RT31P2 Port Forwarding

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:24 pm Post subject:

PhotoJim wrote:

QoS is turned off by default in the V5 WRT54G, which could be part of the problem. Turn it on. Smile

Thanks, but no thanks. Ain't touching the V5. I've been loyal to Linksys for many years, but the introduction of the new V5 hardware has made me think long and hard about that brand loyalty.

QoS does seem to work better in the V5 than in the Vonage routers, of course, since it has a manual upstream setting. But the reports from people who have had V4 and prior hardware for years and ended up replacing it with V5 hardware are not pretty.

They have left the default idle connection timeout of five days, or at least they apparently have, which ruins it for BitTorrent junkies like me. And the only way to change it is to load aftermarket firmware which gives you control of the operating system and gives you features like static DHCP, more refined transmission power controls, site survey tools, etc etc. V5 hardware does not support aftermarket firmware, though, since they cut the memory in half and loaded the closed-source VxWorks operating system.

They have brought back Linux in the form of the WRTSL54GS, which is a promising new product that still has open source firmware available, and the modding community has started to play with that box with good results so far. Pretty pricey, though, at $100+, but if the aftermarket lads can get it working to the hardware's full potential it may be worth the cost.

Posts: 16 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jan 31, 2006 Posts: 16

is there any model that I can just....plug and play with good settings?

Very Happy

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:29 am Post subject:

scythetlep wrote:

is there any model that I can just....plug and play with good settings?

Very Happy

The problem with QoS is that:

1. It has to know upstream, or it is useless. So you have to at least review what the router got for upstream bandwidth and be prepared to adjust it if necessary. With many routers (like the Vonage units) that is not possible, so the "plug and play" works against you.

2. It has to know what is important to you. So it will require SOME configuration, at least, so it knows which device your Voip adapter is so that gets priority, etc.

There ARE, supposedly, traffic shapers (QoS only boxes) that go in line between your modem and your primary router that supposedly are preconfigured for Voip. A couple of older threads around here mention them.

I have no experience with them, and I think they'd suffer from the same issues the Vonage QoS does - without a way to verify and adjust the settings, you end up with nothing. Even if they work perfectly out of the box, I think they tend to be too pricey for a simple traffic shaper when you can get a full blown router for about the same money.

If you do find a good traffic shaper, and it works well for you, please do post a review of it.

Posts: 16 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jan 31, 2006 Posts: 16

Your response --[ ]

My head ----------[ ]

><

I can do a little reconfiguring if someone helps or if there's a visual walkthrough for the settings, but I am pretty poor so I just want to be able to get the right thing the first time you know ? =]

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:09 pm Post subject:

Here is a little tutorial on how QoS works, if it helps.

http://vonage.nmhoy.net/qos.html

To "shape" traffic, the router needs to know how much data can go upstream at one time. If it guesses this number wrong, it can make QoS either useless or harmful.

Then, once it knows that, it needs to know what is important to you (what you want prioritized). So you have to tell it what is important, usually by telling it which devices are important (by using MAC address).

Posts: 1389 · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:10 pm Post subject:

Darn that Natehoy is smart...
Once I got my Qos settings tweaked it does make a world of difference. It may take some changing of the settings and a bit of frustration on your part, but it is worth it.

Posts: 16 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jan 31, 2006 Posts: 16

So just to recap a bit, there is no way to get the password for my RT31P2?

I have tried the admin combinations I previously mentioned. I also tried to hold the reset button for 30 whole seconds and then tried again.

I just really don't want to pay for another router you know ><

Thanks again

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:13 pm Post subject:

The main web page/configuration password should default as "admin"/"admin", or you can call Vonage CS and they'll probably be able to reset it for you.

Posts: 16 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jan 31, 2006 Posts: 16

I'm sorry, truly.

What is vonage's number? I tried 1-800-4-Vonage and that is just an answering machine (9am PST, Wednesday).

Or should I leave a message on there?

Thanks Eek

Posts: 60 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 60

1-Vonage-Help