No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = problem

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No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = problem

Postby curt » 02/04/2021

Everything was working fine until yesterday. Then when I phone somebody or receive a call, I can hear the other party, but the other party party cannot hear me.

This seems to be case with the keypad as well. When I press the number pad, I can hear the tone but the other side cannot. As an example, I can go into Freephoneline's voicemail. After I hear the system lady prompt me to enter a number, I enter numbers but the system does not respond.

Can anyone tell me how to fix this?

I'm using OBi202 with Freephoneline.
Last edited by Liptonbrisk on 02/04/2021, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: more descriptive title
curt
Active Poster
 
Posts: 73
Joined: 12/18/2014
SIP Device Name: OBi202
Firmware Version: 3.2.2 (Build: 8680EX
ISP Name: Bell
Computer OS: Mac OSX 12.0.1
Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No outgoing audio. Other party cannot hear me.

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/04/2021

Please follow the steps in the order listed under the section called "Are you getting one way audio issues . . ." on pages 42 to 44 from
download/file.php?id=2162

Especially go through the steps in order from 1 to 16. Skip step 10.

If you would like to test for free, try the Toronto or Vancouver numbers listed at http://thetestcall.blogspot.com/.
Try the echo test.

If the echo test works fine, the problem is likely on the other end of the call.
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
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Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others

Re: No outgoing audio. Other party cannot hear me.

Postby curt » 02/04/2021

Thanks for the suggestion.

For background info, I replaced the Bell Home Hub 3000 with the TP-Link MC220L and Asus RT-AC68U router, as per https://youtu.be/LXAF-fQJHqE .

To do steps 2-3 (disable SIP ALG) from your document, I followed the instructions from https://www.ukvoipforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=198 , which is to go to the Asus router > WAN > NAT Passthrough > SIP Passthrough and disable it. This made it worse. I was not able to phone out.

Steps 4-5 didn’t change anything.

I tried something different. On the Asus router, I went to LAN > Switch Control > NAT Acceleration and disabled it. This fixed the problem. My outgoing audio now works. Echo test worked. However, this reduced the internet speed from download 655 Mbps and upload 877 Mbps to download 271 Mbps and upload 284 Mbps. This is unfortunate. I’ll live with this, unless there is another way to fix my audio problem. Do you know of any other way?
curt
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Posts: 73
Joined: 12/18/2014
SIP Device Name: OBi202
Firmware Version: 3.2.2 (Build: 8680EX
ISP Name: Bell
Computer OS: Mac OSX 12.0.1
Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No outgoing audio. Other party cannot hear me.

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/04/2021

curt wrote:Thanks for the suggestion.

For background info, I replaced the Bell Home Hub 3000 with the TP-Link MC220L and Asus RT-AC68U router, as per https://youtu.be/LXAF-fQJHqE .


Thank you very much for providing that information. I wish people in general would be more forthcoming with the devices they're using (brand names and model numbers) when asking for help.

The problem is related directly to your setup. SIP Passthrough can be enabled in official Asus firmware and in Merlin with FPL without causing problems. I strongly prefer and recommend using Asuswrt-Merlin, which is what I use because, among other benefits, it allows me to adjust both Assured and Unreplied UDP timeouts easily: https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/about.

With the Bell Hub, if you''re doing PPPoE login in your Asus router, then you can have NAT acceleration enabled.

Always ensure that you're performing PPPoE login in your router.

Without the Bell Hub and with NAT Acceleration enabled, problems exist:

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php? ... 9#msg82329
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php? ... 2#msg82352
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php? ... 6#msg85476


With respect to speed, yes, NAT acceleration off can lower it: https://routerguide.net/nat-acceleration-on-or-off/.

Do you know of any other way?


Use the Bell Hub and perform PPPoE in your Asus router. Don't use Asus IPTV/VLAN with NAT acceleration enabled if you want to avoid SIP problems.

Otherwise, no, I don't. I could guess, but I don't want to bother because I would be suggesting security risks.
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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Re: No outgoing audio. Other party cannot hear me.

Postby curt » 02/05/2021

Sorry I didn’t provide my router info beforehand. I didn’t think about it, probably because I didn’t think it was relevant.

