Performance tuning with the a router and D-Link VTA

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 10, 2007 Posts: 4

I'm a new Vonage customer, and I just installed D-Link VTA. I have a cable modem (Road Runner), then a D-link wireless router. The Vonage D-link VTA is then connected to the router via ethernet cable, and then I have two PCs that connect via wireless.

Here are the results of my speed test:

Speed test statistics
---------------------
Download speed: 4669200 bps
Upload speed: 364848 bps
Quality of service: 90 %
Download test type: socket
Upload test type: socket
Maximum download pause: 112 ms
Average download pause: 3 ms
Minimum round trip time to server: 26 ms
Average round trip time to server: 93 ms

Voip test statistics
--------------------
Jitter: you --> server: 4.8 ms
Jitter: server --> you: 8.2 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: 6
Estimated MOS score: 3.9

The test results look pretty good, but no one else was on the internet at the time. I've made two calls. One with no one on the internet, and the quality was great. The other was with a P2P program uploading some files at the same time. For the second call, I could hear the person I was talking to no problem, but they had some problems hearing me. In their words, at times they were only getting one out of every three words.

With that second call in mind, I'm concerned about Vonage performance when there are others on the internet. Is there any performance tuning I can do, or at least some best practices in regards to network configuration?

Customer service for my wireless router informed me that there is no way to set one device or IP to have a higher priority than another, so that option is apparently out. They did tell me to open the ports listed here: http://www.vonage.com/help_knowledgeBase_article.php?category=45&article=89
Is that impoartant?

In addition, they said this:

Quote:

Some applications require multiple connections, such as Internet gaming, video conferencing, Internet telephony and others. These applications have difficulties working behind NAT (Network Address Translation). Configure special applications to allow access to these types of applications.

Then they went on to detail the steps to do this. Does this sound like something I should do?

I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 10, 2007 Posts: 4

OK, so I've been playing with my router, and I found that all ports are open for outgoing from my LAN to the internet by default. That would be why Vonage is working fine out of the box. Which means I just need to open incoming on 10000-20000 UDP, which is now done.

So what about what my router customer support had to say about Internet telephony requiring several connections, and having difficulty working behind a NAT? Is that true with Vonage?

Thanks!

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

The main issue is QoS. your wireless router apparently does not have that capability and therefore, when you have P2P software running which is very bandwidth intensive, your phone connection will get lower priority hence the lag in data packets resulting in choppy audio since those packets will get lost.

The only option is for you to get a good router like the wrt54g with aftermarket firmware like tomato and configure it so that your vta will get highest priority no matter what.

Of course, the unrealistic second option is to make sure that you do not have any p2p software running during a call.

This is one issue that I wish Vonage would make clear to people when they get the vta or the pap2 that they need a good router not just a router.

hope this helps.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 10, 2007 Posts: 4

Mundy, thanks for your response. Yes, my router does not support QoS. Sad

What about multiple connections and the NAT? Is that an issue with Vonage?

Thanks!

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

port forwarding might help though there are many here who say that they do no special configurations without any issues.

From the sounds of it, your router is not having any problems with the Vonage device except when you have your p2p going.

Posts: 323 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 323

I'll add a vote for a Linksys WRT54GL w/ Tomato firmware on it.

I got a Slingbox for Christmas and it was killing my Vonage service since they were both competing for upstream bandwidth. I had a Hawking HBB1 for QoS which had been working well, but it doesn't prioritize properly between Vonage and Slingbox. The phone was almost unusable when both were in use at the same time.

I setup the WRT54GL with Tomato 1.04 and gave the Vonage device the highest QoS setting and everything works great now.

I have to thank this forum for turning me on to Tomato.

Now if I can just get FIOS in my area to get more upstream for a reasonable price I'll be in business. (This will be a real trick since I live in Bell South Land Very Happy

)

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 27, 2006 Posts: 6

Get a Hawking Broadband Booster

Posts: 187 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Feb 14, 2007 Posts: 187

"opening ports" and port forwarding is NOT a perrformance related item. It's a work/not-work item.

If you can make/place calls and both parties can hear each other then there is no need to open/forward ports.

As plank said, get a Hawking HBB1. NewEgg.com has them for a good price. They have a better QoS mechanism than most routers.

Mark