Just wondering if it's possible to network my OBi 100 straight onto a laptop, and if so, how?
See:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=6164.0
Quote from: azrobert on June 11, 2015, 02:24:23 PM
See:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=6164.0
Thanks for the link, but I meant wired, not wireless. I'm connected to the internet via a community (meraki) wireless network. Cannot have any shared connections open for others to hook into. My router is wireless one and useless since it requires a dsl modem for internet access, which I don't have. So the ATA needs to go through the pc, as I understand, perhaps through a wired router first. Or?
Here is a diagram of my suggested setup.
ATA->Wired Connection->PC->Wireless Connection->Router->Internet
Isn't this what you want?
You don't need any device between your OBi and the PC.
Good to hear the ATA connects directly to the pc and I don't have to buy another router... Network Sharing Center shows an ethernet conn. but no internet access. Clicking on the etherlink gives a status page with packets sent but non received.
Ethernet properties Networking link shows a bunch of ticked boxes with install/uninstall links; while the one clickable box in the Sharing link gives me the option to now disconnect my WiFi connection to the internet and enable the internet connection through 'Ethernet' instead. This cannot be the way to proceed, as my ethernet conn. only goes as far as my pc, or?
Doing an ipconfig shows one ethernet adapter and four tunnel adapters. (three with disconnected medias) one Local Area Conn. *16
Connection=specific DNS Suffix: blank
IPv6 Address: listed
Link-local IPv6 Address: listed
Default Gateway: ::
How should I proceed please to both retain my WiFi connection to the internet and get the ATA recognized by the pc...
Am getting a dial tone!! No idea why this didn't happen before. But when I dialed **9.222.222.222
I got the voice message "There is no service to complete your call" Please advise...
What version of Windows do you have?
I don't have a Windows 8 machine, so I don't know if the procedure is different.
Did you follow the instructions?
Dial ***1
If you are connected corrected, an IVR will say your IP address
Use the Bridge option, not ICS.
Under the Sharing tab, make sure nothing is checked.
Repeating the instructions:
For Windows 7:
In the Network and Sharing Center:
Click on Change Adapter Settings on the left column.
A list of your adapters will be displayed.
Are both adapters listed?
If yes:
Click "Organize" and then "Select All"
Both adapters should get highlighted.
Right Click on one adapter then select "Bridge Connections"
It will take approx a minute to reconnect to the internet.
Now connect the OBi to the ethernet port on the computer.
FYI, the OBi should produce dial tone when not connected to anything.
Windows 8.1 but the Win. 7 instructions seem applicable. Only a Quick Start Guide came with the ATA. Dialed ***1 and the IVR returned: IP not available, DHCP is enabled. There is a sharing problem though. My laptop's internal WiFi adapter is too weak to receive the community signal where I'm at. It's disabled and I connect through an aux. antenna/adapter which is shared by a virtual router that connects a tablet and an iPhone to the incoming WiFi signal also. The VR is called Local Area Connection* 12 and is a private network. The Ethernet (LAC* 16 according to ipconfig but unidentified network in the adapter list) at the moment shows up as a public network.
Does this mean that the bridge connecting mode is n/a? Is there another way to proceed?
Quote from: JohnSV on June 11, 2015, 11:54:02 PM
Does this mean that the bridge connecting mode is n/a? Is there another way to proceed?
Before I would try to make all of those interdependencies work... just to get VoIP bridged through a user laptop/USBwifi/virtual router/etc, I would consider installing a normal router for your own wired and wireless LAN use, and use a wireless bridge device to connect the WAN side to the community wifi. Then everything on your side can be normal networking with no built-up precarious connections, including your own WLAN, and ready for a better Internet connection down the road when the time comes.
Your laptop can then probably connect to your own router WLAN using its internal wifi adapter... no USB dongle required.
Ultimate answer is 'yes', a router is a necessity to have the functionality of your own LAN/WLAN.
OE
QuoteMy router is wireless
Most routers have a built-in 4 port switch. If your router includes a switch and is compatible with dd-wrt firmware it can be converted to a bridge.
