OBiTALK Community

General Support => Day-to-Day Use => Topic started by: jjk99 on September 25, 2014, 01:36:27 PM

Title: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: jjk99 on September 25, 2014, 01:36:27 PM
I'm not sure how to describe this but my Obi 202 has updated firmware, is connected to google voice and works to make and receive calls.  However, sometime during most calls, it seems to blank out and the other party cannot hear me, nor can I hear them.   If I connect to my OOMA, no such issues.  What is recommended for troubleshooting this?  thank you
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: Lazer on December 01, 2014, 08:42:33 PM
I have the same problem with my 1032 from time to time.
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on December 03, 2014, 05:52:35 PM
I am also having this exact same problem.  I also have an OBI202 with updated firmware.  I am using the USB Wifi adapter for the internet connection.  But, it's within 15 feet of the Wifi router.

I am also looking for troubleshooting ideas.  I have seen the troubleshooting talking about intermittent choppiness.  But, that isn't what is happening here.  The "blank" time is somewhere between 5 and 15 seconds and happened multiple times.  There have been other instances where calls have been fine without the "blanking" effect.

I don't believe this is a packet priority issue.  If packet priority was a problem, it wouldn't last for 10+ seconds.  And, my house has many phones and/or computers that don't have problems with the internet connections.

I am going to start a ping test saved to a file on another computer to make sure the internet truly isn't the problem.  The next time it occurs, I can look at the ping output and verify if the internet connection was interrupted.

I'm also going to see if there are any logs on the OBI202 that might give me any clues.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide.  I'll be happy to try suggestions.

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on December 03, 2014, 06:00:15 PM
Looking at statistics, I see the following on the OBI202:

Under Status->SP Services Statistics

RTP Statistics
    Parameter Name   SP1 Service Status
    PacketsLost   2455

Don't know if this could have anything to do with the "blanking".  I've reset the statistics to see if this is normal.  I also see smaller numbers in the "overrun" and "underrun" stats.  But, those numbers seem to be too low to be related.  Looking online I see mentions of 50 packets per second for some RTP sessions.  I'm not sure what the OBI202 uses. 

My wife estimates that she had four instances across two calls this morning that were the following durations in seconds:  7 15 12 6

That's approximately 40 seconds which would be approximately 2000 lost packets at 50 packets per second.  That's not a long way off from the 2455 above.

If that is the root cause, the question would be is that an OBI202 problem or a Google Voice problem?  Or, could it be either?  And, how would one troubleshoot to be able to know? 

I was recently using a GVMate and never ran into this over maybe a year.  So, my gut says it's the OBI202.  Just how to prove it and is there a way to "fix" it?

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: SteveInWA on December 03, 2014, 07:24:37 PM
If you are experiencing intermittent call quality issues, I'd suggest testing the quality of your home internet connection.  Note that traditional speed tests, such as speedtest.net, are useless for this purpose, since VoIP call quality is influenced by jitter and brief dropouts, which wouldn't be a problem for web surfing or file streaming with buffering.

Try the VoIP G.711 codec test on this website, which simulates an actual VoIP "conversation":

http://myspeed.visualware.com/index.php

Run several tests, using different far-end destination servers.  If your MOS is below 4.0, then you've got a problem with your internet service.
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on December 03, 2014, 11:55:48 PM
SteveInWA,

Thanks for the tip.  I used to know about that site and had forgotten.

I ran the VOIP test 12 times choosing various sites.  Twice the test failed.  But, both times it was for the Staten Island location in New York.  The errors implied the site was down so I feel confident that this wasn't an issue on my side.

I did 5 tests using my HTPC that is wired to my provider's router.  I did 5 tests using a MAC wireless.  I placed the MAC behind a chair to simulate the same obstruction I have for the Obihai.  The MAC was within 3 feet of the Obihai. 

