[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).


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.


Alternatively, there was a transient database issue that resolved.

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). Changing default passwords for devices connected to the internet is good practice.

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).

Also, the ATA's internal registration status likely contradicted this:

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 Freephoneline's web portal shows "connected" that status doesn't update until the next registration interval (1 hour). Consequently, I don't necessarily trust the status shown in FPL's web portal. Next time, navigate to Status–>Port Status–>FXS–>Registration in the ATA to check registration status.

More importantly, the "disconnected" status on the portal also appears even when the ATA is registered, provided the Authenticate Password has not been entered correctly. So,

1) when the ATA isn't registered, the status is "disconnected", and

2) when the ATA is registered but has the wrong Authenticate Password entered, Freephoneline's webpage "SIP Status" also shows "disconnected".

Failover in the HT802 is triggered by not being able to reach the server--not an authentication failure on outbound calls. Because the primary server was registered and, consequently, able to reject your password and play an audio clip for the error message, the ATA interpreted this as a successful exchange with a live server. The ATA has no way of knowing that the server’s authentication database is rejecting your Authenticate Password, and the ATA remains registered on the primary line (voip.freephoneline.ca) despite not being able to make outbound calls.

[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 involving an authentication database 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. I think there's also a strong possibility the Authenticate Password was changed by a form filler or password manager automatically (or accidentally).

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

Unrelated


To summarize,

A. Authenticate Password was incorrect in the ATA and subsequently fixed (watch out for what form fillers and password managers do automatically; watch out for people gaining access to your ATA and making changes without your knowledge, including crackers) without anyone being aware of those changes. Alternatively, there was an intermittent or transient database issue that resolved involving voip.freephoneline.ca

B. ATA was always registered (and the FXS status showed registered) with voip.freephoneline.ca despite FPL's web portal showing "disconnected". FPL's web portal showing "disconnected", in this case, is a result of the Authenticate Password being entered incorrectly in the ATA (or because of a database issue).

C. ATA doesn't failover to another SIP server when it's registered. ATA was always registered with voip.freephoneline.ca.

[Liptonbrisk]

Alternatively, there was an intermittent or transient database issue that resolved involving voip.freephoneline.ca

It's possible this hasn't resolved and is an intermittent problem that may eventually become worse. I'll remain registered on voip.freephoneline.ca for a few days to test. I can't reproduce the problem right now.

Regardless, that error message involves SIP Password/authentication, and I'm convinced your ATA's FXS port status indicated it was registered the entire time on voip.freephoneline.ca despite what FPL's web portal displayed.