Hi MMMers,
So I've recently been offered a job in which I'd get to work from home full time. I'm really pumped about the opportunity, but I'm hoping you all can help me with a VOIP issue I have.
I currently use Google Voice (or rather, the little phone icon in the gmail account) to make calls when I work from home. Generally, it's not too bad but I have a few problems:
1. The phone makes an awful, loud crackling noise if I in any way touch the headset, the USB wire, etc. Oddly, I can't hear it, but anyone on the other end of the line can...and it's bad. I use a Logitech headset so my guess is that's the root cause...but can someone recommend a really good headset to use which would not cause this? Or is this just part of the game with a USB headset?
2. The microphone is too loud. But when I adjust it in Windows' settings, the microphone seems to automatically adjust to get louder and louder (my guess is that Google Voice's software thinks it's too quiet and keeps trying to turn it up to "11"). When I go back in to adjust, I see the microphone is turned all the way up again. Any idea how to fix and keep it at the level I set?
3. I drop calls somewhat regularly (1 to 5 times a day). If I'm working at home full time, I'm not sure that'll be acceptable. This seems like it might be an issue with our carrier (Centurylink DSL). Would a home phone be a better option? It will likely cost us something like $20-$25 more per month. (It's possible my new employer could pay, but we're still passing offers back and forth on salary...)
Any ideas or feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks as always...you guys are the best.