Voice and Video Conferencing with Yealink: Best Practices for Quality

Yealink offers a wide range of communication devices that provide top-notch voice and video conferencing capabilities. Whether you're in a small meeting room, a large conference hall, or working remotely, ensuring the best quality for your Yealink devices is crucial to smooth communication. This guide covers best practices for optimising both voice and video conferencing quality when using Yealink devices.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Yealink Conferencing Solutions
2. Ensuring High-Quality Audio for Conference Calls
3. Optimising Video Quality for Seamless Conferencing
4. Network and Environmental Factors for Quality Calls
5. Troubleshooting Voice and Video Conferencing Issues
6. Conclusion

Introduction to Yealink Conferencing Solutions

Yealink provides a variety of devices designed for professional communication, including conference phones, desk phones, and video conferencing systems. Yealink’s audio and video solutions support platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet, offering an integrated experience for voice and video calls.

To achieve the best voice and video quality during conferencing, it’s important to consider both the hardware and the software settings of your Yealink devices, as well as the environment in which they’re used.

Ensuring High-Quality Audio for Conference Calls

Audio quality is paramount in voice and video conferencing, as poor sound can hinder communication. Here are best practices for ensuring crisp and clear audio on your Yealink devices:

1. Use Yealink’s HD Audio Technology: Yealink devices, such as the Yealink CP960 conference phone and the T5 series, support HD audio technology. This ensures that voices are clear and natural, reducing the chance of miscommunication.

2. Microphone Placement: When using Yealink conference phones, make sure the microphone is placed centrally on the conference table. Yealink conference phones typically have multiple microphones to ensure all participants are clearly heard. Avoid placing the phone too far from speakers.

3. Avoid Echoes and Feedback: Echo and feedback can ruin audio quality. To minimise this, ensure that your devices are not too close to each other, and check that the volume is set at an appropriate level. Yealink devices feature built-in echo cancellation and noise reduction to further improve audio quality.

4. Test and Adjust Volume Levels: Before beginning the call, test the audio by making a test call or using the built-in volume adjustments. If necessary, adjust the volume on the Yealink device and through your conferencing software.

5. Use External Microphones or Headsets (When Necessary): If you’re in a larger room or have more participants, consider adding external microphones to your Yealink setup for wider coverage. Similarly, headsets can be used for individual users to improve sound clarity and reduce ambient noise.

Optimising Video Quality for Seamless Conferencing

Video quality plays a crucial role in creating effective, engaging, and productive conference calls. Follow these best practices to ensure optimal video quality with Yealink devices:

1. Use Yealink’s HD Video Technology: Yealink’s video conferencing solutions, like the Yealink VC series, offer HD video technology, providing clear, high-definition visuals. Be sure to select HD settings in both the Yealink device and the conferencing software to take full advantage of the video quality.

2. Lighting: Proper lighting is key to good video quality. Ensure that you’re well-lit, ideally with light coming from in front of you rather than behind, to avoid being silhouetted. Yealink video conferencing devices are equipped with wide-angle cameras, but good lighting will still make a significant difference in video clarity.

3. Camera Positioning: Position the camera so that all participants are in view without excessive zooming. For personal devices, adjust the camera to avoid awkward angles, ensuring that the camera is level with your eyes for a more natural appearance.

4. Choose the Right Background: A clean or professional background will help avoid distractions. Yealink devices offer background blurring features in some models, which can be activated to maintain privacy or simply enhance the video call environment.

5. Test and Adjust Video Settings: Test your video before important calls, adjusting the camera settings and lighting to get the best possible image. Yealink conferencing systems offer features like auto-focus and intelligent camera adjustments to optimise video quality.

Network and Environmental Factors for Quality Calls

A stable network and an optimally configured environment are crucial for maintaining high-quality voice and video during conferences. Follow these tips:

1. Stable Internet Connection: Ensure your network connection is fast and stable. Yealink devices support high-quality voice and video streaming, but these can be impacted by network bandwidth issues. For best results, use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi, especially for large meetings or HD video calls.

2. Quality of Service (QoS) Settings: Configure your network for optimal VoIP and video streaming performance by prioritising voice and video traffic using Quality of Service (QoS) settings. This helps ensure minimal latency and packet loss during calls.

3. Wi-Fi and LAN Interference: If using Wi-Fi, ensure your router and devices are placed in a location with minimal interference. For larger meetings, use a wired connection to avoid issues caused by Wi-Fi instability.

4. Room Acoustics: Ensure that the meeting room is optimised for audio. Rooms with hard surfaces, such as glass or metal, can cause sound to bounce, leading to poor audio quality. Use acoustic panels or soft furnishings to reduce echo and reverberation.

5. Bandwith Considerations: For video conferencing, it’s important to have sufficient bandwidth for HD video. Aim for at least 1.5 Mbps upload and download speed for HD video calls. If bandwidth is limited, consider lowering the video quality settings.

Troubleshooting Voice and Video Conferencing Issues

Even with the best preparation, issues can arise during calls. Here are some troubleshooting steps to follow:

1. Check for Software or Firmware Updates: Ensure that your Yealink device and the conferencing platform you’re using are up to date. Outdated software can cause issues with call quality.

2. Reboot Devices: If there are issues with audio or video quality, try rebooting both your Yealink device and your router. This can help reset connections and resolve temporary network issues.

3. Verify Internet Speed: Perform a speed test to check your internet speed and make sure it meets the minimum requirements for video conferencing. If speeds are low, consider reducing the video resolution or switching to a lower-quality audio call.

4. Check Device Connections: If you're using external devices like microphones, cameras, or headsets, check all connections. Ensure that cables are secure, and the external devices are properly configured in your Yealink settings.

5. Audio or Video Lag: If you experience lag, ensure your network has enough bandwidth and that you are not running other bandwidth-intensive applications during your calls. If you are using Wi-Fi, switch to a wired connection for better stability.

Conclusion

Achieving high-quality voice and video conferencing with Yealink devices requires attention to both hardware and software settings, as well as environmental factors. By following the best practices outlined in this guide — from optimising audio and video settings to ensuring a stable network connection — you can significantly enhance the quality of your conferencing experience. With Yealink’s advanced technology and a few simple adjustments, you can enjoy crystal-clear communication and smooth, productive meetings every time.