Unable to receive phone calls from Rogers

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Unable to receive phone calls from Rogers

Postby Degenerate » 07/25/2021

Hello everyone.

I want to apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge with my setup, or I should say my in-laws setup. In a nut shell my brother was more versed with VOIP helped setup my in-laws with FFL and they have been using it for I would say a good 5-6 years with very little complaints. Recently it was brought to my attention that certain people haven't been able to get through to them, specifically those who are Rogers mobile customers. When they try to call them, they just get a message saying call cannot be completed where as I'm with Bell have no problem getting through. I'm not sure if they have a problem with making calls to Rogers customers, but it's something that I will find out tomorrow. Off the top of your head can anyone think of what could be causing this problem?

Router is a DLINK DIR-860L, and ATA is a Sipura/SPA2000.
Degenerate
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Posts: 40
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Re: Unable to receive phone calls from Rogers

Postby Liptonbrisk » 07/25/2021

Follow the steps, step by step, down the list:


1. What brand and model modem are they using? If it's a modem/router combo, gateway, or hub, ensure that it's in bridge mode.

a) If you are also using your own separate router in addition to the one supplied by your ISP, then you should be enabling bridge mode in the modem/router combo, gateway, or hub issued by your ISP.
For Bell Hubs, visit http://forums.redflagdeals.com/please-s ... r-1993629/. For Bell and Virgin Hubs, I find it's often simpler to perform PPPoE login in your own router (this is PPPoE Passthrough) and disable Wi-Fi in the hub. You will need the PPPoE Username and Password from Bell or Virgin.

For Rogers, visit https://www.rogers.com/customer/support ... ridgemodem.



Router is a DLINK DIR-860L


2. Provided #1 is done properly (and that you're actually getting true bridge mode), the most likely cause of this issue is SIP ALG. Get it disabled: click https://support.dlink.ca/FAQView.aspx?f ... 93Pw%3d%3d and https://support.dlink.com/FAQView.aspx? ... MfLw%3D%3D

Refer to point B in the post below.

SPA2000


I am not familiar with this specific model, but I suspect the settings are similar to other SPA ATAs.
Try to follow the rest of the steps as best as you can (settings should be similar and found in similar locations).



3. Check to see whether you've accidentally enabled Caller ID block on your ATA. Dial *68 to remove caller ID blocking on all outbound calls.
Don't use "Anonymous" for display name in your ATA. Don't use or accidentally dial *67.

This not related to your specific issue, but others have reported issues on outbound calls when *67 was enabled.

4. Login to your ATA. Select the admin menu. In your ATA, navigate to Voice-->Line (whichever you use for FPL)-->Supplementary Service Subscription-->Block CID Serv:
a) change to no
b) Click "submit all changes"

This not related to your specific issue, but others have reported issues on outbound calls with Block CID Serv enabled.

5. Navigate to Voice-->Line ( (whichever you use for FPL)-->Proxy and Registration-->Proxy

Use "voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060" without the quotation marks.

voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060 is used to bypass SIP ALG in routers. Refer to point B in the post below.


6. Navigate to Voice-->Line (whichever you use for FPL)-->SIP settings.
Specify a high random SIP port in your ATA between 30000 and 60000.
Change SIP Port to a random number between 30000 and 60000. Choose a number in that range.
Do not use the same random SIP port for any other Line. Always choose a different random local SIP port for each Line you're using.

Using a high random SIP port may help to avoid SIP Scanners (or hackers).
Also, changing local SIP port will reset a potential corrupted NAT association that developed between your router and ATA.

Click the "Submit all changes" button.

7. Navigate to Voice-->SIP-->NAT Support Parameters, and make sure that the following settings are enabled:

a)Handle VIA received-->yes
b)Handle VIA rport-->yes
c)Substitute VIA Addr-->yes
d) NAT Keep Alive Interval--> 20 seconds

e) click "Submit all changes" button

This helps to ensure the RTP audio stream is being sent to your WAN IP as opposed to your LAN IP.

If people calling you are also using Linksys or Cisco ATAs, check to ensure they’re using those settings as well.

8. Navigate to Voice-->Line (whichever you use for FPL)-->NAT settings
a) NAT Mapping Enable should be yes
b) NAT Keep Alive Enable should be yes
c) NAT Keep Alive Msg should be $NOTIFY

d) click "Submit all changes" button if changes were made

9. Navigate to Voice-->SIP-->SIP Timer Values (sec)
Reg Retry Intvl should be 120 seconds

Click "Submit all changes" button if changes were made

https://support.freephoneline.ca/hc/en- ... redentials

Many older guides for FPL don't include this setting.

10. Click https://www.freephoneline.ca/followMeSettings and login. Is Follow Me enabled? Ensure "Follow Me" is disabled while testing.

11. Check the registration status or "SIP status" after logging in at https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings

Please note that if "SIP User Agent" does not reflect a device you're using, someone else is using your Freephoneline VoIP unlock key.
Only one device or Line registration is permitted at any time per VoIP unlock key. Registration is a requirement for incoming calls but not for outgoing calls.


12. Proper device reboot order is always modem (wait for it to be fully up before turning on your)-->router (ensure Wi-Fi SSIDs are populated first on your devices; wait a few minutes)-->ATA (wait for router to be fully up and running before turning on ATA). That's always proper device reboot order. Please reboot your devices now in that order.

13. Test incoming calls
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: 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

Re: Unable to receive phone calls from Rogers

Postby Liptonbrisk » 07/25/2021

(Generic info)

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

A) 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.

B) 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.

C) 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 D) 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_KeepAlivesExpires (SIP OPTIONS Keep Alive Interval) is supposed to be 20 with FPL.



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 ... #p28059363.

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.
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

Re: Unable to receive phone calls from Rogers

Postby Degenerate » 07/26/2021

Thanks for the suggestions I'll definitely give some a try.

It's a standalone modem, can't remember the make model and I believe a linksys router. I'll have to take a look when I go see them on the weekend.

Why all of the sudden though is my question? It was working pretty good for about 4-5 years now and I haven't made any changes to the hardware since it was first installed.
Degenerate
Quiet One
 
Posts: 40
Joined: 12/30/2014

Re: Unable to receive phone calls from Rogers

Postby Liptonbrisk » 07/26/2021

Degenerate wrote:Thanks for the suggestions I'll definitely give some a try.


You should follow all of steps in the order presented (in my initial reply), slowly, down the list, step by step.


It's a standalone modem, can't remember the make model


This is important information to find out, particularly if it's a modem/router combo, Bell Hub, or gateway.

and I believe a linksys router


You said it's D-Link DIR-860L.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20220#p79049
Router is a DLINK DIR-860L



Why all of the sudden though is my question?


Freephoneline uses a third party switch vendor that has made configuration changes.
Not using bridge mode (if a modem/router combo, hub, or gateway is being used in addition to another router) with SIP ALG enabled didn't matter as much before in some cases. It does now.

It's good standard practice to use bridge mode if a modem/router combo, hub, or gateway is being used in addition to another router and to get SIP ALG disabled in the user's router when using SIP services, such as Freephoneline.

A number of people using Asus routers have had to disable SIP Passthrough, which is the setting for SIP ALG in Asus routers, to get incoming calls from Rogers working:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20211#p79016
https://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?f ... 182#p78916 (Fido is Rogers)


Rogers numbers have no issue calling me on my FPL accounts.
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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