How to Run a VoIP Speed Test for Free (3 Ways)

The VoIP speed test measures the performance of your network connection to see if it can handle Internet-based traffic.

These tests simulate the data transmission of a VoIP call from the Internet and typically measure latency, jitter, upload speed, and download speed. When tested together, these results can give you a strong sense of how well your team is calling.

Whether you want to install a VoIP system, make network changes, or troubleshoot a problem, a speed test takes less than 30 seconds.

Three free VoIP speed test options

There are dozens of free speed tests. These three are the best because they come from reputable business phone services.

I encourage you to try these three – you can also explore other free options.

1. RingCentral’s Free VoIP Speed ​​Test

RingCentral is one of the best business communication solutions on the market. Its VoIP technology is trusted by more than 400,000 organizations worldwide, powering everything from small business phone systems to contact centers, all-in-one communications suites and everything in between.

More information about RingCentral: RingCentral Reviews | RingCentral and Dialpad.

it is Free VoIP Speed ​​Test is one of the most advanced options you will find. While the test runs a little longer, you’ll get a lot of details that others don’t provide.

Before you begin, set the number of simultaneous calls that can run on your network. I recommend conservatively estimating higher than you need as this will ensure your network can handle even the worst case scenario.

You’ll be able to set the test call duration, ranging from one to five minutes. The longer you run your tests, the greater your chances of discovering potential problems. Usually two minutes is enough.

It also gives you the option to try out different VoIP codecs. If you’re not sure what this means, you can leave it as the default selection.

This test measures jitter and packet loss. Your review summary will be color-coded (green, yellow, and red) for all metrics so you can quickly see where you passed or failed.

This is all based on RingCentral’s recommendations of less than 30 milliseconds of jitter and less than 1% packet loss.

However, the best part is the MOS (Mean Opinion Score). This is a simple 1-5 ranking scale, with 5 being the best score. If you want a quick answer, you can ignore everything else and just look at the number – if it’s 4 or 5, you’re safe to continue.

The main limitation of this test is that it can only test up to 50 concurrent calls. While this is sufficient for most businesses, other free tests support up to 200.

In addition to this, you have to install a plugin to run it. It’s completely safe to do this and you can delete it when you’re done.

2.Nextiva Internet Quality and Speed ​​Test Tool

Nextiva is another industry leader in VoIP phone systems and business communications. This is a great option for new startups, scaling teams, and enterprise organizations that want to prioritize customer engagement.

More information about Nextiva: next comment | Nextiva and RingCentral.

Nextiva VoIP Speed ​​Test Also completely free, but takes less time than RingCentral.

Like RingCentral, you need to install a plug-in to run it. It’s completely safe and takes just seconds to install.

One of the more unique aspects of this test is the ability to select the source of the call. This is helpful if you have clients or offices across the country.

It improves the accuracy of your results, and you can run the test multiple times from different locations to simulate calls from across the country. You might be surprised how location and distance affect your results.

I also like that Nextiva allows you to test up to 200 simultaneous calls (compared to RingCentral’s 50).

Nextiva’s tests show latency, download speed, upload speed, your IP address, packet loss and jitter. According to Nextiva’s guidelines, the packet loss rate should be 0%. Jitter and ping (or network delay) should be less than 70 milliseconds.

3.Ooma Free VoIP Speed ​​Test

Ooma is a great alternative to traditional office spaces that require a physical desk phone. Its plug-and-play hardware makes it easy for even the smallest teams to get started in less than an hour.

More information about Omar: Omar review | Ooma vs RingCentral.

it is Free VoIP Speed ​​Test It is the simplest of the three. It runs in less than 30 seconds and doesn’t require downloading any plug-ins.

Although it’s simple, you’ll get all the basic information you need to determine whether your network can handle VoIP calls.

This test measures ping, jitter, download speed, and upload speed. You can also change the host location and perform multiple tests to see how the results change based on location.

But the simplicity of this tool has some drawbacks. For one, it doesn’t actually tell you how to read the results – though you can find that elsewhere on the Ooma website. Here’s the answer so you don’t have to go on a scavenger hunt: jitter should be less than 30 milliseconds and latency (ping) should be less than 150 milliseconds.

For two people, Ooma does not allow you to perform concurrent call testing. You have to do some math to determine if your network is strong enough.

It recommends an upstream and downstream rate of 256 kbps per call. If you think your office will have four simultaneous calls, your upload and download speeds should be at least 1,024.

Finally, it does not measure packet loss, so if you think this will be an issue, you’ll have to use other options.

Tips for running a VoIP speed test

Although testing VoIP speeds is relatively simple, there are a few tricks you can use to ensure accuracy and get the most out of your results.

Execute tests at different times of day

If you perform the same test multiple times throughout the day, you may get different results. This is a good thing because it improves the accuracy of the results.

Running a test at 5 a.m. in an empty office is much different than running a test at 2 p.m. when dozens of people are using devices on the network. Some tests actually recommend keeping an idle Internet connection (no other applications in use) when running the VoIP speed test.

But that may not tell you everything. Using an idle connection doesn’t really simulate real-world scenarios.

There may be other devices on your network at any given time.

I also generally think it’s best to run tests when network traffic is heaviest to simulate a real-life experience. You can still test your speeds when your connection is idle as a baseline, but make sure you also test throughout the day to see how those results change.

Test from different locations in the office

Distance from the router may affect the results of VoIP speed tests. You can start by performing the test as closely as possible to simulate the best possible connection.

After that, you should go further and cover different rooms and floors (if there are any).

See: view The best VoIP router. Is yours on the list?

Simulate a large number of simultaneous calls

What is the maximum number of concurrent calls you can have at any given time? I recommend testing within that limit, but also going further.

Now, you might have a small office with ten employees, each with their own production line.

But what happens six months later when you do another recruiting round? Or next year, you’ll have dozens of employees answering and making calls throughout the day? Testing under higher demand can let you know if your network can handle growth.

It also shows you what might happen during peak situations or when you have visitors.

Ask remote workers to test their home network

Every network is different, so it’s no surprise that your home network is different from your office network. Therefore, it’s best to perform tests at each person’s home to simulate call quality.

Fortunately, this is very simple. All you have to do is send them a link to the speed test you want them to take and ask them to take a screenshot of the results.

If the connection is unstable, you can troubleshoot from there to determine if they need different hardware, a more powerful plan, or a new ISP.

Test your VoIP system regularly even after deploying it

While your initial VoIP speed test should be fairly accurate, things change.

Your network configuration may have been updated, or your ISP may have restricted your connection. You may also have more equipment than you initially expected. Worse, even if the call quality is poor, the employee may not say anything.

Performing new tests every few months can help identify problems before they become larger.

Even if you still get “passing” scores, you can compare them to your original results to see if the new test is going in the wrong direction.