VOIP questions

[hans gruber]

I'm looking to get voip for a business number. I'm considering A&A or VoIPphone (I've also seen spigate mentioned). The internet to the premises is pathetic with speed test of 12.8 down / 0.74 up. I have purchased a TP link MR600 router and with a three sim manage around 20 / 5-8.

I have a few questions if anyone would be kind enough to help?

I want to purchase a Grandstream HT802. Can anyone recommend the best place to purchase one? viophone sell them, so if I go with them that's easy, but A&A do not. Are the setting for A&A easy to obtain and input?

I want to use one of the ports on the HT802 to run a cable and replace my incoming connection at the master socket. The reason for this is having an auto dialler alarm linked to the socket. Is this easy to do and can anyone advise me what cable is required and how the wiring works?

I know viophone offer a mobile app but do A&A?

I spoke with voipphone, which raised a couple of issues.

The 2 ports on HT802 are considered as 2 users, so if I also want a softphone that will be 3, unless I can run both auto dialler and phone from 1 socket, which still means 2 users.

What I forgot to ask is can I mix plans and if I go for the £1.50 plan for all 3 and buy call recording, do I have to pay for it for each user I want it for?

A&A seem to have an odd setup where every user has their own phone number. I'm not bothered about the auto dialler, but if I am able to use desktop/mobile apps I want outgoing calls to all look like they are from the same number.

vopiphone also mentioned the auto dialler may be an issue and an adapter may be required and also went on about amps etc, at which point I went a bit cross-eyed.

 

[hans gruber]

I've taken delivery of a HT812, so will get an A&A account set up adn see if I can get it running.

It came with a US plug that outputs 12v dc 0.5amp. I can just use an adapter, but just in case does anyone know where to get a UK plug? Is it classed as a DC connector?

 

[hans gruber]

I use HT801 with A & A. Settings easily available online. If you have issues, let me know.

Ok so I have issues. I set an account up today but under registration it says not registered. I spoke with A&A and set pdf of all the settings, which they said are correct (and were taken from the earlier link). Apparently it fails authentication for some reason. I notice where I type the SIP password, afterwards it's just a blank box, whereas the pictures online for the 801 show a password box with dots in it.

I'm going to try a phone app and see if that works, but if you have any suggestion for the grandstream that would be brilliant.

Edit: Ok I got it working. Time to play.

Can anyone recommend a good android softphone app? I'm happy to pay if it's decent.

 

[hans gruber]

Ok. I had it working. Called the number and phone rang. I had a play with call recording setting in A&A control panel and now the phone doesn't ring anymore. I've turned it all off but still doesn't ring. FFS.

Hmm.. now it's working again.

Ok what I seem to be getting is that calling in works for a short time and then stops working. If I call out I can then call in again for a short time and then it stops working again. It's like it's going to sleep.

 

[hans gruber]

what internet provider?

I'm using a TP link MR600 with a lebara sim.

It's definitely playing up. After a while I can't call in, but I can call out and after I do that it accepts incoming calls again for a short while. I don't intend to use it at home. I'm going to take it to work where I have a tp link MR600 but with a three sim.

 

[hans gruber]

My guess is your router is automatically closing ports when idle after a specific time (UPnP problem?). Would explain why calls suddenly work when the ports are being opened by the device itself (outbound). The firewall is stopping incoming calls after idle for a set time.

VoIP Firewall - AAISP Support Site

support.aa.net.uk

I would suggest giving the grandstream a static ip and then port forwarding with the values in the above link.

I can't seem to add external IP for the port forwarding? Should I be able to? My options are:

External Port:
Internal IP: (which I have fixed)
Internal Port:
Protocol:

 

[hans gruber]

You're using a mobile phone SIM for internet access? Ignore port forwarding, unless you're specifically paying for a public IP then you're behind CGNAT (so going out to the internet through the same IP address as numerous other customers) and port forwarding won't work.

Good point.

what should I set the sipp registration to? currently it's:

reg expire 60 minutes
reg before expire 0
sip reg fail retry wait 20 sec
sip reg fail retry wait with 403 1200 sec

I did call A&A and they said to set a stun server to stun.aa.net.uk and turn off SIPP ALG in router. Of course this hasn't worked.

 

[hans gruber]

No wonder it's not working at 60 minute intervals. Mine is set to 30 seconds.

Thanks.

