Helpful VoIP troubleshooting article from the Washington Post:
My laptop makes weird "whoosh" and "boing" sounds when I use it near the TV. What is it trying to do?
Don’t freak out, but the computer wants to talk to the television. The sounds are how a Windows laptop with an infrared data-exchange transmitter indicates that it’s found another such transmitter nearby.
Great article here from Infoworld on making VoIP service work for your company:
Fear of failure can be overcome with the right deployment strategy - just look to the early adopters
Will 2006 be the year that voice and data convergence really takes off? Looking back, VoIP was one of the hottest and most hyped technologies of 2005. Yet despite all the attention, only about a third of IT departments have rolled out full-fledged deployments, according to a recent survey by Forrester Research.
Much of the reluctance can be attributed to the burden that VoIP can place on even the most efficient networks, in addition to concerns about voice quality, scalability, and QoS. Still, many experts say present-day technologies have smoothed over most of the potholes. Nonetheless, there is extensive provisioning involved in implementing and maintaining a VoIP system. Fortunately, the right deployment strategy can dispel any apprehension.
"People were told that VoIP is going to be the greatest thing," says William Stofega, VoIP research director at IDC. "But in some cases, people didn’t do the necessary network planning. Ninety-nine percent of all VoIP network implementations that fail do so because IT departments didn’t do their homework."
So, what do you need to make it work? How will you manage it? And how much will it cost? The answers vary and depend on numerous factors. Practically no one is ripping and replacing, but rather installing hybrids that put VoIP where it yields the greatest benefit while leaving legacy systems in place elsewhere. Regardless of the scenario, early adopters are providing clear answers.
Proceed With Caution
Good planning begins with a comprehensive review of your existing infrastructure. For fees starting around $5000, telecom equipment vendors will help you decide which systems can take on voice traffic and perform adequately, and which ones need to be replaced. A rigorous pre-assessment also aids in identifying potential network bottlenecks.
At a list price of $11,000, this toy isn’t for amateurs:
Agilent has introduced the first call-trace signaling analyzer to troubleshoot VoIP problems across multi-technology, multi-protocol networks. The product is the Agilent J7844A VoIP enabled Real Time Signaling Analyzer.
With a simple click of the mouse, signaling problems over networks such as broadband, SS7(/IP) and 2/2.5/3G can be identified in seconds. Calls are traced end-to-end and the system will identify anomalies anywhere along the route. Detailed call statistics and performance indicators are measured.
"Adding the VoIP technology to the signaling analyzer platform puts a complete end-to-end tool in customers’ hands, perfect for today’s complex networks," said Steve Warntjes, general manager of the Network Systems Test Organization. "By using the signaling analyzer VoIP, customers can understand within three mouse-clicks where to troubleshoot the problems, automatically filtering unsuccessful calls from other traffic."
More information from Agilent, including photos and graphic illustrations.