I'm hoping someone can offer me some advice. I've been trialling the SipGate service with a PAP2 for the last couple of weeks but have some intermittant problems in what is otherwise is a fab service.

My problem is that although I can make and receive landline & mobile calls fine most of the time, I am sometimes getting 'outages' where the PAP2 has failed registration with SipGate. When this happens I get no dial tone, or a call that was trying to connect just fails.

I've configured the PAP2 as DMZ in my router, to eliminate possible port forwarding issues. Also STUN is configured as my NTL IP Address is not static.

I've also setup a syslog server to look at the debug output from the PAP2 and can see it is reporting failures to register every few hours, which takes it down for 30 secs or so.

Any ideas of how to diagnose ?

I have no problems here, but I have the following settings.........

Register Expires: 60
Proxy Fallback Intvl: 180

twin_decks

I like you have been trialling sipgate over the last few weeks. So I have a Linksys VOIP adapter with a DECT phone plugged into it. So far I have had one situation where I found the sipgate connection offline. I think something went wrong with my cable modem at this time though as my web access was down on my PC, so rebooted the modem and it came back up.

On one occasion I tried to make a call to a mobile and got a voice message saying I didn't have enough credit to make the call, even though I had a bout £9 on the account. I email sipgate help and they suggested it could just have been a server issue at their end and was likely a 1 off. Yesterday however, my Mum called and asked me to call her back (she was at work) So I tried to call the landline she was at. First time it connected, I could hear her, but she couldn't hear me. I tried to connect again about 4 times and it wouldn't connect, so loathingly I had to use my proper ntl landline

I have checked that my dial plan is working for different options such as local calls, national calls and have also worked out international (based on BexTechs dial plan )

I'm not sure what to do. I really want to get rid of my landline now, but due to calling issues am still a little reluctant. Am toying with getting a second phone to connect to the other line on my ATA and configure it for VOIPstunt, so if one service is down I can use the other, but am not convinced I want two phones sitting there.

May be I should try Bextechs settings below.

Bextech are you finding your sipgate service 100% OK? I must admit that the calls that work are great, even calling Australia has been fine! It could all be down to setup I suspect, just have to find the problem.

Let me know how you get on.

Cheers

John

I does sound like there could be a setup issue somewhere, maybe worth setting Sipgate to use G711a Codec as preferred codec and to use preferred codec only. Entering the STUN details on the SIP page.

I've not had any problems, but I only use Sipgate for receiving calls and for dialling freephone numbers - which I had to call yesterday and just a few minutes ago, and they have been fine.

Thanks for the comments guys.

I'll give the reg values a try.

I'm hoping it is just a configuration issue - although afraid it may be I'm expecting too much from the maturity of SipGate's service. SipGate support is taking a long time to reply to emails so it's not going very quickly.

I've configured for G711u only and entered STUN. I even ran a 24h ping test between my PC and sipgate.co.uk to look for networking issues during a registration failure, but found no issues.

I'm considering drayTel as a trial on my second line, the contingency is to try Vonage or Gradwell. (Sitaution a bit dodgy with Vonage as I've unlocked my Vonage PAP2...) At least then I may be able to decide if it is PAP2 or SipGate causing the issues.

Like you john, I'm finding most calls work and quality is outstanding. .. but to drop the BT line rental I need better availability though.

G711u is the USA standard, G711a is the rest of the world standard. UK landlines use G711a.

I have also made these setting changes. Will have to give it some time and some usage now! Will let you know how I get on.

I just got a message back from SipGate-Support to say they have identified and fixed the problem I was experiencing. - I had sent a syslog trace (debug output from the PAP2) showing the registration failure.

So I'll be giving SipGate more time on trial to see if this improves things.

John - Let me know how you get on also.

Sure will.

I'm looking into configuring the 2nd line on my ATA for the VOIP stunt service, a) so that I can utilise the free landline calls and b) so that I have another service to make calls on should sipgate be down for whatever reason.

