intermittent audio when calling out

[johnboykw]

Hi everyone, I need some help here as the WAF (wife acceptance factor) is sinking by the day with this one....

Weird problem I have to admit - seems to be completely at random, a call placed from my FPL (so an outgoing call) will have no outgoing audio. Called person can be heard fine, but no ability for the called person to here me.

Issue has been going on for a while and I've called tech support a couple times but honestly, the solutions seems to be grasping at straws...."make sure ports are forwarded properly", "maybe it's your router - run your ATA direct to the modem for a bit", "factory default your ATA first"... I've done all that, plus I'm even running a new router as well (previous was D-link DIR-655) (Current setup is listed in my profile).

Current port forwarding setup is:
5060-5064 --> 192.168.78.20 UDP Enabled
10000-20000 --> 192.168.78.20 UDP Enabled
(192.168.78.20 being my ATA)

Also, from time to time, static can be heard on the line by the called party....I don't understand why there would be static, but I have reason to believe it's not them, as it's been noted by multiple different called parties that there is static....but again, this is intermittent as well.

Need help! Can someone from FPL please get back to me? I even have a report # from one of the previous calls into tech support, if that helps give some additional background.

The part that's most annoying is that my original setup (w/D-link router) worked perfectly at first for about 4 weeks and then this started.

Thanks,
John

[OverDrive]

Flash your router with DD-WRT - http://dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

The 3rd party firmware works WONDERS on routers and yours is supported as long as you have hardware version 1.1 / 1.4.

The issue you're having with audio will be solved by this.

[bridonca]

It seems you have an RTP port issue. As recommended, upgrading the firmware is a good idea. But if you do not want to do that, find out what RTP ports the ATA is using and forward those from the router to the ATA. You are not really doing anything forwarding the SIP ports you have selected. The freephoneline proxy should be able to handle the SIP port, and usually you only need one (5060). The RTP port(s) need more help, so get the router to forward those to the ATA.

[johnboykw]

Thanks for the info guys. I've noticed the DD-WRT firmware and while I'm not 100% opposed to doing that, I'd rather try to get this working without doing that, if I can...

bridonca, I hear what you're saying, but I'm not 100% sure how I would find out what RTP ports are attempting to be used. Any suggestion on that?

Thanks,
John

[OverDrive]

Don't be scared of DD-WRT. It turns a residential router into a business class router with many more features. It is currently the software of all residential devices that are limiting features that the router can handle, to separate residential from business and therefore set the pricing lower for residential, and higher for business. DD-WRT just allows you to do more with the same hardware.

An example is if you buy a Windows machine, running Windows 7 Home Basic, it has lots of limitations, all software based. If you install Ubuntu Linux, it releases all the features for you to use and gives you more capability using the same hardware.

As long as you follow the instructions for flashing the router, you will not have any problems, and you will have a much more stable, more accessible, and overall better router and wireless experience. Did you know that your transmit power on your router is LIMITED by software to make it not reach as far? If you have a hard time getting signal in the top corners of your house because your router's in the basement, installing DD-WRT and setting your Tx Power from the default 70 mW to 150 mW or even 200 mW will allow you to get much better signal in the far reaches of your house.

[seagame2001]

check you linksy ATA if you get a fake one you may have this problem that's all

[johnboykw]

I'll have a second look at DD-WRT, but I would really like to know the RTP ports in question here.

And to seagame2001, this PAP2T-NA was purchase through a legitimate retail store that I've purchased numerous other pieces of hardware through in the past. I know what you're talking about, but it's extremely unlikely that this is a fake unit.

Thanks.

[johnboykw]

@OverDrive - I've looked at the DD-WRT firmware and I know there are all kinds of people who have it on their routers, but I honestly can't see why though.... I know there are major restrictions on the hardware based on the firmware produced by manufactures, but with the instructions on the DD-WRT website and how contradictory they are with one another, I don't know how anyone would trust that their routers wouldn't be bricked in the process.... I've read one set of instructions that points to another, that tells me the first place I looked at the wrong firmware in the database....I mean, how is someone who's never done this before, supposed read that and feel confident that they're not going to have a paperweight at the end of it..?

Please don't take this as criticism towards yourself, as I'm sure you're very likely highly knowledgeable on the subject, but unless there is a clear set of instructions on how do this, and a clear indication of what firmware to use, then I'm going to have to look at alternative providers that don't need me to risk my router just to get a reliable service running.

PS, while I do appreciate the peer support here, a comment from an actual FPL rep in this situation would go a long ways to helping me not look for another provider.

