Softphones: Echo Problems / Recommended Softphones

FreePBX Endpoints
1

Hello community,

we run a FreePBX with appr. 100 extensions. Most extensions connect via Grandstream-Devices to the FreePBX. Additionally we have a few Fritz!Boxes and 2 softphone-apps.

The 2 softphones (different apps, using udp for on-prem-communication) produce a lot of echo. One started to echo after upgrading from V15 to V17. The other used to echo with V15. We tried different headsets. An OS-Upgrade from Win 10 to Win 11 didn’t change anything.

Going through the FreePBX-extension-settings I did not find any value for e.g. “echo reduction”.

Is there a way to fight echos in FreePBX?
Why would there be an echo after upgrading from V15 to V17?
Is there a list of recommended softphones (Linux and Window-Clients) for FreePBX?

Thanks a lot
Martin

2

Echo when using headset should not be expected.

I would try to DISABLE audio processing inside softphone in this case - acoustic echo cancellation and/or AGC. If you want to keep AGC on, make sure maximum gain is not set to some crazy value.

You could use Audacity to record audio from microphone while playing something from other app - recording should be almost silent.

Back in the Windows XP years I saw some weird cases with audio output routed to audio input through Windows audio mixer. It should be rare these days, but still worth checking.