All 10 tests to sites that worked gave a MOS score of 4.2.  I use Verizon FIOS as my service provider.  I've used them on two occasions with Time Warner in the middle for a year.  The Verizon FIOS is MUCH better than Time Warner in terms of consistency and quality.  I feel like Verizon FIOS is the best internet I've ever had in terms of quality.  Of course, like you said before, I'm really not looking at it from a RTP VOIP perspective.  However, I was using the Obihai about a year ago when Google Voice announced the discontinuation of the XMPP.  This made me go out and buy a GVMate product as an alternative.  It works with GV in a very similar way (just not using XMPP).  I say similar from the standpoint of the GVMate providing the "bridge" between my home phones and GV.  When I saw that the Obihai was going to work again, I wanted to go back and try again.  But, now I'm thinking about going back to the GVMate.

The GVMate used this same Vzw FIOS internet for the past half a year or so.  And, before that worked with Time Warner.  I never had issues like this where chunks of between 5 seconds and 15 seconds of voice was being "dropped".  I say "dropped" because my perception is that the RTP stream just stopped for that period of time.  I don't know that for sure.  But, the stats above seem to imply this.

If it's the internet, it has to be from the Obihai to the FIOS router that is the issue.  The GVMate was in my HTPC (windows 7 PC with HDMI video card that plugs into a TV) that was directly plugged into the FIOS router.  So, there is still the possibility that the problem could be the wireless connection.

I've only had the Obihai reconnected for the last couple of days.  So, whatever the issue is, it has shown itself VERY quickly compared to the 6 months prior where nothing similar to this ever happened with the GVMate.

FYI, I chose to go away from the GVMate because it is hosted on my HTPC, and if I'm doing too much on the HTPC, the GVMate can get confused and need to be restarted.  Also, I can get 911 again with the Obihai using Anveo.

Still hoping to have a solution for this.

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: SteveInWA on December 04, 2014, 12:15:29 AM
Thanks for all the diagnostics and additional information.

One thing caught my eye:  you said:  "So, there is still the possibility that the problem could be the wireless connection."

Are you using the OBi with a ObiWiFi adapter?  If so, I'd suspect the WiFi connection, and use Ethernet instead.

As for comparison to the "GVMate", the better comparison would be to using a USB headset attached to a PC, running Google Hangouts.  If Hangouts works reliably, then that would point suspicion at the OBi.

As for FiOS, yes, I also have FiOS, and it's fantastic.  However, Verizon sold their business here in the Pacific Northwest to Frontier, and Frontier's backbone connections aren't as robust or outage-free as Verizon's, so we do have some occasional glitches.
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on December 16, 2018, 10:26:21 AM
Well, it's been YEARs.  And, I'm still fighting this issue.  It has been better from time to time.  But, it has never completely gone away.

It seems to have gotten worse over the last several months.  I suspect it's a firmware update that has made things worse.  My current firmware is now:

HardwareVersion   1.4
SoftwareVersion   3.2.2 (Build: 5921EX)

Up above, SteveInWA posted a link where I could test my VOIP capabilities.  But, that link is now dead.  Anyone have suggestions for a new place to test?  I'm hoping there is something really good that can help me here.  The old link was "http://myspeed.visualware.com/index.php".

I see with the firmware updates that I've lost some of my packet statistics. [UPDATE]: I think I just forgot where I was looking.  I found the stats I thought I was missing.

The frustrating thing about this issue is that calls will work great for 30 minutes at a time.  Then, there is some sort of change and the sound starts cutting out for 5 and sometimes 10 seconds.  That happens multiple times over maybe a 2 minute period.  Then, the call continues to work ok for a while before it happens again.

One of the things that had helped before was a couple of settings in the PHONE LINE areas.  To get to them from the ObiTALK dashboard:

- Click on your device name (for me Obi202),
 - Scroll to the bottom and click on the blue button "OBI Expert Configuration" (Click "Ok" on popup)
   - At top, click on blue button "Enter OBI Expert"
     - On left, click on the "
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on December 18, 2018, 12:07:37 AM
Calling from home using my Obi202 to my cell phone, I can refresh the SP Service Stats on the "Status" sub-menu over and over and see those stats change during a call.

