SIP - One way audio troubleshooting

[Rob E]

Issue - When making a SIP call using Cisco Jabber on my work Mac or my android phone, I can hear but the far side can't hear me.

Current configuration -
AT&T Pace 5268AC >> Asus AC68 (v384.15) >> wifi >> work Macbook and android phone running Jabber

Have the Pace configured to put the Asus into DMZ Plus mode
Tried wired and wireless. Tried NAT passthrough settings on the Asus for SIP - enabled, disabled, enabled with helper.

Wired connection directly to the Pace device resolves the issue so I'm assuming I either have something configured incorrectly or there's some weird bug/interaction going on. Any suggestions?

 

[JDB]

So you have double NAT?

In which case you will really struggle.

SIP struggles with NAT the best of times and the solutions definitely don’t account for double NAT.

Best option is to remove the double NAT by reconfiguring/replacing the AT&T into a bridge rather than a router.


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[SuperDuke]

Issue - When making a SIP call using Cisco Jabber on my work Mac or my android phone, I can hear but the far side can't hear me.

Current configuration -
AT&T Pace 5268AC >> Asus AC68 (v384.15) >> wifi >> work Macbook and android phone running Jabber

Have the Pace configured to put the Asus into DMZ Plus mode
Tried wired and wireless. Tried NAT passthrough settings on the Asus for SIP - enabled, disabled, enabled with helper.

Wired connection directly to the Pace device resolves the issue so I'm assuming I either have something configured incorrectly or there's some weird bug/interaction going on. Any suggestions?

Are you on Merlin firmware? I ran into this problem when I first migrated to the Obi200 on a VOIP service but back then I was only on a Airport Extreme. The only way I could get around it was opening ports that the service provider 'recommended'. Not the best option to be sure. Another thing to try is make sure your device (which in my case was an ATA), is given a static IP. In my research, that also helped.

When I bought my current AC3100, the issue went away right out of the box (stock firmware) and has only continued to work on Merlin.

Net net, unfortunately in my experience, this issue is related to UDP ports being restricted. You could always try to open the recommended one up to test and see.

 

[coxhaus]

You should not have to open ports. I am not saying it won't fix it but you should not have to open ports.

You might try turning off SIP ALG if you have it on.

 

[Rob E]

I'm using Asus Merlin on my device. I don't want to configure it with a double NAT, I'm just not sure what a better option is given my available hardware. The AT&T device is a pain and doesn't have an actual bridge mode as far as I can tell. I've gone through the settings and googled with zero luck.

Should I try to clone the mac of the Pace/AT&T device and connect directly to my Asus instead? Or is there another solution that I should try?

 

[JDB]

Google for modem options for your ISP/Service type (no idea if you have xDSL, cable etc?). Some are easy to find a bridge for, others are more tricky!
If you share what service you have I expect someone here will know what options you have.


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[Rob E]

Google for modem options for your ISP/Service type (no idea if you have xDSL, cable etc?). Some are easy to find a bridge for, others are more tricky!
If you share what service you have I expect someone here will know what options you have.


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AT&T U-Verse. I currently have a .2.X LAN setup with the Asus. The AT&T device is running .1.X and the only device on it is the Asus AC68 unless I connect a laptop directly to make config changes.

 

[JDB]

As far as I can tell DMZ plus is the best that you can do with the Pace. Which is still basically double NAT.
So either have to replace it (no idea how easy that is with your service) or faff about with port forwarding (not recommended) and/or SIP Client settings I’m afraid.

The only other thing you could do is install Entware and within that Asterisk on the Asus. Have Asterisk register out on the WAN side and create yourself an endpoint on the LAN side for your SIP Client. This way the outbound SIP will only have to traverse the NAT on the PACE.


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[SuperDuke]

AT&T U-Verse. I currently have a .2.X LAN setup with the Asus. The AT&T device is running .1.X and the only device on it is the Asus AC68 unless I connect a laptop directly to make config changes.

I would highly recommend bridging out your modem if you can find out how. There has to be a way. Once you find out how to log into it (say 192.168.1.0 or 192.168.100.0 perhaps)....then you can tinker.

I think alot of the issue you're having is probably with the modem settings...if you can cut that out and have your router do its job as intended, you'll probably find this issue goes away. Not sure how good (or bad) the ATT device is, but the router with Merlin and some add-on scripts can pretty much kick any of the stock modem functionality in the butt.

As discussed, port opening or forwarding isn't the best option, but if you google your service for one-way audio, I suspect you'll find on the FAQ page a range of ports that you could play with to see if this is actually the problem.

 

[Rob E]

I would highly recommend bridging out your modem if you can find out how. There has to be a way. Once you find out how to log into it (say 192.168.1.0 or 192.168.100.0 perhaps)....then you can tinker.

I think alot of the issue you're having is probably with the modem settings...if you can cut that out and have your router do its job as intended, you'll probably find this issue goes away. Not sure how good (or bad) the ATT device is, but the router with Merlin and some add-on scripts can pretty much kick any of the stock modem functionality in the butt.

As discussed, port opening or forwarding isn't the best option, but if you google your service for one-way audio, I suspect you'll find on the FAQ page a range of ports that you could play with to see if this is actually the problem.

