Calls drop or have poor quality

First check: network or Teams?

During a call run https://www.speedtest.net. For Teams calls aim for:

• At least 2 Mbps up and down for audio + video
• Ideally under 50 ms latency
• Packet loss under 1 percent

If your speed test is below this, it is definitely the network.

Free up bandwidth

In order of impact:

1. Turn off your own camera - saves 70-90 percent bandwidth
2. Disable background effects - needs GPU + bandwidth
3. Check other devices on the network (backup, streaming, updates)
4. Disable VPN - costs bandwidth and adds latency

Wi-Fi problems

If other devices work fine but the call drops:

• Move closer to the router - 5 GHz has shorter range than 2.4
• Use 5 GHz instead of 2.4 - faster, less interference
• Mesh or repeater check - roaming switch can stick
• Plug in a cable as a test - immediately clears whether it was Wi-Fi

Toggle hardware acceleration

In Teams: profile, Settings, General, “Hardware acceleration”. Some GPUs benefit from on, others from off. Try both.

Audio codec / driver

Poor voice quality despite good network:

• Test other audio devices (headset vs built-in mic)
• Update audio drivers (Device Manager or vendor)
• Bluetooth headset: codec switches to “Hands-Free” automatically and degrades quality - cross-test with cable or another headset

Only one specific tenant affected

For calls in a foreign tenant, a Conditional Access rule or Media Bypass configuration can warp routing. Ask the foreign IT to run the Network Assessment Tool.

Useful links

• Microsoft Network Assessment Tool - test locally
• Microsoft Learn - Prepare your network for Teams
• Microsoft 365 Service Health