When I hear the "blanking" or break up of my voice, I see "PacketsLost" and/or "Underruns" numbers increase.  While the call is doing fine, those numbers don't increase.  Usually when things go "bad", both numbers increase.

I also have my e911 service set up via Anveo.  I can dial '933' to test that service and I see packets being sent/received on SP2 (where Anveo is configured).  I have yet to see any "PacketsLost" or "Underruns" numbers (always 0) on SP2 while in a call to test e911.

However, I can sometimes go for several minutes without seeing the "blanking" on SP1 via GV.  So, I'm not 100% sure that the Anveo is always perfect.  But, so far, it has been perfect.

I would think if I swapped SP1 and SP2, that it wouldn't matter.  But, maybe that's not true?  Anyone know if something like "dropped" or "underrun" packets could be restricted to SP1?

I'll have to do some more testing to see if Anveo on SP2 ever shows "dropped" or "underun" packets.

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on December 25, 2018, 10:03:28 PM
So, I broke down and paid $10 for Obihai support for this issue.  So far, not much help.

They did update my firmware from the above values to:

HardwareVersion   1.4
SoftwareVersion   3.2.2 (Build: 5932EX)

It didn't help.  My first call seemed to provide some improvement.  I was getting the same number of "blank outs".  But, the length of the "blank outs" was shorter (all < 1 second).  But, I had a later call and the number of "blank outs" was 4 or 5 within the first minute.  And, most were more than 3 seconds with the longest being at least 5 seconds.

Support also suggested that I open up the recommended ports (both inbound and outbound).

This didn't make any sense to me.  I suspect they were just following a script.  Or, providing a more "general" answer without really reading or understanding my issue.

I really don't see how blocked ports could cause an intermittent issue like this where voice packets are being dropped or having underruns AFTER the RTP connection (the part where I believe the ports matter) has already successfully occurred.  Maybe I'm just not understanding something here.  But, my 30+ years of working in an industry doing network programming and support tells me that this isn't the issue.

I went ahead and port forwarded port 10000 to the Obihai 202 device just to make sure I'm not the one that's confused.  I don't believe any ports are blocked outbound.  I'm not sure why Obihai specifies that.  But, I supposed they are covering some case somewhere where this has happened.

Well, I finally had a break through of sort with this. 

I have configured a Yate Server to provide caller id for my Obihai.  The Yate Server runs on a PC I have.  When calls come inbound to my Obihai 202, I was under the mistaken assumption that the CallerId query occurred out of band and the RTP voice connection was done directly between GV and my Obi202 device.

I finally took a closer look at the Statistics on the Obi under Status=>CallStatus.  I had looked at that screen before.  But, was so focused on error statistics, that I neglected to notice that this screen was showing me that there were RTP connections on the inbound side between GV to the Obi202 (SP1), then from SP1 to my Yate Server, then from my Yate Server back to my Obi202 to SP4.  I was also able to "prove" to myself that there is an RTP stream happening with an active inbound call by running tshark on my Windows 10 PC and filtering for my Obi202 IP.

I have always had the impression that my voice breakup problem was more inbound than outbound.  But, I didn't have any hints that it was mostly for calls coming into my Obi202 (only inbound calls to the house use the Yate Server).

So far, I haven't been able to prove this for sure.  I have been looking into giving my VMPlayer running that Yate Server more priority on my Windows 10 PC.  But, so far, Windows 10 isn't cooperating.  Still more investigation to do there.  But, I feel like I'm on the right track.  Looking at the process priority of my VMPlayer that runs my Yate Server on my Windows 10 PC, I can see that Windows 10 downgrades the priority to "Low" when the VMPlayer is iconified.  So, this seems like a very likely culprit.

