Really annoying intermittent problem dialing out.

[MisterEd]

If you're having issues, definitely work with support.

We process tens of thousands of calls per day now and support is virtually dead. Right now there are 6 open support tickets in our general queue and 5 in Tier II.

When we have a widespread issue, we see hundreds almost instantly.

I believe this is an issue that some people might just let go by as I did until today when the (other) 800 number problem reared up. My initial reaction was ... "oh well, shit happens." But it was really annoying trying to call that 800 number so it just put me over the edge. They obviously are 2 SEPARATE issues but the one that has been continuing will hopefully be resolved.

[VOIPoTim]

I believe this is an issue that some people might just let go by as I did until today when the (other) 800 number problem reared up. My initial reaction was ... "oh well, shit happens." But it was really annoying trying to call that 800 number so it just put me over the edge. They obviously are 2 SEPARATE issues but the one that has been continuing will hopefully be resolved.

Do you know if FiOS has possibly pushed out an update to your router like UVerse did recently?

I know you were problem-free for a while and we haven't' really had any changes, so it's odd that you'd start experiencing issues unless something changed.

[MisterEd]

Do you know if FiOS has possibly pushed out an update to your router like UVerse did recently?

I know you were problem-free for a while and we haven't' really had any changes, so it's odd that you'd start experiencing issues unless something changed.

I stopped using the Fios router months ago which is what cleared up my problems. Everything is exactly the same. Absolutely nothing has been moved or replaced. I've been having problems again for the last couple months as mentioned in a ticket when it re-started. I have the date somewhere in an old ticket when it all started again. Not NEARLY as bad as before except for the "unable to dial out" issue. One problem (has not occurred recently THAT I NOTICED) was my 2 lines were randomly going down then coming back up. That lasted about a week.

[buckethead]

I have had the same problem for a while now as well, dial out and nothing - but person on other end can answer sometimes and I never heard anything, hang up and call again no problems. I do have a ticket open, however the person working it said that a callID I provided that had this problem showed no problems. While it does not happen enough to be a big problem right now, it is sure annoying when it happens.

[caseydoug]

One of our upstream vendors is reporting post-dial delay issues so these issues are likely caused by that. The problems are particularly with toll-free numbers. We've re-routed all outbound toll-free traffic around it for the time being, but if any local calls are directed there, you may see issues. This wouldn't automatically fail over to the next carrier since technically the call connects...just a delay long enough to cause eventual failure.

Could this be causing inbound issues as well? I have had several instances over the last few days where an inbound call appeared to drop when I picked it up, but then found the caller had left a voicemail. Almost as if the ring itself was delayed so that the call went to voicemail by the time I picked it up.

[KenH]

I first reported this issue on Jan 8, 2009 - it still persists; often with toll-free numbers and at other times with random numbers.

As a pre-launch customer, I have been through some very difficult periods with VOIPo and have submitted 40 trouble tickets since Dec 2008. One reaches a point when they tire of trying the same things over and over and come to the realization that the problem(s) will most likely never be corrected and simply accepts the shortcomings.

I used Vonage for 4-years without any of these issues and am currently evaluating another VOISP.

Sorry, but I just can't depend on VOIPo service.

[VOIPoTim]

I first reported this issue on Jan 8, 2009 - it still persists; often with toll-free numbers and at other times with random numbers.

As a pre-launch customer, I have been through some very difficult periods with VOIPo and have submitted 40 trouble tickets since Dec 2008. One reaches a point when they tire of trying the same things over and over and come to the realization that the problem(s) will most likely never be corrected and simply accepts the shortcomings.

I used Vonage for 4-years without any of these issues and am currently evaluating another VOISP.

Sorry, but I just can't depend on VOIPo service.

First thing I always have to ask.... Do you have all the appropriate ports forwarded? VOIPo cannot guarantee reliable service without 5004-65000 UDP forwarded. If the ports are not forwarded you are very likely to have issues unless your router handles the traffic perfectly. I know it may seem redundant for me to ask that, but I see tons of people who don't forward them when support tells them to (often saying they've never needed to) and then they have issues, so I always like to confirm since it may just solve all your issues.

If everything is setup correctly with port forwarding and your router is configured as we recommend, you shouldn't be having issues. If that's the case and you still have ongoing issues for that long, there may be some kind of underlying compatibility issue between VOIPo and you.

All VoIP services design their networks very differently. There's almost no standardization in the industry. So what works well with one combination of ISP/router may not with another.

There will always be occasional issues with VoIP since it uses the public internet as there are issues there and it will never be as reliable as POTS service since it does use the public internet. You shouldn't be having ongoing constant issues though which is sounds like you're describing in your post. If Vonage worked well for your setup and you're having ongoing issues with VOIPo, it may be best to move back to Vonage unfortunately. Their system design may be more compatible with your setup.

Too many variables to pinpoint exactly what is happening here, but it's not a case where VOIPo has ongoing service issues. While there are a few people in this thread reporting issues, there's still not a large enough group of people out tens of thousands to indicate any kind of wide-spread issue. We typically see hundreds of support tickets within minutes when there are widespread issues. Our support levels are at all time lows and we are doubling in size every few months.

If anyone has this type of issue, please contact support with call examples and we'll be able to look at the specific calls to see what's going on.

[VOIPoTim]

Could this be causing inbound issues as well? I have had several instances over the last few days where an inbound call appeared to drop when I picked it up, but then found the caller had left a voicemail. Almost as if the ring itself was delayed so that the call went to voicemail by the time I picked it up.

The carrier that confirmed issues was only for about an hour period the day we posted it.

[KenH]

Tim,

Thank you for your thoughts.

As you might imagine, short of changing ISP's, all options have been exhausted:

1. Three different ATA's
2. Two different routers using three different firmwares
3. All suggested ports are open
4. As a grandfathered BYOD user, I've tried different servers

I've always wanted VOIPo to work - I fought for you during the bad times when the WAF was extremely low. As one who spent 32 years troubleshooting sophisticated electronics systems, I thought it could be fixed, but never knowing if a call will ring/complete or dealing with choppy audio is difficult. Just yesterday, a friend had to call back on my other number when he said I "just faded out".

I won't return to Vonage, I left because they raised their rates, but as I said, I'm in the process of evaluating another VOIP service.

[fisamo]

I'm still have the trouble, but in all fairness, I have to claim some responsibility. I am running on an Asterisk system, and it's only failing with certain numbers, one of which being my personal cell phone...

Support asked me to put my Asterisk system in my DMZ and to disable iptables. Those suggestions are very understandable from a troubleshooting perspective, but I'm not too keen on having an Asterisk system wide open on the net. (at least, not without more research on my part in terms of security).. My troubleshooting solution? I put my BYOD creds into my PAP2, and calls to my cell phone went just fine. Put everything back to Asterisk, and the call to my mobile failed again.

Support had closed my ticket (new automated script?) since I didn't respond within 48 hrs of their last communication, which is OK by me at this point. The trouble I'm having is outside their reasonable level of support (BYOD problems). I'm hoping I can figure out where the problem is in these calls, because I like the setup I have.