Browser vs. Installed Softphones: Which One Is Right for You?

When selecting a softphone for your communication needs, understanding the distinctions between browser-based and installed applications is essential. Both options provide seamless calling experiences but come with unique advantages and considerations. This guide delves into these differences, focusing on their interactions with home network setups, and references existing resources for a comprehensive understanding.

Important Note:
Do not use both browser-based and installed softphones on the same device simultaneously. This can confuse your router’s NAT handling, leading to connection issues or dropped calls. If you plan to use a browser-based softphone, uninstall any installed softphone app from the same device for the best performance and reliability.

Browser-Based Softphones: Quick and Accessible

Overview:

Browser-based softphones operate directly within web browsers, utilising WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) technology to enable voice and video calls without requiring downloads or installations.

Advantages:

1. Immediate Access: Launches instantly in compatible browsers, ideal for occasional or temporary use.
2. No Installation Needed: Beneficial for users without administrative rights or preferring a lightweight solution.
3. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Accessible on any device with a supported browser, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and some mobile devices.
4. System Requirements: Eliminates concerns about storage space or software updates.

Considerations:

1. Performance Variability: Call quality may fluctuate based on browser efficiency, system resources, and network conditions.
2. IT and Network Restrictions: Some organisations or home networks may block WebRTC or impose browser limitations, affecting functionality.
3. Reliability for Extended Use: Browsers might experience crashes or performance issues during prolonged sessions.
4. Call Persistence: With browser-based softphones, calls can end unexpectedly if the browser tab is closed accidentally. This can be inconvenient during longer conversations or when multitasking, as users need to keep the browser tab active throughout the call.

Home Network Implications:

1. Connection Stability: Browser softphones are highly dependent on a stable and consistent internet connection. Activities like streaming or gaming can introduce network instability, leading to degraded call quality, even if overall bandwidth is sufficient.
2. Network Configuration Support: Both installed apps and WebRTC-based softphones use ICE protocols, to handle restrictive network configurations. While this improves connectivity in many cases, extremely restrictive firewalls or complex NAT setups can still present challenges for both options.
3. Latency Concerns: Browser processing can introduce latency, especially on congested networks, resulting in delays or jitter.
4. VPN Compatibility: Using a VPN may interfere with WebRTC traffic, potentially causing call drops or reduced performance.

Installed Softphones: Reliable and Full-Featured

Overview:

Installed softphones are dedicated applications downloaded and installed on devices, offering a tailored and often more stable communication experience.

Advantages:

1. Enhanced Performance: Optimised for specific operating systems, providing superior call quality and stability.
2. Greater Reliability: Less susceptible to crashes compared to browser-based counterparts.
3. Device-Specific Optimisations: Leverage hardware capabilities such as noise cancellation and audio enhancements.
4. User-Friendly Login: Our apps offer quick setup options, like QR code login, for seamless access.

Considerations:

1. Initial Setup Requirement: Necessitates downloading and installation, which may be a barrier for some users.
2. Storage and Maintenance: Occupies device storage and requires periodic updates.
3. Device Dependency: Tied to the specific device, potentially limiting portability.

Home Network Implications:

• Efficient Bandwidth Utilisation: Installed apps manage audio and video streams more effectively, offering smoother performance on busy networks.
• Adaptive Codecs: Many use codecs that adjust to network conditions, maintaining call quality even with fluctuating speeds.
• Network Configuration Support: Both installed apps and WebRTC-based softphones use ICE protocols, to handle restrictive network configurations. While this improves connectivity in many cases, extremely restrictive firewalls or complex NAT setups can still present challenges for both options.
• Offline Functionality: Some features may be accessible without an active internet connection, enhancing usability.

Making an Informed Choice

Opt for Browser-Based Softphones If:

You require a quick, no-setup solution, are using a shared or restricted device, and have a stable network environment.

Opt for Installed Softphones If:

You need consistent performance, advanced features, and are operating in environments with complex network conditions.

Additional Resources:

For further insights into optimising VoIP call quality and configuring your network for seamless connectivity, consider reviewing the following resources:

• Hubbub VoIP and Call Quality
• Hubbub VoIP Connectivity Guide

These guides offer detailed information on factors affecting VoIP performance and provide practical steps to enhance your communication experience.

By understanding the distinctions between browser-based and installed softphones, and considering your specific network environment, you can select the option that best aligns with your communication needs.

Understanding Media Recovery During Network Issues

Have you ever been on a voice or video call using apps like Teams, Skype or Zoom and suddenly the call freezes, the audio cuts out, or the call drops entirely? Well, Hubbub VoIP Softphone is no different, this can happen due to problems with your internet connection. One common issue is when your Internet Service Provider (ISP) resets your connection and gives you a new public IP address. This change can confuse your computer and the app you’re using because they’re still trying to communicate using the old connection settings.

Your computer might not immediately realise that the network settings have changed. While it’s figuring things out, the app continues to try sending and receiving data as if everything is normal, but it doesn’t work anymore. This delay means you might experience interruptions in your call.

These applications have built-in ways to recover from such issues. They use processes to find the best path for your call over the internet. When the network changes, they need to restart this process to reconnect properly. However, detecting the change and restarting the connection doesn’t happen instantly. It can take anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or more.

