help adding a 3rd phone line

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 2

Doesn't putting the Vonage device after the router eliminate the QoS function of the Vonage device? If I were to put 2 phone adapters into 2 of my router's ethernet ports and connect another 2-4 computers to the router, how could I prevent heavy downloading on the computers from eating into the bandwidth necessary for an active phone call?

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 10:15 am Post subject:

Yes, it does disable the "QoS" on the Vonage device(s) on his network. Given the quality of that QoS on the RTP300/WRTP54G (unless yours is FAR better than mine at determining upstream bandwidth), that's not exactly what I'd call a tragic loss. Wink

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

In fact, honestly, I'd go as far as to say that most people would be better served turning OFF the QoS in the WRTP54G/RTP300. I imagine most of the Vonage routers are in the same boat - not much good at determining upstream bandwidth, and no way to override it. For some connections, the router may be able to calculate upstream properly and compensate. My WRTP54G has been on two ISP connections so far with VERY poor QoS results.

On the other hand, the gentleman who started this thread is now replacing the Vonage QoS with one that actually works. The native Linksys WRT54G actually has solid, working QoS if you configure the upstream bandwidth properly and put the MAC address of any Vonage devices you have in the QoS table and set them to HIGHEST.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 10:24 am Post subject:

Peps wrote:

f I were to put 2 phone adapters into 2 of my router's ethernet ports and connect another 2-4 computers to the router, how could I prevent heavy downloading on the computers from eating into the bandwidth necessary for an active phone call?

To address your actual question (sorry)...

You'd use QoS in whatever router was your primary router, and you'd take the MAC addresses of both Vonage routers and set them to HIGHEST or PREMIUM in QoS so they get highest priority. Given that the Vonage routers even lack MAC address QoS prioritization, they can only help themselves on QoS, not any other Vonage devices downstream of them, and as I've said before - even THAT doesn't work right.

Then, whenever the Vonage lines were active, they would get priority on any upstream communications.

As far as "downloading", understand that QoS only works outbound (see the article I posted in my last post). So you really can't do a lot about applications that are downloading - your ISP will send or discard packets at their discretion. If you have constrained download bandwidth and incoming voice quality issues, your best bet is to throttle download applications using their built in tools, if any, or hold off on huge downloads while on the Vonage line.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 2

Thanks for the helpful info. I'm going to do some research on the QoS features of broadband routers and get a new one before adding more phones.

Thanks again,
Peps