An assessment of the audio codec performance in voice over WLAN (VoWLAN) systems

In this paper we present results of experimental investigation into the performance of three audio codecs (ITU-T G.711, G.723.1, and G.729A) under varying load conditions on a voice over WLAN system utilizing the IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN standard. The analysis is based upon a new technique for estimating user satisfaction of speech quality calculated from packet delay and packet loss/late measurements. We also demonstrate the importance of the de-jitter buffer playout scheme for insuring speech quality. From our results we conclude that the use of the G.711 audio codec in conjunction with the new adaptive playout scheme gives the highest user satisfaction of the voice over WLAN schemes considered.