Choppy / One-way / Dropped Audio

Posts: 8 · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:16 pm Post subject: Choppy / One-way / Dropped Audio

Fort Worth, TX
Charter Cable
Download speed: 4887960 bps
Upload speed: 491952 bps
Motorola SB5120
Linksys WRT54gs (firmware level: 4.71.1 upgraded 04/2006)
(Auto Config DHCP, Firewall-Enabled, VPN-Enabled, DMZ &
QoS-Disabled)
Vtech Vt8100-2 vt811 - added 2 more vt811

Motorola sb5120 ===>> Linksys WRT54GS Router ===>> PC, VT8100, Laptop for work, Wireless connect to Wifes Laptop connected in to the ports.

PC: Win XP Home SP2 with Norton Internet Security on it
Wife's Laptop: Win XP Home SP2 with Norton Anti Virus and Zone Alarm Firewall
Work Laptop: Win XP Pro SP2 with Norton Internet Client

Note: Wifes laptop is wireless all the time and work laptop is connected via cat 5 cable.

Choppy / One-way / Dropped Audio
First couple of months fine at the 3mg download, 256kps upload. Noticed choppy calls but no dropped audio or one way. After 3 1/2 months change to the 5mg download, 512kps upload and had no problems for the first couple of weeks except the choppy part. Then have noticed the one way and dropped audio issue and still choppy. At that time I was still using the old cable modem. Came out to Vonage forum and had seen where people had change their cable modems. Changed mine out to the Motorola sb5120 and all was fine for about a week and then it started to happen again with the dropped audio and one way. Havent seen any choppy part.

Voip Test from PC:
Speed test statistics
---------------------
Download speed: 4766032 bps
Upload speed: 492200 bps
Quality of service: 97 %
Download test type: socket
Upload test type: socket
Maximum download pause: 25 ms
Average download pause: 2 ms
Minimum round trip time to server: 46 ms
Average round trip time to server: 47 ms

Voip test statistics
--------------------
Jitter: you --> server: 3.5 ms
Jitter: server --> you: 8.7 ms
Packet loss: you --> server: 0.0 %
Packet loss: server --> you: 0.0 %
Packet discards: 0.0 %
Packets out of order: 0.0 %
Number of supported Voip lines: 8
Estimated MOS score: 3.9

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

I noticed a couple of things.

first, your test results are fine.
second, why did you disable qos on your WRT54gs?

I would enable it and see if that changes anything.

If this doesn't change anything, then consider disabling the firewall on your WRT54gs

Both of these changes might help get your choppy and one way audio issues solved. I do not see any issues with your ISP from your test results which leads me to believe that it's your configuration. It sounds like you have a lot of internet traffic on your network and Qos would be essential. The firewall might think that the repeated data to your vtech phones might be an attack etc.

Posts: 100 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jan 13, 2007 Posts: 100

are you experiencing intermittent internet issues?i suspect sb5120.we discussed it here quite few days before.the other thing is your router seems to be possesing spi firewall.so try setting call forwarding/dmz and set qos to favour Vonage device.

Jay Very Happy

Posts: 58 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jan 19, 2007 Posts: 58

check for the latest Firmware version in your wireless router.....if not try to upgrade it

Posts: 8 · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:15 am Post subject:

Change the qos to enable and things do seem to be ok. Have not noticed any dropped or one way. will see how things are on the choppy this thursday and friday when I work from home.

I am not sure but I think the qos setting is disabled as a default when I set up the linksys. Cant really remember since have had it for amost 2 years.

Latest firmware for this Linksys is what I have and as of today at linksys it is this.

WRT54GS v2- Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster
Firmware Date: 4/25/2006
Firmware Release Version: 4.71.1
Firmware File Size: 2.95 MB

thanks for the help

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

that's great! I don't understand why linksys would make the default disabled qos. who knows. i'm glad that it is helping so far. let us know if it is still giving you a headache.

Posts: 8 · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:51 pm Post subject:

Forgot to answer the part about intermittent internet connections. No I was not seeing any problems with the internet connection part at all over the whole time with Vonage. Just the choppy, audio, dropped call part.

Posts: 100 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jan 13, 2007 Posts: 100

for your info your router seem to have an spi firewall.try disabling it.

Jay Very Happy

Posts: 58 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jan 19, 2007 Posts: 58

As jayson mentioned most of these wireless router will be having the SPI Firewall on it try to disable it.......login to the router page goto advanced and disable it........check the packet loss by running the command ping -t www.yahoo.com in the Command prompt.......press Ctrl+C to stop the test.......let this test runs for 15 mins with Vonage as well as direct connection.........post the results