Vonage (VOIP) messing up my IVS... duhhhhhh

[dyker]

OK, so last night I was trying to get my IVS set up and cow was helping me and all, and I couldn't seem to figure out why I couldn't get it set up.

Then this morning I made a phone call and remembered that my new Vonage device (Motorola VT1005 VOIP device) sits between my Cable modem and router, per the instructions in my vonage booklet. That is the duhhhhhhh part above... should have thought of it earler. It goes:
cable-->cablemodem-->vt1005-->dlink614+-->everything_else

So before I go get a root canal this morning I yank out the vonage device and plug my router directly into my cable modem. And net connect before I leave. I just tested my IVS using the online program and it says it is good where before it timed out.

So I suspect that my VOIP device is the culprit. Vonage wants the VT1005 to sit between the router and cablemodem because then it can control call quality when the internet is busy (it slows down the net to give call quality maximum bandwidth when the telephone is in use).

Now what to do? I could bag call quality and just plug the vonage device into the back of my router and hope for the best. Unless there is some way to poke a hole in the VT1005. I'm still not sure if my IVS is for certain working (until I get a test clip) but according to http://www.lhaven.net/ivstest/ it is.

Anyone know how to poke a hole in the vt1005 or know if there is anything (besides putting the vt1005 behind my router if that works)?

[Hover]

Do a search for the linksys WRT54G or WRT54GS routers which you can get and put the [Sveasoft (http://www.sveasoft.com/forums/)] firmware on it to enable extra features....the most important being the bandwidth shaping where you can give priority to your vonage calls.

EDIT: Fixed above link.

[dyker]

Thanks Hover... Found Buy.com has it for around $90 after a $10 coupon. A rebate would be nice. I'll hold off and see what happens to call quality. Is there a router with more ports? Both replays and dva machine take 3. I've found if I don't have all the replays on the same switch they lose each other.

[Scyber]

I have the older Vonage ATA and I have never had a problem with call quality with it behind my router. I do have OOL, which has high bandwidth (10Mb/sec down, 1 Mb/sec up), so that could be why.

[scootss]

dyker,

I have 3 switches in-between my replays and they always find eachother...
(I was sure I'd never need more than one run in a room...riiight)

replay 1->dell powerconnect switch->smc barricade router->buffalo switch/bridge->buffalo switch/bridge -> replay2

...there's an ivs box jacked into the smc, too.

no problems for me.

[bdraw]

IVS utilizes UPnP to discover the Internet IP address of your router. If you put your Vonage box between your modem and your router as instructed, your router is assigned a private IP address by the vonage box. The next time your Replay tries to discover it's Internet IP it gets the private one which does not work. The other problem is that the Vonage box blocks all incoming traffic by default so you would have to configure it to open the ports. I don't understand why Motorola wouldn't of made this box a bridge instead of a router, the config would have been alot easier and eliminated this type of problem.

I just put my vonage box behind my router and it seems to work fine, but it has only been like that for aout 1 week.

I plan to buy the WRT54G soon, to take advantage of the many added features of the modified firmware.

[sfhub]

Originally posted by bdraw
IVS utilizes UPnP to discover the Internet IP address of your router.
That's not true. It makes an http/rddns request and the source IP of
the packet is recorded in the RDDNS database.

[lizard_boy]

wrt54g + sveasoft + vonage + ivs = working fine for me for several months

[Slack]

Originally posted by lizard_boy
wrt54g + sveasoft + vonage + ivs = working fine for me for several months

I'll second that. It really is transparent. Although I do not have Vonage. I am a 'mad skills' gamer, and the wrt54g has kept me poopling. Before I had it my pings would go through the roof when IVS'ing. I was constantly yanking the plug on the RTVs to bing the ping back down. Now it's all 'butta'.

[Rolfie]

I had a similar problem with my Turtle Beach Audiotron not being able to access TurtleRadio after I put in the Vonage box. The RPTV 40xx didn't seem to be affected. I have a Linksys router like the one shown in Vonage's instruction book. I opened up the ports on the router like Vonage specified and put the Motorola box behind the router. Call quality has been fine, and everything else works also. I was also having problems with some of our computers not being able to access time servers; those also went away, although I can't guarantee it wasn't a coincidence.