Would the Asus-Merlin allow me to enable NAT Acceleration and fix my FreePhoneLine audio problem?

Liptonbrisk wrote:Use the Bell Hub and perform PPPoE in your Asus router. Don't use Asus IPTV/VLAN with NAT acceleration enabled if you want to avoid SIP problems.


I do use PPPoE with the Bell username and password. As per https://youtu.be/LXAF-fQJHqE , I set LAN > IPTV > Internet > VID to 35. Is that what you are referring? I reverted the 35 back to blank, set NAT Acceleration to Auto, applied and then I had no internet. So, I had to put back the 35 and disable NAT Acceleration again to get internet.

I welcome any other suggestion.
curt
Active Poster
 
Posts: 73
Joined: 12/18/2014
SIP Device Name: OBi202
Firmware Version: 3.2.2 (Build: 8680EX
ISP Name: Bell
Computer OS: Mac OSX 12.0.1
Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No outgoing audio. Other party cannot hear me.

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/05/2021

curt wrote:
Would the Asus-Merlin allow me to enable NAT Acceleration and fix my FreePhoneLine audio problem?


No. But it should be used instead due to #4 below.

I accept no responsibility for problems arising from failed firmware updates.

(Generic info)

Typically, for VoIP SIP services, especially for Freephoneline/Fongo, you want

1) a router that does not have a full cone NAT,

Visit https://dh2i.com/kbs/kbs-2961448-unders ... -punching/.
Mango from the Obitalk.com forums writes,
“Use a restricted cone NAT router, and do not use port forwarding or DMZ. Restricted cone NAT will only permit
inbound traffic from the service provider you're registered to. If you have a full cone NAT router, it will allow traffic
from any source. This is probably not what you intend.
If you have a Windows computer, you can test your router using the utility here:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22292023. To run it, use stun stun.ekiga.net from a command prompt.”
Essentially, you download the stun-test.zip file; extract the stun.exe file from within the zip file to an easily
accessible location; use an elevated command prompt (visit
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-ru ... inistrator); change directory (cd) to the
directory or location where you extracted stun.exe (visit
http://www.digitalcitizen.life/command- ... c-commands); and type “stun stun.ekiga.net” without
the quotation marks followed by the enter/return button on your keyboard.
Asus routers, at the time of this writing, produce port restricted cone NAT routers, for example and are fine,
provided you’re using one with Asuswrt-Merlin, third party firmware installed.

2) a router that lets you disable SIP ALG if it's buggy,

To understand why SIP ALG often causes horrible problems, please visit
https://www.voip-info.org/routers-sip-alg/ (scroll down to the section on SIP ALG problems).

If you're dealing with a modem/router combo issued by an ISP or a router with SIP ALG forced on, you may have
to use voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060 for the Proxy Server. The purpose of voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060 is to circumvent
faulty SIP ALG features in routers.

3) a router that allows you to set QoS or assign highest priority to your ATA or IP Phone over all other devices on your LAN (local area network),

For a very general description of what QoS can do for you, visit https://www.voipmechanic.com/qos-for-voip.htm.
The basic idea is if you're torrenting or have a bunch of other computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. downloading and uploading (hogging all your available bandwidth), you don't want
your ATA not to have access to enough bandwidth to make or receive calls properly. So QoS or a Bandwidth Monitor feature (which is just another form of QoS) is a really good idea for VoIP users.

I often get an occasional relative complaining to me, "Hey my calls sound choppy." And then when I go visit, some kids are playing MMOs on a computer, while another person is downloading a huge file,
and another person is backing up files to a cloud service all at the same time someone else is trying to talk on the phone. All those devices, without QoS enabled, are fighting over available bandwidth along with the ATA.

and 4) A router that lets you adjust both Unreplied and Assured UDP timeouts.

Thanks to Mango, many of us now understand that in order for ATAs to remain registered and working properly with a VoIP SIP provider like Freephoneline, in particular after power failures, the following conditions must be met:

UDP Unreplied Timeout (in your router) < NAT Keep-alive Interval (in your ATA; for Obihai ATAs this is X_KeepAliveExpires; for Grandstream, the setting is SIP OPTIONS Keep Alive Interval) < UDP Assured Timeout (in your router) < SIP Registration Failure Retry Wait Time (or RegisterRetryInterval in Obihai ATAs)

“<“ means less than.

