Hello All!

New to VOIPo and VOIP telephony in general. Kind of a noob to general networking so this adds another level of complexity. Willing and able to learn though. Sometimes I <think> I know what I am talking about! I generally try to document my steps so I can reverse them if I screw up.

Anyway, here's my setup. Comcast broadband internet (equipment below). Initially setup in sequence Modem--->Grandstream HT502 ATA--->Router. Phone worked ok but when I did some speed tests before and after, download speed took a serious hit. Basically, cut rate in half. I was getting 70-80 Mbps which dropped into the 30s. Quite noticeable.

Decided to switch the HT502 (WAN port) to a LAN port on the router to: Modem--->router--->HT502. Not exactly called out in the directions but some quick searching seemed to indicate it would be fine. Made the change, regained my speed and everything seems to work ok. Continued searching called out some configuration changes and this is where I get confused.

I read about static IP address for HT502. Was able to login into HT502 through laptop (LAN-to-LAN) and tried to configure. Did not work, so at 1 AM last night reverted back. Could not see the HT502 on the router screens. Also, read about port forwarding but these setups appear confusing too.

Right now the router assigns IP through DHCP to the HT502, currently 192.168.1.12. I guess the IP can vary (but I'm not sure what triggers it to change) but is that a problem? The phones seems to work ok, took some calls. I did have one dropped call yesterday after about a minute.

Ultimately, if I keep the ATA downstream from the router, do I have to change anything? If yes, I will need some more guidance on steps. I just want to setup to ensure best reliability and function. Thanks for the help in advance.

Eric

Modem: Motorola Surfboard SB6121
Router: Netgear WNDR4500