See: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=5229.0
Thanks for the suggestion, but I tried installing what I think is a normal router (Trendnet TEW-432BRP) and can't get to first base because a cdrom installation requires a cable/dsl modem connected to the internet at the receiving end. You think a manual install could be possible?
Read the suggested: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=6164.0 again, and just ordered a TP-LINK TL-WR702N Wireless N150 travel router that I plan to use in client mode. With it the OBi should show up in the connected peer list of the virtual router don't you think? For some reason Amazon won't ship this unit to Canada, so I ordered from Alibaba instead; meaning an extra couple of weeks shipping time. Would prefer to install the above router in the mean time though.
@azrobert whose reply came in as I was writing the above. Unfortunately my router isn't dd-wrt firmware compatible. Checked the link yesterday. No switch is visible either.
Quote from: JohnSV on June 12, 2015, 11:06:25 AM>>
>>Thanks for the suggestion, but I tried installing what I think is a normal router (Trendnet TEW-432BRP) and can't get to first base because a cdrom installation requires a cable/dsl modem connected to the internet at the receiving end. You think a manual install could be possible?
That looks like a single antenna Wireless-G router with 4-port switch. It could work well enough, if it doesn't mess with VoIP and is a restricted-cone NAT router (Google it).
Install it manually... you don't need software to install a router. I would first update the firmware and reset to factory defaults. You'll still need a wireless bridge device.
Router tasks:
o Login...
o Update firmware.
o Reset to defaults.
o Setup and secure WLAN with WPA2.
o Setup router LAN IP and DHCP IP range to not conflict with community router IPs:
community router/ap 192.168.1.1-255?))) wifi ((( wireless bridge >> your router/ap 192.168.2.1-255 >> your lan/wlan devices
o Setup router WAN per new wireless bridge device instructions.
o Confirm firewall is enabled.
o Disable any SIP ALG or SIP Passthrough function that can upset VoIP traffic.
>>Read the suggested: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=6164.0 again, and just ordered a TP-LINK TL-WR702N Wireless N150 travel router that I plan to use in client mode. With it the OBi should show up in the connected peer list of the virtual router don't you think?
Try it!
OE
Thanks for the effort OzarkEdge, but if my own router cannot be made to function as a wireless bridge device I guess I'll just wait for the travel router to arrive. My cell phone is still good for another month anyway.
Have almost given up hope to get my OBi100 connected. After my last posting I retried the bridge approach as suggested by azrobert, by first disconnecting my virtual router. But while the connection to the Meraki network remained showing active, no signal to the internet came through. This provided the proof that the Meraki admin. here blocks bridged connections. Then when I received the TL-WR702N and finally got that working in client mode (it's a Mainland Chinese version logging into a ditto website to set it up, so I needed some help with that), the phone-light indicator of the OBi blacked out after a few seconds of activity. ***1 provided an IP address in the range of the virtual router, dhcp is enabled, +02 (whatever that means). So I guess there is a way to detect an upstream bridged? signal and block that as well? BTW, my PC connection to the internet remains unaffected this time. Any thoughts on it all, or is this the end of the line?
You can use your cell connected via WiFi for phone service. Install the Hangouts app for Google Voice. Android also needs the Hangouts Dialer. You can use a SIP softphone for other service providers. I use CSipSimple for Android and you can use Zoiper for an iPhone.
Don't understand... If the Meraki mesh here doesn't provide the necessary additional? protocol(s) for a 2-way initialization voip, am I not still out of luck? It looks to me that I'm stuck with my telco for incoming calls and use skype for callback and extended outgoing calls... No?
I thought you determined that Meraki was blocking bridged calls. I'm suggesting using your cell connected directly to the Meraki network via WiFi, without the OBi100. Now the call is not bridged and should work, assuming you're correct about bridged calls. You don't need a calling plan on your cell to use it with WiFi.
Another option is to buy an OBi200 with an OBiWiFi dongle then you can connect the OBi200 directly to the Meraki router.
