Voice quality measurement in a typical router-based network

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce novel mechanisms for measuring and evaluating the performance of a network and its devices, configured especially for voice over IP (VoIP). We study the effects of different configurations on final voice quality by enabling or changing the related equipment features. In our study we quantify quality changes based on different router configurations and discuss precisely to what extent and how much this quality is improved versus features or special configurations of network devices. These results can be used for two purposes: compare and benchmark different routers in order to know which one is proper for a typical VoIP network, and select the best configurations. We demonstrate that the highest final quality of voice is achieved in packet remarking configurations with IP precedence and DSCP.