When 'called phone' hangs up ET does not.

ThomasAJ

OK so the called phone hangs up but ET keeps ticking away.

Don't care whose problem it is - I just want to understand what is going on and fix it.

pythonpoole

Hmm, I suppose this could be a firewall issue. It's possible that the signal from your provider to tell ET the call has ended was blocked by your firewall and never got through, thus keeping the connection active.

Make sure you run the network setup wizard in Express Talk. If it reports any problems, there is likely an issue with your firewall.

You should make sure your Router's firewall is set-up to open and forward the following ports to the computer running Express Talk:

UDP 5060

UDP 8000-16000

Unfortunately I can see why your provider is unwilling to refund you since most likely they were also charged for the calls while the connection stayed active. However if you really push them they may be willing to refund you some of the cost, i.e. so you essentially pay the wholesale rate they are charged (not uncommon for this to happen if you file a complaint).

I should point out that this is unusual behavior for ET and (for me anyway) calls disconnect as expected. Perhaps it is a minor incompatibility between the SIP format ET is expecting and that used by your provider (e.g. sometimes the provider decides to throw in extra messages or use incorrect formatting and such that should be ignored but ET may get confused leading to unexpected behavior.

ThomasAJ

OK so I ran the Network Wizard and it set up the 2 STUN servers. 'stun.softjoys.com' and 'stun1.faktortel.com.au'.

Now when I make a call I get the following messages - the call goes thru but ET will not auto-disconnect.

06:40:37 Initiated sip call to: 61404795165

06:40:38 STUN server failed: stun.softjoys.com

06:40:39 STUN server failed: stun1.faktortel.com.au

06:40:39 The internet connection could be down.

06:40:39 Check local firewall is not blocking UDP port 8000

06:40:39 Also check STUN settings or use different STUN servers.

06:40:39 Unable to auto-detect public IP. Using private IP

06:40:39 STUN server failed: stun1.faktortel.com.au

06:40:39 The internet connection could be down.

06:40:39 Check local firewall is not blocking UDP port 5060

06:40:39 Also check STUN settings or use different STUN servers.

06:40:39 Unable to auto-detect public IP. Using private IP

06:40:40 SIP Public IP is: 192.168.0.2:5060

06:40:40 SIP Number: 61390920596@192.168.0.2:5060

06:40:48 Call answered

06:41:06 Call has disconnected

ThomasAJ

Sorry forgot to mention:

No firewall on my PC nor on the Internet Connection Sharing PC (I am using ICS temporarily).

ThomasAJ

Also ET set up port 5070 during the install process but you mention 5060 - does it matter?

Still does not auto-disconnect.

pythonpoole

^ Yeah sorry about that, I meant 5070. It's just that the standard SIP port for most VoIP software seems to be 5060, I assume ET uses 5070 by default to avoid conflicts with other SIP devices on the network such as Axon.

06:40:38 STUN server failed: stun.softjoys.com

06:40:39 STUN server failed: stun1.faktortel.com.au

06:40:39 The internet connection could be down.

06:40:39 Check local firewall is not blocking UDP port 8000

06:40:39 Also check STUN settings or use different STUN servers.

06:40:39 Unable to auto-detect public IP. Using private IP

06:40:39 STUN server failed: stun1.faktortel.com.au

06:40:39 STUN server failed: stun1.faktortel.com.au

06:40:39 The internet connection could be down.

Also, this indicates Express Talk is blocked by some kind of firewall. Are you sure that there is no software firewall on your PC that could be causing this.

If by ICS you mean Internet Connection Sharing, it is likely that the bridge between your connection and the original sharing connection could be restricted, or even more likely that the original sharing connection itself has a firewall blocking the connection.

You can try setting Express Talk to use a static IP and ports you are sure are open, this should help eliminate the firewall issue and will probably also improve your call quality.

ThomasAJ

I have just checked and double-checked: On my PC I disconnected Norton's AV and on the PC with Internet Connection Sharing there is no firewall nor AV.

