Voice dropouts (outgoing audio loss) with Vonage. Ideas?

Posts: 8 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 16, 2006 Posts: 8

I ran the Voip Speed test, spoke with Vonage a few times-they adjusted buffer and packet size. Long story short PAP2 router using RoadRunner 160ms latency to Boston and back. Linksys router WRT54GS version 4 with lasted firmware.

PAP2 connected to Port 1 of WRT54GS Linksys Router.
PAP2 is in DMZ zone of router per Vonage instructions.
When there is audio loss it is on the other persons end-they cannot hear me at all for 5-15 seconds. Happens about 3 times a day.

Router is locked down by Mac addresses. Get audio dropouts (on other end of phone) even if no one is using a PC in my home. Wireless is ONLY used for TIVO connection (Tivo connects so infrequently), roommates laptop which is only used 1 hour a day when she turns it on, and I do have a Range Extender.
So a wireless signal is being put out of course but not sure if this is really taking away from Vonage bandwidth since it is not like someone is always using the signal.

I have the bandwidth saver set to lowest setting on Vonage Config website.

I only have one PC hooked up and left on (directly connected) to Linksys Router. It sits idle unless I am using it.

Router is locked by MAC address for access.

Last night I tried the following but do not have results yet to see if it may have helped:
-Shut off the SP1 Intrusion Detection on the router-read it might help on a Vonage posting here.
-Made Port 1 for PAP2 have the highest priority on Linksys router. Also made PAP2 MAC address have the highest priority.

So that is about all.
Overall I think it is a latency issue with my ISP of which there is little I can do.

I even tried RoadRunners "gamers" version (for $20 more a month) to provide greater upload and download speeds for a month. Still did not solve audio dropouts.

Tried the Hawking band of the attached link with no luck. Not sure if this DLINK model would help or not-I assume not.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VU7GC/103-4741823-4248636?v=glance&n=172282

Tests:
http://speedtest.vonage.com/
Upload: 374kbs
Download: 492Mbps

Here is the http://www.testyourvoip.com/ Voip test T-O- Boston and back to Charlotte (with preserve speech quality option)

Score 4.4
Signaling Quality
Post-Dial Delay 63 ms
Call Setup Time 63 ms
Media Delay 172 ms

MOS Analysis From You TO Boston

Media Quality MOS 4.3 / 5.0
(Best with G.711 is 4.4)

Degradation Sources
Codec 0.58 82.6%
Latency 0.00 0.0%
Packet Discards 0.12 17.4%
Packet Loss 0.00 0.0%

Codec G.711 (PCM at 64kbps,
20ms RTP payload,
80kbps IP BW)

Round-Trip Latency 108 ms
Packet Discards 0.5%
Packet Loss 0.0%

Loss Periods Min: 20 ms
Avg: 20 ms
Max: 20 ms
Random Loss

Thanks so much
Peter
pcumming@yahoo.com

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

shutting off SPI should definitely help. Since Vonage sends tons of packets most SPI firwalls veiw this as a DoS attack and kill the stream. At very least the slow up packets inorder to inspect them.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Feb 11, 2006 Posts: 1

How do you shut off sp1? Why is this a fix for outgoing problems when the firewall should just affect incoming signals?