Calls drop at random & kill Internet connection at same

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:14 am Post subject:

zemok wrote:

So I checked the MAC address cloning and it was turned off. I've actually been able to make calls all day without a single hiccup. I am still suspicious about the BEFSR11 router and it's ability to keep up with Voip traffic levels. I'll be replacing it soon to see if removing it makes any difference.

If you are replacing it, I recommend one of two router lines:

WRT54GL / WRTSL54GS by Linksys:

Both of these routers take aftermarket firmware that makes them rival professional routers in featuresets and reliability. The WRTSL54GS has a faster processor and also features a USB port so it can act as a file server or (with aftermarket firmware) a print server or both.

The QoS for these units can be easily tuned to work very well for Vonage.

http://vonage.nmhoy.net/qos.html
http://vonage.nmhoy.net/wrt54gl.html
http://vonage.nmhoy.net/wrt54glqos.html

Hawking StreamEngine:

I have no personal experience with StreamEngine, but it has an automated QoS built in that many people have reported works well with Vonage. There are a few routers with this built in, or you can get the Hawking HBB1 which is just a Voip optimizer (not a router).

Posts: 13 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jun 25, 2006 Posts: 13

NateHoy,

Thanks for the suggestions. Ironically the wireless router that I have is the WRT54GL. I'll put that in place of the BEFSR11 and plug the Vonage adapter directly into it rather than into my workgroup switch. I'll let you know how things go. Thanks again for your help.

Posts: 13 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jun 25, 2006 Posts: 13

Just an update on my Vonage issues: I replaced the BEFSR11 with the WRT54GL, plugged the Vonage box into the built in switch port and setup QoS to give priority to that traffic. Since doing that I have not had an issue with Vonage service cutting out and shutting down my Internet connection. It appears that the BEFSR11 either had issues or couldn't handle the traffic load. So far the issues have not resurfaced. Thanks for everyone's suggestions on this issue.

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 6:17 pm Post subject: Re: update and results

zemok wrote:

Just an update on my Vonage issues: I replaced the BEFSR11 with the WRT54GL, plugged the Vonage box into the built in switch port and setup QoS to give priority to that traffic. Since doing that I have not had an issue with Vonage service cutting out and shutting down my Internet connection. It appears that the BEFSR11 either had issues or couldn't handle the traffic load. So far the issues have not resurfaced. Thanks for everyone's suggestions on this issue.

Thanks for posting a follow-up! Always good to know whether the suggestions worked or not, and it'll help future users with similar problems. Just curious, how old was the BEFSR11? I've had the BEFSR routers last for ~3-5 years before they start dropping random packets.

Posts: 13 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jun 25, 2006 Posts: 13

My BEFSR11 was about 3-4 years old. I really took a close look at what was happening when calls would drop and I noticed that the router diag light would flash red after a few minutes following the drop which indicated to me that it was resetting itself. I suppose more detailed troubleshooting would have revealed more of what was going on but the quick fix was to replace it (especially since I had just replaced the cable modem as well). I did see a slight increase in download speeds after taking it out of the loop. The wife hasn't complained about any further dropped calls so things must be working otherwise I would have heard about it by now.

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:39 am Post subject:

That's the same type of behavior my BEFSR's were doing prior to removing them (and then slinging them from the roof of a 10 story building). They were much more predictable after the drop. Now they drop 100% of the packets and there's no more guessing as to if they'll work or not.