modem>router>vonage - is connecting this way okay?

Posts: 85 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Mar 29, 2008 Posts: 85

If I connect these devices in this order, is it a bad idea?

Cable modem -> 4-port router -> Vonage V-Portal adapter

Will my phone connection suffer as a result?

Thanks! Smile

Posts: 174 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jun 12, 2006 Posts: 174

Nope, that is just how it should be. If you EXPERIENCE poor performance, post back with the details in the sticky and this forum can help you troubleshoot, but you've got the order right Smile

Posts: 85 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Mar 29, 2008 Posts: 85

rgnok wrote:

Nope, that is just how it should be. If you EXPERIENCE poor performance, post back with the details in the sticky and this forum can help you troubleshoot, but you've got the order right Smile

Thanks! but I thought the "correct" order was like this?
cable modem -> Vonage V-Portal -> 4-port router

Posts: 810 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Jun 08, 2007 Posts: 810

kiersten wrote:

rgnok wrote:

Nope, that is just how it should be. If you EXPERIENCE poor performance, post back with the details in the sticky and this forum can help you troubleshoot, but you've got the order right Smile

Thanks! but I thought the "correct" order was like this?
cable modem -> Vonage V-Portal -> 4-port router

You can do either. I favor putting my Vonage device before the router, others prefer the other way, after the router. The Vonage has a QOS setting that prioritizes voice, but if it is AFTER the router, does not really do anything and a PC on your network uploading torrents or somthing else like high bandwidth games (World Of Warcraft, etc) can take the bandwidth you need for voice.

Alternatively, some who like the router first set the QOS in their router to favor the Vonage device for the voice ports that it uses, and feel not having the Vonage device in line for all data to pass through it improves the rest of the network for other PC based applications.

Posts: 4751 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4751

ed56 wrote:

Alternatively, some who like the router first set the QOS in their router to favor the Vonage device for the voice ports that it uses, and feel not having the Vonage device in line for all data to pass through it improves the rest of the network for other PC based applications.

Absolutely right. The reason some people like to put the non-Vonage router first is concern that the Vonage device isn't robust enough to serve as a data "pass through" in demanding service. This has certainly been a valid concern in the past. The jury is still out on the V-portal. I sorta wish that people would all put the V-portal first until we see some evidence that it can't handle the load.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 293

no experience with the v-portal, but the few problems I've had all occured with the adapters before the routers. My experience has been the QOS on them has been iffy at best. Seriously, I think the best solution is a good third-party router with QOS in front of the adapter.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject:

Hey, Steve. You know I'm loaded to the gills with network gear and can monitor the heck out of it. I also load my network pretty heavily at times.

Send me up one of them there V-Portal thingies and I'll tell you what's what. (grin)

.... ah, well, it was worth a try. LOL.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:22 pm Post subject:

outerfire wrote:

no experience with the v-portal, but the few problems I've had all occured with the adapters before the routers. My experience has been the QOS on them has been iffy at best. Seriously, I think the best solution is a good third-party router with QOS in front of the adapter.

So far, I haven't heard a good, repeatable report from anyone on any of the adapters claiming that they can do functional QoS. It works for most people, frankly, because they don't put any overwhelming upstream load on their Internet connections while on the phone.

The V-Portal may be different, I don't know. But if it has functional QoS, as far as I know it would be the very first Vonage router/adapter to offer such a thing.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 293

NateHoy wrote:

So far, I haven't heard a good, repeatable report from anyone on any of the adapters claiming that they can do functional QoS. It works for most people, frankly, because they don't put any overwhelming upstream load on their Internet connections while on the phone.

The V-Portal may be different, I don't know. But if it has functional QoS, as far as I know it would be the very first Vonage router/adapter to offer such a thing.

Glad the Vonage adapters don't have it in just for me Very Happy

Of course, I don't have any of the latest and "greatest" adapters but I seriously started to believe that when I tried to use the functional QoS, it effectly had the opposite effect I wanted.

All I remember is the few occasions I tried the adapter first, I had more static, dropped calls, poor audio than I have had during the rest of the years with Vonage.

So I am curious about the functionality of the V-portal first. But like NateHoy, I'd be surprised if it were any different than the others.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:57 pm Post subject:

Dude, if you had any idea how much time, effort, and heartache I put into my WRTP54G trying to get stable BitTorrent connectivity and/or QoS out of that crappy, terrible, no good router (but GREAT Vonage device!), you'd play a little violin for me. Lol

Actually, I had so much trouble, I wanted to save it for others, so after finally coming to the conclusion that I had to spend 50 clams on a new router, I stayed here - the site that helped me so much - and paid it forward for about two years.

NateHoy's Rule #1: Vonage does not make a router worth a darn. Take some of that cash you are saving and buy a real router. Better yet, get a Vonage PAP2 and spend the savings on a real router, and just plan on that expense up front.

Exception: If you use your connection to do basic web surfing, email, etc, with no heavy-bandwidth applications or anything special, ignore my #1 rule - you won't be pushing your connection hard enough to cause problems with Vonage. You are the target market for the Vonage router, which is great.

I actually started answering the same question so many times over the years, I started my Self-Help guides. The "Two Router" article is actually somewhat applicable to this thread, in fact. Link is below, in my signature.

I don't have the time to help out as much any more, but the articles are still there, free for the reading, and referring to. It makes my little heart go pitter-pat when I see someone linking to one of my articles here. LOL.