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Kitchen Sink => No Moto Content => Topic started by: ducatiz on January 05, 2010, 04:43:40 PM

Title: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: ducatiz on January 05, 2010, 04:43:40 PM
I have FIOS internet

Have a VOIP phone line, direct wired to the router.

Have a WIFI enabled blackberry (VOIP calling).

Have had no problems for the last 2 months:  make and receive calls on both home voip phone and wifi blackberry phone.

All of a sudden, I have a weird problem on BOTH lines.

I make a call.  Get a dial tone (from the VOIP box).  No ring, nothing.  However, if I call my wife's cel phone (regular mobile CDMA) it rings and she can hear me saying "hello" but I cannot hear her.

My phone(s) will ring, but I answer and can't hear anything, but the other party can hear me.

Summary:

Two separate VOIP lines.
One wireless/wifi.
One hard wired.
Both ring when called, but can't hear caller.
Both dial out when dialed, but no ring and cannot hear called party when they answer.

Anyone?
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: superjohn on January 05, 2010, 04:49:45 PM
My guess is something got screwed up on the CallManager and you're getting one way data. Someone at Verizon would have to fix it.

Is the Blackberry using the same VOIP as the house?
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: ducatiz on January 05, 2010, 04:59:38 PM
Quote from: superjohn on January 05, 2010, 04:49:45 PM
My guess is something got screwed up on the CallManager and you're getting one way data. Someone at Verizon would have to fix it.

Is the Blackberry using the same VOIP as the house?

Nope, Blackberry has it's own 802.11g wifi so it connects to the wireless router separately and pipes VOIP along with web, etc.

the home VOIP line is not Verizon either
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: superjohn on January 05, 2010, 05:01:23 PM
Weird. One way audio is a common VoIP problem, but unfortunately I got into management before I had to learn to fix it.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: ducatiz on January 05, 2010, 05:06:49 PM
Quote from: superjohn on January 05, 2010, 05:01:23 PM
Weird. One way audio is a common VoIP problem, but unfortunately I got into management before I had to learn to fix it.

having a symptom name is useful.  i got out of technology right as VocalTec (one of my old clients) was developing H.323...  sigh...  i used to understand this shit.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: il d00d on January 05, 2010, 06:35:39 PM
Just wanna be sure: when you make an outbound call when you are having the problem, are you hearing dial tone or a busy tone?  Check out these links for busy and reorder tones, let me know which sounds closest if it is not a dial tone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_tone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_tone)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reorder_tone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reorder_tone)

When you have the problem with voice calls, does this correspond to problems with internet access?

When you place a call on a VoIP system, there are actually two separate streams of data established: upstream -or what the other party hears- and downstream -what you hear from the other end.  As you've discovered, it is possible to set up a call successfully (signaling exchanged between endpoints and intermediate device) and have audio fail in a few different ways.  The reason for this is the "callmanagers" are the man in the middle - they handle call setup and teardown, then get out of the way (in most cases).   

In your case, you are having problems getting data from somewhere in the cloud, but you can send audio successfully.  This tells me that you are not experiencing an interruption in your connection to verizon (although it would be good to verify that you have a web connection when the problem is happening) The fact that you experience the same problem on two different devices, with different VoIP hardware (DSPs) which have different LAN connections tells me the problem is most likely at the gateway or the provider's equipment - it is not isolated to a wired or wireless connection. Also since the problem is with getting data and not sending data, I am inclined to think this is an issue on the provider side - since the vast majority of all residential broadband is asynchronous (upstream and downstream bandwidth is unequal - you have a lot more down than up), you are more likely to max out your upstream bandwidth (callers would have problems hearing you) than you are your downstream (you have problems hearing callers).  So, it is not a bandwidth issue.

This is pretty much the extent of the troubleshooting that can be done at the endpoint level.  Your FIOS modem should not be doing anything fancy with the residential phone calls, just taking an analog call and making it digitial - the Blackberry call should just look like data, the modem does not need to help complete that call.   One other question -do you have admin access to your modem/router?  If so, PM me and we can arrange to take a look at the settings if you want.

Bottom line: One-way audio is almost always a routing issue in the case of VoIP calls - that is to say, there's a problem routing IP traffic (encapsulated voice) traffic to the other endpoint in the call.  In some cases there are issues with DSPs, or transcoding, or protocol translation, but it is most likely a problem with a SIP server (the "callmanager") in the Verizon network.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: ducatiz on January 05, 2010, 06:41:29 PM
Quote from: il d00d on January 05, 2010, 06:35:39 PM
Just wanna be sure: when you make an outbound call when you are having the problem, are you hearing dial tone or a busy tone?  Check out these links for busy and reorder tones, let me know which sounds closest if it is not a dial tone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_tone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_tone)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reorder_tone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reorder_tone)

When you have the problem with voice calls, does this correspond to problems with internet access?

zero internet access problems

home phone has dial tone and DTMF fine -- but that comes from the VOIP box

blackberry has no dial tone -- just like any cel phone.  dial the number and SEND

both:  no ring tone.  but it does ring the other end -- if i call my wife's cel phone, her phone rings, but i cannot hear the ring on either VOIP phone.

bandwidth isn't an issue, voip uses about 90kb from what i understand, and we have 50Mb

i am pretty sure it's verizon's problem, i just needed some info on it. 
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: il d00d on January 05, 2010, 08:47:30 PM
OK - just a heads-up, dialtone can come from anywhere, including the phone itself (analog phones rely signaling from some external device, like your modem).  No ringback (hearing progress tones) is symptomatic of the same issue - no audio in the reverse direction due to routing issues, even if signaling is working right.

