i080654
join:2004-04-14
Mountain View, CA | reply to korosy
Re: [Vonage] Linksys WRT54GP2 problems so far I switched from the Vonage Cisco ATA and WRT54G to a WRT54GP2 - and experienced the same line noise problem. After by now having exchanged 3 units at my local Fry's, I found the following:
- the noise level varies from unit to unit, and also from port to port
- the noise has nothing to do with internet connection or bandwidth, the noise is there as soon as you plug in an analog phone, with no network or anything else connected
- in my opinion, the Linksys units are simply defective (expect a recall or a V2.0 model)
I will keep trying and let the forum know as soon as something works...
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| With a bit of encouragement by Linksys tech support, my tip-off that the background noise might be able to be adjustable was when placing calls. I noticed the waterfall-like white noise momentarily went away (say .2 seconds), just before a dialed-call actually connected. The quality of the voice itself was never a problem, it was just very distracting to have this loud background noise.
I have (briefly) activated 5 different WRT54GP2 units (returning perhaps-defective units from different serial # ranges). After activating one of them, the background noise actually went away. I don't really know if it was the Vonage tech or the particular device that made the difference yet, but this unit DID have the same white noise as the other 4 units prior to tech's parameter tweaking. The voice quality is excellent, and has passed the WAF (wife-acceptance-factor) as well, after hours of phone calls.
This took several calls to different Vonage techs over 3 nights (1.5 hours on cell phone each night), using variety of hardware. I am installing another WRT54GP2 at my brother's home tomorrow. I hope to post details of serial #s & such soon, especially if I get success twice.
So, after testing all of these setups:
Cablemodem --> Linksys WRT54GS --> Motorola VT1005V
Cablemodem --> Linksys WRT54GS --> Linksys RT31P2
Cablemodem --> Linksys WRT54GS --> Linksys PAP2
Cablemodem --> Linksys RT31P2 --> Linksys WRT54GS
Cablemodem --> Linksys WRT54GP2
only one resists all my attempts to degrade call quality (with simple ftp upload test), that is the WRT54GP2. I must say that it sure is a lot simpler to setup, and hopefully to maintain/troubleshoot. I especially like that I can output the log to a syslog server on my LAN as well, and I don't have to worry about QOS any longer. For instance, on the WRT54GS, Linksys recommended I set the VOIP adapter's MAC address to HIGH QOS priority, but only after resetting to factory defaults AFTER applying this firmware:
v3.37.2, Nov. 9, 2004
Unfortunately, this just didn't work, calls still degraded during any ftp upload, whether I used one or both VOIP lines . I tried many other Linksys .17 and .37 firmware QOS options as well, none worked, most made it worse, and Sveasoft firmwares QOS just never worked at all for me.
Interesting notes
a) when first checking out the web interface on a WRT54GP2, it said a Sep firmware (I think 1.20), but once activated it quickly had "1.24.01, Nov 2 2004" firmware, with no action on my part.
b) the VT1005V was the only unit that ever worked with Hughes HDVR2 TiVos (only with recent VT20_01.2.d4 firmware, .17 never worked for me, dial prefixes do nothing on this model TiVo), but I'd hope Vonage will fix the WRT54GP2 as well. And I have an old Sportster (and a $7 TiVo serial cable) that I may end up using, if they don't fix TiVo support within a month or two.
I'll followup with a bit more detail soon! |
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| Hmm, then again, tonight after hours of misery trying to reach tech support at my 2nd install site (my brother's home), no luck with the 2nd WRT54GP2, loud background hiss. We even tried using the same tech who got the first one working, to get all Vonage-controlled parameters setup the same way, but no noticeable improvement.
So perhaps I'm back to thinking it is the hardware after-all, surely hope they find a trend with bad serial #s or something. I will stay in touch with the same techs to see how this plays out, and post results here... |
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dorosz
join:2003-06-28
Cumming, GA | reply to tinkererguy
said by tinkererguy:Interesting notes a) when first checking out the web interface on a WRT54GP2, it said a Sep firmware (I think 1.20), but once activated it quickly had "1.24.01, Nov 2 2004" firmware, with no action on my part. FYI I'm currently on 2.0.10(LIc) firmware |
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| FYI, both my GP2s (the noisy one and the quiet one) are on:
Firmware Version: 1.24.01, Nov 2 2004
Voice Version: 2.0.11(LIc) |
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dorosz
join:2003-06-28
Cumming, GA | said by tinkererguy:FYI, both my GP2s (the noisy one and the quiet one) are on: Firmware Version: 1.24.01, Nov 2 2004 Voice Version: 2.0.11(LIc) Hmm...1.20.01 Sep 3 2004
and still 2.0.10 and no problems  |
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| reply to i080654
I would like to now if there is a possible way to increase my upload speed, since am having trouble communicating, I have Vonage as my phone system, an direcway as my internet provider. They are having problem hearing me but I hear them find, they tell me its because my upload speed is to slow, since this is my primary mode of communication any help will be appreciated.