I've gone over every configuration page repeatedly as well as googling it. The only option is the DMZ plus mode. My Asus does show my public WAN IP address now and everything except Jabber seems to work just fine. I am on video calls 5+ hours a day with no issues with other platforms. It's just Jabber that seems to be struggling.

 

[Rob E]

I guess I'll try cloning the MAC of the Pace next and see if I can make that work. Thanks all who tried to help!

 

[OzarkEdge]

Issue - When making a SIP call using Cisco Jabber on my work Mac or my android phone, I can hear but the far side can't hear me.

Current configuration -
AT&T Pace 5268AC >> Asus AC68 (v384.15) >> wifi >> work Macbook and android phone running Jabber

Have the Pace configured to put the Asus into DMZ Plus mode
Tried wired and wireless. Tried NAT passthrough settings on the Asus for SIP - enabled, disabled, enabled with helper.

Wired connection directly to the Pace device resolves the issue so I'm assuming I either have something configured incorrectly or there's some weird bug/interaction going on. Any suggestions?

Google has suggestions for "AT&T Pace 5268AC bridge mode setup".

This guy has some ideas to consider:

The problem feels like a routing issue with packets being dropped trying to traverse the two routers.

OE

 

[Deleted member 22229]

Unfortunately as your aware there is NO way to full bridge mode a ATT gateway. Also using your own router in router mode with DMZ or IP Pass is a double Nat can't be helped. Do you have the Fiber internet or Uverse DSL ? If you have fiber there are ways to bypass the gateway and take it out of line. You also could use your Asus router in AP mode that would solve the double Nat but may not be desired in your situation.

If your on Fiber all you need is a simple dumb switch and clone of the gateway mac address into your Asus router. Procedure is simple really.

 

[Rob E]

Google has suggestions for "AT&T Pace 5268AC bridge mode setup".

This guy has some ideas to consider:

The problem feels like a routing issue with packets being dropped trying to traverse the two routers.

OE

That's a great video, covered everything that I have tried so far. My Asus shows up in the firewall as open, etc.

@Kal-EL - it's U-Verse DSL unfortunately. I might end up switching providers based on this plus some other issues.

 

[Deleted member 22229]

Damn sorry to hear that. My ATT gateway has been in the closet collecting dust for quite some time. Good luck hope it works out for you.

 

[OzarkEdge]

it's U-Verse DSL unfortunately. I might end up switching providers based on this plus some other issues.

xDSL is what you use when you have no other option. Last mile voice-grade twisted-pair subscriber lines (landline phone) are problematic for high-speed data Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet service, and are falling into disrepair.

Switch to cable or fiber, if you can.

OE

 

[Rob E]

Did some price comparisons last night and going to switch back to Xfinity. I got a great deal from AT&T and Comcast was annoying me with their hoops you have to jump through to get good pricing. Now the AT&T deal is expired and they are the ones being stupid annoying. I hate chasing deals, just give me a reasonable price!

Anyway, wanted to say thank you all for helping confirm that I wasn't crazy and confirming that I'm screwed as long as I'm stuck with this Pace modem/router combo.

 

[heysoundude]

Last mile voice-grade twisted-pair subscriber lines (landline phone) are problematic for high-speed data Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet service, and are falling into disrepair.

My vDSL is rock solid; this may not be the case for all users, but 50/10 speeds are quite adequate for me...and probably the majority of people out there who aren't gamers or running servers at home.
This is true, the falling into disrepair part. Fortunately here in Canada we have 3rd party options to force the companies who own the copper to maintain that infrastructure to be able to profit from it, even while they are trying to build new, modern infrastructures (fibre and 5G wireless). The thing I'm enjoying the most during these unprecedented times is how important connectivity to an effective communication network is proving to be; the results will prove most interesting down the line of history.

 

[OzarkEdge]

My vDSL is rock solid; this may not be the case for all users, but 50/10 speeds are quite adequate for me...and probably the majority of people out there who aren't gamers or running servers at home.
This is true, the falling into disrepair part. Fortunately here in Canada we have 3rd party options to force the companies who own the copper to maintain that infrastructure to be able to profit from it, even while they are trying to build new, modern infrastructures (fibre and 5G wireless). The thing I'm enjoying the most during these unprecedented times is how important connectivity to an effective communication network is proving to be; the results will prove most interesting down the line of history.

The closer you are to the CO or fiber hub (less than 18,000 feet) the better the DSL, assuming the wiring is not coming undone all over your neighborhood and no noise sources are impacting your pair. DSL that works is ok... great if it's all you've got.

OE

 

[JDB]

My current property is only 500ft from the FTTC termination point and I got amazing VDSL service with 90/20mbps solid usable sync speed before
I got gigabit FTTH (via gov grant!).
My previous property was a good few thousand feet from the cabinet and was a nightmare, had 4 engineer visits before they finally got me a solid 40/10mbps connection. And this as stated is the problem, as soon as you have thousands of feet of wires to manage it’s very difficult to guarantee a decent service, some get it good and some suffer for months/years with minor, difficult to detect line faults giving them flakey service.


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