Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

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Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Doug762a » 10/08/2018

When people call my FreePhoneLIne.ca number, they get a “This account number is not valid” message. I am using the follow me service. If the caller stays on the line long enough, the call does go through and gets forwarded.

Note that the desktop app is not working on my Windows 10 PC in that when I test the connection, I always get the message “Unable to send/receive sound data. Port 13000 should be available”. That can be a future support request. I am also not using a VoIP/SIP device. My immediate concern is the “This account number is not valid” message.
Doug762a
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Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Liptonbrisk » 10/09/2018

Doug762a wrote:When people call my FreePhoneLIne.ca number, they get a “This account number is not valid” message. I am using the follow me service. If the caller stays on the line long enough, the call does go through and gets forwarded.


Have you ported a number into Freephoneline recently? If the answer is yes, please wait 24 hrs and try again.

You can log into your FPL account, correct? https://www.freephoneline.ca/accountInfo
That is, can you confirm that your account hasn't been deleted: https://support.freephoneline.ca/hc/en- ... t-deleted- ?

Ensure that Rings Before Voicemail isn't 0: https://www.freephoneline.ca/voicemailSettings. However, I would expect a "this account is already in use" message if too many concurrent calls were already in place (FPL allows for a maximum of 2 channels per account) instead of "this account number is not valid."

How many phone numbers are you forwarding to? Are they all working properly?
If the answer is yes (and if your account hasn't been deleted), submit a ticket: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new.
Select Desktop app-->"my account inquiry" for the issue type. Provide all follow me numbers (in your follow me list) that you're forwarding to in the ticket. Mention that you're using "follow me", and specify both the ring mode and the follow me mode in the ticket.

Out of curiosity, you're not forwarding to an Ooma number, correct?

Note that the desktop app is not working on my Windows 10 PC in that when I test the connection


You don't need to use the desktop app at all if you're using Follow Me. However, you do run the risk of losing your FPL account if you never make an outgoing call every 90 days: https://support.freephoneline.ca/hc/en- ... t-deleted-. In that case, you would need to use to desktop app to place an outgoing call if you don't own a VoIP unlock key.


I always get the message “Unable to send/receive sound data. Port 13000 should be available”.


That test is useless since it always fails even even when everything works perfectly fine. The desktop app has been, as far as I can tell, out of development since 2013, so I doubt anything with respect to that test is going to change any time soon.
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
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Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Doug762a » 10/09/2018

Thanks Liptonbrisk for your prompt post.

Have you ported a number into FreePhoneLine recently?
I ported several weeks ago and the issue has been going on for at least the 3 days of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

You can log into your FPL account, correct?
Yes.

Ensure that Rings Before Voicemail isn't 0
It is set to 4.

How many phone numbers are you forwarding to? Are they all working properly?
I am forwarding to only one phone number that works. It is a cell phone number, not an Ooma number.

submit a ticket
I submitted the ticket.

The desktop app has been, as far as I can tell, out of development since 2013, so I doubt anything with respect to that test is going to change any time soon.
I am disappointed that the desktop app appears to not be supported. Had I known that, I would not have ported my number.
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Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Liptonbrisk » 10/09/2018

Doug762a wrote: I ported several weeks ago and the issue has been going on for at least the 3 days of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.


Okay, since you've ported into Freephoneline, you never have to worry about your Freephoneline account being deleted due to inactivity.

The problem might be a carrier issue (might also be related to an incomplete port, but enough time has passed that I wouldn't expect porting to be the issue).

It is a cell phone number


You might want to let Fongo support know who the mobility provider is (Rogers, Bell, Telus or a subsidiary, for example) in case it's an issue involving a specific provider/carrier.

I submitted the ticket.


Hopefully, they can resolve the problem for you.

One last thing: please ensure that the desktop app is not running at all when you're testing incoming (Follow Me) calls to your FPL number.
You can help to rule out whether there's a registration issue/NAT/SIP ALG problem on your end by not running the desktop app.
.

If the problem only occurs when you're running the desktop app, that's something we
can try to troubleshoot further (and, in that case, please provide the brand name and model of your modem and router). Desktop app installation instructions (for Windows 8 .. . . but it's similar enough to Windows 10) can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19063#p74810.

The following information is taken from https://forums.redflagdeals.com/rogers- ... #p29235388.

