VOIP etc > Voice Over IP - VOIP > VOIP Tech Chat > [Lingo] Lingo Drops Outgoing Voice

reply to caseydoug

Re: [Lingo] Lingo Drops Outgoing Voice

Yes, that is strange. Log into both, and completely check their status and configuration settings: DHCPC Status, WAN IP, LAN Configuration, etc. The only differences you should see between the two are the IP and MAC addresses. You could give the adapters fixed IP addresses, but if they are set up identically and receiving different IP addresses, you are going to want to find out what is causing the problem.

If the two adapters are otherwise identical, then the problem may lie in your cable modem or router. Is it possible that both are acting as routers, providing DHCP? That could cause a conflict. If so, disable the DHCP server in one of them.

Is there some way to make sure both modems are set to some standard configuration? Like a reset of some kind?

One thing I noticed was I was not able to have my wireless router connected to the switch but it would work if connected through the Lingo Adapter. I also tried to disable the DHCP Server and then my Internet wouldn't work (obviously it is getting its address from the Linksys router. Maybe the cable modem is not providing the proper DHCP service. I guess my next test will be to have the cable modem, then the wireless router, then the switch and then both Lingo boxes. The wireless router should handle the DHCP for both Lingo adapters... I'll look into each device for configuration as well.

The cable modem must only be providing one address not DHCP (it must only be a DHCP client not a server) - this next test might just be the ticket...

I'm a little confused by what you are describing here. When you say "both modems," do you mean both adapters? Yes, you can reset the adapters. I don't recall you saying which adapters you have, but if they are UTStarcom or AzaCall, then you can press *#456987# from a connected telephone. Make sure they have internet access when you do this.

However, if your wireless router is not getting an address when connected to the switch (switch connected to cable modem?), then the problem is probably NOT with the adapters (so don't reset them). The problem is with DHCP on your router or cable modem.

You say you tried to disable the DHCP server. On what device? Which DHCP server? When you say "obviously it is getting its address from the Linksys router," WHAT is getting its address from the Linksys router? When you say "Maybe the cable modem is not providing the proper DHCP service," are you saying that it is providing SOME DHCP service?

To get to the bottom of this, perhaps you could describe your system: what kind of cable modem, what kind of router (is it just for wireless access, or are you using its router functions as well?), what kind of VoIP adapters, and what kind of network (i.e., do you have a wired network as well as a wireless network?). Also, what is your connection type (PPPoE, etc.)?

While all your devices can be DHCP clients, you probably want only one DHCP server. If your ISP has your cable modem set up as a DHCP server, the simplest thing might be to put the switch right after the cable modem, configure your router (Linksys wireless router?) not as a router but as a wireless access point, and connect it to the switch, and also connect the adapters to the switch.

On the other hand, if you want to use your Linksys as a router (e.g., because it has better security features), you may need to disable DHCP on your cable modem, configure the Linksys to log in using your PPPoE credentials (assuming that's what you have), and then connect the Linksys to the cable modem, the switch to the Linksys, and the adapters to the switch.

The point is, there are several ways to do it, depending on what you have and what you want. From what you've described, it's hard to tell where the problem is. Perhaps you should simplify, and test one thing at a time (e.g., forget the adapters and the router, and see what type of IP you get from the cable modem. Is it public or private? That will tell you whether the cable modem is acting as a router). And as I suggested in my previous post, it would help you to check (and report) the status of all your devices. Just knowing what type of IP addresses they are getting would tell a lot.

Good luck!

Case closed.

Here is what I have:

The cable modem connects to my home wireless router which has one additional ethernet port. The wireless router is handling all DHCP Services, the wireless router gets one address from the cable modem and then hands out addresses to everybody on the other side of the cable modem. The wireless router connects to the switch which has both Lingo Adapters connected to it. I was able to have a conversation for over 40 minutes without incident - being cutoff from the outgoing audio (from the VoIP line). The confusion over DHCP servers was that apparently the Lingo adapters do DHCP services which is also most likely why there was a problem in the first place.

Thanks so much for getting me to think about this in additional ways. I will be sure to let Lingo know in case they write this down so anybody else with this problem will know they are NOT to connect the Lingo adapters serially - although it does suggest that as the best approach in their installation guide.

If both your cable modem and your router are providing DHCP services, you should make sure they are on different subnets. Assume, for example, that your cable modem gets a public IP address on its WAN side from the ISP -- say, 66.74.132.103, and uses a private IP address on its LAN side -- say, 192.168.0.1. Your router would then probably receive an IP address dynamically on its WAN side of 192.168.0.2. You need to manually configure the LAN side of the router to have an address that is NOT in the 192.168.0.x subnet. Set it, for example, to 192.169.10.1. Then the VoIP adapters as well as your computer will have addresses in the 192.168.10.x subnet.

I'm glad you worked it out, but you might want to check these addresses to be sure other problems won't crop up.