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Calls go silent, but don't drop

Started by edrico, August 14, 2015, 05:52:10 AM

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edrico

This has been happening to me for a long time, stopped for a while, but now the problem is back again. I have tried two different obihai 100's, and two different providers (google voice and phone power). The problem happens in all configurations.

I will be on a call for some amount of time, and then all of a sudden, the phone just goes silent. The connection doesn't drop, but the call is dead.

I've searched and haven't found any answers. I even ordered an Ooma the other day b/c i'm so fed up. I use this phone for work, so i need reliability. 

I'm posting here to see if anyone else has had the same issue or if there's any debug info that can be gathered. Even if i do switch to Ooma, i still want to know what the heck was going on.

OzarkEdge

Some vague ideas:

o  try a different router.
o  try a different phone.
o  can Phonepower Support suggest anything?
o  are there any max call time limits set?
o  is your modem/router/OBi on a UPS?

Sorry, that's not much help.

OE

kgjulie

I'm having the same issue with an Obi 202.

Using PhonePower, I had calls on two consecutive days go silent as follows:

Day 1: Silent at 110m, at 64m, at 16m (the last 2 after callbacks to the conference line)
Day 1: Silent at 110m, at 48m, at 7m (the last 2 after callbacks to the conference line)

Using GV, I had a call today that went silent at 14m.

The only thing that has changed in the past year(?) with my equipment is that Comcast sent a letter a while back saying my internet speed was being upgraded to 75Mbps. I rebooted my modem and it was supposed to take effect.

I spoke with PhonePower last week and their troubleshooting consisted of "reboot everything, and call us back if you still have trouble."

Any ideas (other than those stated above)? I'm inclined to think it's not the router since it has worked fine for a long time with the same router. I could try a different phone.

Any settings I can check?
Thanks.

drgeoff

@kgjulie
If you are using a battery powered handset (eg DECT) I suggest trying a new set of rechargeables in it.  (Or test with a wired phone.)

kgjulie

Thank you for the battery suggestion. I placed new batteries in both handsets -- the one connected to PhonePower and the one connected to GV.  Today on my conference call, the PhonePower call dropped at 63m and after I called back, again at 48m. I called back again with the GV handset and had no real issues (two times with GV the client said they couldn't hear me, but I could still hear them. I assume I had just covered up the handset mic and the call continued on).

I did learn something important though: Although on my end the call just goes silent and doesn't disconnect to a dial tone, apparently the call does actually disconnect. I learned this when my conference call participants on the other end of the line told me that they knew the phone died because the conference service broadcast a message saying they were the only participant left on the call. This might indicate a different issue than just going silent.

In addition to changing to new batteries in both handsets, I replaced the CAT-5 cable between the modem and the router, updated the OBI firmware, and made sure (again) everything was fully plugged in and not too close together.

Since the spontaneous call drops have happened with both PhonePower and GV (although the problem today was with PP only), should I assume the problem is with the Obi?  I'm getting desperate to fix this issue since I have these calls 2-3 times per week for the next several weeks, and they last 4 hours each. I have another call with this same client on Monday. I can't have the calls keep dropping over and over and over...

I welcome any suggestions. Thanks.

SteveInWA

It's not likely an issue with your hardware, but with your internet service provider.

Why don't you eliminate the OBi entirely, and instead try using Google Hangouts on your computer's web browser?  If the calls still drop, then it's an ISP issue.  If they reliably work, then it's a hardware problem.

kgjulie

I don't use Google Hangouts in a browser because I am conducting a webinar during these 4-hour conference calls, and the party at the other end can see everything on my screen. I am switching screens repeatedly between my browser, a Remote Desktop connection, MS Word, and MS Excel.

I also don't use Hangouts because (a) I'd still be subject to Google's 3-hour call limit (correct?) and (b) I get text messages via Hangouts, and don't want those popping up on the screen while I'm conducting the webinar. P.S. - I learned the hard way by forgetting to silence my Hangout notifications once, and one of the kids texted me about the dog having an accident. Everyone saw it, and I was mortified. True story. :-)

If the issue is with my ISP, is there a way I could troubleshoot or fix it? I've been doing these webinars for months using PhonePower, but just recently began having issues.

Thanks.


SteveInWA

I meant:  make some test calls via Hangouts, not for your job.

kgjulie

Ohhhhhh, I get it now. I'll give that a try. That should help narrow it down. Thanks.

kgjulie

That gave me another idea -- if I use the Hangouts dialer on my smartphone, am I still subject to the 3-hour call limit? Because I could try that for my next conference call, if it lets me connect for longer than 3-hours.

azrobert

You can use a Smartphone with Phonepower via WiFi. If the Smartphone fails then it's probably your ISP causing the problem.

http://www.phonepower.com/wiki/Smartphone_Applications

azrobert

You can start the conference using your Smartphone with Phonepower. If you have a break after an hour, you can call into the conference with your OBi/GV. Now you have 2 connections to the conference, so you can switch to your OBi phone without calling into the conference if Phonepower gets disconnected.

kgjulie

I get an error message trying to login to the android smartphone app: "Download Failed! java.io.IOException: No authentication challenges found"

Is there a trick to logging in?

azrobert

I don't have a Phonepower account, so I can't help you with the app. Maybe Phonepower support?

It looks like you can enable SIP Credentials on your Phonepower account then you can use any SIP softphone on your Android. I use the free CSipSimple softphone on my Android. Their tutorial makes it sound scary, but you only need 3 parms for your softphone (proxy, userid and password). If you want to use CSipSimple, select the Basic wizard to setup Phonepower. It's near the end of the list of wizards. In addition to the 3 parms you need to provide an account name.

http://www.phonepower.com/wiki/How_to_enable_SIP_Credentials

What do you think of my idea of 2 sessions connected to your conference? Even if it doesn't help determining the problem, maybe it will get you thru the call.  If you can't get the Phonepower app to work, you can use Hangouts on your Android and GV or Phonepower on your OBi.