I've set Register Expiration: to 1 which is in minutes and is the lowest value I could use (unless I can use 0.5? Edit: can't 1 is lowest). The options for it are: (in minutes. default 1 hour, max 45 days).

If this is such a critical thing why is it set so high to begin with? Also is there a way to find out how quickly it stops working? If for instance it's every 45 seconds that means there will be 15 seconds per minute people can't phone in.

Ok That hasn't worked. I can call in just after updating but after a minute or so it fails again.

I have also found SIP OPTIONS/NOTIFY Keep Alive Interval: which is set to 30 seconds. I will have a play with lowering this.

EDIT: which I lowered to 10 and still have the "going to sleep" issue.

 

[hans gruber]

Thanks for all the help.

I've changed Register Expiration: to 1 minute and SIP OPTIONS/NOTIFY Keep Alive Interval: to 1 second. Both are the lowest value aloud. Just after I update I can phone in. A few seconds later and it fails.

This is driving me nuts.

 

[hans gruber]

I wouldn't be surprised if your mobile network is very aggressively closing NAT sessions and you can't make this work

Is this likely to be the same for different networks? I'm testing it on lebara but I intend to deploy it on three.

I still have standard broadband at work alongside the mr600. My plan was to to get this up and running on the mr600 and then port the number and close the standard broadband down.

I will take it to work tomorrow and test it on both routers. If it works on the normal bb but not the 4g+ I will have to have a rethink.

 

[hans gruber]

Update time:

I took it all to work and tried it on the TalkTalk router and it worked fine (I had to disable ALG SIP). I then tried it on the MR600 with the three sim and again it was fine. So it appears to be a lebara issue. It's good job I didn't spend several hours trying to get it to work at home, oh wait a minute...

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[hans gruber]

have you(& your customers) been happy with it's performance, specifically the quality of the audio it provides via it's analogue/traditional phone plug ? or has using a voip app on your mobile provided better quality & HD sound.
BT provide a similar adaptor with their hub and people criticize quality, and demand a dect phone that will work directly with their hub.

A&A call rates seem higher than localphone I currently use for outgoing calls 1.5p/4p vs 0.6/1.8p
(https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/, https://www.localphone.com/prices/u#pricesTableContainer)

I haven't used it with the business number as I'm currently waiting for it to port over, but I've been very happy with the test account. I set up groundwire on my mobile and it appears to work very well. Tbf it couldn't be any worse than our talk talk line. I'm sure there must be a fault with it, it's that bad, but they say not.

I didn't really look at local phone. I will keep it in mind in case I don't get on with A&A. Edit: their website is terrible on mobile.

 

[hans gruber]

I have a number that is porting in to A&A, so it isn't active yet. In the control centre it has options for DTMF. The number I already had for testing, which still works, and was given to me by A&A, doesn't have this option.

I asked A&A and it took a while for them to work out what I was saying. They kept saying the option will appear when the number is ported over. Eventually they realised what I was saying, which is the option is shown on the non active porting in line and NOT the one I've been using for a few weeks.

Anyway, can anyone help me with why it is there and what it does, as again A&A didn't know?

Also when I switched my login details to the number being ported, it wont authorise, even though the account appears active. Is this correct? I need my softphone app to start working the moment the number moves over, and I'm worried something isn't not right. A&A said it will authorise once the port completes, but as they haven't been great with tech support so far I'm wary.

 

[hans gruber]

Thanks all. My login for the porting number shows just the number that is porting in. I don't have a temp number. While there is an active account in control panel, it doesn't work and I cannot get authorisation when I try to connect to it with any device. A&A assure it will start working once the number ports in. This account also has the DTMF options, which I don't know what they are and cannot do anything with, until the account activates after the port.

My other account was one I set up to test before deciding to port in. This works fine and I can connect to it. When the above number ports in I will have 2 live numbers, so I may close this one down, but I'm actually thinking it may come in useful, so may keep it. This line does not have the DTMF options for some reason and is the bottom one in the above image.

 

[hans gruber]

The number ported yesterday and I set the granstream up today. I was in a rush, so only tested it quickly, and it appeared to work. The issue is the phone it is connected doesn't ring for incoming calls. Other than that I think it works. I'm not sure if you can answer a none ringing call, but you can phone out ok. This is a different phone to the one I tested it with.

I'm going to take my test phone in tomorrow, but before I start messing about can anyone help with what might be the problem? I did read about turning off ALG SIP in router, but this is already done.