Prob. just begun: I can hear caller, but caller cant hear me

Posts: 18 · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:47 pm Post subject:

Did this solution help anybody else? It won't work for me since I have a WRTP54G and have the problem.

Where's Vonage?

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 12, 2005 Posts: 3

I'll chime in here and say that this exact problem started for me about two weeks ago. I have Comcast cable in the Chicago area, with a D-Link DCM-202 cable modem->Linksys WRT54GS router->Linksys RT31P2 phone adapter.

Initially, according to Vonage's directions, the phone adapter was after the cable modem (for QoS purposes). However, after this problem arrived, I revisited Vonage's site and they now suggest cable modem->router->phone adapter. So I switched to this sequence. I also upgraded firmware for the WRT54GS router, which added a new (better) QoS feature, which gives priority to LAN port 1, which the phone adapter is plugged into. In short, I am following Vonage's directions and everything is current and up to date. High-Speed internet download speeds of 3700 Kbps and upload speeds of 363 Kbps (Comcast states the max upload speeds in my area are 380 Kbps).

I have an appointment for Comcast to come out on Saturday. They pinged my cable modem and said the return signal was a little weak. I'm hoping that's the problem.

HOWEVER, add to this that my sister-in-law called last night. Apparently, she left 2 voicemails on Sunday, neither of which showed up in our voicemail. I look at our call log on Vonage's site and it shows two calls went to voicemail, but no message is there to download and no message indicator ever showed up on the caller ID box.

I find it hard to believe it's an ISP problem, though, since so many of us from different parts of the country with different gear are having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!!!

Vonage needs to enter the fray, here, especially since NOBODY can ever get through to your phone customer service!!!

Dan

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 3

With the Linksys WRTP54G, tell tech support that you need the firmware upgraded to 1.00.37. The router ships with 1.00.18 by default. It was very frustrating getting this resolved with the numerous levels of tech support. This update seems to be hard to find, even for them. It's not even listed on Linksys' download page. Tell them to reference Ticket Number 2311235, if it will help. It seems that helpful techs are also hard to come by.

I could receive incoming calls no problem, but when I placed outgoing calls, the other party's phone would ring, but all I heard on my end was silence and occasional beeps. Also, DHCP seemed to just quit working about once a day, apparently for no reason at all, requiring the router to be restarted.

I think it would be much more helpful if Vonage allowed customers to log their own tickets over the web, after guiding them through a problem/resolution wizard, rather than having "have you restarted, checked upload speed, broken phone, etc" repeated over and over. I know it would save a lot of time and resources (on both sides) and result in less frayed nerves.

<rant>
Day #1: It was very had to find anyone that could help. I was on hold for an hour, on my cell phone, just to log a trouble ticket! I was supposed to get a call back that afternoon. They never called, and there's nothing I hate worse than being forced to wait around for a phone call.

Day #2: The next day I called back, trying my best not to blow up at the 1st-level support woman. After more on-hold time, I finally found my technician who assured me that my firmware was upgraded, and I should be good to go. The firmware was never updated. Since contacting a live technician was so hard, I decided to try the email route, only to get an automated useless response over a day later. Why does it take over a day to send an automated response???

Day #3: (yesterday, their final chance before the box gets punted back to Best Buy), I found a tech that was finally able to help, after repeating the problem over and over to 5 different people (Isn't that the purpose of a Trouble Ticket?). After everyone insisting 1) my upload speed was too slow 2) my firmware was already flashed and I'm crazy to think it wasn't and 3) it must be a problem with my phone, he was actually able to help after I insisted hard enough that none of these were the root cause. There was a little bit of a language barrier, but it wasn't too bad.
</rant>

I don't know why it was so hard to get this update. In Vonage's defense, it seemed to be a problem with the Linksys router not being ready for prime time, and not the Voip service itself. I never needed to touch my old linksys router. It happily hummed along virtually untouched for over 5 years. So, I'm not sure why they would have rushed an inferior product out door.

BUT, everything's been working 100% for about 18 hours now, and I love it. The Vonage service and features are great, and the router finally seems to be happy.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 12, 2005 Posts: 3

Jasonbuck,

I'm not sure if you were referring to me, but I don't have the WRTP54G router, I have the WRT54GS router (my phone adapter is physically separate - RT31P2). I have also upgraded the router with Linksys' latest firmware.

So, your solution is not applicable to me.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 12, 2005 Posts: 3

Okay, while I'm not sure I can finally put this issue to rest, I do have to eat a little crow here.
Just to make sure, I had Comcast out to check my line. Had a good tech who checked all my connectors and splitters. After replacing the connector at their box, a splitter in the attic, and then another splitter just before my cable modem (a tap splitter; one goes to the modem, another takes a "tap" for my TV capture card).
In the end, the signal is 12 dB better at my modem!!! (by his measurement). He was disgusted the tech who installed our broadband originally had not checked all these things.

So far no problems with our phone since he replaced all these parts.

Dan

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 03, 2005 Posts: 1

danieljoel wrote:

Okay, while I'm not sure I can finally put this issue to rest, I do have to eat a little crow here.
Just to make sure, I had Comcast out to check my line. Had a good tech who checked all my connectors and splitters. After replacing the connector at their box, a splitter in the attic, and then another splitter just before my cable modem (a tap splitter; one goes to the modem, another takes a "tap" for my TV capture card).
In the end, the signal is 12 dB better at my modem!!! (by his measurement). He was disgusted the tech who installed our broadband originally had not checked all these things.

So far no problems with our phone since he replaced all these parts.

Dan

But does that mean the connectors just failed out-of-the-blue? Did you add a splitter and then immediately notice the Voip problem?

You could try a test - put one of the "defective" splitters back on and see if the problem comes back. Swap again and see if it's fixed....

Does Vonage have minimum signal-strength requirements?

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Oct 05, 2005 Posts: 1

Bump for exact problem in NC with Adelphia.

Posts: 533 · Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 6:58 pm Post subject:

I'm seeing the exact problem as well. Started around the beginning of October. There is no way we're all having network problems all the sudden.

RPT300 - 1.00.52 firmware.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 21, 2005 Posts: 1

We have had Vonage service for over 3 years with no problems whatsoever...

Have the original Cisco (not Linksys) voice box they shipped us back then.

This same problem with muting of callers is also happening to us.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 18, 2005 Posts: 1

I have had Vonage now since the end of 2000, and a long time ago I did have the same exact problem. I would make/receive a call, and after a little while (it would always be a different amount of time) the other person would not hear me at all, even though I heard everything.

I use Optimum Online in CT, and had a cable modem since Jan 2000 (I think it was an 3Com) and the problem was the modem. I had read (after searching) a while ago that some people had cable modems that would just drop packets (or something like that) very quickly and it would completely disrupt the call, even though the Vonage box still maintained a "connection". Anyway, I replaced the cable modem with a new webstar DPC2100 and have never had another problem since then. That was all I changed and the problem went away.

Hope that helps someone...