How to debug dropped calls...

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 09, 2005 Posts: 6

About one in seven of my phone calls is dropped, typically within the first few seconds of making or receiving a call. If I call again right away the same number, the call then tends to be stable for many minutes. If I download a file for several minutes while the phone is active (not the case for most of the times the calls are dropped), I have severe degradation of sound or even my download stops. I also get static when calling home from my office, not enough to blur the call but enough to be a nuisance. I have sent a request for help into Vonage but am guessing this Forum will be more effective.

My configuration: I have a Motorola SB4200 SURFboard cable modem (from Time Warner) which connects to a US Robotics 8054 wireless/router with up to three computers connected by ethernet and occasionally a laptop by wireless. I have a Linksys RTP300 voice modem from Vonage plugged into one of the US Robotics router ports, and I have a fourth computer plugged into one of the ethernet ports of the RTP300. My family is using Uniden Tru-8860 cordless phones and these phones are always used close to their base (close meaning within 10 feet or so). The Uniden phone bases are plugged into the house wiring, which is itself connected to the RTP300. (I had a professional come in to disconnect the phone from the outside and check that the internal lines were correctly wired, this is the same person who installed the wiring when our house was built and he seems to know what he is doing).

What steps can I take to check why calls are being dropped? Do I need a newer router that can do "QOS", which has been mentioned several times on this Forum?

Thanks,

Henry

Posts: 15 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jan 30, 2006 Posts: 15

The PAP2 has an option for a debug server and syslog ser4ver. Most unicies (solaris, linux, irix, hp-ux etc) come with something called syslogd. It's a system logging daemon used to log system and debug messages. I'm sure the RPT300 has an option for syslog and debug servers. Set up a unix machine with syslogd and have syslogd listen to other hosts (read man page) and ask Vonage nicely to put the ip address of your syslogd box into the RPT300's debug and syslog sections. It works with the PAP2.

Posts: 4777 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4777

hsg7 wrote:

What steps can I take to check why calls are being dropped? Do I need a newer router that can do "QOS", which has been mentioned several times on this Forum?

Start by running a test at www.testyourvoip.com . If you'd like people here to help you with the diagnosis, post this and the other data listed in the sticky at the top of the forum. Also read the information you'll find at http://vonage.nmhoy.net/packetloss.html . Issues that result in choppy audio can also be involved in dropped calls.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 09, 2005 Posts: 6

I ran the diagnostic http://www.testyourvoip.com/ with a call to Boston and got a score of 4.4, better than "as good as a decent cell phone" but less than "Like calling next door". I included the detaile dresults at the end of this message.

I am using Time-Warner Road Runner TV cable in Chapel Hill, NC. The cable modem is a Motorola SB4200 Surfboard modem, perhaps three years old now. Download speed is 5.0 Mbps, upload speed is 384 kbps.

The Vonage modem is a Linksys RTP300 with default parameters.

I am using a US Robotics USR 8054 wireless/router. The modem connects to this router and the Vonage modem connects to one of the ethernet ports of the router. I have three computers connected to the ethernet ports of the 8054 and one computer connected to an ethernet port of the Vonage modem. The computers are lightly used in terms of bandwidth, modest amounts of surfing but rarely any large uploads or downloads.

I am using wireless 5.8 GHz phones, the Uniden Tru 8860 model. Their bases are plugged into the house phone wiring and the house wiring itself is plugged into the Vonage modem. I had a professional disconnect the land lines and make sure the house lines were connected correctly to the Vonage modem.

Main symptoms:
- About one in seven calls drops, i.e., I can hear the person on the remote end but that person suddenly can't hear me.
- Substantial noise from time to time on the phone line, especially when I call home from some other phone.

Here are the details of the Boston call:
Media Quality
MOS
4.4 / 5.0
(Best with G.711 is 4.4)

Degradation Sources
Codec 0.58 93.0%
Latency 0.00 0.0%
Packet Discards 0.04 7.0%
Packet Loss 0.00 0.0%
Codec G.711 (PCM at 64kbps,
20ms RTP payload,
80kbps IP BW)
Round-Trip
Latency 113 ms
Packet Discards 0.3%
Packet Loss 0.0%
Loss Periods
Min: 20 ms
Avg: 20 ms
Max: 20 ms
Random Loss
Jitter
Min: 0 ms
Avg: 6 ms
Max: 31 ms
Signaling Quality
Post-Dial Delay 79 ms
Call Setup Time 79 ms
Media Delay 204 ms

MOS Analysis FROM Boston To You
MOS analysis chart
Media Quality
MOS
4.4 / 5.0
(Best with G.711 is 4.4)

Degradation Sources
Codec 0.58 100.0%
Latency 0.00 0.0%
Packet Discards 0.00 0.0%
Packet Loss 0.00 0.0%
Codec G.711 (PCM at 64kbps,
20ms RTP payload,
80kbps IP BW)
Round-Trip
Latency 113 ms
Packet Discards 0.0%
Packet Loss 0.0%
Loss Periods
Min: 0 ms
Avg: 0 ms
Max: 0 ms
No Loss
Jitter
Min: 4 ms
Avg: 6 ms
Max: 27 ms
Signaling Quality
Post-Pickup Delay 90 ms
Call Setup Time 92 ms
Media Delay 123 ms