Calls drop or sound choppy

If calls disconnect mid-conversation, or the other person sounds choppy, robotic, or like they're underwater, something is starving Cradle's voice traffic. The fixes are mostly on the network side, with a couple of audio-device offenders. Work through these in order.

Quick checks (try these first)

Switch to ethernet if you can. Wi-Fi is the single most common cause of choppy calls.
Close other apps using your network. Video calls in another app, large file uploads, software updates, and streaming video all compete with Cradle for bandwidth.
End the call, quit Cradle, reopen, and call back. A clean restart sometimes clears a stuck audio path.

Most common cause: Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi introduces small delays and out-of-order packets. Voice calls hate that. Ethernet is rock-solid by comparison.

If you can switch to ethernet, do. Even a short cable from your desk to the wall is a meaningful improvement.
If you can't switch to ethernet, get closer to the access point. Walls and floors knock signal around. The Wi-Fi icon in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS) is a quick gauge.
If Wi-Fi is your only option and you've still got problems, your access point may be over-subscribed (too many devices on it) or sitting on a congested channel. That's an IT-side fix. See General networking guidelines for what good looks like.

Second most common: something else is using your bandwidth

Cradle voice doesn't need a lot of bandwidth, but it does need a steady share. If another app on your computer is uploading a big file or streaming a video call in HD, your share can drop and voice falls apart.

Things to close or pause during important calls:

Other video-calling apps (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack huddles).
Cloud-sync clients in the middle of a big upload (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive).
Streaming video (YouTube, Netflix, Twitch).
OS updates or game-launcher downloads running in the background.

If you share Wi-Fi with a household or office, someone else's video call or download counts too. Ask whoever's nearby to pause and try the call again.

Third: Bluetooth headset conflicts

If the audio chops in regular bursts (every second or two, like a robot voice), and you're on a Bluetooth headset, the Bluetooth radio is the most likely culprit. See Bluetooth headsets for the full story, the short version:

We don't recommend pairing a Bluetooth headset to your laptop's built-in Bluetooth. Use a manufacturer USB dongle, a wired connection, or a DECT headset.
Check Windows hasn't quietly paired your headset twice (once via the dongle, once via built-in Bluetooth). Remove the headset entry if it's there.

Fourth: VPN routing your voice across the world

If your VPN sends all your traffic through an endpoint in another country, voice has to travel that route plus back, which stacks up latency. The further the round trip, the worse the audio.

Try a call with the VPN off. If it sounds fine, the VPN is the cause.
Ask your IT team if they can split-tunnel Cradle off the VPN, so call traffic goes straight to the internet.
See Cradle with a VPN for what to ask for.

Fifth: the network itself isn't up to scratch

If you've ticked off Wi-Fi, bandwidth, Bluetooth, and VPN and calls are still bad, the issue is in your network setup. This is where the admin-side reading helps:

Is my internet good enough? walks through a speed test and the signs of a router that's not fit for voice.
General networking guidelines covers the deeper configuration: SIP ALG, QoS, jitter, and what to ask your IT team to check.

If you're on a small business connection and you've never had it tested for voice, it's worth a quick speed test. Ask your IT team to run one if you can't.

Diagnose by platform

Windows

Check Task Manager → Performance → Wi-Fi or Ethernet during a bad call. If the throughput is at 100% utilisation, something else is hogging the connection.
If you're on a Bluetooth headset, plug in a wired alternative as a test. If the wired headset sounds fine, the Bluetooth is the problem.

macOS

Open Activity Monitor → Network and sort by Sent Bytes/sec during a bad call. If another app is at the top sending a lot, pause it.
AirPods are worse for call audio than people expect, see Audio issues on macOS.

Linux

Run nmcli device wifi list or your panel's network indicator to confirm signal strength.
If you use PipeWire, low-latency audio is configurable but distro-dependent. See Audio issues on Linux.

Still stuck?

If you've worked through all of this and calls still drop:

Note the time, date, and which side sounds bad (you to them, them to you, or both).
Note the OS, the headset, and whether you're on Wi-Fi or ethernet.
Email help@cradle.io with as much of that as you can. A short audio recording helps if you have one.
Cradle support is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm New Zealand time.