As I understand the situation, blocking bridged calls is only half my problem. The other and more significant part is that as an ISP they need to provide a SIP or similar protocol as well as a codec in order for me to use a phone with a number that can be called over WiFi. I guess because of bandwidth concerns, they purposely crippled their router. But then again, I love to be set straight on this and use your suggestion...
Where are you located (what country)?
Just across the border from you Steve... Fraser Valley, BC
Thanks. In one of your posts, you had mentioned "mainland China version...", so I was checking to see if you were in China, where the government aggressively blocks VoIP and VPNs that try to circumvent their restrictions.
I'd just add-to Robert's suggestion as an alternative to OBi, and as a capability test: try installing and using the mobile Google Hangouts client on an Android or iOS device, over your WiFi connection. Hangouts can use ports other than the typical VoIP clients, and it may work where the OBi fails.
Also: acknowledging that this is a long thread with a lot of experimentation, but it seems like starting with the basics hasn't been adequately covered:
Forget for the moment about "bridging", and adding extra routers. From my understanding, your source of internet service is via a WiFi connection to your service provider. So, for example, when you're using your Windows laptop, you're using a WiFi connection on the laptop to your ISP. In other words, this is similar to sitting at a Starbucks or other place with available WiFi internet service, if I understood your comments.
Go to this website, and run their SIP VoIP test: http://myspeed.visualware.com/index.php
This will accurately simulate a true end-to-end VoIP connection. Therefore, it will definitively tell you two things:
- Does your ISP allow or block VoIP traffic?
- If it allows the traffic, does your WiFi signal strength and overall network performance support reliable VoIP conversations?
If yes to the first question, and you score a 4.0 or higher on the second question, then you can use VoIP on an OBi or on a soft phone client.
Next: you should be able to install a basic softphone SIP VoIP client on your Windows laptop, set it up with a SIP internet telephone service provider, and see how it performs. I like Counterpath's X-Lite, but there are other good clients, too. You can get an inexpensive VoIP account on voip.ms (Canadian company, eh) or Callcentric (NYC company), with an inbound telephone number. Either of these providers are fully supported on OBi devices, and both provide excellent performance and customer support.
If it works, then you can also connect an OBi 200 or 202 with an OBiWiFi dongle to that same WiFi network, and use it just like you'd use the softphone.
Quote from: JohnSV on August 11, 2015, 08:29:51 AM
Have almost given up hope to get my OBi100 connected. After my last posting I retried the bridge approach as suggested by azrobert, by first disconnecting my virtual router. But while the connection to the Meraki network remained showing active, no signal to the internet came through. This provided the proof that the Meraki admin. here blocks bridged connections. Then when I received the TL-WR702N and finally got that working in client mode (it's a Mainland Chinese version logging into a ditto website to set it up, so I needed some help with that), the phone-light indicator of the OBi blacked out after a few seconds of activity. ***1 provided an IP address in the range of the virtual router, dhcp is enabled, +02 (whatever that means). So I guess there is a way to detect an upstream bridged? signal and block that as well? BTW, my PC connection to the internet remains unaffected this time. Any thoughts on it all, or is this the end of the line?
1. Are you certain that you had the 702N configured correctly to act as a client on the virtual router? You could check that by connecting your laptop to the 702's ethernet port and disabling the laptop's WiFi.
2. Does the virtual router allow communication between its clients?
3. I assume your reference to "mainland China version" and "ditto website" meant Chinese firmware and Chinese language in the config screens. Have you got those changed to English versions?
@SteveINWA
First, you're right about my wifi set up. Followed your advice and installed hangouts on my iPhone 4s. Installation went okay but when I dialed out I got "unexpected account registration error". Thought that was specific to my problem but checked the hangouts help forum. And apparently a few other people got the same error message, but without any working solution on offer. Still don't know if hangouts in principle works for incoming calls and I could drop my prepaid telco, or if it's just a skype alternative.