[plyons10]

Put the ATA behind the router already. Chances are that you have plenty of bandwidth (unless you are on a capped UL DSL line).

I've got Vonage, 2 Replays, DVArchive, AND and Audiotron... all of 'em work fine because they are all (including the VT1005 ATA) behind a Linksys BEFSR81 v.2 router. THe BEFSR81 has some primitive QOS tools that I use... you could try that if you wanted more ports and didn't need the wireless.

[plyons10]

BTW... apparently the WRT54G has a glaring security hole... (http://seclists.org/lists/bugtraq/2004/May/0329.html)

[damager]

Does the Linksys WRT54G have the bridging capabities that the Buffalo routers talked about on this forum have?

[sfhub]

Only with sveasoft custom firmware. I think there may be limitations on
the bridging, but I don't remember if that was on older versions of the
sveasoft firmware. I'm sure someone will chime in.

[j.m.]

Originally posted by damager
Does the Linksys WRT54G have the bridging capabities that the Buffalo routers talked about on this forum have?

Yes, but only with the sveasoft firmware. Also, WDS bridging apparently only works well with the latest pre-release versions of the sveasoft "Satori" firwmare (the last free public release supports it, but it doesn't work well from what I read). Sveasoft charges $20/year for access to pre-release versions. All official releases will be free and publicly available according to sveasoft. However, there has not actually been an official release since this subscription plan was implemented. Sveasoft has posted that "Satori" will be released in about two weeks. At that point, a new pre-release testing cycle codenamed "Alchemy" will begin. This will reportedly offer much improved bandwidth throttling; support for the Buffalo WBR-G54, Belkin F5D7130-4, and perhaps Asus Wl-500 routers; and other new features. Again though, none of those will be available to you until they are "officially" released unless you buy the $20 subscription.

Note: the sveasoft firmware itself is GPL and free, even the pre-release versions. The $20 subscription is for access to pre-releases (and their source code) and for priority support. This creates a strange situation... Even though under the GPL it is perfectly legally to distribute a pre-release version of the firmware to whomever you want (you can put it on the web etc.), one of the terms of the sveasoft subscription agreement is that you forfeit your subscription and lose all access to future pre-releases and priority support when you distribute a pre-release. Many people don't agree with this policy with respect to the spirit of the GPL (and I can't say I blame them), but it is valid and ultimately sveasoft's choice.

Finally, a word of warning, there are a number of copies of some of the pre-releases floating around the Internet. Sveasoft has warned people not to use them because some of them are recompiled to include backdoors that allow others to gain access to your network. While Sveasoft obviously has an incentive for people not to download what he wants $20 for, I am of the opinion that there is likely some truth to his warning. As the firmware is based on Linux and is modular, it would be very easy for one to add such a backdoor. Indeed, out of curiosity, I located and downloaded some pre-releases on the Internet, and all but one of their MD5 hashes did NOT match ones from a list of supposedly good MD5 hashes here (http://www.angelfire.com/linux/neoaeon/wrtg/hashes.html). So, use any copies you may obtain from sources other than sveasoft with extreme caution!

[damager]

With this new release (Satori), can a WRT54GS bridge with a Buffalo device using WDS?

[j.m.]

Originally posted by damager
With this new release (Satori), can a WRT54GS bridge with a Buffalo device using WDS?

It should be able to since WDS is generally interoperable (all of these routers use the same Broadcom chipset).

[moshea]

dyker,

I have your exact setup (cable-->cablemodem-->vt1005-->dlink614+-->everything_else) and have IVS working.


To config my vt1005 I go to the private IP address (192.168.102.1, I think - get it from your dlink614) and click on the "advanced" tab. Then poke a hole in the vt1005's firewall by opening the port IVS uses (probably 29000, but you should know what you're using). Be sure to open the same port on the dlink.

SOrry if someone else already said this - I didn't have a lot of time to read the thread.

moshea

[icecow]

Originally posted by plyons10
BTW... apparently the WRT54G has a glaring security hole... (http://seclists.org/lists/bugtraq/2004/May/0329.html)

Will flashing the wrt54g with sveasoft firmware make the security hole irrelivant?