When a modem leases a new IP address, a problem can arise where prior associations using the old IP address are maintained in the router. When the ATA attempts to communicate using the old IP address, the response is unreplied, and then if the UDP Unreplied timeout is greater than the Keep Alive Interval (and UDP Unreplied timeout is often set to 30 by default in consumer routers) a problem arises where the corrupted connection persists. If UDP Unreplied timeout is, for example, 15, and the NAT Keep Alive Interval is 20, then the corrupted connection will timeout or close. A new connection will be created, and everything will work fine.

Another problem can occur when the Keep-Alive interval is greater than UDP Assured Timeout (often 180 by default in consumer routers): the NAT hole will close due to the ATA not communicating frequently enough with the SIP server. In turn, incoming calls may, intermittently, not reach the ATA. Again, X_Keepalives expires is supposed to be 20 with FPL.

(the above settings are making reference to those in Obihai ATAs)

Getting access to both UDP Unreplied Timeout and UDP Assured Timeout settings in consumer routers may be difficult, if not impossible. Asuswrt-Merlin (I would avoid any model below/less powerful than an RT-AC68U), third party firmware for Asus routers, does offer easy access to these two settings, which are found under General–>Tools-->Other settings. My understanding is that third party Tomato firmware has these two settings as well. So if your router supports Tomato firmware, that may be another option. Note that I will not be held accountable any damage resulting from failed firmware updates. Apparently, Mikrotik routers also allow users to change both Assured and Unreplied UDP timeout settings as well: https://forums.redflagdeals.com/recomme ... #p28056619.

Router firmware that allows users to adjust Assured and Unreplied UDP timeouts include

Asuswrt-Merlin
Ubiquiti
Mikrotik
pfSense
Tomato
DD-WRT


The keep alive interval for FPL is 20. The SIP Registration Failure Retry Wait Time is 120. I use 15 for UDP Unreplied Timeout and 115 for UDP Assured Timeout.



ISPs do not issue customers routers that can do all four things I just listed. Typically it's far better to have your own router with strong QoS functions and a restricted cone NAT firewall,
disable whatever SIP ALG feature is enabled in the router, and stick whatever modem/router combo your ISP gives you into bridge mode. For Bell Hubs, visit http://forums.redflagdeals.com/please-s ... r-1993629/. For Rogers, visit https://www.rogers.com/customer/support ... ridgemodem.
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
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ISP Name: FTTH
Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others

Re: No outgoing audio. Other party cannot hear me.

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/05/2021

curt wrote: Is that what you are referring?


Yes

When removing the Bell Hub and with NAT acceleration enabled in Asus routers, you can expect to have problems with SIP services, such as Freephoneline.

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php? ... 9#msg82329
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php? ... 2#msg82352
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php? ... 6#msg85476

Your options are to either use the Bell Hub with NAT acceleration enabled or don't use it with NAT acceleration off.

I have no way of testing to see whether port forwarding would make a difference (I lean towards no) since I don't have your devices, but port forwarding is a security risk and not advisable.
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
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ISP Name: FTTH
Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others

Re: No outgoing audio. Other party cannot hear me.

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/05/2021

curt wrote:Sorry I didn’t provide my router info beforehand. I didn’t think about it, probably because I didn’t think it was relevant.


There's no need to apologize. However, equipment/setup configuration is frequently the reason why issues with FPL exist.
Consequently, it's often imperative that users provide brand names and model numbers of devices being used.
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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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

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby curt » 02/05/2021

Thanks, but the Asus-Merlin requires more technical knowledge than I’m capable of or have the time for. It seems very complicated and I’m not sure how the problems from Unreplied and Assured UDP timeouts affect the user. Right now, the internet and the phone work, so I’m okay with it.

If there is a way to get my internet speed back up to what it was before, without losing the outgoing audio on the phone, then I might spend the time. Nevertheless, I appreciate your suggestion.