This morning I have configured my ATA to connect to VOIP stunt on the second line. This has been online all morning though I don't have a phone connected to it yet. However, my sipgate connection has been up and down for about the past 4 hours, sometimes saying offline, other times saying can't connect to login server. Anyone else had troubles today?

No problems here, been on the Sipgate line for several hours today.

Looks like my router may have gone to sh!t now Can't get a connection on either line. For the last few hours I keep getting a message on the status page of :

"Router is synchronizing services Please wait a moment"

Both phone led's are flashing almost an SOS signal, I get 3 short flashes followed by two longer ones and then 3 short flashes again. Have rebooted over and over, and the cable modem. Web access is fine. Guess I will have to try and restore factory defaults and then probably contact linksys. I have not seen this kind of thing before.

Not good!!!

Reset to factory settings. No success. Re-flashed firmware and back in business. Checked lots of settings and I seem to be back on line with sipgate. I'll wait until I have a second phone before I play around with the 2nd line again I think

I'm still getting occasional "cannot connect to login server" in the status page on my router. Have been told by sipgate support that they are currently adding/upgrading their servers to cope with increased demand for their service. This should be completed in a week and may resolve some of my issues.

We shall see.......

We shall see..

It's possibly too late for me. This weekend I agreed with my wife to give them a last chance. Twice today I failed to make calls, each time the blue light had disappeared on my PAP2 (= reg failure). We do make lots of successful calls, but even 1% failure is too much for us.

Not wanting to give up on VoIP altogether I've joined gradwell (there are cheaper providers, but I'm in salvage the concpet mode). They are more expensive because there is a monthly charge (£4), BUT they are offering a free 3 month trial (only the 'rental' is free). Actually I'm already impressed, I could choose my own number for a charge, but actually was provided with a easy to remember one. I got it working in 5 mins from subscription..

I'll maybe retry SipGate after the 3 months, although changing numbers is not much fun for friends&family..

One interesting point when using Gradwells configuration guide, they recommend setting the make/receive calls without reg. I wonder what happens on Sipgate if there is a reg failure, perhaps you can still make calls ?

I had the following email from sipgate:


I have had a lot of problems with sipgate. I now use voipfone!

I have given up on sipgate now, after a spate of calls that were just disconnecting mid conversation. There's only so much the Mrs will put up with!

Have switched back to the ntl landline for the time being and will probably try and replace this, once a more reliable service can be found at no monthly cost.

I have kept the the voipstunt phone connected for the free land line calls though This alone is pretty reliable.

Strange, I have no problems.

Yeah, well it could of course be down to setup, but in general I had the same settings across voipstunt and sipgate, apart from the login details and other service specific things. I suspect, the problems were registration related, as I frequently got unable to login to registration server probs. Could of course be the router, but it seems to be fine with voipstunt as I say.

Ho-hum!

I gave up on SipGate too.

I now use Gradwell and it has a far faster call connects and no connection failures since first connection 3 weeks ago. I figure that maybe you can't expect a reliable service from pay-as-you-go (Gradwell has a £4 monthly charge - 3m free trial). My wife has no reservation about dropping BT with the quality of our service now.

My SipGate account is still active on Line2, out of interest I monitor whether they have fixed the reg failures (which I'm pretty sure is a server fault). It still disconnects 5-6 times a day. T

Hey twin_decks

I'm glad you posted some info on the Gradwell service, you have got me interested I got our ntl landline bill yesterday and this had a measly 4 calls on it for last month! To reduce line rental by £6.50 a month would be nice (free is better of course), so I might sign up for their 3 month free trial. It means another different phone number I suppose, but if it is reliable then that's great. Has anyone given you feedback on the quality of the calls at their end?

Cheers

John

I've given up on SipGate for a while (though hopefully not forever - especially as I have an amazing number with them!).

