Cannot make outgoing calls, incoming calls OK...

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 09, 2006 Posts: 1

Has anyone else experienced this problem: when we make outgoing calls, we get a dial tone but after dialing the number, all we get is silence (can't hear the phone ringing at the other end). The phone rings at the destination and when they pick up, they just hear silence.

Their phone line seems to get 'disconnected' for a few minutes after this happens - they can't make any outgoing calls and if I call them from a non-Vonage phone, we get their BT (or similar) voicemail that is at the exchange. After the exchange 'resets' their number, they can get our number by using 1471 and can call us back. When people call us on Vonage, everything is OK - audio works fine both ways.

I've been discussing this with Vonage on email (because I can't call their customer service number...) but they just suggest different ways to reboot the router and our ADSL modem.

Initially, this only happened with outbound calls to a few UK numbers but now we can't call UK numbers, Irish numbers, US numbers, ... Before we started having this problem, we had 12+ months of Vonage UK service with no problems.

Our setup/configuration is:

1. Location: Bangkok, Thailand with a Worcester number (01905) on Vonage UK
2. ISP: TRUE internet ADSL connection
3. Speeds: 2.5Mbps down, 512 bps up but international bandwidth is restricted in/out Thailand so we're lucky to see anything like that for international connections (see speed test results below)
4. Modem: SMC Barricade SMC7804WBRA ADSL Modem/ router/ wireless access point
5. Vonage adapter: Linksys RT31P2
6. Network: ADSL line > Barricade > Linksys (via wired connection). PC is connected to Barricade via wired connection and I also use the Barricade's WiFi connection for my laptop
7. Issues: See above - can't make outgoing calls
8. Speed test results:

Code:

Speed test statistics
---------------------
Download speed: 153192 bps
Upload speed: 424184 bps
Quality of service: 15 %
Download test type: socket
Upload test type: socket
Maximum download pause: 686 ms
Average download pause: 122 ms
Minimum round trip time to server: 361 ms
Average round trip time to server: 1364 ms

VoIP test statistics
--------------------
Jitter: you --> server: 9.4 ms
Jitter: server --> you: 0.0 ms
Packet loss: you --> server: 0.0 %
Packet loss: server --> you: 100.0 %
Packet discards: 0.0 %
Packets out of order: 0.0 %
Number of supported VoIP lines: 2
Estimated MOS score: 3.9

The speed test shows our QOS as very poor in this result but I've run the test a few times and in some cases it comes back good. The upload and download speeds also vary a lot when I run the test but I'm running it at a peak time in Thailand so congestion on the ADSL line or international gateway is probably causing that. The jitter also varies from 4ms to the 9.4ms shown here.

The problems with our Vonage connection occur at any time of day so I assume they are not related to the quality of the internet connection.

Thanks for any advice or help you can give!

Posts: 3

I have had similar problems since I started with Vonage. Despite numerous calls to their help desk, and endless tweaks which they have asked me to perform, the situation remains the same. Most of the time I cannot make calls: I get a dialling tone, the phone dials out..........then silence.

Once in a while the phone will work, but the next call reverts to the problem situation.

I'm about to pack up the Vonage adapter and cancel the service - for me it simply doesn't work in the UK. (I have Vonage in the US, which works fairly well).

Briggs46

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 9

I've just started to have exactly this problem - any feedback from Vonage on this?

Posts: 21 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 06, 2006 Posts: 21

Past couple of nights everything OK at the start but then although I was able to hear caller they were unable to hear me from Vonage line.
So they just hung up after telling me to get a decent phone system...
They were unable to hear my response
Emailed CS and awaiting response

Posts: 37 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 19, 2006 Posts: 37

dmac wrote:

Past couple of nights everything OK at the start but then although I was able to hear caller they were unable to hear me from Vonage line.
So they just hung up after telling me to get a decent phone system...
They were unable to hear my response
Emailed CS and awaiting response

I think you'll wait a long time and if they ever do get in touch it'll be to tell you to phone them. You'll then have a very low quality telephone call with a North American gentleman who won't be able to help you.

We're glad we kept our landlines. We've now diverted all incoming Vonage calls to the landlines so that we get the benefit of the area numbers we got from Vonage, but we get the quality of landlines. Unfortunately we still have to pay landline charges for outgoing calls, but at least our clients can understand what we're saying.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 01, 2005 Posts: 5

Same problem here ... 3com wireless ADSL modem 3crwdr101e-75
It can call cell phone #'s but can't call land lines or other vonage numbers!! weirdest thing in the world.
Have the typical case number opened with vonage support which has been escalated .. still waiting ...

Posts: 143 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: May 30, 2006 Posts: 143

have you guys tried swapping the phone ports? it usually resolves this issue.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 01, 2005 Posts: 5

stardust wrote:

have you guys tried swapping the phone ports? it usually resolves this issue.

Yep, vonage support had us try that .. same thing.