Help a newbie w/ RTP300 settings?

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 31, 2006 Posts: 2

I just started using Vonage w/ Comcast. It's been very disappointing so far. When the Voip router is not installed my internet and p2p speeds are superfast. The rtp300 slows my browser speed and internet games a bit, filedownloading is extremely bad, and phone calls are choppy.

Is there anything I can do to get this router to work better?
After reading through the forum, I'm seeing bad reviews of the router, especially for p2p. Would Vonage send me a better router to suit my needs or would I have to buy another one? If I have to buy a different router what would you recommend? I don't need wireless, just want my connection speed back and better voice quality.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:00 am Post subject:

Vonage does not make a router that supports P2P (BitTorrent, Kazaa, Limewire, etc).

Your best bet, since the RTP300 is a really excellent Vonage device, is to go out and purchase a good router to pair up with it. Any router with working QoS and good reviews on the P2P side would work.

If you've seen my posts before, you know I use and like the WRT54GL Linksys router. It's not cheap ($75), but is a really good router if you take a few minutes to load aftermarket software on it and get it configured properly (all covered in my "self help" guides below).

Hawking also makes a pure "VoIP optimization" box, but that won't help you very much with your P2P problems. You need QoS, and you need a router that can handle the load of P2P, and unfortunately the RTP300 has some poorly-chosen defaults that render it unable to handle P2P.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 31, 2006 Posts: 2

Thanks, Nate. After looking through your help pages I'm catching on now.

I'm looking for the routers and only finding the 54G and 54GS models. Are they pretty much the same as the GL? Looks like the local BestBuy has them. I'll try the GS and see what happens.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:06 am Post subject:

Linksys changed the WRT54G and WRT54GS router models in the past year. The new hardware, called "V5", does not support the aftermarket firmware that makes P2P work properly. It's based on a closed-source "VxWorks" operating system.

The WRT54GL is actually the "older", Linux-based WRT54G V4, with a new model number. It's the same router I've been using since about October (using the aftermarket firmware) with excellent results. Unfortunately, it's only available via mail-order (Amazon carries them, for example).

Posts: 277 · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:49 am Post subject:

NateHoy wrote:

Unfortunately, it's only available via mail-order (Amazon carries them, for example).

On the shelf at my local Frye's Computer store last week...

Posts: 135 · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:04 am Post subject:

I would also recommend going for the GL unless you can find a V4 or earlier G or GS model. I went out armed with a cheat sheet listing all for the serial number prefixes and scoured the shelves of Staples, Best Buy and Office Depot and managed to find a 54GS V4. I ran it for a couple of weeks with the stock firmware before flashing it with the Thibor firmware. I am extremely happy with this combo. It has been 100% reliable for Vonage even when I am running a fair amount of Bittorrent activity.