Port 13000

[Joni123]

For some strange reason, when I do a "test connection" it tells me Data Transfer: Unable to send/receive sound data. Port 13000 should be available. This just started today, after it's been working fine for several weeks!

I tried disabling Windows Firewall, but it does not help.

[Liptonbrisk]

That test in the Freephoneline desktop app is buggy. It never works properly, even when two-way audio works properly.

[Joni123]

That test in the Freephoneline desktop app is buggy. It never works properly, even when two-way audio works properly.

The problem is real. I can barely hear anything when talking to someone now. It was working perfectly when I first got it, and now for some reason it's not. I have tried going into my sound controls, mixer, windows sound test, etc., and cannot fix this. Any suggestions?

[Liptonbrisk]

Steps i,ii, and iv below are for help dealing with 1-way audio issues


from http://forums.redflagdeals.com/fongo-at ... #p27011164

You can try the Freephoneline desktop app for free: https://www.fongo.com/app/desktop/


A.Use winmtr http://winmtr.net/download-winmtr/

B. For Freephoneline.ca (based in Ontario), test to voip.freephoneline.ca (let winmtr ping about 100 times), voip2.freephoneline.ca, and voip4.freephoneline.ca. You can copy text to clipboard and paste your results (do not post your own IP public address though) and post them for others to examine if you want.

C. Look at the very last hop or line. Take a look at your average ping--and your maximum. You want those values to be relatively close.
You do not want high pings and lots of jitter (you do not want a lot of variation between each ping). If you get horrible results (pings over 200ms), you should probably avoid FPL.

I get between 11 (voip.freephoneline.ca and voip2.freephoneline.ca)-24ms (voip4.freephonline.ca) on average, depending on the server I'm testing to. Preferably, you want pings below 100ms.

Anything over 200ms is unacceptable.

What you don't want to see is 40, 45, 50, 35, 500, 40, 30, 45, 700. That's bad jitter.
You want relatively consistent pings without a lot of variation.

Try the free FPL desktop app first: https://www.fongo.com/app/desktop/
(fwiw, I dislike this app)

Make sure that you're not muting anything (microphone/speakers), and that you tested to ensure your mic is working before fiddling around with the app: http://win10faq.com/fix-microphone-settings/

And make sure you test incoming calls for 1-way audio issues. Test on a computer that's connected to your router (without DMZ or port forwarding enabled). Should you encounter 1-way audio issues, look for a feature called SIP ALG in your router (you may need to call your ISP if you're using a modem/router combo) and disable that feature.


i. Typically it's better to have your own router and to stick whatever modem/router combo your ISP gives you into bridge mode.

ii. Disable SIP ALG in your own router. Many modem/router combos that are issued by ISPs have faulty SIP ALG/SPI functions enabled, with no way to disable them. These features can mangle SIP headers.

To understand why SIP ALG is often a serious headache visit http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Routers+SIP+ALG

iii. Properly enable QoS in your router for your computer that's running the Freephoneline desktop app (and ensure no other programs are running on your computer that are hogging bandwidth while using the Freephoneline desktop app). Refer to your router's manual or contact your ISP if you were issued a modem/router combo from them (typically those routers suck and have horrible or absent QoS functions).

I'm not a huge fan of this website, but it suffices for an explanation of QoS: http://www.voipmechanic.com/qos-for-voip.htm
Avoid anything it says about the G.729


iv. If you still get one-way audio issues with the Freephoneline desktop app, you may need to port forward, which is a security risk (and not advisable).

The FPL desktop app uses ports 5060-5061,6060-6061,13000-13001 if you're going to port forward for the desktop app (you need to port forward to the LAN IP of the computer you're using. For most home networks the IP will begin 192.168.xxx.x). Refer to your router's manual to learn how to port forward (if your router came from your ISP, contact your ISP).

I would start just by port forwarding 13000-13001 only, which is for RTP (audio packets). If that still doesn't work, you can try adding 6060 or 6061. The most dangerous ports to forward are 5060-5061 and really shouldn't be necessary if you're forwarding 6060 or 6061 anyway. I guess if all else fails, forward all of them: 5060, 5061,6060, 6061,13000, and 13001.

These are all UDP ports.

5060, 5061, 6060, and 6061 should be alternate SIP ports.

Only port forward if all else fails (and only do it temporarily, since it's a security risk).

[Liptonbrisk]

This is also from the same person on the RFD forums: http://forums.redflagdeals.com/freephon ... #p26986402

These instructions only apply if you're getting choppy audio. The previous post in this thread is for 1-way audio issues with the Freephoneline desktop app.


There is also a related post at http://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17904#p73930.



I'm getting choppy audio, what should I do?


You’re experiencing jitter.

Generally speaking it's best to have a decent router for VoIP with strong QoS features.
Stick your ISP's modem in bridge mode, use your own router, and properly enable QoS for your ATA. Refer to your router's manual or contact your ISP if your router was provided by your ISP.

I'm not a big fan of this site, but for a general QoS description, visit http://www.voipmechanic.com/qos-for-voip.htm (avoid anything it says about G729 codec).

When you test below, pick the location that is closest to your VoIP service provider's server location.

1) The typical reaction would be to try enabling QoS properly in your router for your ATA. Refer to your router's manual.

2) Another possibility is you're dealing with congestion during prime time (8p.m. to 11 p.m., especially on Sundays). That's an ISP issue (possibly oversold its service in your area). With Rogers or a cable ISP, you could very well be dealing with local node congestion.

