"dropped Call" Problem With Skype

[Tagaa]

I use Skype to call the relatives back in the US, PC to PC, for free. Usually, both of us are using a webcam.

At first, IIRC, all the calls were good quality & without problems. For the last month or 2, it seems that everytime I use Skype, the call drops within 7 to 10 minutes & continues as many as 6 or 7 times in an hours call. I have searched the forum & while finding many problems with payments & Skype to phone calls, I can find nothing on this problem.

After a series of dropped calls, a friend & I pinged out servers & no problem was noted on either end. No one I talk with locally has a clue what the problem might be. 

SOP now is to also open up Yahoo Messenger & if the dropped calls are to bad on Skype, we switch to Yahoo. Only problem here is that about 50% of the time, after 3 to 5 minutes, one side of the conversation is garbled & unintelligible. This problem varies back & forth & no pattern is noted.

Admittedly, my laptop is old, 256 RAM with a Pentium processor, running windows XP. (Please hold the comments to buy a new PC. I want to, but until my interest rate on savings goes from its current pathetic rate of 2.9% at least back up to 5% & the Pound gets back into at 60's, having the cash to renew my visa takes priority.) I just ran a speed test & I am getting 1746 down & 368 up.

Any ideas?

Tagaa

[Tagaa]

Nobody?

[sungod]

Can't help you myself, but I've always found the support desk at skype useful in the past and their replies quite prompt.

[Tagaa]

So, I'm guessing from the lack of replies that I'm the only one that has this problem?

[Farma]

It sounds like your internet connection isn’t up to the task.

I spend a lot of time on skype and find there are good and bad days. I also find the more people using skype the worse the connection gets. Lately there have been nearly 16 million users online.

Using webcam while chatting on skype usually makes my calls drop unless both parties have fast connections. If the calls start dropping we stop webcam and that helps.

I’ve also noticed if the wife is using skype with DSL or GPRS in the city we have less problems than when she’s using GPRS out in a village.

[bucklt]

Nobody?

For what it's worth (and in no particular order):

I use SKYPE to speak with my g/f in China.

I have noticed that after c5pm (Thai time) the quality drops off and/or the same thing happens when the amount of users reach c11 million+.

To solve that problem, we now speak to each other in the mornings.

Using built in speakers can also cause problems - advise good quality headset etc.

SKYPE advise fast internet connection and RAM.

Have you tried latest version i.e SKYPE 4.

Good Luck

Bucklt

[Tagaa]

Thanks for the input.

I did download v.4.0 hoping it would help. It did not, sorry to say. I do use a headset, not the built in speakers.

I will try not using the webcam & see if that helps. Thanks a bunch.

[singa-traz]

Thanks for the input.

I did download v.4.0 hoping it would help. It did not, sorry to say. I do use a headset, not the built in speakers.

I will try not using the webcam & see if that helps. Thanks a bunch.

I have the same problem, and suspect the ISP to actually kill the connection.

[MyphuketLife]

I have the same problem, and suspect the ISP to actually kill the connection.

I have the same problem with Skype to Phone (me using skype calling US landlines)... However it only happens during peak internet use times in Thailand.... It is not a SKYPE issue its Thailands crapy internet lines issue....

One thing is to limit the other bandwith you use during the calls... Don't use the internet, don't use webcam, don't download emails... Only use Skype... But again during peek times this does not allways work...

[najman]

I had the same problem with Skype in thailand too. My speed was average but it never really worked properly. I had a redirect from my australian phone to my skype in thailand and the call quality wasnt good enough to use.

I don't think the internet is fast enough in most places in Thailand for it to work well. For those areas approaching ADSL 2+ speeds it may be different.

The solution is to buy a cheap phone card to make international phone calls. I found a company online in thailand and bought credit with them and the quality was so much better.

One more program to try could be MSN but i think skype is supposed to be better. Perhaps try skype at and internet cafe you know has superfast speeds. Then at least you can discover if your internet connection is the problem or just Skype in thailand.