(and for the record, I've changed the port forwarding setup to the following but still have issues:
5060-5064 --> 192.168.78.20 UDP Enabled
16384-16482 --> 192.168.78.20 ALL Enabled -> "ALL" means both TCP and UDP ports)

[bridonca]

To be blunt, the freephoneline staff are rather wise to stay away from router issues. It is not a problem they can fix, their gear works just fine. SIP VOIP is a NAT nightmare when you have substandard router firmware. The problem is most routers are poorly programmed, and are so bad that hackers, in their spare time, had to produce a firmware that is much more stable and predictable than the stock provided. The problem you have noticed, is that the support is somewhat unreliable. Of course the support for the router you paid good money for also blows.

You need a good router, no way around that. So either get a new one, or flash the old one with DD-WRT. Neither solution is all that fun, but it is what you need to do to get SIP VOIP working properly.

[pedor]

I don't have your model of ATA, but it's my understanding that the Linksys devices have the RTP ports configured on the "SIP tab" of the ATA web interface. It's those RTP ports that you should ensure are forwarded through your router.

[johnboykw]

Actually, the TL-WR1043ND is new....it replaced a D-link DIR-655 in an attempt to fix this issue previously, so getting a 3rd really isn't an option. I guess the biggest frustration is what you pointed out bridonca - support for firmware is just not what it should be.... but I would have thought that my type of setup (ie, an ATA behind a NAT router) is really not that un-common and that FPL would want to have support for that type of setup to promote more users on their system.

Guess I gotta try figure out DD-WRT then....

and to pedor, I did finally find the RTP ports specified in the SIP tab. See my post from yesterday.

[bridonca]

I still find that most annoying. You buy a new router, and the firmware is still not very good. Trendnet have never been known for their technical support, to them it is just another gadget to flip. So unless it is sold in the bargain bin, I would never buy anything from Trendnet. Hilariously, I am a happy owner of a Trendnet TEW-652BRP, flashed with DD-WRT of course.

EDIT: in my rant, I forgot to mention this tutorial specific to your router. http://samiux.blogspot.com/2010/03/howt ... 043nd.html

If you are looking for the latest DD-WRT firmware, head here, and punch in TL-WR1043ND http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

[sncbhle18]

I have a similar issue to this one, but instead of using an ATA device (which I'm planning to get in the near future), I'm using the softphone (software programme). My setup is very similar, but I use the Linksys WRT54G v6 router with firmware v1.02.8 on it.

Sometimes, the audio is sped up and I often get the intermittent audio issues......

[OverDrive]

I have a similar issue to this one, but instead of using an ATA device (which I'm planning to get in the near future), I'm using the softphone (software programme). My setup is very similar, but I use the Linksys WRT54G v6 router with firmware v1.02.8 on it.

Sometimes, the audio is sped up and I often get the intermittent audio issues......

I would recommend that you flash your WRT54G with DD-WRT firmware. All your troubles will go away. Check out http://dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database for the software and instructions to flash your router. It seriously will become more stable and overall better with the DD-WRT software on it.

[dibsmft]

There are a number of reasons for intermittent audio. One is incorrectly configured codecs within the ATA or client so it is worth checking there. Another, is with the ports that are available and if you port forward from the router you need to forward, say, 5061 UDP (sip) and a small range 8000 - 8005 UDP (rtp) from the router to the ATA/client. Within the ATA client configure the external sip port as 5060 (if an entry is given otherwise it is generally assumed to be 5060) and the internal as 5061 (or whatever you choose), also, set the RTP port upper and lower limits that you have forwarded. For several voip lines you need a separate port (eg. 5061, 5062 etc) for each device and a correspondingly larger range of ports for rtp. If you have limited bandwidth you will get choppy audio and it is best to not run anything else on your network when you are doing voip.
There are test programs on the web that can help you diagnose problems if you search for something like "voip and Broadband Speed Test".

[johnboykw]

Just to update, I finally managed to figure out how to get DD-WRT on my router (running now) and just as an FYI, the router database on the main page will give very OLD versions... the latest for mine was found here: http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/othe ... -r17201%2F

So far, the issue hasn't come back, but the wife hasn't used the phone too much since i got dd-wrt running and the problem was intermittent to start with.

@dibsmft - The ports you mention I had already had forwarded (as you can see in my previous posts). Also, I have a 24Mbps connection and have tested network jitter tests and all results have shown I average 12 to 20 ms delay.

In any case, I'll try this for now and see how it goes. Only time will tell now.

