Why do my Zoom calls keep dropping out?

No one wants to be that person. The one who’s frozen, the one who can’t unmute. But if your Zoom calls are dropping out constantly, then you’re on a whole other level of video call embarrassment.

Zoom has become a regular part of our lives now, whether you work from home or not. So to ensure you’re getting the best experience possible, here’s our guide to diagnosing the reasons why your Zoom calls keep dropping out and solutions on how to stop it from happening.

Reason #1 - Your internet speed is too slow

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Not all internet plans are created equal. Some are faster, some are slower. Zoom only needs 0.6 to 1.5 Mbps of upload and download speeds to make a group call, at a minimum. However different types of calls, how many people are on it, different levels of video quality and whether you’re screen-sharing or not all play a part in determining what speed you actually need. Plus you also have to consider other people using your internet at the home at the same time can also impact your connection, as speed is a shared resource.

For more in-depth information about the different types of Zoom calls, their picture quality, sharing capabilities and the speeds each of these require, check out our guide on what internet speed you need for Zoom. Put simply, if you have an NBN 25 or faster connection, there should be plenty of oomph to manage your Zoom calls.

Evening speeds can also see a lag in performance and even though this typically occurs during the hours of 7 pm-11 pm, evening speeds can also be experienced whenever a large group of people are using the internet at the same time. 

The table below shows each speed tier and both their maximum speeds and what you could expect during peak hours. Each provider reports different typical evening speeds, however, so in many cases, evening speeds will be faster than what we've listed. 

Speed Tier	Maximum Speed	Evening Speed
NBN 12 (Basic I)	12Mbps	10Mbps	Go to plans
NBN 25 (Basic II)	25Mbps	15Mbps	Go to plans
NBN 50 (Standard)	50Mbps	40Mbps	Go to plans
NBN 100 (Fast)	100Mbps	80Mbps	Go to plans
NBN 250 (Superfast)	250Mbps	200Mbps	Go to plans
NBN 100 (Ultrafast)	1,000Mbps	200Mbps	Go to plans

Pro Tip: Megabits per second (Mbps) is a measure of the speed at which data can be transferred over the network. The higher the Mbps, the faster your connection will be.

If switching providers is something you’re willing to try, the ACCC’s quarterly report which summarises the fastest NBN providers and plans is an excellent resource for finding the best of the best.

Here are some of the fastest evening speeds reported across some of Australia's most popular NBN providers: 

If changing providers could be the solution to your problem, here’s our guide on how to swap NBN providers. However, if you’re unable to upgrade your speed tier, here are some things you can do to avoid dropouts: 

1. Disable certain Zoom settings that affect speed, such as switching off your camera, turning off the ‘Touch up my appearance’ setting, removing virtual backgrounds and switching off ‘Enable HD’. 

2. Move your router into the room you’re working from or invest in a range extender to broaden your WiFi signal and set yourself as a priority. Chances are you’re simply too far from your router or in a dead zone. Alternatively, move yourself closer to the router if you're using a laptop. 

3. Connect an Ethernet cable directly to your computer for a faster, more dependable connection.

4. Turn off WiFi on other devices, especially if you’re not using them during the call. You’ll be surprised how many apps use WiFi in the background.

If you can’t upgrade your connection and need to regularly test if your internet is behaving properly, we recommend using this Zoom test meeting link to check your video and audio quality before making calls.

Reason #2 - Your connection isn’t functioning properly

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To be sure it’s not just reason #1, we highly recommend using our Speed Test tool to find out if there really is something wrong with your NBN plan, connection or provider. 

Testing your internet speed across various days and times is a good way to determine how reliable your service is. If you’re noticing speeds are consistently low, regardless of the day, time or how many people are using it at once, it’s time to contact your internet service provider (ISP).

Reason #3 - Your internet tech is dodgy

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Modems and connection types can often be the root cause of unreliable connections.

This is a great opportunity to familiarise yourself with your internet connection type (whether it’s HFC, Fixed Wireless, FTTP or another) and also if perhaps your modem is outdated or isn’t compatible with your provider’s requirements. NBN Co is currently rolling out upgrades to the NBN, switching FTTC to FTTP for a faster and more reliable experience. New suburbs are eligible to request an upgrade every few months so it’s well worth keeping that in mind.

Reason #4 - Update the app or your computer

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More often than not, we’ve simply put off updating the Zoom app or your computer just needs a good ol’ fashioned reset. ‘Have you tried turning it off and on again’ is a cliche for a reason.

Check out your settings, make sure your system is up to date, do a system restart and see how you go. You never know, you could have also just had too many tabs open or programs running in the background.

If none of these reasons seems to align with your Zoom disruptions, we suggest reaching out to Zoom via the Zoom support link to raise your issue or see if others have found a solution to your problem through their community hub section.