Thanks for your help.
curt
Active Poster
 
Posts: 73
Joined: 12/18/2014
SIP Device Name: OBi202
Firmware Version: 3.2.2 (Build: 8680EX
ISP Name: Bell
Computer OS: Mac OSX 12.0.1
Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/05/2021

curt wrote:Thanks, but the Asus-Merlin requires more technical knowledge than I’m capable of or have the time for. It seems very complicated


It's not. The layout of the user interface for Merlin is the almost exactly the same as official Asus firmware's UI. In fact, other than the extra features, Merlin is so similar to official Asus firmware that I've installed Merlin on the routers of senior citizens who have no issues using it. There's just extra options or features available in Merlin, making it ideal to use with Freephonline and SIP services.

Image

Merlin looks very similar to official Asus firmware's user interface.

"Asuswrt-Merlin is an alternative, customized version of [official Asus] firmware. Developed by Eric Sauvageau, its primary goals are to enhance the existing firmware without bringing any radical changes, and to fix some of the known issues and limitations, while maintaining the same level of performance as the original firmware. This means Asuswrt-Merlin retains full support for NAT acceleration (sometimes referred to as "hardware acceleration"), enhanced NTFS performance (through the proprietary drivers used by Asus from either Paragon or Tuxera), and the Asus exclusive features such as AiCloud or the Trend Micro-powered AiProtection."

However, Merlin will not resolve the issue you are currently experiencing when not using the Bell Hub and when also having NAT acceleration enabled.


and I’m not sure how the problems from Unreplied and Assured UDP timeouts affect the user.


They can cause the ATA to lose registration with Freephonline or cause calls to not reach the ATA. This can happen, seemingly out of nowhere (despite everything working fine moments ago), without the user doing anything; and quite often the user will blame the service provider, Freephoneline, in this case, when the problem is actually on the user's end.

When a modem leases (or obtains) a new IP address, a problem can arise where prior associations using the old IP address are maintained in the router. When the ATA attempts to communicate using the old IP address, the response is unreplied, and then if the UDP Unreplied timeout is greater than the Keep Alive Interval in the ATA (and UDP Unreplied timeout is often set to 30 by default in consumer routers) a problem arises where the corrupted connection persists. If UDP Unreplied timeout is, for example, 15, and the NAT Keep Alive Interval is 20, then the corrupted connection will timeout or close. A new connection will be created, and everything will work fine.

Another problem can occur when the Keep-Alive interval in the ATA is greater than UDP Assured Timeout (often 180 by default in consumer routers): the NAT hole will close due to the ATA not communicating frequently enough with the SIP server. In turn, incoming calls may, intermittently, not reach the ATA.

Changes to both Unreplied and Assured UDP timeout values are easily made in Asuswrt-Merlin by navigating to Tools-->Other Settings. Make changes, and then click "Apply".


Thanks for your help.


You're welcome.
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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Posts: 2763
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SIP Device Name: Obihai 202/2182, Groundwire
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ISP Name: FTTH
Computer OS: Windows 64 bit
Router: Asuswrt-Merlin & others

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby curt » 02/05/2021

Okay, I might try it.

As you know, my outgoing audio does not currently work with NAT Acceleration on Auto, so I disabled it.

Liptonbrisk wrote:Asuswrt-Merlin retains full support for NAT acceleration


Does this mean that I can enable NAT Acceleration with Asuswrt-Merlin and my outgoing audio will still work?

My Asus RT-AC68U router has Adaptive QoS. Should I go to QoS > Enable QoS > ON > QoS Type > Adaptive QoS > Customize > move VoIP and Instant Messaging to the top > Save > Apply ? Is this router smart enough to know that the traffic from OBi202 is VoIP? (My OBi202 is connected to a switch, which is connected the Asus router.
curt
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Posts: 73
Joined: 12/18/2014
SIP Device Name: OBi202
Firmware Version: 3.2.2 (Build: 8680EX
ISP Name: Bell
Computer OS: Mac OSX 12.0.1
Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/05/2021

curt wrote:
Does this mean that I can enable NAT Acceleration with Asuswrt-Merlin and my outgoing audio will still work?