thank you |
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| reply to i080654
I would like to now if there is a possible way to increase my upload speed, since am having trouble communicating, I have vonage as my phone system, an direcway as my internet provider. They are having problem hearing me but I hear them find, they tell me its because my upload speed is to slow, since this is my primary mode of communication any help will be appreatiated.
thank you |
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| reply to tinkererguy
OK, here's my promised list of serial #s I've tried, in hopes of somebody at Linksys/Vonage/broadbandreports spotting a trend of some sort. I'm honestly not into Linksys/Vonage loosing $ with all these returns. I did all these swaps at the advice of both companies tech support, and am hoping to help out by sharing this info.
I should add that I tried different models of corded phones plugged directly into WRT54GP2 Line 1 or Line 2. Also note that this isn't a subtle hiss, it's either there or it's not, obvious to anybody. I'd say that the noisy WRT54GP2s are 5x noisier than the quiet ones, about 10 seconds after powering up (before even activated by Vonage).
Linksys WRT54GP2
Serial# Store (Hartford area of CT, bought between Nov 19-21st '04)
BACKGROUND HISS:
CGZ00D905754 Best Buy, tested with Vonage, returned
CGZ00D905755 Best Buy, tested with Vonage, returned
CGZ00DA00044 Best Buy, tested with Vonage
CGZ00DA13211 CompUSA, tested with just phone, returned
CGZ00DA12830 CompUSA, working (with hiss, brother's house)
NO BACKGROUND HISS:
CGZ00DA01630 Best Buy, working (my house) |
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| I'm delighted to say that both Linksys and Vonage are actively investigating this issue, and are aware of these posts I'm making. I do believe strongly in this product, and will likely be signing up more friends-and-family for Vonage. I'm confident we'll get through this early-adopter phase very soon!
PS: You may notice at the retailers shelves that the serial #s are listed right on the bottom of the Linksys boxes, and usually on your receipts as well. Also, the cheapest way to get started with Vonage (if you don't already have a wireless router) appears to be by buying one of these WRT54GP2 routers and getting a $50 rebate by mail. You won't be needing the Linksys RT31P2 Vonage normally sends to new customers that need hardware at this time. |
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1 edit | reply to tinkererguy
I was at Best Buy, picked up this serial#
CGZ00DA04589 Best Buy, tested with Vonage
this is close to the serial# that I had working, but it has the background hiss problem and will have to be returned. I didn't notice the hiss much until activated, so no good in-store test, activation with Vonage seems to be the best true test.
So, now back to using my known-good hiss-free WRT54GP2 (although not quite as quiet as the RT31P2). I tried a different configuration, works nicely, even with heavy ftp upload through the WRT54GP2, allowing me to travel with the RT31P2, a big blessing:
Motorola Cablemodem ===> WRT54GP2 ===> Line 1 (removed)
\===> RT31P2 ===> Line 2 (removed)
Will keep informed! |
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| That didn't space correctly, to clarify, the cablemodem is hooked to the WAN port of the WRT54GP2, and the WRT54GP2 LAN is connected to the WAN port of the RT31P2. |
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Reviews:
 ·ViaTalk
1 edit | reply to tinkererguy
said by tinkererguy: Line 1 (removed) \===> RT31P2 ===> Line 2 (removed) Will keep informed! Those are fake phone numbers, right? You wouldn't post your real phone numbers on the internet, would you? |
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 bewaleKillemallPremium
join:2000-08-08
Royal Oak, MI | Guys, any update on the status of the Linksys WRT54GP2 device? My father is looking to go wireless and subscribe to Vonage... and this seems to be the perfect fit... assuming these issues have been worked out. If not, I'll be picking up the PAP2 for $9 and separate Wireless B/G router.
Thanks.
