VoIP sucks

So being a fan of new technology and harbouring an active and passionate resentment for all telecommunication companies (and that includes you Fido, Telstra, Rogers, Telus), I am very keen to make the switch to VoIP. Unfortunately the system still seems like a gimmick rather than a service and after several years of failed attempts, I am giving up. My main use for VoIP is international PC-to-landline phone connections (too few friends and relatives have active VoIP connections to make much use of free PC-to-PC calls), and I have never had a single successful and satisfying experience connecting to landlines.

In frustration, more due to the embarassment of repeated ugly conversations of "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? How abou...garblegarblegarble" than the wasted money, I recently lodged a complaint with my current provider, Freshtel. They have not provided any solutions, but did provide some useful criteria for judging whether VoIP might work for your situation prior to you signing up. The criteria they gave me were:

Upload data rate > 128 kb/s & ping time < 200 m/s

The upload speed is obviously how quickly your computer can send your voice to the recipient, and the ping time indicates how long it takes the data packets to connect to the recipient (roughly).

An easy way to check whether you hit the mark is to go to one of the many speed testing websites such as SpeedTest, and run the free test. Although my speed and times are fine for my local server, it would seem the trick is to test your upload speed and ping time using a server near the person you wish to call. As most of my calls are from Vancouver to Melbourne, that was the clincher test for me (see result in the image). With a fast cable connection the data transmission speeds will never be a problem, but the ping time is the killer. It basically tells me that Freshtel is not entirely to blame, but that data transmission from Canada to Australia is just too slow, and most VoIP providers will struggle to provide quality service.

For the record, my ping times to North America, Japan, and parts of Europe are completely fine. I just won't be using VoIP for calls to Australia, New Zealand, SE Asia, Africa, or South America anytime soon. Guess I am stuck with my landline for a few more years.