Only when you use the Bell Hub


My Asus RT-AC68U router has Adaptive QoS.


The processor in the Asus RT-AC68U isn't powerful enough to use QoS without causing slower speeds to devices. That is, when you run speedtest with QoS enabled, you'll likely see slower speeds than you observed previously since your internet service is much faster than 300 Mbps. RT-AC86U and higher (or more recent models, such as RT-AX86U and RT-AX88U) Asus router models are less likely to present an obvious speed decrease with QoS enabled.

In all Asus routers, the processor isn't fast enough for using Traditional QoS with NAT Acceleration enabled for internet speeds faster than 300 Mbps. Your speeds with Traditional QoS enabled will be limited.


Should I go to QoS > Enable QoS > ON > QoS Type > Adaptive QoS


You can use adaptive if you wish, which will work with NAT Acceleration.

But that really shouldn't be necessary for you (see below).


Apparently, Bandwidth Monitor only works properly (at the time of this post) with Traditional QoS enabled.
Traditional QoS doesn't support NAT Acceleration.

https://www.asus.com/ca-en/support/FAQ/1008717/

"How to set up Bandwidth monitor

Image

1. Drop and drag operation allows for device priority setting. The user can drop and drag priority tag on the device icon to assign a priority level. Click the level you want to set for your device and drag it to your device."


You should drag "highest" onto your ATA. And you should drag lower priorities onto all other devices, including your computer.
You should save router settings. Click "Apply".

Again, it's likely you will see decreases during speedtest after giving devices priority in Bandwidth monitor in the RT-AC68U in particular because Traditional QoS does not support NAT Acceleration. Bandwidth monitor, at the moment, doesn't do anything, apparently, unless you have Traditional QoS enabled.

Given that you have over 800 Mbps available for upload, I suggest QoS is not necessary for you. I do not recommend using Bandwidth Monitor/traditional QoS until you get a faster router.
At least, I highly doubt you'll saturate or completely use your internet bandwidth enough, under normal usage (unless you're constantly sending and receiving files to and from high speed servers), to cause problems for your calls that would warrant enabling QoS.

But if you do want to get into QoS, for you, I would suggest looking at FlexQoS: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/flexq ... qos.64882/.
Also, here's an amtm install guide: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/amtm- ... -ld.56237/.

Adaptive QoS and FlexQoS support NAT Acceleration. Traditional QoS does not.
FlexQoS makes it possible to specify all of your ATA traffic for a specific category.
Then you would make that category the highest priority of your customized Adaptive QoS list.
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
Technical Support
 
Posts: 2763
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

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby curt » 02/10/2021

I installed Asuswrt-Merlin, but now there is a flashing yellow icon of an exclamation mark, near the top right of the 192.168.1.1 page. When I click on it, it says:

Your router is running low on free JFFS storage, which might affect its stability. Review the content of the /jffs directory on your router.
Review System Information now


When I click on "Review System information now", I see:

Memory

Total 249.71 MB
Free 194.18 MB
Buffers 1.26 MB
Cache 9.79 MB
Swap No swap configured

Internal Storage

NVRAM usage 54807 / 65536 bytes

JFFS Unmounted


Also, on the Network Map page, it shows:

RAM

Used 71 MB
Free 185 MB
Total 256 MB


I went into Traffic Analyzer > Statistic. It is turned off and I have no client.

Should I be concerned about the flashing icon at the top? If so, how do I fix the problem?
curt
Active Poster
 
Posts: 73
Joined: 12/18/2014
SIP Device Name: OBi202
Firmware Version: 3.2.2 (Build: 8680EX
ISP Name: Bell
Computer OS: Mac OSX 12.0.1
Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/10/2021

curt wrote:
Should I be concerned about the flashing icon at the top? If so, how do I fix the problem?


Visit https://www.snbforums.com/threads/route ... ice.69861/

Typically, when coming from official Asus stock firmware, it's better to perform a factory reset, and then re-enter all your info again.
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/asusw ... ble.69783/
"If coming from stock Asus firmware, a factory default reset is recommended, but not mandatory."


That doesn't mean that you won't end up running low on free JFFS storage in the future, but you'll be less likely to encounter that error immediately.
Sometimes device icon files take up a lot of space.