The desktop app is where FPL gets its name.
It's completely free to use. However, people typically have worse experiences with the desktop app than they do using
FPL with an ATA or IP phone (with the VoIP unlock key).


A.Use winmtr http://winmtr.net/download-winmtr/

B. For Freephoneline.ca (based in Ontario), test to voip.freephoneline.ca (let winmtr ping about 100 times), voip2.freephoneline.ca, and voip4.freephoneline.ca. You can copy text to clipboard and paste your results (do not post your own IP public address though) and post them for others to examine if you want.

C. Look at the very last hop or line. Take a look at your average ping--and your maximum. You want those values to be relatively close.
You do not want high pings and lots of jitter (you do not want a lot of variation between each ping). If you get horrible results (pings over 200ms), you should probably avoid FPL.

I get between 11 (voip.freephoneline.ca and voip2.freephoneline.ca)-24ms (voip4.freephonline.ca) on average, depending on the server I'm testing to. Preferably, you want pings below 100ms.

Anything over 200ms is unacceptable. You'll begin to encounter crosstalk, even if an untrained ear doesn't notice. So, if you're getting really high pings and jitter, you're going to run into problems.

What you don't want to see is 40, 45, 50, 35, 500, 40, 30, 45, 700. That's bad jitter.
You want relatively consistent pings without a lot of variation.


Make sure that you're not muting anything (microphone/speakers), and that you tested to ensure your mic is working before fiddling around with the app: http://win10faq.com/fix-microphone-settings/

And make sure you test incoming calls for 1-way audio issues before paying anything to FPL (you'll need a mic and headphones/speakers to test). Test on a computer that's connected to your router (without DMZ or port forwarding enabled). Should you encounter 1-way audio issues, look for a feature called SIP ALG in your router (you may need to call your ISP if you're using a modem/router combo) and disable that feature.

A. Netgear R7000 routers

Update firmware. Disable SIP ALG in this router. Then reboot modem, router, and ATA in that order. Then test again.

If you have a Netgear R7000 router, you may need to install third party XWRT-Vortex firmware. I recommend doing this anyway to obtain easy access to both UDP Unreplied and UDP Assured timeout settings. Afterwards, turn off the router and the ATA. Turn on the router. Wait for it to be fully up and running (including Wi-Fi). Then turn on the ATA. Download XWRT-Vortex here: http://xvtx.ru/xwrt/download.htm. In your router, navigate to Advanced Settings–>WAN–>NAT Passthrough–>SIP Passthrough. Change SIP Passthrough to “Enabled + NAT helper.” Click “Apply.”

B. Nettis 4422 modem from Carry Telecom (click the "Internet" tab)
http://www.carrytel.ca/support.aspx
Q : DSL - My VoIP phone does not work with Netis 4422 modem.
A : Please download the newest Netis firmware at http://www.carrytel.ca/download/netis1228.zip. Unzip the netis1228.zip file and update the firmware file netis1228.img for your modem. The new firmware has been tested and working with most of Voip phone providers

C. Asus VLAN

A number of people have been trying to eliminate Bell Hubs from their setups by using this guide: http://blog.ngpixel.com/post/1044497475 ... own-router.
At the time of this guide being written, NAT acceleration must be disabled in this setup in order for SIP services, including Freephoneline, to work properly. In your router, navigate to Advanced Settings-->LAN-->Switch Control-->NAT Acceleration. Select "disable." Click "apply."Then reboot your modem, router (wait for Wi-Fi SSIDs to populate first before rebooting ATA), and your ATA, in that order.

To determine whether you need NAT Acceleration enabled, visit https://routerguide.net/nat-acceleration-on-or-off/. If you do require NAT Acceleration to be enabled, don’t use VLAN with Asus routers.

D. Hitron CGN series gateway modem/router combos (from Rogers, Shaw, or another ISP) or any modem/router combo from any ISP with SIP ALG forced on

If you don’t have your own router, and if you can’t get someone from Rogers or your ISP to disable SIP ALG for you in their modem/router combo, your ATA may need to register with voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060. The purpose of voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060 is to help circumvent faulty SIP ALG features in routers. So, if you’re experiencing one-way audio issues as a result of SIP ALG, this is the SIP server to try. Check to ensure that you can’t disable SIP ALG yourself (refer to point E below).

