep it ship shape, you can occasionally force Spotlight to >> reindex - preferably before bed. In System Preferences click the Privacy tab >> in Spotlight. Remove the main disk to “prevent” Spotlight from indexing it, >> then re-add it. Leave overnight. >> >> >> Step 14: Vacuum your Database >> >> Over time, your mail database can become clogged with orphan links and >> corrupt relationships. You can compact and refresh Mail with a simple >> Terminal command that rebuilds the SQLite database. All you have to do is >> type “sqlite3 ~/Library/Mail/Envelope\ Index vacuum” into terminal, hit >> return and enjoy a faster loading and less glitchy Apple Mail experience. >> >> >> Step 15: Alternative Mail >> >> Again, you don’t need to use Apple’s built in Mail option. And Sparrow Mail >> could be the lightweight alternative you’re looking for. Available for both >> OS X and iOS, this budget app also connects to Facebook and uses Dropbox to >> handle large attachments. With built in preview for images, it’s a more >> modern approach to Mail. >> >> >> Fix the Keychain >> >> Beavering away in the background, your Keychain gets you into secure places, >> on your Mac, online and on your network. But, even your Keychain isn’t >> immune to the cruft of time’s indiscriminate shovel. Sometimes, you need to >> repair the Keychain to keep things ticking over. Here’s how. >> >> Open the Keychain Access utility from Utilities in the Applications folder. >> Open the Keychain Access menu and select “Keychain First Aid”. When >> prompted, enter your admin password and select “Repair”. Click the Start >> button to let the app do it’s arcane thing. Your reward will be a rebuilt >> Keychain, free of cached corruption. >> >> >> <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> >> >> To reply to this post, please address your message to >> mac-access@mac-access.net >> >> You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at >> either the list's own dedicated web archive: >> <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> >> or at the public Mail Archive: >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/>. >> Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/maillist.xml> >> >> The Mac-Access mailing list is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus >> and worm-free! >> >> Please remember to update your membership options periodically by visiting >> the list website at: >> <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/> >> > > > -- > Ways to Connect with me: > > facebook.com/evercuriousmasteryodo > > twitter.com/joshg93 > Skype: joshgregory93 > FaceTime, iMessage and iChat: joshkar...@gmail.com > <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> > > To reply to this post, please address your message to > mac-access@mac-access.net > > You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at > either the list's own dedicated web archive: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> > or at the public Mail Archive: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/>. > Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/maillist.xml> > > The Mac-Access mailing list is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and > worm-free! > > Please remember to update your membership options periodically by visiting > the list website at: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/> <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to mac-access@mac-access.net You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/maillist.xml> The Mac-Access mailing list is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free! Please remember to update your membership options periodically by visiting the list website at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/>