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"In a world of compromise, some don't." |
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| Im one of the chief cheerleaders and not a good one on this router. The "air noise" issue still there but minimal and you tend to forget its there after continued use. QOS is perfect. No more phantom reboots with the current firmware 1.25.0, 1.24.01 was junk....so really I can tell ya go ahead and get it. Make sure its running 1.25.0 firmware and he will be fine! |
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| Success - possible solution / workaround!!! I've been following this thread for over a month; ever since I upgraded my Cisco ATA to a Vonage WRT54GP2 which has the "air noise" problem. Living with the problem is better than going back to the Cisco/old router, and since I purchased the Linksys online it would be a hassle to exchange it in hopes of getting a better one. I've been hoping a solution would be discovered by one of you.
As a result of this last post I decided to call Vonage Tech Support and ask for a 1.24.01 to 1.25.00 firmware upgrade, and to report the problem. They switched my service from port 1 to 2, in hopes that the port was bad ... no change. They swapped it back, and sent the 1.25.00 firmware ... no change. However in the process of discussing the port swap I discovered what appears to be a solution!!!!
I had attached an old AT&T trimline phone to my second port, as a backup phone for when the power fails. I have a UPS on my cable modem and the WRT54GP2, so if the power fails I swap the phone cords between port 1 and 2, because my wireless phone's base doesn't have backup power.
While I was talking to Vonage Tech Support on my wireless phone (on port 1), I happened to take the trimline phone (on port 2) off the hook, and low and behold, no "air noise". It totally disappeared. I only have port 1 active with Vonage (port 2 doesn't get a dial tone), however something about leaving a phone connected to it and off the hook fixes the problem. The trimline phone has a lighted keypad which illuminates when it is off the hook, so maybe this power draw plays into it. I mentioned this to the Tech who seemed unimpressed, but I was thrilled by this discovery. For now I plan to leave the port 2 phone off the hook all of the time. Hopefully Linksys and/or Vonage develop a better solution, or this helps someone narrow down what the defect is.
I hope this solution works for the rest of you. Please report back with your findings. Happy Holidays! ...Mark |
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| ummmmm sounds like a lot of hassle and I am just as unimpressed. I am still working on this with Linksys and not Vonage. 1.25.0 firmware is not perfect and has issues too...Im about sick of this thing period. The Air noise is the least of my issues with this. Most seem to blow this out of proportion and is not that bad. I just want something that works...sad because this is a nice thing if it worked properly. QOS is solid and the rest of it sucks....lol. |
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| taycounty -
What fixes/issues does the firmware 1.25.00 have? I was having zero problems with 1.24.01, but found the air noise very distracting; to the point I would use my cell phone to make calls over using the house phone. If the "second phone fix" proves to be a solution for others, maybe Linksys can provide a port dongle to simulate this and solve the problem in a cleaner way. If you are talking to Linksys maybe you can inquire as to why this corrects the noise problem? I agree that having a true fix from Linksys would be better. For now I'm just curious if this fix works for others. ...Mark |
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 GeekJediRF is Good For YouPremium
join:2001-06-21
Mukwonago, WI
 ·CenturyLink
·VOIPo
| reply to WRT54GP2
said by WRT54GP2:While I was talking to Vonage Tech Support on my wireless phone (on port 1), I happened to take the trimline phone (on port 2) off the hook, and low and behold, no "air noise". It totally disappeared. I only have port 1 active with Vonage (port 2 doesn't get a dial tone), however something about leaving a phone connected to it and off the hook fixes the problem. The trimline phone has a lighted keypad which illuminates when it is off the hook, so maybe this power draw plays into it. I mentioned this to the Tech who seemed unimpressed, but I was thrilled by this discovery. For now I plan to leave the port 2 phone off the hook all of the time. Hopefully Linksys and/or Vonage develop a better solution, or this helps someone narrow down what the defect is. I hope this solution works for the rest of you. Please report back with your findings. Happy Holidays! ...Mark Believe it or not, it worked for me! I had an old desk phone (not lit) that I plugged in. I took it off the hook and sure enough, the background noise became "normal".
I know that even if port 2 is not active, there is voltage present to power the phone. I wonder if the drop in current/voltage by having the second phone off the hook has anything to do with the reduction in "noise"...
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The goal of the broadcast engineer is to get all the meters on the transmitter to go as far to the right as possible!! |
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| Hi All,
I have been following this thread for a while now and I have one question. What setting are you using for the voice QoS on your router? There really isn't any documentation for this setting and I am not sure what to set it at.
Also, just for the record, I too am having the "air noise" problem, but I do not have any other issues with the router. Unfortunately, I have two phone lines from vonage so I already use both ports.
Anyway, any insight to the QoS setting would be appreciated. |
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