Converged Access

Converged Access is a leading innovator in the delivery of IP application performance management systems. Designed to seamlessly integrate with an existing IP network, the company's products introduce prioritisation of IP traffic onto an Internet connection. A typical application is Voice-over-IP traffic which can be prioritised over normal web browsing and email traffic.

Many businesses think that if their Internet connection works satisfactorily for web browsing then it will also work satisfactorily for voice traffic. If some sections of a web page take 500mS longer to load this isn't seen as a problem. However, if this same delay occurs during a voice call it is a big problem.

When selling VoIP hardware and/or services the first question asked by a lot of potential customers is, is the voice quality as good as a BT phone line? If the Internet connection is sometimes being saturated by web browsing then the voice quality will suffer and the customer will not be impressed.

Often the solution to this problem is to install a 2nd Internet connection which will be used purely for voice traffic. While this solution generally works it can become expensive over a period of time and the temptation to start putting other traffic onto the 2nd connection can lead to problems too.

Products

The Converged Access CTX 1000 Traffic Xpress VoIP Accelerator is a one-off purchase that will soon pay for itself since both voice and other traffic can all share the same connection. Sitting in between the Internet connection and the rest of the network it seamlessly prioritises voice and critical data over non-critical data to ensure the quality of voice.

Notes

Installing a QoS device will not suddenly guarantee good phone calls over IP. It will allow voice traffic to receive priority.

If there is not enough bandwidth for the call, or there is too much packet loss on the link, then the call may still fail.