Network requirement

[Chris Patten]

Would like to understand if I can run a regular dsl internet connection at office for 5-6 users using O365 E5 S4B phone system/call plan.  Or do you require a dedicated direct internet connection $$?  Can I get away with a public internet connection 100/10 for $100 a month or am I required to get something like an E10 for $500 a month for reliable QOS-ed connection?  I know I "can" run regular dsl but I don't want any latency issues impacting phone quality.  If that happens more than a few times a month I would rather go with a different solution.  But really want to stay on S4B phone system if possible..

[#2]

Hi,

It's hard to say. High bandwidth is not the most important for real time communication (RTC) it's more important with an low latancy, jitter and packet loss. So even if you but a 100Mbit connection there could be high latency and that would give users a worse experiance than a 10Mbit connection with low latency.

There is a tool from Microsoft, Skype for Business Network Assessment Tool, you can download to see if your current connection is good. This will measure packet loss, latency and if packets arrives in the correct order. This tool will say if your connection fails or pass these tests. In the latest version you can also see if your firewall is blocking ports needed by Skype.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53885

Run this tool on different times of the day.

Another consideration is how stable the connection is. It's common that you can get a more stable connection with better SLA if you pay more.