[MKAsok]

I've also suddenly started getting this problem (just today, usually all fine with Skype and I use it a lot), with a vengeance, like around 10 times in one half an hour call (this call was admittedly to Egypt). A UK call I made also got dropped twice just now. I hope this is a temporary thing. It's a real pain.

[robertthegreat]

I know somebody that had the same problem he tried every thing, It turned out to be his anti virus Norton he got rid of that and never had a problem after. Even if you don't have Norton try disabling your anti virus then check if its ok. I use AVG free one not a problem

[tuffy]

I have been using skype in Thailand for several years now and it seems like there are good days and bad days, some days I can't talk for an hour straight and sometimes I will disconnected every 5 minutes or so. I believe it is a problem with the ISP and also can have a lot to do with the volume of users on skype at the time. I recently bought a skype phone that plugs directly into the router, no need for the computer to be on, and we seem to have slightly less problems with this but not enough to justify the cost. If it is constant problem i would say it may have something to do with other programs running on your computer (when you have problems check to make sure that your anti virus isn't running a full scan or windows downloading an update etc). If it is sporadic problem i would blame it on skype congestion or your ISP.

I guess it is just the price you page for cheap communications.

[Al26]

Yup i have this problem too. Sometimes (very rarely these days) i can have a conversation for an hour or so and it's fine, otherwise it drops every couple of minutes. Recently the calls haven't dropped so much as much as the line losing sound for 30 secs or so- very annoying as you then find yourself repeating sentences every 2 minutes. I agree that it's Thailand's crappy internet- it's not fast enough yet.

[zzSleepyJohn]

Admittedly I'm guessing a bit here, but it might be something to do with the unusual way Skype route their calls. They don't all go through a central server anywhere the way you might imagine, instead they have P2P protocol which uses other people's computers down the line to transit you. That could mean that when someone down the line closes their Skype or closes their connection, your call could get dropped. I know it sounds a bit far-fetched, and maybe my explanation is over-simplified, but I know there's something very special about the way Skype route their calls. When you think about it, how could Skype afford to pay for a global voice network of their own, when they offer their calls free? They are somehow piggybacking their connections on something else, and it's probably that something else that's causing our Skype calls to drop out.

[Carmine6]

Admittedly I'm guessing a bit here, but it might be something to do with the unusual way Skype route their calls. They don't all go through a central server anywhere the way you might imagine, instead they have P2P protocol which uses other people's computers down the line to transit you. That could mean that when someone down the line closes their Skype or closes their connection, your call could get dropped. I know it sounds a bit far-fetched, and maybe my explanation is over-simplified, but I know there's something very special about the way Skype route their calls. When you think about it, how could Skype afford to pay for a global voice network of their own, when they offer their calls free? They are somehow piggybacking their connections on something else, and it's probably that something else that's causing our Skype calls to drop out.

This was my thinking as well, except for the cutting off due to one computer shutting down. Skype actually uses resources on your and other user's computers to maintain calls. It's doing some kind of number crunching locally. So not only does your computer have to be up to speed, but other user's nearby have to be as well, along with the network.

No idea on the specifics of what it does, but I've seen some paranoid tech websites complaining about how skype works.

[Isee]

Just to add my experience with Skype. Connection speed does make a difference - are you connected directly to your isp or through a shared connection? In the apartment I stay in BKK I discovered when the apartment login was down that my speeds were x3 the normal speed - so obviously bandwidth was being restricted. Do a speedtest and see what your ping rates are etc. Background programs can definitely affect call quality so try a few tests. I agree with who said some days are better then others - I've noticed also that from about 11am, quality starts to decline on a gradual rate. Video calls will obviously play a part in quality if you have poor speeds. I get a couple of dropped calls from time to time but no where near as the OP. If you can't solve it, try running another machine on the same line with skype and see if its a computer or connection problem. You can also try the skype forum for more specific discussion on certain subject.

If the OP is using a skype-in number, he can always redirect the calls to his phone in Thailand. Sure you pay for it, but I found the call quality a lot better when the direct to computer speed is slow and certainly worth it if business related. Doesn’t help with skype-out of course.