Having said all of this, I still have a feeling if I can fix this, that this will only fix some of my "blanking out" problems.  I suspect it might improve things enough so the problems are tolerable.  I have definitely had reports from callers that my voice is breaking up to them (which is the RTP path that I don't believe goes through my Windows 10 PC).  But, I wonder if an inbound problem could affect the outbound steam somehow.  I wouldn't think so.  But, I know that when callers report that I'm "blanking out", it at least sometimes coincides with me also hearing "blanking out" of their voice.

Hopefully, I can somehow get my VMPlayer running at a higher priority and can eliminate it has a source for this problem.  I may just disable CallerId for a bit to test that this is my issue.

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: drgeoff on December 26, 2018, 04:46:06 AM
At least for a test period, take Yate, VMPlayer and Win 10 out of the system and have the OBi talking directly to GV.  If the dropouts disappear you will know there is nothing wrong with your OBi, your internet connection and GV.

The outgoing ports could be an issue in some business networks which restrict the applications which can access the internet but I've never come across a residential gateway that has user control of outgoing ports.  Port 10000 is only used by the Obitalk network.  Forwarding that will do nothing for GV.
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 07, 2019, 11:26:57 AM
Well, I wrote some scripts to set my VMPlayer to be High Priority and gave it an Affinity of one of my 4 CPUs to try and make it more stable.  But, I couldn't get the voice problems to stop.

I've currently disabled my Yate Server to verify that it is indeed the problem (or most of the problem).

I'll be looking into other ways to get CallerId if my Obi202 works well in this mode.  Or, I may just live without CID.  My wife is "so done" with this phone, if I get ANY configuration that doesn't "blank out" her voice or the other person's voice, then I may just have to leave it that way for a while.

Other things I plan to look up for CID is to possibly upgrade the Yate Server software (it probably has updates).  Or, the version of Ubuntu.  I'm not sure right now which one of these does the RTP that is having problems.  I'm guessing Ubuntu.  Even if there are later versions, it still could be just that Windows 10 won't provide a stable CPU environment for my Yate Server under VMPlayer to run.  I started to look into maybe a Rasberry Pi solution to run my Yate Server.  But, that seemed to be something I would have to put into my Windows PC.  That assumption could be completely off.  I haven't researched enough about how that works.  If it does require to be in my Windows PC, I dont' have a big enough power supply to support adding that.  Ideally, I'd like just a standalone Linux device that I can install Ubuntu on, and put the Yate Server on it.  That way when I have power outages (happens occasionally where I live), it can automatically boot back up and provide service again.

If I figure something else out that works, I'll share it here.

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: SteveInWA on January 07, 2019, 05:23:48 PM
Quote from: sjmyst on January 07, 2019, 11:26:57 AM
My wife is "so done" with this phone

I would be, too, if I was her.  You have turned a simple appliance into a massive spaghetti pile of unnecessary gear, adding layers of points of failure.

Just use the OBiTALK device as designed.  Delete it off of the OBiTALK web portal.  Restore it to factory defaults.  Add it back to the portal.  Configure just Google Voice. Don't make any custom/expert mode changes.  Test it for a week.  IF it works, tell your wife to hit you in the head with a cast iron skillet if you mess with it further.

You'll get numeric caller ID for inbound calls, and, if the caller's name and number are in the Google account's contacts, you'll get the name.
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 07, 2019, 08:53:54 PM
I didn't completely do a factory reset.  But, I did delete the SP1 (GV) and SP4 (Yate Server) from the configuration on ObiTalk.  I re-added GV using the GV Setup button under the device.  I left the 911 configuration under SP2.

I also had already gone back and tried to "undo" all of my "expert mode" changes.  But, it's possible I missed one.

First call saw zero improvement.  Call stats showed 3 packets lost, 314 overrun packets, and 452 underrun packets.  All stats were for only SP1.  So, no Windows 10 "spaghetti" in the middle.

I'll go back and do the factory reset and delete from ObiTalk and see what that yields.  I'll leave the Anveo 911 stuff out for now as well.

Thanks for the input about using Google Voice Contacts to provide CID.  Knowing that years ago would have saved me a ton of headaches (from cast iron skillets).

sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: SteveInWA on January 08, 2019, 12:51:18 AM
Quote
...knowing that years ago...