[dibsmft]

"5060-5061 --> 192.168.78.20 UDP Enabled
16384-16482 --> 192.168.78.20 ALL Enabled -> "ALL" means both TCP and UDP ports)"
If you mean the ports mentioned above then you have forwarded 5060. Try just forwarding 5061 - 5064 UDP and you should not need to forward 16384 - 16482 TCP here, just UDP (and make sure that you configure the port configuration within the device itself). Its not the 24 mb/s download that matters ... the bit rates they advertise but upload speed which is most likely <800 kb/s and can often run very much lower especially if there are other things using upload on the network.

[johnboykw]

To update this is what I have now:
5060 - 5064 --> 192.168.78.25 ALL (changed internal IP due to new router setup with dd-wrt)
16384 - 16482 --> 192.168.78.25 ALL

Two Rogers cell numbers called results in no audio heard by them, but a third number will work ok, but only if call is answered - if that third number is called and goes to the cell's vm, no audio is recorded.


Can someone from FPL please contact me to determine what is going here? The results I'm getting are frustrating and I can't let this go on like this for much longer.

Thanks,
John

[OverDrive]

I'm curious, does the DD-WRT router get a public IP? Have you tried setting a static ip for the ATA?

[sncbhle18]

I was wondering if I need to set up a static IP for my computer to use the Freephoneline softphone? I've upgraded to DD-WRT for my WRT54G router and I've opened the ports - but the results were likely the same.

Here's a run down of my opened ports:
5060-5061 (both TCP/UDP)
6060-6061 (UDP)
13000-13001 (UDP)
16834-16482 (Both TCP/UDP)

Any suggestions?

[dibsmft]

It is a good idea to give your computer a static IP if you are running Voip, however it is not essential unless you are forwarding ports. I don't normally use MS Windows but to run FPL I have to run MS Win Vista and for that I have no ports forwarded to the computer but simply allow the firewall to pass ports through for FPL to the computer. Under those circumstances FPL is working just fine. I do not forward port 5060 UDP to any of my voip systems so it is available. For SIP, if I chose to forward ports I would forward (perhaps) port 5069 UDP (SIP signaling) and 8090 - 9000 UDP (RTP ports) and no more should be required. I do not have a copy of Win 7 so I cannot check that for you.

[johnboykw]

@OverDrive, the DD-WRT router does get a public IP...how else would I get internet access? (no offence, but seems like a silly question). And I have setup an internal permanent DHCP lease IP for the ATA, so no, the IP of the ATA doesn't change, but I only have one IP from my provider so there is no way to get a second one specifically for the ATA - if that's what you're thinking.

[OverDrive]

@johnboykw, I was thinking about double NATing from modem/router to wireless router, which I've seen so many people do both intentionally and unintentionally. The way my setup is at home is Modem > Wireless Router > ATA.... Modem is a dumb modem, wireless router get's public IP, and ATA has a DHCP Reservation just like yours.

[zakhanz]

@Johnboykw> I am exactly in the same boat as you are and my wife seems very unhappy with the service. I run into the same issue no voice heard when calling or receiving calls. I have put my FPL 286 ATA in the DMZ zone, I am not concerned about the security or hacking of my device. I am more interested in getting better service from FPL. I use the the TekSavvy extreme cable as you do. Just to add a note here before buyign FPL ATA and config file I have used other VOIP provider ATA and service. It was stable and smooth. I have never come across into this issue. I have given that ATA line to my parents and its working like a charm no issue at all.

I have read the entire post and found interesting suggestion and comments posted by members here. This is not the problem with Router or firmware or internet connection at user end because there are multiple users who are reporting the same issue over and over. But FPL staff keep insisting to flash the router or buy a better router. Make changes to the firewall, port forwarding etc. I know you have been suggesting some good suggestion but I do believe people who have raised this issue they have pretty good knowledge in networking and pretty techincal Savvy.

@Overdrive and @bridonca I completly disagree with your suggestions and advise. You seem to give only one adivse flash your router and your problem will go away. Please give me a break!

I think this is the time for FPL third level support to look into this issue seriously. Otherwise if the problem persists and no action has been taken from FPL to rectify the problem people will go away and join some other VOIP provider even they have to suck up the cost of ATA and config file. The bottom line is I paid for the device and config file, atleast I should get a decent VOIP service.

Please help and involve third level network support

Thanks.

[bridonca]

It is unfortunate that your router is crap for SIP VOIP, but your router is crap for SIP VOIP! You replace it with a good router, and the problem will go away. Or you can whine and complain to Freephoneline about a problem they cannot fix (the gear on their side works just fine). Get a better router, preferably one that can be flashed to DD-WRT. Your choice.