Optimal settings for Netgear rounter? (WNDR3700)
turnstyle:
Thanks again, so I'll try the Obi in front of the router -- sounds like a good test.
If you have a sec to clarify:
1) In which circumstances might port forwarding help?
2) Regarding QOS, is that an on/off type thing, or do I have to configure QOS for the Obi? If so, any pointers on that?
Kindly appreciated!
tome:
Quote from: turnstyle on September 10, 2011, 05:20:49 am
Thanks again, so I'll try the Obi in front of the router -- sounds like a good test.
If you have a sec to clarify:
1) In which circumstances might port forwarding help?
First, the question someone was answering when they suggested port forwarding, was I think, "Are there any recommended settings for use with a Netgear WNDR3700..." That is a separate question from call quality.
Port forwarding can be helpful/essential when you (or someone else) are trying to make a connection between a device behind your router and the Internet. Your router has an address that is "public" and reachable via the internet. When you have a device behind the router like the Obi and want to connect to it from the outside, or establish a connection to a service like a web server that is inside your network for example, you need your router to forward the incoming traffic to the appropriate device inside your network and this is done based on the ports contained in the datagrams that define the service the traffic is bound for.
So, the suggestion is that you set up your router so that any incoming traffic to your public IP address bound for SIP (ports 5060 thru 5061) and RTP (ports 16600 thru 16998) are forwarded to the IP address of your Obi.
The Netgear forwarding menus may or may not have SIP and/or RTP already defined. If they are you select the protocol (SIP or RTP) and enter the IP address of the Obi on your network. If you have to define a custom service (because SIP and/or RTP are not already in the list), you name it "SIP" or "RTP" (which is just a label), set the protocol to TCP/UDP (for SIP), or UDP (for RTP) and define the port ranges above, and then add the address of the Obi.
There is also triggered port forwarding where a device inside your network connects to a device on the Internet initiating the connection before the port is open. There are other differences between triggered and regular port forwarding but they aren't important to this conversation. Triggered port forwarding isn't what you want with the Obi, because you want the call to come in from the outside without any action from a device inside your network.
Quote from: turnstyle on September 10, 2011, 05:20:49 am
2) Regarding QOS, is that an on/off type thing, or do I have to configure QOS for the Obi? If so, any pointers on that?
Kindly appreciated!
You first turn on QOS, then you define a rule. Look at the QOS section of the manual:
http://ftp://downloads.netgear.com/files/WNDR3700_UM_16OCT2009.pdf
Looks like, from a quick read, that you can either define it based on a Mac Address (You can find the Mac address of the Obi from System Status page), or from the physical port on the router something is plugged into, or by Application - some are probably already defined and you can look for voice or voip or you can define your own based on ports (SIP and RTP).
If the QOS software in the Netgear is sound (some is, some isn't) it wouldn't hurt to enable it regardless of the question of ISP bandwidth/quality (though you need to address that if it is a problem) because you don't want voice traffic to have to compete with large file transfers, streaming video, or other things that might be going on on your network at any given time.
Tom
PS: there is a whole other discussion that can be had about whether or not port forwarding is even needed for most people (I claim it probably isn't) but it also isn't a terrible thing to do - though it does open up another window for hackers.
PPS: there is also another conversation about the fact that the Obi is, by default, getting an IP address via DHCP. That address can change and therefore your port forwarding would no longer be correct. With port forwarding you either want to use static IP addresses, or you want to set up DHCP such that the Obi is always assigned the same address. You can do that on most routers by setting up a dhcp rule that ties that address to the mac address of the obi.
turnstyle:
Wow, thank you. That was a very generous post. Thank you again.
So does this mean that if my Obi is already capable of placing/receiving calls, then there isn't really much reason to bother with port forwarding? (ie, port forwarding isn't likely to *improve* quality -- and since I would also have to make sure the Obi gets a static IP, I'm gathering it's just too much trouble?)
Thanks also for pointing me to some notes on QOS -- it seems like this is the first point of attack (unless the problem is with my ISP).
tome:
Quote from: turnstyle on September 10, 2011, 07:31:26 am
Wow, thank you. That was a very generous post. Thank you again.
So does this mean that if my Obi is already capable of placing/receiving calls, then there isn't really much reason to bother with port forwarding? (ie, port forwarding isn't likely to *improve* quality -- and since I would also have to make sure the Obi gets a static IP, I'm gathering it's just too much trouble?)
Setting up static addressing isn't very difficult, but it isn't plug and play either, I guess.
Yes. If you are using a service like Google Voice and/or subscribed voip providers, the Obi is already registered with them and port forwarding is not typically needed.
If you have multiple Obis (or you want to offer or use friend's Obis to do toll bypass) then port forwarding comes into play. The true power of SIP is that you can call SIP addresses like phone numbers from the old days and it just works. That works if someone can initiate a SIP session directly with your Obi - and that only works if the ports are forwarded. If you end up with SIP addresses you use, and friends that have SIP addresses then you may want to set up port forwarding. Port forwarding will not improve quality (unless you define quality as being able to receive a call on the Obi directly from someone with a SIP address).
Quote from: turnstyle on September 10, 2011, 07:31:26 am
Thanks also for pointing me to some notes on QOS -- it seems like this is the first point of attack (unless the problem is with my ISP).
Well, I would say it differently. IMHO, you should enable QOS. BUT you should definitely make sure you have adequate bandwidth and that the ISP isn't misbehaving regardless.
Tom
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