Actually, don't feel bad; this behavior changed last year, as part of Google's overhaul of the service.  It's been discussed elsewhere in this forum, but good luck finding my post, so, this is the new/current behavior of name/number display for Google Voice inbound calls:

In conjunction with the name behavior above, if you have Google Voice's call screening feature turned on, then the new behavior is:
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 09, 2019, 09:10:04 PM
SteveInWA,

I added all of my known numbers (like I configured in my YateServer) into my GV Contact list.  However, when I call my Home Phone (my obi202), I don't see my configured GV Contact name in the CallerId display on my home phone.  Instead I see my phone number and "Unavailable" on a CID device I have on the line, or "Unknown Name" on my home landline phone.

I did some research and I found where I can import my GV Contacts into my Obihai (on the ObiExtras tabs under my ObiTalk device).

The import seems to act like it's working.  But, I still don't see the GV Contact name as CallerId for the incoming call.

I searched some more and I see where CallerId seems to be under the ObiExtras umbrella.  And, the ObiExtras are an extra $4.99 a month.

I guess I was thinking you were suggesting a way to get CallerId as an alternative to how I was getting it via the Yate Server (for free).  That's fine.  It's definitely not worth $4.99 a month for me.  The whole purpose of us getting the Obihai was to eliminate monthly costs.

Anyway, you didn't mention that your suggestion would include a monthly fee.  Is that still true (it seems to be if I'm reading the ObiExras web pages correctly)?  That's fine if it is.  I just didn't have that impression when you suggested it.

Regards,
sjmyst

Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 09, 2019, 09:15:54 PM
BTW, after hardware reset and delete/re-add of my Obi202 on ObiTalk, I'm still seeing some blanking voice effects.  The number of them is greatly reduced.  So, this is definitely an improvement.  I'll test this for at least a week and see how it goes.

One possibility for the reason for the blanking still might be that I'm using Wifi from the Obi202 to my router.  The router is a Netgear Nighthawk R7800.  And, the Obi202 is about 12 feet from the router with a fairly direct visual path.  So, not going through walls or anything.

My current testing is using a CAT5 Ethernet cable from the Obi202 to a Netgear network extender device that is providing the Wifi.  I had to use this device after I did the hardware reset to get an IP for the Obi202 (or I could have run a very long Ethernet cable; I choose this).  I decided to leave the network extender in the path for my first week of testing (and risk the wrath of SteveInWA's spaghetti comments).  After I get a feel for the reliability of this setup, I'll configure the Obi202 to use the USB Wifi I also have for the Obi202 (and remove the Netgear network extender).  And, try that for a week or so to compare reliability.

Before you urge me to toss the Wifi, let me say that I would LOVE to use CAT5 from my router to the Obi202.  But, my ISP connections come into my house to a TV across the room from the phone lines.  No phone lines are behind the TV.  And, and there really isn't a good way to connect from where the phone lines are to where the router is without using some form of wireless communication.

A third option I may try if blanking is still not improved enough would be to move the Obi202 behind my TV and use a phone line wireless extender.  I've used this before when I was using a GVMate device (which was behind the TV because it plugs into my PC located there into a USB port).  But, the voice quality was less clear and give my voice a "tin can" type of sound.  Maybe it was the GVMate that was the problem.  But, my impression was that it was the wireless phone line extender.  But, would be interesting to see how being wired directly from Obi202 to router might help with the RTP connections.  So, I'm keeping this as an option.  I may try it anyway if blanking isn't completely fixed just to see if the blanking effect could be eliminated.  If it can, then I could look into higher quality wireless phone line extenders than I currently have.

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: SteveInWA on January 09, 2019, 09:38:05 PM
Google Voice itself, has never provided carrier-class caller ID name (CNAM).  It only provides the numeric caller ID (CID).  Recently, Google enabled a feature whereby, if a calling phone number is in your Google Contacts, Google Voice will send that name with the call.  You can test this yourself by calling from any telephone number that you have added to the Google Contacts for the same Google account that hosts your GV number.  This has nothing to do with OBiTALK; it is being sent by GV.  There is no name sent if the number's not in your contacts.

