Anyone using 2 or more lines with m0n0wall or pfSense router ?

[Bob777]

Hi chpalmer:

Thank you so much for your info on this.

That pfSense link on adjusting pfSense for VoIP is so important. Did you adjust your pfSense that way? I wonder if m0n0wall has similiar settings? Hopefully so.

It's good to know you have 2 ATAs behind your router, with no port forwarding. Seems the only difference between your setup and mine, is you are using dhcp to your ATAs, and I'm using private static IPs there. And I'm using a public static IP on the wan of my router. That shouldn't cause any problems for me I don't think.

I guess you are using the Grandstream HT501 routers?

I have to run to church for now. I'll post a little more when I get back. My wife wants me to drive her to Gettysburg (about 30 miles away), so that might slow me down a little.

I do thank you so much for the input you are giving.

I wonder if there are any m0n0wll people here with 2 or more ATAs behind their router? Feel free to post. Thanks.

Bob

[Bob777]

I had an additional thought.

I see that port forwarding is suggested by VoIPo to various people that might have VoIP connection problems. After reading the link you gave me, I'm thinking there is a root cause other then port forwarding, since you don't need to do port forwarding at all and your VoIPo phones work find, with no port forwarding. I'm thinking the port forwarding solution is a work around to a root cause problem, which I haven't identified yet in my m0n0wall.

I was hoping to see some other people who use pfSense or m0n0wall post here also.

I'm thinking the link you posted (although I don't completely understand it yet), may be the root cause to the connection problem I have. I have to figure how to implement that solution in my m0n0wall. Otherwise I might switch over to pfSense.

When you use your ATAs, the ports have to be opened or your phones wouldn't work. Doesn't NAT automatically open those ports, when they are needed? Then close them when not needed? That way you have more security.

Well, I have to leave and drive my wife to Gettysburg. Thanks much

[burris]

Sorry to jump in, but the port forwarding issue has been on the table for some time now..

Every provider has different routes and different upstream carriers. Depending on how those carriers config their systems will depend on whether you need port forwarding or not.
For a long time with my Spa2102 ATA, I didn't need it. With my PAP2T and HT502 it seems to work better if I have the full range 5000-65000 enabled.
At the same time, I think the routers are pretty much the first line culprits...Many of them seem to do their own things no matter how they're set up..I've never had to use STUN.
My ISP provides dynamic DNS so my routher is set to DHCP, however, I point the forwarding route to a static IP imposed on my ATAs.

I come from the POTS telephony world and VOIP is still a constant learning process for me. Don't know if I'll ever learn.

[Bob777]

Hi burris:

Thanks for your post.

I called Verizon...my FIOS Internet provider...to see if they are blocking any ports. They say they aren't.

I did try to do port forwarding with my m0n0wall, but for some reason it didn't work. Either I'm not doing port forwarding right (although I did a lot of Googling on it), or my m0n0wall is malfunctioning.

I'm tempted to go to pfSense. Back around Feb., I bought the book about pfSense, by Chris Buechler. m0n0wall has no such book. It seems more difficult to get help with m0n0wall then pfSense...although I did get my m0n0wall set up to take credit cards for WiFi hotspots, and made it do captive portal, and dns, etc. It's just the port forwarding I can't do...yet.

I'm tired of not being able to answer my one VoIP phone. The other VoIP phone I can answer. This has gone on for 3 weeks. It use to work. I didn't make any changes on my end.

I was happy to see the link that chpalmer posted about setting pfSense up to work with VoIP. That means that very knowledgeable router people have recognized there can be a problem with passing VoIP ports through routers...and they posted a solution, which didn't have anything to do with port forwarding. chpalmer doesn't even use port forwarding with his two VoIPo lines. So maybe there is a chance for me yet.

I can call out ok though. For the most part, I like the good call quality of VoIPo.

[Bob777]

I installed my Linksys router...and wow. Yipee...It works


And I didn't even need to use port forwarding.

What is wrong with my m0n0wall that my m0n0wall won't let me call my one VoIP phone?

Maybe it's a solution similiar to the pfSense VoIP solution, where cfpalmer previously posted a link to correct a similiar problem with pfSense, that was needed to get VoIP to work with pfSense. That pfSense solution had nothing to do with port forwarding either.

So it seems that it has to be something other then port forwarding in my m0n0wall, that my m0n0wall router won't let me answer VoIP calls on my one VoIP phone.

It's a simple Linksys BEFSR81 router that now allows my VoIP to work...all without port forwarding. Now I'm really curious why my m0n0wall gives such a problem. It has to be something in the m0n0wall configuration that I'm doing wrong.

[chpalmer]

Hi Bob:

Have you seen this? http://doc.m0n0.ch/handbook/

Seems there is a sip proxy available also...

[Bob777]

I'm don't even know what sip proxy is...lol.

I do have the m0n0wall manual printed out. I'll look at it to see if there is anything about sip proxy.

Are you saying I need to turn on something called sip proxy in my m0n0wall?

At least now I can receive phone calls with my linksys router installed...all without port forwarding.

I sure would love to figure out why m0n0wall won't let it work. Maybe that sip proxy you mentioned might be a clue. For best security, I believe m0n0wall disallows things unless specifically allowed. I must not be allowing something, where the Linksys is allowing the phone calls to go through.