My DECT phone via a PAP2 with them always had a slow response. If I called any services (online banking, etc) that required me to use touch-tone commands were nigh on impossible with some tones not registering. There was often echos on the line, and the call quality wasn’t the best in the world. The biggest bugbear, however, was my DECT phone base making a “beep beep” every 30 seconds. If I master reset and reflashed the PAP2, then reconfigured it, the beeping would stop. It would then return (with no rhyme or reasoning that I could find) at some point, sometimes after days, sometimes after weeks and sometimes after minutes. No matter what I did, nothing would get rid of it until I did a master reset.

I then tried Freetalk, and to be honest I’ve been impressed. No beeping on my DECT phone. Good call quality. No slow responses when pressing keys on the phone. Touch-tone services work. I was then looking over Vonage, and decided to give them a go also. Using a PAP2, my Vonage service is in a different league to the SipGate service, and has far many more features than the Freetalk service. Like Freetalk, the call quality is excellent, touch-tone services work okay too.

I have been amazed by Vonage’s range of features, eg my mobile rings at the same time as my landline, so when I’m on the move I don’t have to miss a call (but equally, it’s not just forwarding so when I’m at home both will ring). There’s a load of other functions and I can see how easy it would be for a small business to use Vonage to provide all of their lines at multiple sites and use the service as a virtual PBX.

I’ve been surprised at how well Freetalk and Vonage work. Yes, I know they have had problems, but it’s an emerging technology. Hopefully SipGate will get their act together, as I really do believe in them as a company and admire the way they’re operating (eg lines free from line rental). Unfortunately I also need a reliable service, and so am more than happy to use Vonage/Freetalk. As an interesting side-note, although there’s not a huge difference in costs for the three services (SipGate £5.90 per month for 1,000 mins/Freetalk £6.99 per month unlimited/Vonage £7.99 per month unlimited), I think it’s the subscription charges that have allowed Freetalk and Vonage to build on their issues and expand their features. I think it goes without saying that SipGate will have less revenue by not forcing a subscription but still providing a service, and this ultimately may be holding back reliability/improvement.

Good luck to ‘em all though, and I look forward to being able to use SipGate reliably one day!

Hi John - More on Gradwell :

I've used it for a few international calls and both parties find it much better quality than a typical landline call. I've been canvassing family and friends on the quality of normal national calls, the opinion ranges from 'didn't realise it wasn't a normal phone' to 'a bit like a mobile phone but better'...

One thing to note, I had to adjust the gain of the line to eliminate echo and to get familiar audio levels. The defaults on my PAP2 were ok but not perfect. No trace of echo now.

The speed of connect is one of our best 'likes' about Gradwell compared to SipGate, it is almost as quick as a landline.

A question, with the Dial Plan you can map certain numbers so I was going to map 999 to something sensible, even if it was non-emegencies. My main fear is that in an emergency a visitor would not know the quirk of VoIP service. The Vonage service is one of the few that addresses this. Thoughts ?

twin_decks

Yeah, I have accounted for 999 in my dial plan already based on something that BexTech posted a while back. I just have 999 call the switchboard at my local police station. May not get quite such a quick request, but have two mobiles in my household for this anyway.

Later!

Hadn't looked at this thread for a while (actually I was looking for something else when I re-read it!) and found the common factors amusing:
- Lots of blokes on here trying to move over to VOIP to save money.
- Wives/girlfriends not convinced and arguing against it.

Which happens to be exactly the same as my situation! After a while with SIPGate I gave up and have started using Gradwell (very reliable although I think there is something in my router firmware that kicks the PAP2 in the shins every now and then) and more recently voip.co.uk.

Anyway, enough rambling. Two questions which I think people on this thread can help with:
1. I remember seeing on here a while back the settings to change the US busy tone/dead line/etc to UK ones, but can't find it now. Can anyone help with that?
2. Lots of comments on flashing the PAP2 firmware but I haven't found much on the web about that. Can anyone point me towards the supported firmwares and instructions on flashing it (doesn't seem to be as simple as a router).

Thanks!