The OBiEXTRAs feature does allow you to import your Google contacts, but it doesn't do anything unless you pay the monthly fee.

Bottom line:  there is no free-and-easy CNAM.  Somebody's got to pay for the LIDB "dips".

For one dollar a month, you can get a NY State phone number (DID) from Callcentric, forward your inbound GV calls to that number, then provision that number on your OBiTALK device.  Callcentric supplies carrier CNAM.
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 10, 2019, 01:09:46 AM
SteveInWA,

I did put my own cell phone into my Contacts for my Google account that hosts my GV number.  I wouldn't think this would matter.  But, I ported my previous number from many years ago (which I paid a company for my landline) to GV to that "home phone" Google account.

So, I am calling my home phone number (the one hosted on the Google account in GV that host my home phone number) from my cell (which is in that accounts Google Contacts).  But, I don't see the name entered for my cell phone show up on my home phone.  Nor show up on the device that is also attached to my phone line that shows the CNAM name that comes in with the call (at least it did with the Yate Server).

When I go into Google Voice when logged into Google for my "home phone" account, I can see where Google Voice lists calls that have been received.  There I do see the name that is entered into my Google Contacts for my cell phone.  Even though for that same time, the home phone doesn't show that name.

Is there some option that enables/disables this feature you describe in GV that is supposed to send the name from the Google Contacts?

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 10, 2019, 03:17:12 PM
SteveInWA,

I see in this thread:

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=15386.0

...that the feature where GV sends the Google Contact Name for incoming calls was broken as of last Thanksgiving (2018).  I think I'm reading this correctly that this is the feature you were describing for me above (that also isn't working for me).

The last post in that thread says you were in contact with Google and that this was a known issue that they were working on.  I guess I'll keep looking on that thread for an update.  Or, it should magically start working at some point since I already have my Google Contacts configured.

Let me know if I'm not understanding something here...

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 11, 2019, 10:41:41 PM
Ok, my wife had her first long call using the wifi extender config I set up first after the factory reset and reconfig on ObiTalk.

She reports that there were 8 or 9 events of between 3 to 8 seconds where she couldn't hear the other side.  She says the caller didn't say anything about not being able to hear what she was saying.

I asked her to compare this to before and she says that even with this many "voice blanks out" events, that this is still much improved from last week.

This is enough for me to move on to the next configuration.

So, configuring the ObiWifi on the Obi202 to use the USB Wifi plugin.  Then, give this a week or so (or until it shows similar "bad" behavior).

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 19, 2019, 12:29:45 AM
With the ObiWifi, the results were very similar to using a CAT5 Ethernet out of the "Internet" port on the back of the Obi202 into my Netgear Wifi extender.

After a couple of hours of calls, my wife was reporting a dozen or so blanking out events between 3 to 15 seconds.

I have now moved on to remove Wifi from the equation.  I've run a long phone line cable across the room.  So, I'm using CAT5 from the "Internet" port directly to a port on the back of my router.  And, the long phone line comes out of the LINE1 port and goes across the room to connect into the phone line system the house is wired with.

This has been the most stable configuration yet.  My wife reports maybe 1 time over a few hours of calls where there might have been a second of blanking.  I've only seen 1 dropped packet.  Underruns are 108 packets out of 250k packets.  0 Overrun packets.

So, it appears my router Wifi isn't consistent enough.  I will let the run for a while longer to make sure the consistency continues.

If this is the final configuration, I will need to figure out how to either get CAT5 over to my phone.  Or, how to get a phone cable from the phone over to behind my TV.  

I have one other configuration I can try via Wifi.  And, that is to try my router 5G Wifi network.  And, possibly to research if my Netgear Nighthawk has any router options to improve Wifi consistency.

But, it seems I may have to figure out how to run a cable.