Try running http://myspeed.visualware.com/index.php at 8p.m. (especially on a Sunday).
You may be required to install BCS: http://www.visualware.com/bcs/index.html.

After visiting the link, choose North America-->Canada-->VoiP Server hosted provice (Freephoneline is Ontario)-->closest city (for Freephoneline, that's probably Toronto). And then select VoIP in the dropdown box on the right. A MOS score below 4.0 is bad news. It means call quality will not be good. The advanced (+) tab provides interesting info.

You should also try the winmtr test I mentioned earlier around 8 p.m. to the server you're using.

If the problem only occurs during prime time (as opposed to weekday mornings), then I would probably start thinking your ISP is to blame.

3) Another possibility is that your ISP uses poor routing tables to Freephoneline’s SIP servers. This usually causes pings to increase (not necessarily jitter). Large ISPs typically won’t do anything if you complain. Smaller ones might.


But no other devices are being used when I experience choppy audio!

A lot of people say that without realizing other devices and/or programs may actually be using bandwidth in the background. It's really not a good idea, in general, to be using a router that doesn't have a good QoS feature for VoIP.

But if what you claim is really true, then you may be dealing the possibility of congestion during prime time (8p.m. to 11 p.m., especially on Sundays). That's an ISP issue (possibly oversold its service in your area/local node congestion).

You should also try the winmtr test (or if you're on a MAC, maybe this helps): https://www.reddit.com/r/TagPro/comment ... tr_on_mac/

Again, if the problem only occurs during prime time (as opposed to weekday mornings) and especially Sunday evenings, then I would probably start thinking your ISP is to blame. Sunday evening is when everyone in your neighbourhood is home.

[Joni123]

Steps i,ii, and iv below are for help dealing with 1-way audio issues


from http://forums.redflagdeals.com/fongo-at ... #p27011164

You can try the Freephoneline desktop app for free: https://www.fongo.com/app/desktop/


A.Use winmtr http://winmtr.net/download-winmtr/

B. For Freephoneline.ca (based in Ontario), test to voip.freephoneline.ca (let winmtr ping about 100 times), voip2.freephoneline.ca, and voip4.freephoneline.ca. You can copy text to clipboard and paste your results (do not post your own IP public address though) and post them for others to examine if you want.

C. Look at the very last hop or line. Take a look at your average ping--and your maximum. You want those values to be relatively close.
You do not want high pings and lots of jitter (you do not want a lot of variation between each ping). If you get horrible results (pings over 200ms), you should probably avoid FPL.

I get between 11 (voip.freephoneline.ca and voip2.freephoneline.ca)-24ms (voip4.freephonline.ca) on average, depending on the server I'm testing to. Preferably, you want pings below 100ms.

Anything over 200ms is unacceptable.

What you don't want to see is 40, 45, 50, 35, 500, 40, 30, 45, 700. That's bad jitter.
You want relatively consistent pings without a lot of variation.

Try the free FPL desktop app first: https://www.fongo.com/app/desktop/
(fwiw, I dislike this app)

Make sure that you're not muting anything (microphone/speakers), and that you tested to ensure your mic is working before fiddling around with the app: http://win10faq.com/fix-microphone-settings/

And make sure you test incoming calls for 1-way audio issues. Test on a computer that's connected to your router (without DMZ or port forwarding enabled). Should you encounter 1-way audio issues, look for a feature called SIP ALG in your router (you may need to call your ISP if you're using a modem/router combo) and disable that feature.


i. Typically it's better to have your own router and to stick whatever modem/router combo your ISP gives you into bridge mode.

ii. Disable SIP ALG in your own router. Many modem/router combos that are issued by ISPs have faulty SIP ALG/SPI functions enabled, with no way to disable them. These features can mangle SIP headers.

To understand why SIP ALG is often a serious headache visit http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Routers+SIP+ALG

iii. Properly enable QoS in your router for your computer that's running the Freephoneline desktop app (and ensure no other programs are running on your computer that are hogging bandwidth while using the Freephoneline desktop app). Refer to your router's manual or contact your ISP if you were issued a modem/router combo from them (typically those routers suck and have horrible or absent QoS functions).

I'm not a huge fan of this website, but it suffices for an explanation of QoS: http://www.voipmechanic.com/qos-for-voip.htm
Avoid anything it says about the G.729


iv. If you still get one-way audio issues with the Freephoneline desktop app, you may need to port forward, which is a security risk (and not advisable).

The FPL desktop app uses ports 5060-5061,6060-6061,13000-13001 if you're going to port forward for the desktop app (you need to port forward to the LAN IP of the computer you're using. For most home networks the IP will begin 192.168.xxx.x). Refer to your router's manual to learn how to port forward (if your router came from your ISP, contact your ISP).

I would start just by port forwarding 13000-13001 only, which is for RTP (audio packets). If that still doesn't work, you can try adding 6060 or 6061. The most dangerous ports to forward are 5060-5061 and really shouldn't be necessary if you're forwarding 6060 or 6061 anyway. I guess if all else fails, forward all of them: 5060, 5061,6060, 6061,13000, and 13001.

These are all UDP ports.

5060, 5061, 6060, and 6061 should be alternate SIP ports.

Only port forward if all else fails (and only do it temporarily, since it's a security risk).

Thanks for all the information. I'm still working on it.