Troubleshooting Echo on VoIP Calls

Echo on calls — hearing your own voice delayed — is a common and irritating VoIP issue. There are two types: acoustic echo (microphone picks up speaker output) and electrical/hybrid echo (impedance mismatch in the analog portion of a call). They have different solutions. Acoustic echo from desk phones: the phone's speaker volume is too high, causing the microphone to pick up audio. Reduce speaker volume. Use a headset instead of speakerphone. Enable echo cancellation in the phone's acoustic settings. Ensure the phone is not placed on a hard reflective surface. Electrical echo from ATA/PSTN calls: the ATA's echo cancellation settings may need adjustment. Increase the echo cancellation tail length in the ATA settings. This type of echo is more pronounced on calls to/from traditional PSTN lines than IP-to-IP calls. Also check: network latency (high latency worsens echo perception), jitter (causes echo to sound worse), and the far-end equipment (if only one specific destination causes echo, the problem may be on their end).