Dropped calls. Do I need Firmware upgrade to LinkSys WRTP54G

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Oct 04, 2006 Posts: 3

Hello,

1. Location: New York
2. ISP: Time Warner (earthlink) Cable
3. Upload: ~900kbps and download ~4Mbs
4. Modem: Motorolla SFB4200
5. Vonage adapter: LinkSys WRTP54G (Firmware Version: 1.00.20 )
6. Setup: CableModem---->LinkSys WRTP54G-->Phone & PCs
7. Issue: Dropped calls, no call waiting shows up while phone is being used...seems like calls are dropped when another call comes in while first caller is still on. What happens is that first call gets dropped and service becomes unavailable and I have to reboot the whole system. Been going on for several days. Called Vonage customer service but they're no help. I'm able to repeat the scenario using my two cell phones. Call from cell-1 and start talking as soon as I call from cell-2 first call gets dropped and no more service, it meses up the whole network, that is to say not even internet service untill I reboot the Vonage adaptor linkSys WRTP54G.

I checked this forum and it seems like my WRTP54G router needs a firmware upgrade (current version is 1.00.20 ) and that might solve the problem...But Vonage customer service does not understand english I guess...How do I get the latest firmware version for the LinkSys router WRTP54G?

8. Voip Test result:
Speed test statistics
---------------------
Download speed: 4882008 bps
Upload speed: 972000 bps
Quality of service: 96 %
Download test type: socket
Upload test type: socket
Maximum download pause: 20 ms
Average download pause: 7 ms
Minimum round trip time to server: 24 ms
Average round trip time to server: 52 ms

Voip test statistics
--------------------
Jitter: you --> server: 5.1 ms
Jitter: server --> you: 1557.9 ms
Packet loss: you --> server: 0.0 %
Packet loss: server --> you: 68.1 %
Packet discards: 0.0 %
Packets out of order: 0.0 %
Number of supported Voip lines: 16
Estimated MOS score: 2.9

Thanks.

Posts: 3

Yes, you definitely need a firmware update. There is bit more involved than simply downloading the file and updating. You may find the instructions online, but i suggest you contact Vonage customer support. State that your WRT is dropping calls and still has the old firmware and that all you need is the firmware update and to be transferred to Advanced Service in NJ.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Oct 04, 2006 Posts: 3

Thanks Ziatonic...When I called Vonage customer support and asked for firmware upgrade, they had no clue what I was talking about...

I emailed them and they replied with a canned response which also said "...We checked your device properties and could see that your device is running with latest firmware. Whenever a new firmware is available, it will be automatically updated to your device and it doesn't require any manual process..."

My LinkSys WRTP54G router tells me that it is running firmware version: 1.00.20. Can anyone tell me what is the latest version for this router?

Posts: 881 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Nov 05, 2005 Posts: 881

I'm currently showing firmware version 1.00.62 for my WRTP54G. Contact customer support again and inform them that you DO NOT have the latest firmware for your Vonage/Linksys router.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:50 am Post subject:

This is a VERY common problem with the WRTP54G routers, and comes up every couple of months. Turn off the Wireless access point on the WRTP54G, and it should upgrade itself within a few hours. The WRTP54G does not have enough memory to do a firmware upgrade in some of the very old firmware versions (like 1.00.20), and turning off wireless frees up enough memory.

It comes up frequently enough that I wrote a self-help guide on it....

More details: http://vonage.nmhoy.net/upgrade.html

In case the upgrade does not happen automatically, the article above also has step-by-step instructions that will allow you to upgrade the firmware to version 1.00.62, which is the latest WRTP54G version I am aware of (and the version my WRTP54G is currently running).

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:56 am Post subject:

PS: Yes, your old firmware image COULD BE causing your dropped call issue. When I first got my WRTP54G, it was running 1.00.18 and refused to upgrade. Call waiting did not work, I had massive problems with the Vonage side of things. I was pretty irritated with Vonage at first.

An upgrade to 1.00.50 made things a lot better, and the subsequent upgrades have improved the Vonage side of the WRTP54G significantly. With my WRTP54G behind a better router that can do QoS, my Vonage line works just like a landline.

HOWEVER, I just looked at your packet loss and jitter rates, and I find them extremely scary. 60%+ packet loss is not acceptable for much of anything, much less a latency-intolerant application like Voip. And a jitter of over a second could EASILY cause a dropped call, since the Vonage server would assume you hung up.

Get the firmware upgrade done (since it is really simple), then retest. If the problem persists, you may need to talk to your ISP about those numbers.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Oct 04, 2006 Posts: 3

Thank you for the all help guys.

Firmware on my LinkSys WRTP54G was the culprit...After the upgrade from 1.00.20 I'm running 1.00.62 and Vonage works like it was supposed to.

One thing to remember is to disable your wireless on the router and reboot everything...I don't know why Vonage Customer Service can't help you with such a simple thing.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Oct 21, 2006 Posts: 1

I had similar problems and updating to the 1.0.0.62 appeared to improve the WRTP54G performance for a day or two, but my problems returned and my average upload speeds were well under 100 Kbps, around an average of 57 Kbps.

When I bypassed the WRTP54G router and went directly to my D-Link DCM-201 cable modem, my upload rates would increase by 300% or better. If I used a WRT54G router (without a Vonage chip in it) and just plugged the WRTP54G router into the WRT54G router and only used the Vonage router for its phone feature without it wireless networking capabilities being on, my upload speeds increased like before.

So, I request Vonage to take back this second WRTP54G router (the previous one just crashed and wouldn't come back to life) and send me a D-Link VTA phone adapter instead for a replacement, they instead sent me a D-Link VWR router and my uploads went from 57 Kbps with the Linksys WRTP54G to over 480 Kbps with the D-Link VWR router feeding into my D-Link DCM-201 cable modem.

Now when I talk to people on the phone or leave voice messages on their answering machines, they say that I sound just like I was in the room with them.

Posts: 4777 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4777

That's good to know. We haven't had many positive reports about the D-link VWR.