Then got your latest reply and did the voip test. Three errors... 1. Firewall blocking upstream test, default port 20001. 2. Firewall blocking downstream test, default port 20000. 3. MVLS03 VOIP packets arriving out of order. I guess these are, not unblockable by me, server ports? And so it's a no-go? For hangouts too? Also did a speed test. Download 6.32Mbps, upload 828kbps; so that would be enough...
@drgeoff, thanks for replying too! 1. The 702N shows up in the list of client peer connections (together with my android tablet and iPhone) to my virtual router. 2. How could I test for that? 3. TP-LINK makes a simplified version of the 702N for its home market. Its firmware is for a quick install only, and it's non-changeable to English.
Quote from: JohnSV on August 13, 2015, 11:21:40 PM
3. TP-LINK makes a simplified version of the 702N for its home market. Its firmware is for a quick install only, and it's non-changeable to English.
Googling says otherwise. eg
https://spafdroid.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/flashing-chinese-tp-link-wr702n-with-english-firmware/comment-page-1/
and posts 57 to 60 at https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=41040&p=3 confirming it works. But post 78 says no success on unit with latest Chinese firmware so YMMV.
2. You can test that by having laptop, tablet and Obi with 702 connected to virtual router. Get the OBi's address by ***1. Try to open that address in a browser on laptop and tablet. Do you get OBi's log-in prompt?
Thanks for the urls drgeoff. Most interesting! Unfortunately my current software version = 5.3.2 Build 140818 so even newer than post 78. Yet if a reset of the WR is guarantied to get me my original firmware back, I will still try it if I ever want to change mode of operation. Am afraid I'm not savvy enough to otherwise fix it.
An "authentication required" log-in pop up does indeed appear. No idea what I would have to fill out as user name and password in order to access it though. Is it pertinent?
Quote from: JohnSV on August 14, 2015, 09:13:24 AM
Thanks for the urls drgeoff. Most interesting! Unfortunately my current software version = 5.3.2 Build 140818 so even newer than post 78. Yet if a reset of the WR is guarantied to get me my original firmware back, I will still try it if I ever want to change mode of operation. Am afraid I'm not savvy enough to otherwise fix it.
An "authentication required" log-in pop up does indeed appear. No idea what I would have to fill out as user name and password in order to access it though. Is it pertinent?
No, I don't think a reset is guaranteed to get an original firmware back. Usually these low cost devices have only enough flash memory for one firmware. When you load a newer one, the original is overwritten. That's why you invariably see warnings not to remove power while upgrading. You end up without one complete firmware and with the device not booting to a working GUI you can't use the normal method of loading any firmware. Most times there is still a working boot-loader which can be used to rescue the device but it isn't a procedure for beginners.
The username and password are both admin. It is highly relevant as it gives you access to screens displaying the complete status of the device and a means to set almost all the configuration. (The exception is configuring Google Voice.)
Quote from: JohnSV on August 13, 2015, 11:21:40 PM
@SteveINWA
First, you're right about my wifi set up. Followed your advice and installed hangouts on my iPhone 4s. Installation went okay but when I dialed out I got "unexpected account registration error". Thought that was specific to my problem but checked the hangouts help forum. And apparently a few other people got the same error message, but without any working solution on offer. Still don't know if hangouts in principle works for incoming calls and I could drop my prepaid telco, or if it's just a skype alternative.
Then got your latest reply and did the voip test. Three errors... 1. Firewall blocking upstream test, default port 20001. 2. Firewall blocking downstream test, default port 20000. 3. MVLS03 VOIP packets arriving out of order. I guess these are, not unblockable by me, server ports? And so it's a no-go? For hangouts too? Also did a speed test. Download 6.32Mbps, upload 828kbps; so that would be enough...
@drgeoff, thanks for replying too! 1. The 702N shows up in the list of client peer connections (together with my android tablet and iPhone) to my virtual router. 2. How could I test for that? 3. TP-LINK makes a simplified version of the 702N for its home market. Its firmware is for a quick install only, and it's non-changeable to English.
Based on your test results, there's no point trying to experiment further. Adding additional equipment to the path isn't going to solve the fundamental issue: your ISP won't support the connection. You'd need to use a different ISP.