An installed application might handle these disruptions more quickly than a browser-based app. This is because installed apps can integrate more deeply with your computer’s operating system, allowing them to detect network changes sooner and recover the connection faster.

Several factors affect how quickly things get back to normal:

• Detection Time: How fast your computer notices the network change.
• App Recovery Process: How the application handles reconnecting to the call.
• Network Conditions: The current state of your internet connection.

So, if your call suddenly drops or the audio/video stops while using services like Hubbub, it’s often due to these kinds of network hiccups. It might take a little time before the connection is restored and your conversation can continue smoothly.

Continue Reading for more technical details

Technical Explanation of Media Recovery During Network Failures

Overview

Real-time communication systems and SIP-based phones rely on continuous network connectivity to maintain media streams for voice and video calls. Network failures can disrupt these streams, requiring recovery mechanisms to restore communication.

Types of Network Failures

1. ISP Reset and IP Address Change: ISPs may periodically reset connections, assigning new public IP addresses to users. This sudden change can invalidate existing network paths used by communication applications.
2. Transient Outages: Brief interruptions in network connectivity due to hardware issues, congestion, or routing problems can affect call quality.
3. Network Topology Changes: Switching from one network to another (e.g., moving from Wi-Fi to mobile data) changes the network environment, affecting connectivity.

Operating System Detection Delays

When an ISP assigns a new IP address, the operating system may not immediately detect the change. This delay occurs because:

• Network Configuration Updates: The OS needs time to receive and apply new network settings.
• Routing Table Adjustments: Updating routing tables to reflect new paths takes time.
• Application Awareness: Applications rely on the OS for network information and may not detect changes until the OS updates them.

Media Recovery Mechanisms

Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE)

• Purpose: ICE helps clients discover the best path for media streams, navigating through NATs and firewalls.
• Process:
• Candidate Gathering: Collecting possible network endpoints.
• Connectivity Checks: Testing paths to determine the most efficient route.
• ICE Restart: Upon detecting network changes, clients perform an ICE restart to renegotiate media paths.

Detection of Network Changes

• Transport-Layer Timeouts: Clients may detect issues when they stop receiving expected acknowledgements.
• Keep-Alive Mechanisms: Periodic messages ensure the connection is active; failures trigger recovery processes.
• STUN/TURN Server Interactions: Servers help detect public IP changes and assist in re-establishing connections.

Installed Applications vs Browser-Based WebRTC

Installed applications like Hubbub VoIP may recover from network issues faster than browser-based WebRTC applications due to several reasons:

1. Deeper OS Integration: Installed apps can access low-level network APIs and receive immediate notifications of network changes from the operating system. This allows them to detect and react to changes more quickly.
2. Background Services: They can run background services that continuously monitor network status, enabling quicker detection of connectivity issues.
3. Custom Network Handling: Installed apps can implement optimised network handling and recovery strategies tailored to their specific use cases, without the limitations imposed by browser security models.
4. Reduced Overhead: Browsers add an additional layer between the application and the network, which can introduce delays in event handling and limit the ability to respond swiftly to network changes.

In contrast, browser-based WebRTC applications are subject to:

• Browser Limitations: Browsers restrict access to certain network information for security reasons, which can delay the detection of network changes.
• Event Handling Delays: The event-driven nature of JavaScript and the browser environment can introduce latency in processing network change events.
• Shared Resources: WebRTC apps in a browser share resources with other tabs and extensions, which can affect performance and responsiveness.

Factors Affecting Recovery Time

1. Protocol Timeouts: Built-in delays before a client decides a connection has failed.
2. Retry Intervals: Time between successive attempts to reconnect.
3. Network Latency: Slower networks increase recovery durations.
4. Application Design: Some apps prioritise rapid recovery, while others have longer thresholds to avoid unnecessary reconnections. With Hubbub we try to find the right balance to avoid false positives but still allow a conversation to continue after a network change.
5. Access to Network Interfaces: Installed applications can access network interfaces directly, allowing for faster recovery compared to browser-based apps.

Limitations and Expectations

• Non-Instantaneous Recovery: Due to the above factors, media recovery isn’t immediate.
• Variable Delays: Recovery times can range from seconds to over a minute.
• User Experience: Understanding these delays can help users remain patient during disruptions.

Optimising Recovery

• Efficient Detection: Improving how quickly the OS and applications detect network changes. Installed apps can utilise system notifications for immediate awareness.
• Adaptive Timeouts: Adjusting protocol timeouts based on network conditions. Installed applications can fine-tune these settings more precisely.
• Enhanced Keep-Alives: More frequent checks can detect failures sooner but may increase network load.
• Leveraging OS Capabilities: Installed applications can take advantage of operating system features like network change events, allowing for immediate response to connectivity alterations.

By understanding both the basic and technical aspects of media recovery during network failures, users of services like Hubbub VoIP Softphones can better anticipate issues and appreciate the efforts made to minimise disruptions in real-time communications. Knowing that installed applications may recover faster than browser-based ones can inform choices about which platforms to use for critical communications.