can't make or recieve calls or check voice mail

[smclean78]

Newbie here...purchased the ATA device for my handset phones, using Budphone. Am on Cogeco cable with an RCA modem, belkin wireless G router and the Grandstream handy tone ATA...phones were working off and on for the last month since I purchased but now not at all...did I screw up some settings? Also i've heard that powering down will fix but when no one is home for the day we are missing numerous calls until we get home. Starting to wonder if this "free phone" is to good to be true? Any suggestions? Also...have called free phoneline numerous times and have been promised that a tech will look into the problem and call me back...obviously hasn't happened?

[bridonca]

It is your Belkin router, it is infamous for being really bad. See what happens when you turn off you modem router and sip device for about 5 minutes. Then turn on the modem, wait 20 seconds, turn on the router, wait another 30 seconds, and then turn on the sip device. If it works, it will only be a temporary solution, you need a better router, preferably one that can run dd-wrt firmware.

[smclean78]

Thanks for the tip...ya I've tried the powering down trick and you're right...it's only temporary. Can u
Give me the names of some good routers and where to buy? Want something very reliable but user
friendly?

[bridonca]

I get my routers on Kijiji for around $20. The hardware is rarely what makes a bad router, it is almost always the awful firmware. If the router can be flashed to an open source firmware such as DD-WRT, you will end up with a much better router.

If you do see a router that you fancy, check this database to see if it can be flashed to DD-WRT http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database You can ask me also!

[smclean78]

Trendnet wireless n router on Kijiji for $30 ???

[bridonca]

Find out what the model number is, and the version, and let me know! There are quite a few routers out there that use the same model name, but inside, they use different sized ROM, RAM, and even a different chipset. that affects whether it is compatible with DD-WRT.

I am using Trendnet 632BRP router now, and it was a $20 Kijiji stinker until I DD-WRT flashed it. Beautiful problem free router now!

[smclean78]

Guy on Kijiji not getting back to me...walked into the source and they had the dlink dir-615 on sale, picked one up. Salesman said it will work....do u think I'll have to do anything else other than the cd install to make my VoIP work over it?

[bridonca]

The DLink DIR-615 is a good choice. The default firmware seems to be stable also. I have doubt the Install CD will be of much use. Hope it contains a manual. It will probably just work. I would prefer to forwards port to eliminate confusion though. Routers are not that great when they have to guess where to direct the traffic.

You only need 2 ports forwarded, a SIP port, and a RTP port. I have set up port 6060 as a SIP port, and port 5004 as an RTP port, because nothing else in my setup uses those ports. Port 5060 is the default SIP port, but I do not like to use it, because I use other SIP providers, and as lot of SIP providers do not offer the SIP flexibility Freephoneline offers. Just make sure you also have the ATA set up to accept the forwarded ports.

[smclean78]

Thanks much for all your help! Would forwarding those 2 ports be done by entering my router setup...?ip address? And u r saying I would then have to go into my ata ip address and change over to those 2 ports as well? Also...u think I should just leave the router as is from box and not flash dd-wrt? Sorry for all the questions but don't know alot about this stuff.

[bridonca]

It would be easier to find out what the SIP and RTP ports on the ATA are already set at, and set the router to direct those 2 ports to go directly from the internet to the ATA. You only have to make sure nothing else uses those ports, is all. If it is a decent router, which this one is, it will probably figure out where to route the traffic by itself. It is just that it is not 100% accurate, which is why I recommend port forwarding.

If I were you, I would set it up, and if it works, leave it, but if it does not, do some research on port forwarding.

[Red89GT]

I have the dir-615. Never had any issues with it once you port forward. See: http://forum.freephoneline.ca/viewtopic ... 1318#p7042


I ended up flashing it with ddwrt but just cause I was bored one day and wanted to be able to tweak it for other uses.