(no, I don't know what I'm talking about)

cow

[damager]

According to some posts I read the Sveasoft software plugs this hole.

[dyker]

How does your vt1005 get an IP address from the dlink614+ when it is in front of the firewall? When I looked at the dlink614's list of devices, the vt1005 wasn't even there when it was in front of the 614. I'm not a network guru so I'm a little confused.


Originally posted by moshea
dyker,

I have your exact setup (cable-->cablemodem-->vt1005-->dlink614+-->everything_else) and have IVS working.


To config my vt1005 I go to the private IP address (192.168.102.1, I think - get it from your dlink614) and click on the "advanced" tab. Then poke a hole in the vt1005's firewall by opening the port IVS uses (probably 29000, but you should know what you're using). Be sure to open the same port on the dlink.

SOrry if someone else already said this - I didn't have a lot of time to read the thread.

moshea

[damager]

The Vonage box gets it's IP from the cable modem, and the DLink then get's it's IP fromt he Vonage box.

[tr8]

From First Post:
Anyone know how to poke a hole in the vt1005 or know if there is anything (besides putting the vt1005 behind my router if that works)?


I would suggest one of two things;

1. Hook a computer directly to the ATA and go into it using a browser and address 192.168.102.1. By the way, directions for this are in the manual. Turn DHCP off and put the port forwarding's in for your Replays. You need port forwarding for both the Vonage ATA and your router.

2. This is what I ended up doing. Forget about your router and just use the Vonage ATA's built in router, only one port. Add an 8 port switch or whatever you need. With this setup you keep the Vonage ATA with DHCP on. You must still add the port forwarding's.

Hope this helps,

Bill

[SR94]

I just hooked up my Vonage, and I've been trying to get IVS to work, using the info here as a guide (cable modem -> vt1000v -> linksys router -> everything else). I've got the linksys doing DHCP for my PCs, but have my two Replays set-up with a static IP (192.198.1.98 & 99). Here's what worked for me.

Use my browser to get to the vt1000v setup at 192.168.102.1 . On the Advanced tab, I port forwarded port 29000 (and 29500 for my 2nd replay) to 192.168.102.100. 192.168.102.100 is the IP address the linksys router picked up as its WAN address.

With that one simple step, the ports are forwarded to the linksys, and the linksys forwards them to the Replays. So, I didn't have to change the static IPs on the Replays or anything. I have yet to conduct an actual IVS transfer, but the poopli IVS test gives the system the green light!

[medha311]

It’s after 1 am now EST and I’ve been working on my new RTV5060 for almost 20 hours now. :( I have set it up, learned all the functions and have been working on learning and getting my IVS to work as well as setting up myreplaytv, DV Archive, Poopli, and ReVue. I’m not computer-ignorant, but not savvy either. I have read almost every single post in every thread here on AVS, in the Poopli FAQ, the replay TV FAQ and Planet Replay and learned a lot of stuff – even some Simpsons trivia…. :)
:confused: Someone please help – I need some sleep!! Please see information below – Where am I going wrong?? :confused:

We have Comcast cable modem, no DSL or anything else. We have Vonage VOIP and are using a Linksys router RT3 1P2. Our set up is cable modem--> Vonage router-->phone and computers. Our RTV is downstairs and therefore we have a wireless router also. Our wireless router is a Linksys WRT 54G. After the Vonage router, we then have the wireless router and then the RTV5060 downstairs.
I have assigned our RTV a name (home) and assigned port number 03110 (which then shows up on the RTV as “3110” – hope that’s okay)
My RTV ID is 00004-54832-11990 - which is what I have in poopli, not my serial #
My Serial# is RTV5060 B3CA0179414 which is what I have in myreplaytv along with giving poopli myreplaytv password to share my recordings.
My RTV is activated with the key that was provided (lifetime activation)
I have my key#, software info, iChannel ID, etc if you need it.

