Zen Internet (uk) VOIP

GeoffColl

GeoffColl

GeoffColl

Associate
Joined
24 Nov 2021
Posts
30
Location
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Morning all.

I have an existing aimesh system with a Vigor 130 modem connected to an ASUS RT-AX92U and then 5 nodes. All works and is a stable setup.
The ISP is Zen Internet - FTTC.

I have altered the contract with Zen to remove BT landline from the equation - hence I should now be using VOIP - the line changed to sogea.

Zen provide a Fritz!Box 7530 which is working as an IP Client on the ASUS network, and has 3 DECT phones paired.

Problem is Zen cannot see a VOIP connection, nor can I work out how to adjust settings any further than I have.

Port-Forwarding in the RT-AX92U has been set to open 5060 and 7077 - UDP. Adaptive QoS switched on with 'work-from-home' chosen - as the description indicated VOIP.

I am at a loss on why there's no voip - phones out and in both indicate 'busy' with no connection - Zen see no connection at their end.

Is it the Vigor that's causing 'problems'.

I'm surprised with Zen tech - once upon a time they would be helpful and in an experimental frame of mind to help out. Have been with them
11 years. They seem, now, committed to only providing a standard support on their setup - not willing to offer advice beyond placing the
Fritz!Box in as the modem/router. And yet the Fritz!Box manual indicates VOIP is still available when the router is in ipclient mode.

Is that my only option to get VOIP working? Will the RT-AX92U easily set up behind it?
 
It's not going to work how you've currently got things connected. The Zen supplied router needs to be the device that connects to the internet, it can't be a client on the network. So you'd need to do away with the Draytek Vigor 130 and connect the Fritz!Box to the phone socket.

In theory it should be easy enough to get the Asus to be a client behind the Fritz!Box but I'm pleased that it's years since I've used anything from Asus so I don't know if it can be put into bridge mode.

This isn't unique to Zen, as far as I know that's how all ISPs supply VoIP. I totally understand why they do it that way, they can't reasonably support every possible piece of kit that someone my have so they mandate usage of their supplied and tested equipment.
 
Thanks - I was afraid that was going to be the case.

That annoyingly means that in order to have VOIP I have to dispose of an expensive piece of kit, rather at odds with the
ethos at Zen of being environmentally responsible.

I'll search a bit further and see if there's an option to replace the Vigor with the Fritz!Box and still keep the ASUS behind it.
 
To be fair though, the Fritz!Box isn't bad. I use a free Sipgate account with mine as we've still got a traditional landline here. Much cheaper to use and no connection fee, but can't get rid of the landline yet ('coz reasons .... ;)).
 
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Och, I'm not saying that - just pointing out the restrictive policy means I will have to throw into landfill a perfectly good system - plus it's a mesh, and there's no guarantee the Fritz!Box will cover the same area without developing a mesh based around the FB - yet more expensive...

Maybe just have to live without a home telephone!
 
Yes sorry, didn't mean to imply that. I can understand not wanting to throw away a decent bit of kit though I did ditch my mesh setup (2 Nextgear Orbi devices - which are currently sat in a box in the shed ;)), but mostly because I had some cat 6 cable installed instead and wanted to make use of the VOIP on the Fritz!Box. :)
 
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No problem. :D

I've followed a suggested group of settings to establish the Fritz!Box in modem/bridge mode, to put it in place of the Vigor.

Sadly it didn't work - after about 15 minutes the ASUS still hadn't connected through the bridge, nor as far as I was
able to ascertain the Fritz!Box had even connected properly. The WAN light certainly didn't light.

I've now re-set the Fritz!Box as a normal modem/router and will see if it, by itself, will connect and provide VOIP - moving on from there to see
if there's any possibility of hanging the ASUS onto it somehow!

Needless to say, I guess, there's been no response from ASUS on suggestions - I notice the ASUS Network Forum is currently on holiday! :cry:
 
There's a few articles on piggybacking two routers, but differ in their methods which is a tad confusing.

If I install the Fritz!Box as requested by Zen, and get that working correctly. What's the optimum way to connect the ASUS which will remain the
sole driver of the LAN.

I'd, most likely, turn wifi off on the F!B and 'just' connect the DECT phones.