BTW what does "Unable to auto-detect public IP. Using private IP" mean?

pythonpoole

"Unable to auto-detect public IP. Using private IP" means Express Talk was blocked by a firewall and wasn't able to obtain your public IP address, so it's only choice is to identify itself by your internal LAN IP. In order to fix this the firewall must be turned off / ports must be opened OR you must specify your external IP address in Express Talk's network settings.

Also note that in most cases it is not the firewall on the PC (e.g. Norton) that blocks connections on your network.. it is almost always a router. Even if you don't realize it, often the modems or routers your ISP provides for you have built-in firewalls that restrict your connection. These are the firewalls that need to be adjusted to open ports for express talk. For more information on port forwarding your router see www.portforward.com and be sure to use the free manual guide.

ThomasAJ

OK I'll keep digging thanks.

Problem is that I'm using not using a router but "Internet Connection Sharing" (temporarily for a few mths) and have checked the "delivery of ICS PC" and cannot see any firewall.

Maybe ET has problems with ICS networks?

Anyway pythonpoole I filled the survey and noticed your logo at the end (Skorptec). So you're starting up a VOIP service I presume - I don't think you're going public (listing on the stock exchange) and laying cables - anyway all the best.

PS - did you develop ET and other related telephony products - if not then would you mind telling me who did.

pythonpoole

It's more likely the firewall is on the originating side of your ICS connection.

e.g. If you and a neighbour share a connection for example, just because there is no firewall between your neighbour and your house, doesn't mean your neighbour doesn't have a firewall on their router that is affecting you.

Thanks for filling out the survey, I appreciate it.

Also, you noted in the survey that high mobile phone costs are hurting your business. I know what you mean, I lived in Australia and I found the phone costs outrageous. Especially coming from North America where it is free to call mobile phones (unless they are out-of-area in which case they count as a normal long distance call).

Would you be interested in trialling out my VoIP service for your business' calls to mobiles?

Last time I checked, Telstra charged something like 50c/min for calls to mobiles.

What if I chopped that price down to about 17c/min USD? Let me know what you think.

As for ET, NCH Swift Sound (the Australian Company) developed the software. I'm just a beta tester who helps out (voluntarily) on these forums.

As for Scorptek, yes we will be providing VoIP services to the public eventually although there is still a lot of things to sort out first including a lot of major changes to how the whole system will function. As with most VoIP providers, Scorptek will manage the connection of calls through third-party carriers which will then route the calls over the internet to the appropriate exchanges (known as central offices/rate-centres in North America) where the call is then sent along the copper to the destination.

ThomasAJ

Telstra charge about 27c/min plus flag fall to non-Telstra and less to Telstra phones. I am on a 10.4c per minute 'test' plan but the VOIP provider is very bad. I have a 'dormant' 18c/min account and have started to use them. So sorry your rates would be too high. But I wish you the very best with your new service.

Anyway after switching to this VOIP most mobile calls are auto-disconnecting but landlines are not - go figure.

pythonpoole

Ah ok. Yeah most of my calls to mobiles were just short 1-2 min calls, and I guess it was the flag fall that made them cost around 55c/min on Telstra. Just for the record though I don't and won't charge flag falls/connection fees for the Scorptek service. Unfortunately the poor exchange rate at the moment between the USD and AUD is making it very difficult to lower the price much further, if it had been a few months ago I would have probably been able to give a rate of 18c AUD. Oh well, I guess that's what to expect in an economic crisis.

This behavior seems strange, and if indeed it acts one way for landlines and another way for mobiles, I'm almost positive this is an issue with the VoIP provider.

bones

I don't know whether this might be of interest to you - http://www.voipon.co.uk/faq/entry/9/25/

"The SMS Callback solution is ideal for business travellers. So long as you have a local mobile, you can use your VoIPon ID to make calls across the world without having to pay the mobile provider a single penny! As the diagram below illustrates, you simply send an SMS message containing the number you wish to contact to our SMS gateway."

Mario

No connection to the company, except as a satisfied customer.