Also, I mean to mention that making calls to VZB subscribers, while calls out to the PSTN failed makes sense - a call to your wife is on-net, and other calls to (for example) ATT users are off-net.  This problem is most likely on some PSTN gateway within Verizon's cloud.

VoIP uses a maximum of 64kbs for g711 (without overhead) - you are likely using something with more compression.

Good luck on the call to Verizon, and lemme know if I can help at all.  Keep us posted...
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: ducatiz on January 06, 2010, 02:21:00 AM
she uses tmobile so i figured it was off net..
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP
Post by: ducatiz on January 06, 2010, 04:00:55 AM
so i talked with verizon support.  i assume it was level 1, the guy's first sentence was "we don't support other people's voip"..

i ignored it and pushed, explaining i was having the problem on my wifi blackberry

basically, i got the "i'll open a ticket with networking"

ugh.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: RESOLVED: VERIZON ARE ASSHOLES
Post by: ducatiz on January 06, 2010, 06:44:46 AM
Emailed on my lists.  Found some Verizon engineers I knew.

Turns out a little "update" was sent out on Sunday night, and one of them was a filter that blocked the udp ports which VOIP uses.  I assume they did this for their customers who do NOT use Verizon VOIP. 

assholes!

I removed the filter, VOIP works fine now.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: RESOLVED: VERIZON ARE ASSHOLES
Post by: superjohn on January 06, 2010, 12:10:02 PM
Quote from: ducatiz on January 06, 2010, 06:44:46 AM
Emailed on my lists.  Found some Verizon engineers I knew.

Turns out a little "update" was sent out on Sunday night, and one of them was a filter that blocked the udp ports which VOIP uses.  I assume they did this for their customers who do NOT use Verizon VOIP. 

assholes!

I removed the filter, VOIP works fine now.

Gee...I didn't think it'd be as simple as an access-list. Glad you have it fixed.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: ducatiz on January 09, 2010, 08:42:56 AM
So the filtering "problem" wasn't the problem at all.  My wifi phone was connected to the neighbor's network and I was getting calls thru it not realizing I was connected to them..  [bang]

I spoke to Verizon Fibre Support Center and they told me to pound sand.  They said if my TV and internet (read:  web surfing only) was working that the router was fine and if I had some other device connected that was not their problem.

I am looking into other options.  I am not 100% sure, but I believe it is against FCC regs to block VOIP.  I need to look into it. 

I cannot believe this is happening though. We had this VOIP phone running on Cox internet for the last 3 years -- not a single problem.  We get FIOS and it runs fine for hte last month and then blammo! it's gone.

[bang] [bang] [bang]
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: cduarte on January 09, 2010, 09:03:51 AM
check this out....

http://gigaom.com/2007/05/04/is-verizon-blocking-voip-on-fios/ (http://gigaom.com/2007/05/04/is-verizon-blocking-voip-on-fios/)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/03/verizon_fights_rules_for_voip.html (http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/03/verizon_fights_rules_for_voip.html)

btw, what does your home network topology look like? Do you have a single router attached to your fios connection?
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: cyrus buelton on January 09, 2010, 09:25:08 AM
So basically, while at home, you are using your mobile phone free over your internet pipe?

Didn't even know you could do that.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: ducatiz on January 09, 2010, 09:29:34 AM
Quote from: cduarte on January 09, 2010, 09:03:51 AM
check this out....

http://gigaom.com/2007/05/04/is-verizon-blocking-voip-on-fios/ (http://gigaom.com/2007/05/04/is-verizon-blocking-voip-on-fios/)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/03/verizon_fights_rules_for_voip.html (http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/03/verizon_fights_rules_for_voip.html)

btw, what does your home network topology look like? Do you have a single router attached to your fios connection?

the network is verizon's all-in-one Actiontec router which is WAN, ethernet and wifi in one.

every other device works fine, i have no problem using internet/etc

i took my TA to my neighbor's house to test it -- plugged into his Cox router and it worked just fine.  my blackberry connected just fine to the Barnes & Noble wifi today and had no problem making calls.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: cduarte on January 09, 2010, 09:45:25 AM
the phone has to support wifi, the iphones do and some blackberry's do as well.
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: cyrus buelton on January 09, 2010, 10:48:07 AM
Quote from: cduarte on January 09, 2010, 09:45:25 AM
the phone has to support wifi, the iphones do and some blackberry's do as well.

I have a Bold 9000 through AT&T and know I have wi-fi on it.


So while at home, when connected to my home network, I can make free calls?
Title: Re: weird FIOS problem w/ VOIP: REVISED -- problem not fixed.
Post by: ducatiz on January 09, 2010, 11:14:23 AM
Quote from: cyrus buelton on January 09, 2010, 10:48:07 AM
I have a Bold 9000 through AT&T and know I have wi-fi on it.


So while at home, when connected to my home network, I can make free calls?

it depends on your calling plan.  tmobile's basic wifi plan allows you to connect to wifi calling but charges you against your minutes.  yes, it's stupid but that's how they do it.

back to my problem...