Some articles say LAN on F!B to WAN on ASUS, others say LAN on both.
One even says just connect with ethernet cabling, with no indication on settings!

Can anyone kindly advise on settings?

Ta in antic Geoff
 
I haven't tried it but, looking at the F!B settings under Home Network, there is actually a Mesh section so I wonder if there's anything in there that you can set to integrate your current setup. It does mention non-F!B devices on the Mesh Settings page.
 
Interesting. I thought different systems were unable to mesh :D

Snag would be I want the ASUS to provide the IP addresses, not the F!B - I have too many devices set with static addresses to want to consider having to change them.

I suppose, at a stretch, I could change the addressing mask on the F!B to mimic those on the ASUS ... mmmm
 
Nothing's as simple as some of the articles hinted!

Switched off wifi on the F!B and connected to WAN and established a connection - phones too.
Added F!B LAN to ASUS WAN.

Seemed OK for about 5 minutes, I was seeing 70 down 18 up on the ASUS - but
then I noticed a few devices on the ASUS LAN weren't connecting.
Diagnostics on the ASUS couldn't get past the fact it wanted a Modem connected.

Then the Internet failed on the ASUS and I couldn't get it back.

It took 25 minutes to re-establish the ASUS as the link to the Internet, after removing the F!B.
and that was only possible by installed an earlier saved settings file.

Somewhat frantic.
 
I seem to have 'solved' the issue - subject to no complaints :D from Zen.

F!B directly to WAN - gives Digital Voice.
WiFi switched on, but only 2.4. Static address to the ASUS. No other connections.

ASUS set to static IP. WAN and NAT enabled. Incoming WAN IP address/subnet mask as given by F!B. DNS server as given in F!B from Zen.

It's kept the ASUS as the DHCP server for the LAN.
 
Whilst that'll work, it's not the best setup.

Clients on your 2.4Ghz network won't be able to communicate with anything on the 5GHz or LAN side of the Asus as they'll be using different LAN IP addressing and the Asus will block the incoming connection. If for example you had a printer connected on the LAN side of the Asus and wanted to print to it from a client on the 2.4GHz network you'll run into problems. Possibly not an issue for you but personally I'd disable Wi-Fi on the Fritz!Box completely and let the Asus kit do it all.

If you want port forwarding to anything on the LAN side of the Asus then you'll have to either mess about with port forwarding settings on both the Fritz!Box and the Asus as you've got what's known as double NAT. Again, that may not be an issue for you.

If everything is working fine for you then you may as well stick with it, but if you run into issues have a look at the points I made above.
 
Thanks. I'm not expecting anything to access the F!B, only the ASUS - by wired connection - where everything currently hangs.

the fb has dhcp switched off. It's only broadcasting for my easy access for admin.
 
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What value are you getting from the Asus router? Will it work in a pure access point mode while the Fritzbox does all the routing stuff? That would be a preferable setup.
 
I'm getting 70 down, 18 up (wired in) - much as I was prior to the 'upgrade'.

If I set it up in AP mode - which I've tried, the F!B 'takes' over.

At least the current setup is stable and is not giving any concern at the Zen end, I'm inclined to leave as is - especially as it
works as I wanted. F!B is the gateway whilst the ASUS continues to run the LAN.
 
GeoffColl said:
F!B is the gateway whilst the ASUS continues to run the LAN.
Click to expand...
Not quite. You have 2 gateways here. The Asus is the gateway for stuff on the LAN and the Fritz!Box is the gateway for the Asus. Both devices are running as a NAT router so you have double NAT which is never ideal. Not how I'd connect things but if things are working as you want then all's good.
 
By gateway in this instance I meant it provided the WAN connection to the setup.

I am a complete novice when it comes to trying to sort two separate router/modems - this solution was
the only one I could get to work - There is little showing through Google search and neither Zen, nor ASUS, could
help.

I guess I've been lucky - if somewhat unorthodox according to your assessment.

There are no clients on the F!B (other than the ASUS router). All devices are controlled through the ASUS mesh.
The network printer is wified to the ASUS on 2.4 and yet PCs on 5 can still access.

It works - best leave unless there are serious security issues. It does mean I have two firewalls, one on the F!B and one on the ASUS.
 
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