[Resolved by replacing the ATA] Loud thumping background noise when on a call

[Linksys PAP2 Adapter]

Any suggestions how to fix this?

The background noise starts as soon as a open the line and continues throughout the call in quick regular interval of 1 sec....

[Liptonbrisk]

The background noise starts as soon as a open the line

So, the noise occurs before dialing?
Then you may want to try moving the ATA to a different location if the problem is due to electromagnetic interference from other devices in the vicinity.
Also try a different phone and cable.

Avoid fake PAP2s: http://genuinelinksys.blogspot.com/2011 ... nuine.html.
Real ones have been sold since 2012, when they were discontinued: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/obsolete/ ... ports.html.

[Linksys PAP2 Adapter]

Thanks for the reply.
As soon as I open the line I get a normal long toned dialing sound and the line works, but few seconds after the long toned changes into a short pulsating sound like the line is busy.

Could it be something in the adapter settings?

[Liptonbrisk]

As soon as I open the line I get a normal long toned dialing sound and the line works, but few seconds after the long toned changes into a short pulsating sound like the line is busy.

If you don't dial anything, it's normal to eventually hear a "busy" tone.
I'm not sure that what you're now describing is related to the first post in this thread.

If the thumping you described in the first post is heard before you finish dialing a number, the problem is unrelated to Freephoneline.

Thumping and weird audio issues heard while on a call, could be related to ping spikes/packet loss (unrelated if thumping is heard while not on a call), an audio codec issue (I doubt this is the problem), a microphone/receiver issue on a phone, or an ATA's port gain settings (less likely). But the first two potential causes aren't the problem if the issue is occurring before the call even begins.

Other causes could be EMI or even faulty power adapter related. I find troubleshooting problems involving fake PAP2s time wasters; in my experience, at least 50% of the time, problems involving them are due to hardware malfunctions (or internal melting). Fake PAP2s can be potential fire hazards.


For audio codec settings,

1. a) Dial ****
b) Then dial 110#
If you're hearing thumping here, you can be assured the problem has nothing to do with your internet service or Freephoneline.
c) Enter the IP address you hear into a web browser.
d) Login to your ATA.
e) Always choose the admin login and advanced view menus (select "advanced" in the upper right).

2. Navigate to Line (being used for Freephoneline)-->Audio Configuration-->
a) Change Preferred Codec to "G711u"
b) Change Use Pref Codec Only to "Yes".
c) Click "Save Settings".

FXS Port Output Gain affects the volume you hear from the phone's speaker. It's found under Regional-->Miscellaneous.
FXS Port Input Gain affects your microphone volume.
I doubt that either of those settings are causing the noise you're hearing, unless incoming volume is exceptionally loud.

Bad capacitors can also cause audio issues: https://www.badcaps.net/forum/troublesh ... ost1557550.

Are you using a fake PAP2? http://genuinelinksys.blogspot.com/2011 ... nuine.html
Troubleshooting problems related to using them isn't fun: https://goughlui.com/2016/05/01/failed- ... ms-050200/.

[Liptonbrisk]

By the way, you can test calls here: http://thetestcall.blogspot.com/. Use the 416 or 250 numbers.
That is, dial 416-342-9562. Press #. Then you can try options 1 to 9. Options 1, 3, and 4 might be useful.

[Linksys PAP2 Adapter]

Thanks for the suggestions I will try them. Is there a way to attach an audio file here - i feel that it will be helpfull to identify the problem.

it says that my file is not supported as an attachment MPEG-4 Audio (.m4a)

[Linksys PAP2 Adapter]

I do hear thumping noise as soon as I open the line and Dial **** or 110#.

I will try a new phone set and report back. Thanks!

[Liptonbrisk]

I do hear thumping noise as soon as I open the line and Dial **** or 110#.

Okay, then the problem is completely unrelated to Freephoneline and has nothing to do with packet loss.
You're hearing the problem when listening to the ATA's Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu.
The problem lies somewhere with the ATA, the ATA's power adapter, the phone, or the cords attached between between the phone and the ATA.
You need to narrow down which of those (or which combination of them) is causing the problem.

You can also try moving the ATA into another room to test whether other devices nearby are causing interference.

I will try a new phone set and report back. Thanks!

A. Sure, try another phone.

B. Also, if possible, try another power adapter for the ATA. Power adapters are often susceptible to power surges. If this problem happened right after a blackout or power outage, that may be the reason.

C. Check for heat while you're on a call. Check to see if the ATA and its power adapter are abnormally hot or very warm. Keep them in well ventilated areas. Never block vents on your ATA. You probably already know this, but heat shortens the lifespan of electronics.

D. You can also check the ports on the back of the ATA. Possibly phone port 1 on the back of the ATA is failing. If so, disable FPL registration on Line 1 and configure Line 2:

I. a) Dial ****
b) Then dial 110#
c) Enter the IP address you hear into a web browser.
d) Login to your ATA.
e) Always choose the admin login and advanced view menus (select "advanced" in the upper right).