E. Hitron CGN3ACSMR and CODA-4582 series gateway modem/router combos from Rogers (and possibly other ISPs)
Open your web browser, and login at 192.168.0.1. Default username is cusadmin.
Select the “Basic” tab and disable “SIP ALG.” Click the “save changes” button.

(continued in the next post)
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
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Liptonbrisk
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Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others

Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Liptonbrisk » 10/09/2018

(continuing)

F. Concerning Bell Hubs,

Typically it's better to have your own router and to stick whatever modem/router combo your ISP gives you into bridge mode:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/please-s ... r-1993629/




i. Typically it's better to have your own router and to stick whatever modem/router combo your ISP gives you into bridge mode.

ii. Disable SIP ALG in your own router. Many modem/router combos that are issued by ISPs have faulty SIP ALG/SPI functions enabled, with no way to disable them. These features can mangle SIP headers.

To understand why SIP ALG is often a serious headache visit http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Routers+SIP+ALG


Otherwise, get your ISP to disable SIP ALG for you. The rep you speak to may not know how to disable SIP ALG. Be prepared for stupidity and resistance. Someone may try to enable DMZ in your modem/router combo; that's a security risk and very stupid. Be aware if you reset your modem or when your ISP pushes new firmware to your modem/router combo, SIP ALG will be enabled again by default.




iii. Properly enable QoS in your router for your computer that's running the Freephoneline desktop app (and ensure no other programs are running on your computer that are hogging bandwidth while using the Freephoneline desktop app). Refer to your router's manual or contact your ISP if you were issued a modem/router combo from them (typically those routers suck and have horrible or absent QoS functions).

I'm not a huge fan of this website, but it suffices for an explanation of QoS: http://www.voipmechanic.com/qos-for-voip.htm
Avoid anything it says about the G.729 codec.


iv. If you still get one-way audio issues with the desktop app, you may need to port forward, which is a security risk (and not advisable).

The FPL desktop app uses ports 5060-5061,6060-6061,13000-13001 if you're going to port forward for the desktop app (you need to port forward to the LAN IP of the computer you're using. For most home networks the IP will begin 192.168.xxx.x). Refer to your router's manual to learn how to port forward (if your router came from your ISP, contact your ISP).

I would start just by port forwarding 13000-13001 only, which is for RTP (audio packets). If that still doesn't work, you can try adding 6060 or 6061. The most dangerous ports to forward are 5060-5061 and really shouldn't be necessary. I guess if all else fails, forward all of them: 5060-5061,6060-6061,13000-13001

These are all UDP ports.

5060, 5061, 6060, and 6061 should be alternate SIP ports.

Only port forward if all else fails (and only do it temporarily for testing purposes, since it's a security risk).

To see what characteristics are good for a router when using SIP services, such as Freephoneline, please read https://forums.redflagdeals.com/freepho ... #p29299104.

--
Note that only one registration per FPL account is allowed at any time. When there are multiple devices/softphones using the same account, only the most recent registration is valid. The previous device will lose registration. This is especially important to consider if someone else is using your VoIP unlock key SIP credentials (username and password) that are found after logging in at https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings (or if you're trying to register your FPL account with a smartphone SIP app or with another device). Registration is required for incoming calls. It is not required for outgoing calls. If you simply want to make outgoing calls using your FPL number, configure, but don't register the account, on the SIP app being used. This is also important to consider if you're using Freephoneline's desktop application (don't have it running while using your ATA with the same FPL account). Additionally, keep in mind that if someone else is also attempting to register the same SIP credentials on another device where you live, too many registration attempts can result in a temporary IP ban.
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
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Liptonbrisk
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SIP Device Name: Obihai 202/2182, Groundwire
Firmware Version: various
ISP Name: FTTH
Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others

Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Doug762a » 10/09/2018

Support replied to my ticket, telling me that I had two phone numbers in my follow me list. The first phone number was the original FreePhoneLine.ca phone number I used when trying the service out before porting my landline phone number to FreePhoneLine.ca. The second number in the list was my cell phone number. I don’t recall putting the original FreePhoneLine.ca phone number in the list and thought that I only had my cell phone number. I wonder if the FreePhoneLine.ca phone number got put there during the porting process. Anyway, I removed the invalid phone number from the list and now incoming callers don't get the “This account number is not valid” message.
Doug762a
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Posts: 4
Joined: 10/08/2018
Computer OS: Windows 10

Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Liptonbrisk » 10/09/2018

Doug762a wrote:Support replied to my ticket, telling me that I had two phone numbers in my follow me list. The first phone number was the original FreePhoneLine.ca phone number I used when trying the service out before porting my landline phone number to FreePhoneLine.ca. The second number in the list was my cell phone number. I don’t recall putting the original FreePhoneLine.ca phone number in the list and thought that I only had my cell phone number. I wonder if the FreePhoneLine.ca phone number got put there during the porting process. Anyway, I removed the invalid phone number from the list and now incoming callers don't get the “This account number is not valid” message.



It makes sense that one of the follow me numbers wan’t valid. Thanks for reporting back!
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
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Liptonbrisk
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SIP Device Name: Obihai 202/2182, Groundwire
Firmware Version: various
ISP Name: FTTH
Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others

Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Doug762a » 10/09/2018

I followed up further with support, out of concern that other people might have the same issue when porting. Here is their reply:
When an account is originally created, the number is automatically added by default, but call forwarding is not automatically activated. I suppose a deficiency in our system is that it does not replace the original number with the ported number in the call forwarding section when we run the porting job. I'll make a note of that and forward it to our dev team.
Doug762a
Just Passing Thru
 
Posts: 4
Joined: 10/08/2018
Computer OS: Windows 10

Re: Callers get “This account number is not valid" message

Postby Liptonbrisk » 10/09/2018

Doug762a wrote:I followed up further with support, out of concern that other people might have the same issue when porting. Here is their reply:
When an account is originally created, the number is automatically added by default, but call forwarding is not automatically activated. I suppose a deficiency in our system is that it does not replace the original number with the ported number in the call forwarding section when we run the porting job. I'll make a note of that and forward it to our dev team.



Thanks for the follow-up. And thank you for expressing your concern to support staff. Hopefully, that situation changes.

While it's unlikely that you'll encounter this issue again (and if it's only happening when Follow Me is enabled), if you hear the same error message, you can double check your Follow Me numbers after logging in at https://www.freephoneline.ca/addFollowMeNumber. It's a good idea to test by calling each number (not using your FPL number or a Follow Me number) in the list separately if you hear that message to ensure they're working properly.

am disappointed that the desktop app appears to not be supported. Had I known that, I would not have ported my number.


Sorry, I had missed you writing that earlier. While the desktop app does not appear to be in development, it does work (at least, it does for me on four different PCs). That particular test you mentioned earlier, however, never works.

If you never plan on buying a VoIP unlock key, one alternative might be porting to Fongo Mobile for $5: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/arti ... ngo-Mobile.
The Fongo Mobile app is certainly supported and in continuous development. Before doing that though, you should double check (submit a ticket) to find out if ported FPL numbers to Fongo Mobile are subject to deletion due to inactivity (I don't know the answer to that question for sure).

You can use the Fongo Mobile app on a smartphone (iOS or Android). And Follow Me with Fongo Mobile does the exact same thing as it does with Freephoneline. The only difference would be using a PC (Freephoneline desktop app) vs. using a smartphone (Fongo Mobile). You could certainly test the Fongo Mobile app for free before porting, if that's an option that appeals to you.

My impression of the desktop app is that it exists mostly for customer testing purposes before jumping in to buy a Freephoneline VoIP Unlock key--the idea being that if the Freephoneline Desktop app works for the customer, then the VoIP Unlock Key, which costs money, should work as well when used in conjunction with an ATA or IP Phone on the same local area network.
Please do not send me emails; I do not work for nor represent Freephoneline or Fongo. Post questions on the forums so that others may learn from responses or assist you. Thank you. If you have an issue with your account or have a billing issue, submit a ticket here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Visit http://status.fongo.com/ to check FPL/Fongo service status. Freephoneline setup guides can be found at viewforum.php?f=15.
User avatar
Liptonbrisk
Technical Support
 
Posts: 2764
Joined: 04/26/2010
SIP Device Name: Obihai 202/2182, Groundwire
Firmware Version: various
ISP Name: FTTH
Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others


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