If you want more help with your specific case, I suggest asking over here for help: https://www.snbforums.com/forums/asuswrt-merlin.42/.

Also, if you've been creating large Wi-fi MAC filter lists, believing that they're going to help protect you, I wouldn't bother: https://www.howtogeek.com/204458/why-yo ... fi-router/.
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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Posts: 2763
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

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/10/2021

curt wrote:
I went into Traffic Analyzer > Statistic. It is turned off and I have no client.


That's normal if it's turned off, which it is by default. Turning it on can use up a lot of JFFS space over time.
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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Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/12/2021

Asuswrt-Merlin version 386.1_2 has been released for your router: https://sourceforge.net/projects/asuswr ... U/Release/.
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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Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby curt » 02/15/2021

I didn’t create any Wi-Fi MAC filter lists.

Whenever I try to access the router by going to 192.168.1.1, I get this error multiple times:

Page Unresponsive
You can wait for it to become responsive or exit the page
ASUS Wireless Router RT-AC68U WHITE - Network Map


Then after about 15 minutes, the page responds.

I did a factory reset and re-installed the Asuswrt-Merlin firmware. The flashing icon is no longer there, but the Page Unresponsive problem still exists.

I’ll get around to installing Asuswrt-Merlin version 386.1_2. Hopefully this will fix the Page Unresponsive problem.

Before Bell installed their Home Hub 3000, we were using Rally (formerly Frontline) and their Huawei Echolife HG8245H router. Why didn’t I have to disable NAT Accelerator in Bell’s or Rally’s routers? My Freephoneline's audio was working fine with their routers. Why are they able to provide much faster speed without disabling NAT Accelerator?
curt
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Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/15/2021

curt wrote:Then after about 15 minutes, the page responds.


https://www.snbforums.com/threads/asusw ... ost-657230
Known issues:
"Webui very slow or unreachable after upgrading (this is normal as the router is doing database maintenance, just give it time, can take 5-60 mins depending on the router model)"

I’ll get around to installing Asuswrt-Merlin version 386.1_2.


That's what should be done, followed by a factory reset. There should be no waiting around when bug fixes are included.

Why didn’t I have to disable NAT Accelerator in Bell?


Bell isn't trying to eliminate its own Hub/modem.
Your issue has something do with with Asus' implementation of VLAN and frame handling/packet forwarding when NAT Acceleration is enabled. As I'm not using Bell or trying to eliminate the Hub, I won't be testing.

Should you have further questions regarding Merlin, I suggest asking here: https://www.snbforums.com/forums/asuswrt-merlin.42/.

If you have questions regarding your Asus router that is not specific to a Merlin feature, such as NAT Acceleration, I suggest asking at https://www.snbforums.com/forums/asus-a ... apters.47/.
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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Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby curt » 02/18/2021

FYI, I installed Asuswrt-Merlin version 386.1_2. There is no more "Page Unresponsive" message and the router page responds without waiting. I did not have to do a factory reset after the installation. (Wouldn't a factory reset replace Merlin's firmware with the factory firmware?)

Thanks for your help.
curt
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Posts: 73
Joined: 12/18/2014
SIP Device Name: OBi202
Firmware Version: 3.2.2 (Build: 8680EX
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Router: Asus RT-AC68U

Re: No Bell Hub + Asus VLAN/IPTV + NAT Acceleration on = pro

Postby Liptonbrisk » 02/18/2021

curt wrote:FYI, I installed Asuswrt-Merlin version 386.1_2.


That's good.

There is no more "Page Unresponsive" message and the router page responds without waiting.


That only happens after initially updating to a 386 Merlin version. Subsequent update to 386.1.2 should not require lengthy database maintenance.

I did not have to do a factory reset after the installation.


You're not forced to. The purpose of factory reset is to help ensure everything is working as intended. If everything seems to be working, then there's no need to perform a factory reset.


(Wouldn't a factory reset replace Merlin's firmware with the factory firmware?)


No, you're stuck with that specific version of Merlin unless you flash to something else.

Thanks for your help.


You're very welcome.
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
Technical Support
 
Posts: 2763
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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