OBiTALK Community

General Support => New to Using the OBi / VoIP => Topic started by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 11:17:00 AM

Title: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 11:17:00 AM
Gentlemen

Forgive me for addressing to you this way but I am not familiar with the forum procedures, this or any for that matter. I very rarely participate on forums, I usually only read the posts when I'm looking for information.

I am using this way to request for help regarding OBI 202 settings which I find more difficult than I though before buying it. My voip knowledge is below basic so ...

I recently moved to the U.A.E. where the internet is censured, especially everything with the "voip" word in it. I am not sure it is affecting the configuration process.

The project is to have an OBI 202 configured with:

- Google Voice for receiving calls - working fine at the moment.
- Powervoip (Betamax - Powervoip.com) to makes call to mobile phones. At the moment not able to work.
- Freevoipdeal (Betamax - Freevoipdeal.com) to makes call to landline phones. At the moment not able to work.
- Callcentric number - tried to configure it using the OBI internal setting and the setting provided by  Callcentric support page with no success.

The OBI202 is connected via OBIWifi to a D-Link DSL-2750U router provided by the local ISP (Etisalat). I just bought, arriving by the end of the month a new router, an Asus RT-AC66U, hoping that will help me, somehow ...

Contacted OBI support but after a couple of email exchanges they must have thought that I knowledge was so bad that they gave up on me. :-) - understandable !

They mentioned SIP ALG in my router. I checked everywhere especially under WAN and FIREWALL and also under NAT with no success. Because of that I followed the FAQ instructions when there are no SIP ALG option on the routers which also did not change anything.

For last, I have an account with EXPRESSVPN which I haven't been able to use on my router, yet.

Would you be able to help or direct me to the first steps to follow, please?

Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 11:38:24 AM
Is your OBi managing to SIP register with any of the non-GV providers you mention?

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates

"TRA instructs Etisalat and du to block parts of Wikipedia, all VoIP services such as Skype and SIP based services and some social networking services like hi5, Friendster, and all dating sites like Yahoo! Personals and Match.com."
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 11:42:25 AM
Yes it is.

Thanks for your reply!
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 11:45:23 AM

Skype is now open and Hangouts and Google voice too. At least mine is.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: OzarkEdge on June 17, 2015, 11:46:17 AM
There is a lot of ground to cover.  My notes may cover some of it, or at least get you thinking.

I have an ASUS router... good choice.  Look for a 'SIP Passthrough' setting under WAN and disable that.  Not the main issue at the moment but may avoid one-way audio later.

OE
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 11:49:40 AM

Thanks OE. Every little helps. I agree and to me it seems like a lot more than I can chew!
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 11:56:53 AM
So what exactly happens when you try to make or receive a call?  "not working" is not very informative.  :)
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 12:06:31 PM

I can't find any SIP related option in the router.

I would send the pictures but don't know how. Tried Ctrl+V but nothing.

Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 12:09:52 PM
To attach a picture, click the 'Additional Options' under the box you type your post in.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 12:13:05 PM
The best I made was "Trying to register" showing an IP address and the port. At the beginning was showing port 508. Took me a while to change it to 506 but even after that it kept "Trying ..." and no register ever showed up.
Keeps trying after some few seconds but no success.

Thanks for the picture hint.
So this is what I have under WAN on my router:
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 12:19:40 PM
Quote from: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 12:13:05 PM
The best I made was "Trying to register" showing an IP address and the port. At the beginning was showing port 508. Took me a while to change it to 506 but even after that it kept "Trying ..." and no register ever showed up.
Keeps trying after some few seconds but no success.
That not what you wrote earlier.  You wrote "Yes it is" when I asked if it was managing to register?  "managing" means "succeeding" not "attempting".

Assume you meant 5080 and 5060 rather than 508 and 506.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 12:21:57 PM

Sorry, I thought I understood you meant. As I said my knowledge is below basic. Forgive me!
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 12:22:29 PM


Yes that is correct!
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 12:28:37 PM
Try putting your Obi in the router's DMZ.  Instructions on page 79 of the manual http://ftp.dlink.ru/pub/ADSL/DSL-2750U/Description/DSL-2750U_User%20Manual_EN.pdf.

If that works it is not necessarily a final solution, hopefully just a troubleshooting step.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 12:58:04 PM

Ok, done. Would you please have a look at the file attached?
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 12:59:56 PM


I can't see where it is getting the port 5080 ?????
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 01:22:31 PM

And this is the Service Status page (attached). Thanks again.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 03:17:35 PM
From a PC can you successfully ping 77.72.174.128?

Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 03:26:14 PM

Yes, it responds.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 03:46:03 PM
1. How are you configuring the Voice Services? Portal basic,  portal expert or directly on the device?

2. Do you have valid accounts with the Voice SPs you are configuring?

3. Usually the 'password' that you need to enter for SP registration is not the same as the password you use to log into your account on the provider's web site.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 03:48:34 PM
I am very sorry !

In order to have access to this forum I have to have my vpn on, otherwise is blocked by the ISP.
When you asked if I could ping the IP address I had it on.
With no vpn I cannot ping that IP address.

Sorry for misleading you !!!
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 03:59:36 PM

I guess the scenario has changed now, right.

Nevertheless to answer your questions:

1. How are you configuring the Voice Services? Portal basic,  portal expert or directly on the device?

- I am using Portal basic and directly on the device.

2. Do you have valid accounts with the Voice SPs you are configuring?

- Yes

3. Usually the 'password' that you need to enter for SP registration is not the same as the password you use to log into your account on the provider's web site.

- In this case, these betamax products (Freevoipdeal and Powervoip), the passwords are the same.
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 04:04:21 PM
Looks to me that your access to those ITSPs is being blocked. You'll need to run your Obi through the VPN.  An Obi cannot do that itself so you'll need something external to the Obi.

That's outside my own hands-on experience. I believe some alternative firmwares such as dd-wrt can provide a VPN client on some "ordinary" routers. Maybe some high end routers like Drayteks have VPN client built in. Do you need a modem/router or can you use separate devices?
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: mgalego on June 17, 2015, 04:14:41 PM

Yes, it looks like.

I just bought, arriving by the end of the month a new router, an Asus RT-AC66U. It is one of the Open VPN routers that Expressvpn supports. It can upload their vpn settings. Hopefully by then everything works out.

I might have to come back to this forum but may be in different circumstances.

In the mean time I wish to thank you for your time and patience. I really appreciated !!! 

Thanks and see you soon !
Title: Re: Help with setting an OBI in the U.A.E
Post by: drgeoff on June 17, 2015, 04:42:52 PM
I have a feeling you are in for disappointment.  Your new Asus router certainly can be a VPN server but I don't see any mention of client.  It means that you can have VPN access from outside into your LAN but it doesn't give you outgoing access to a VPN server elsewhere.

Currently when you use the VPN with your PC, you have a software VPN client running on the PC.

And is your ISP providing you with an ADSL feed or ethernet?  If the former you'll need to retain the D-Link for its ADSL modem functionality and you may find that connecting the Asus to it is not a straightforward exercise.