II. Navigate to Line 1 (being used for Freephoneline)
a. Set Line Enable to "no".
b. Click "save settings".

III. Enable Line 2 (navigate to Line 2 tab, and set "Line Enable" to "yes"; click "saving settings"), and configure using the setup guide here (configure Line 2): viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16294.

IV. Plug phone into phone port 2. Test.


E. Are you connecting the ATA to existing phone jack/house wiring? If so, have you made sure that you disconnected the telephone company's line from the demarc?
https://www.voipmyhouse.com/#thesolution
If there's power running through phone jack house wiring from the telephone company, you run the risk of frying your ATA. That may also explain the noise.


By the way, this other thread is somewhat similar: viewtopic.php?t=20301. Unfortunately, the ATA was dying after 10 years and overheating. The problem manifested after the ATA heated up (worked fine after booting up, and then after awhile the ATA started clicking while it heated up during use). The solution was replacing the old one with a new ATA. I recommend avoiding counterfeit PAP2s.

[Linksys PAP2 Adapter]

Thanks for the support!

New phone didnt fix the issue. I am looking to replace the Phone Adapter.

Which Phone Adapter should I get?

[Liptonbrisk]

By the way, I dismissed the idea that you had a voicemail message waiting due to your 1 second interval description in the first post. Voicemail stutter tone disappears quickly and doesn't exist while on a call. You can check for voicemail by logging in at https://www.freephoneline.ca/mailbox.

If you disconnect the ethernet cable or patch cable from the back of the ATA, then dial **** followed by 100# (check DHCP) and still hear the same problem, the issue doesn’t involve your internet service or Freephoneline.

If the thumping goes away when you cover the mic on your phone, you can try decreasing FXS Port Input Gain in the ATA (found under the Regional tab-->Miscellaneous menu). The default is -3. If covering the mic worked, you can try lowering that value to -4 or -5. Lowering that value will reduce the volume of your voice heard by the remote party though.

You might want to try taking the ATA to someone else's home to see if you can reproduce the issue in a different environment (where there's possibly less interference).

Regardless, if you tried using a Panasonic DECT 6.0 cordless phone set, such as https://www.costco.ca/panasonic%C2%AE-k ... 95249.html, for example, and are hearing thumping when using the speakerphone from the base unit (and have tried a different RJ11 phone cord running from the ATA to the phone base to help rule out a potential cord issue), then yes, I would try another ATA. Do not test from a wireless handset. Test from the base unit's speaker instead.

Which Phone Adapter should I get?

I don't care what people buy, except they should avoid products that are more likely to fail, such as fake PAP2s (often "ships from China"), typically found on eBay, AliExpress, and elsewhere. Why? I don't enjoy increased troubleshooting workloads during my spare time.

http://genuinelinksys.blogspot.com/2011 ... nuine.html

The most powerful consumer ATAs, currently, are Poly 402s: https://docs.poly.com/bundle/poly-ata-p ... tures.html. If I needed a new ATA that's what I'd buy for myself (if I didn't already have spare OBi202s and IP Phones).

https://www.hp.com/ie-en/products/acces ... 2101854850 (HP Ireland website . . . I'm just posting it for product details).

Poly ATA 402 is the replacement for the Obihai OBi302 ATA. As such, this setup guide should be very similar, if not the same, for the Poly 4xx ATA series: viewtopic.php?p=73839#p73839. Poly owns Obihai, and HP owns Poly. Unfortunately, Poly 402 isn't cheap, and I'm uncertain who is an authorized seller in Canada (so that the warranty will be honoured).

A quick online search shows me that it's being sold by iSanek in Canada and at other online stores. However, I don't know if iSanek is an authorized seller, and I've never bought anything from iSanek. I know nothing about iSanek. So, what I'm typing here isn't a recommendation. I've also not used a Poly 402; I have used and own OBi202s and OBi302s (the main difference between OBi202 and OBi302 is that OBi302 doesn't support Google Voice using official Obihai firmware; otherwise, they're basically the same ATA).

To summarize, for myself, I would look for a Poly 402, but I can't recommend that you should because I've not used a Poly 402 yet, and, while there's Canadian online stores selling Poly 402 ATAs, I've never shopped with them before.

Fongo Home Phone uses Grandstream ATAs (HT-801 at this time). I find (consumer) Grandstream ATA features to be extremely limited compared to those offered by Obihai/Poly ATAs, but I'm not an average user.

If a single phone handset suffices, and if you never fax, then an IP Phone might be a better choice than an ATA.

[Linksys PAP2 Adapter]

Just an update here, replaced the ATA adapter and the line works great.
Thank you for your help!

The old PAP2 was bad and I replaced it with a Grandstream 802.

[Liptonbrisk]

I'm glad the problem is fixed. Thanks for updating this thread.

Your latest ATA firmware can be found at https://www.grandstream.com/support/firmware.

I suggest checking your settings here:

a) viewtopic.php?p=79162#p79162 (pdf file)
Also take note of what's bolded in that post.

b) viewtopic.php?p=81384#p81384

c) Afterwards, you can double check your settings using viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20539