Okay, on my RTV it says that my IP ad is 192.168.1.102 along with a NetMask, Gateway, DNS1, DNS2 and MAC. My port # is 03110 (which now shows up as “3110”)
The LHhaven IVS tester says "Asked ReplayTV server about unit at ISN 00004-54832-11990. Found on Replay server. IP does not match your PC, not revealing IP address. Unable to contact ReplayTV unit. 500 Can't connect to xx/xx/xx/xx:50000 (connect:timeout) Check your port forwarding settings."
When I try to test my RTV ID - Which brings me to my port forwarding settings……..

I’ve logged into our Linksys router (the first one, the Vonage one – not the wireless) and entered the port from the RTV (03110) for both TCP and UDP, and was going to enter the IP ad of the RTV (192.168.1.102) but the virtual server setup already has the first three sections of the IP ad in black and unchangeable (192.165.15. ) and allows me to fill in the last section with up to three digits. However, my RTV IP doesn’t begin with those three sections!?! I read somewhere that my RTV is getting an IP that doesn’t work because the RTV is getting the IP from the wireless router which is getting the IP from the Vonage router? How do I get the right RTV IP ad then? :confused:
When I went to the port forwarding website to step-by-step change my virtual server setup, it gave me this external IP ad of 68.82.80.175 which I think may just be obsolete.

Lastly, but not the priority until I get this stuff working is - how will I configure my Vonage Linksys router to allow incoming traffic (without compromising security into our network)? If I need to “open” the ports on my Vonage router (RT3 1P2) how would I do that AND do they have to stay open all of the time or can I make it so that just when I’m receiving / sending shows?

:rolleyes: I have no idea what "WAN vs. LAN", "243-Zones to netconnect" or "wireless bridges" are - mentioned in other threads, but I don’t care unless I need to…. Also, at this point I don’t care about call quality if I have to compromise it a bit….. If I have to put the sveasoft firmware to get bandwidth shaping in order to give my phone calls priority, I will do that once RTV is working. However, I do very strongly care about security…..

Now that I re-read this, it seems to sound like I know what I’m talking about…. But really I don’t…. someone please explain in novice terms! My RTV 2000 was so much easier to use!! Thanks!! :D

[medha311]

When I run a cmd box on my PC, my IP ad is 192.168.15.145 (those first 3 sections do match with my vonage virtual server) In case that means something....

[Murphy]

Assuming you have DHCP servers running in both routers, you have to forward port 3110 in the Vonage router to the IP address of the wireless router.
Then forward port 3110 in the wireless router to the IP address of the Replay box.

You will have fewer problems if you put the wireless router first after the cable modem and just connect the Vonage router to a port on the wireless router. Vonage calls that the alternate configuration.

http://www.vonage.com/help.php?article=88&category=41&nav=3

Set the IP address that the Vonage router gets from the wireless router as the the DMZ address in the wireless router or you may have to forward a bunch of ports in the wireless router to the Vonage router.

http://www.vonage.com/help.php?article=89&category=41&nav=3

[rkramer]

Finally, a word of warning, there are a number of copies of some of the pre-releases floating around the Internet. Sveasoft has warned people not to use them because some of them are recompiled to include backdoors that allow others to gain access to your network. While Sveasoft obviously has an incentive for people not to download what he wants $20 for, I am of the opinion that there is likely some truth to his warning. As the firmware is based on Linux and is modular, it would be very easy for one to add such a backdoor. Indeed, out of curiosity, I located and downloaded some pre-releases on the Internet, and all but one of their MD5 hashes did NOT match ones from a list of supposedly good MD5 hashes here. So, use any copies you may obtain from sources other than sveasoft with extreme caution!

do NOT give james a cent of your money, he is a con artist at best... first of all, the md5's won't match because the firmwares are tagged to individual users. (if you distribute, he pulls your account and bans your IP) second, talisman goes one step further and is locked to mac addresses.

anyway, there is something that is far ahead of sveasoft anyway, do a search for dd-wrt. if you must run sveasoft, search for freeman, it is talisman that has been unlocked.

[Bigjohns]

@Rkramer -
What is 'better' about dd-wrt? what is better about freeman?

You do know, of course, that alchemy has been released as freeware....