[Semi-Solved]:When Dialing out all I get is "that password is invalid" ?

[tanny]

Just recently, over the last day or two,
I hear a dial tone but when I dial out all I get is "that password is invalid" ?
It does not matter which phone number we dial to our friends, ..., all we get is "that password is invalid".?

I've changed nothing at my end, same ISP, ..., and everything was working fine for months, ... before.
Also, on my https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings , I see "SIP Status: disconnected" ?

Any ideas?
Hardware:
Grandstream HT802-v2
ALSO, my credit balance is fine.

[tanny]

Previous Settings HT802-v2 (which had worked fine for months...):
(Under Port Settings -> FXS PORT1)
Primary SIP Server: voip.freephoneline.ca
Failover SIP Server: voip2.freephoneline.ca
Prefer Primary SIP Server: Will Register to Primary Server if Failover registration expires.
SIP User ID: <my phone number>
SIP Authenticate ID:
I rebooted the system and it still failed to register, so obviously, the "Failover" had failed.!

So then I changed the settings of my HT802-v2 to the below, just now:
New Settings (since freephoneline voip server were failing...):
(Under Port Settings -> FXS PORT1)
Primary SIP Server: voip2.freephoneline.ca
Failover SIP Server:
Prefer Primary SIP Server: No
SIP User ID: <my phone number>
SIP Authenticate ID: <my phone number>

I rebooted, and now according to my https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings , everything connects fine again.
"SIP Status: connected"
"SIP User Agen: Grandstream HT802V2 1.0.9.3"
...and now I can successfully dial out again.

I must admit,
that when I had used my old Cisco/Linksys SPA2102 VoIP/ATA, for over 16 years with freephoneline, I never experienced the amount of issues compared with this HT802-v2 and/or freephoneline -for the last year?.

Maybe this is just some recent freephoneline voip server burps?, or maybe fongo just wants us all to pay more for their stuff?, or maybe the HT802-v2 is an immensely over-complicated Voip/ATA that no one can seem to explain the recommended settings?.
In fact, regarding the HT802-v2, the wording for most (help) settings seems to be in reverse polish-logic, or chinese translations, ...?
I dunno.

[Liptonbrisk]

Just recently, over the last day or two,
I hear a dial tone but when I dial out all I get is "that password is invalid" ?
It does not matter which phone number we dial to our friends, ..., all we get is "that password is invalid".?

The number you call has no bearing on whether that message is heard.
That error message is heard when "SIP Password", shown after logging in at https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings, is not entered in the ATA correctly. Typical problems include copying and pasting empty spaces before and after the the actual password in the Authenticate Password field (often better to manually type the SIP Password instead of copying and pasting).

Password managers and form fillers can also cause problems that people don't notice (with the Authenticate Password field being automatically filled with something incorrect).

However, since you didn't change Authenticate Password, I expect there was a transient authentication server issue involving voip.freephoneline.ca. Apparently all you did was switch SIP servers. Based on your description you didn't need to also change Authenticate Password in the ATA.

It's important to note that this specific error message is not being generated by your ATA. It's generated by FPL.


With Freephoneline, the ATA can be registered despite having the wrong SIP password entered in the ATA.

I've changed nothing at my end, same ISP, ..., and everything was working fine for months, ... before.

Did you change the default ATA's admin password? If not, I recommend doing so. Changing default passwords helps prevent having others change settings on you (including crackers).

1) a) Dial ***
b) Then dial 02
c) Enter the IP address you hear into a web browser.
d) Login to your ATA.

2) a)Navigate to Advanced settings tab.
b) Locate the New Admin Password field.
c) Enter your new password.
d) Click "Apply" at the bottom of the page.

Then make sure you don't misplace or forget the new password.

I hear a dial tone

Next time, check what the LED pattern on the ATA indicates.



If the (internet) NET light comes on, but the phone light never does, that means the ATA isn't registered with Freephoneline's server. If, however, the phone light is solid on, the ATA is connected (or registered).

The dial tone in conjunction with the password error message contradicts the status shown in Freephoneline's web portal:

Also, on my https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings , I see "SIP Status: disconnected" ?

The password is invalid message is generated from Freephoneline. If you hear a dial tone with phone LED being on, then the FXS port status shows "Registered". Also, when the status shows "connected" that status doesn't update until the next registration interval (1 hour). Consequently, I don't necessarily trust the status shown on the webpage. Next time, navigate to Status–>Port Status–>FXS–>Registration in the ATA to check registration status.

[Liptonbrisk]

Previous Settings HT802-v2 (which had worked fine for months...):
(Under Port Settings -> FXS PORT1)
Primary SIP Server: voip.freephoneline.ca
Failover SIP Server: voip2.freephoneline.ca
Prefer Primary SIP Server: Will Register to Primary Server if Failover registration expires.
SIP User ID: <my phone number>
SIP Authenticate ID:

1) If you were trying to reboot the ATA frequently in an attempt to resolve the password error message you were hearing that can result in being temporarily IP banned by the specific SIP server the ATA was attempting to register with after each reboot (or with each power cycle--that is, turning the ATA off and on). Each time the ATA reboots or powers on, it attempts to register, in this case with voip.freephoneline.ca

"As May 2013, our servers will rate limit REGISTER requests to a maximum of 10 requests per 5 minutes. Each authentication round usually consumes 2 requests (digest auth), so it is a fair number given our guidelines."
https://community.freepbx.org/t/trunk-s ... ca/22479/8


It's possible that rate limit has changed since 2013. I was IP banned once over a decade ago, and I found the experience so annoying that I refuse to attempt to reproduce it.


a) Being temporarily IP banned for making too many registration attempts within a short interval is why ensuring "SIP Registration Failure Retry Wait Time” is set to 120 seconds is important. That setting is found under FXS Port. When registration fails, the ATA attempts to register again after waiting 120 seconds first.

b) When a SIP server temporarily IP bans you, switching to another SIP server works. You then need to wait up to a couple of hours for the IP ban to clear.

However, I'm not convinced (doubt strongly) you were IP banned if you were getting a dial tone and hearing that password error message. Rather I suspect the ATA was registered. Freephoneline only checks for wrong Authenticate Password on calls.



2) voip.freephoneline.ca, over the past few years, has been the least reliable SIP server that Freephoneline offers. Possibly there was a transient issue that is now resolved. In other words, voip.freephoneline.ca is only producing that password error message if I enter the wrong SIP password in my sip clients (ATAs, IP Phones, etc.) when I'm testing at the time of this post. Otherwise, I'm able to dial out. When I initially read this thread, before testing, I figured I would have to report an issue to Fongo, but at the moment, I have nothing to report since I can't reproduce the issue on IP Phones, ATAs, and on Groundwire when using voip.freephoneline.ca using multiple Freephoneline accounts.

I rebooted the system and it still failed to register, so obviously, the "Failover" had failed.

Failover is based on what's indicated at Status–>Port Status–>FXS–>Registration--and not what is shown on Freephoneline's web portal. In other words, it's based on what's going on in the ATA.

Maybe this is just some recent freephoneline voip server burps?

Could be. Refer to #2.

or maybe fongo just wants us all to pay more for their stuff

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