I would still like to figure out if GV can provide Caller Name from my GV Contacts list.  Sounds like it it still broken and may stay that way for a while (it appears to be a low priority issue).

Regards,
sjmyst
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on January 29, 2019, 08:17:52 PM
Ok, been running my Obi202 with CAT5 for Internet connectivity and MUCH fewer blanking issues.  All week I had 2 reported incidents of voice "blanking" and both were brief in length of time (less than 2 seconds).  On the down side, I found my wife using her cell phone at her desk where she usually uses the landline.  So, not sure she used the phone as much as past weeks.

Great!  Right?  Well, this week, I also had 2 incidents where calls were not working either in or out of my home number (this Obi202).  The first time a reboot fixed the issue.  The second time I was writing up a ticket to submit to Obihai support, and the problem cleared up on it's own.

The 2nd incident seems like it might have been a GV issue.  But, the 1st one seemed like a problem with my device since the reboot fixed it.

I also had one other incident where my wife says she called someone and the voice quality was horrible.  It was so choppy from both ends that she couldn't communicate at all and just hung up.  She rebooted the Obi202 and things were all better after that.

So, I've created a script to reboot my Obi202 each morning at 4:30am.  I'm hoping that might help to resolve any issues where I find out later that things haven't been working all day and a reboot fixes the problem.

From a statistics point of view, I am seeing very few packet drops.  There have been a couple.  But, they happen like at most 1 per call.  And, have seen less than 5 or so for the week.  However, I do see packet underruns.  The numbers are a lot higher for them.  And, when one of the "blanking" events was reported, the only number that increased was underruns.

I very nice feature would be to keep the "Call Status" final stats for each call.  I wouldn't think it would be hard to modify the "Call History" to show those stats if the final stats snapshot were kept for each call.  This would help to debug what things went wrong when a problem occurs.  My wife can usually tell me who she was talking to when "things went wrong".

Regards,
sjmyst

Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: seanfl on February 08, 2019, 11:20:42 AM
In case it helps anyone, I was working with a business that used voip phones. They had the exact same issue, audio would drop out, often near the 30 second mark.

It ended up being a router issue. Once we changed out the router to something else the problem went away. There was something that was happening to the NAT routing with VOIP calls that caused them to lose audio.

Consider taking your phone to another location with different router and internet feed and seeing if it does the same thing.
Title: Re: Obi and GV calls blank out after a while
Post by: sjmyst on March 24, 2019, 09:49:18 PM
Thank you seanfl for the suggestions.  But, I've had this problem for years with different network providers using at least a half dozen different routers.

I finally figured out that my problem was because my wifi wasn't stable enough.  Possibly I have too many other wireless devices in my house, or at nearby neighbor's houses?  Dunno.  But, once I directly connected my Obi202 to my router, the blanking problem has pretty much disappeared.

I now have other problems like occasionally when I (or more often my wife) picks up the phone the phone just blasts static.  Or, at the end of a call this same thing happens.  I feel like I've run into that before and changed something in the Obi202 settings to "fix" that.  I'm still running with the default settings and I wanted to give this configuration a long trial (we were out of town for several weeks and weren't using it for a while).

But, the "blanking" part seems to have been fixed by bypassing Wifi and going to an Ethernet cable.  I ended up having to run a phone line to where my router exists.  It was a pain in the ass and I lose some coax functionality because I had to pull the phone line up using the coax.  But, I might be able to pull the coax back down again.  I just know it will be a pain because the hole will be very tight getting both the coax and the phone cable down the same hole.  But, that's another problem not related to my Obi202...

Anyway, I've left my Yate server off for now.  I don't like not have CNAM.  And, I was not able to get Google to work by using my Address book.  I may go back to my Yate server.  But, I may not because Microsoft would occasionally "break" the phone by installing patches and rebooting.  And, the Yate server wouldn't always come up clean (even though I configured it to come up on reboot).

Hopefully this will help someone else who might run into this same issue.

Thanks to everyone who provided suggestions.

Regards,
sjmyst