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BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu

Member

Provisioning an unlocked Linksys PAP2T-NA for Phone Power

I am having trouble provisioning my unlocked PAP2T-NA (Firmware version 5.1.6LS) with Phone Power. I was in the support queue only to get cut off as soon as they closed (I was next in queue too).

I used the emailed instructions they sent me, but after I enter the URL, I get a message:

PAP2 will resync the profile when it is not in use and reboot you can click HERE to return to the configuration page.

The PAP2T-NA does not reboot on its own (either immediately or even after I waited an hour). After a manual power cycle, nothing still. I did a manual factory reset, entered the URL, and I was back to square one.

Tech support is challenge to get a hold of and I looked through their online support info, but nothing was there of help.

Any ideas out there?
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

In Advanced mode, go to the Provisioning tab and set Provision Enable to yes. Make sure the four Profile Rule fields and the Upgrade Rule field are blank. Click Submit All Changes. Then, try the emailed URL again.
BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu

Member

I followed those instructions exactly and the end result was the same, unfortunately. I even tossed the adapter in the DMZ.

The adapter did work with Broadvoice, but it has been unlocked for a year (ie sitting on a shelf) after I disconnected from Broadvoice, so I'm sure it's not the adapter.

I think I may have to try and reach out to Phone Power support tomorrow.
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

Can the device access the Internet and do DNS lookups? For example, if you have NTP set up properly, the device Info page should show the current date and time. If not, check your NetMask and Gateway (if static IP) and your DNS settings. Make sure that the device MAC address as shown on the Info page matches what you told Phone Power.

Check the URL you entered. It should be like
http://192.168.0.1/admin/resync?hxxps://provision.phonepower.com/linksys/ProvisionXml.php?sn=$SN&mac=$MA
replacing 192.168.0.1 with the IP address of your PAP2T and replacing hxxps with https. The URL is case sensitive; be sure that all characters are correct.
BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu

Member

The device can access the Internet and do DNS lookups, so that's good.

The MAC address is indeed correct (verified that in the PP My Account page and the adapter's internal page).

The URL was exactly what you posted, minus changing out the IP to the one assigned to the adapter. I cut-n-pasted the URL (after changing the IP and hxxps) so no mistakes could have been made.

After an hour sitting in chat, I made to the top of the queue only do get kicked off. So, I'm on the phone now, currently waiting...28 minutes and counting.
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

If you did not get through yet, try pasting:
https://provision.phonepower.com/linksys/ProvisionXml.php?sn=$SN&mac=$MA into Profile Rule, submit changes. If nothing happens for one minute, reboot manually. If still no luck, IMO the problem is likely the config on their server.
BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu

Member

Since I have been on hold for now 70 minutes and counting, I tried your latest suggestion...nada.

I hope they eventually pick up. Thankfully I have speakerphone and can do other things while I wait, but this is a little obscene. I even logged onto the chat again and there's 17 people in queue.

If/when I get a resolution, I will be sure to post the results. Thank you for all the help!
BlondOverBlu

BlondOverBlu

Member

I was automatically sent to their voicemail box after 85 minutes on hold. I am not impressed with PP's support right now.
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

said by BlondOverBlu:

I was automatically sent to their voicemail box after 85 minutes on hold. I am not impressed with PP's support right now.

I'm sorry to hear that -- my service is working, so I wouldn't think that they should have had such a huge queue. They've always answered me quite promptly.

What kind of router and modem do you have? Are there any special settings, e.g. parental controls, that might be blocking access to PP provisioning?
Stewart

Stewart to BlondOverBlu

Member

to BlondOverBlu
Also, how is the PAP2T set up (static IP or DHCP, how connected to router, etc.)?
BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu to Stewart

Member

to Stewart
For a modem I have a Motorola SURFboard SB5120.

My ISP is Charter Communications on a 16MB/2MB connection.

I also have a Linksys/Cisco WRT310N-V2 router.

The Linksys/Cisco PAP2T-NA (verified unlocked) is connected to one of the ethernet ports of the router.

I have also tried using the PAP with a static IP and DHCP-assigned. Currently it's static.

No special settings other than standard wireless settings which obviously have no bearing plus I have tried placing the PAP2T in and out of the DMZ.

As I mentioned I had this same setup a year ago when I had Broadvoice and that worked flawlessly which is what makes this puzzling.
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

One more thing you might try: In your browser's address bar, enter the following URL: http://provision.phonepower.com/linksys/ProvisionEnc.php?mac=0123456789ab

Replace 0123456789ab with your PAP2T MAC address, using lower case for any letters.

If you see garbage on the screen, that's good (the file is encrypted). However, if you get a blank screen, it probably means that your account is not provisioned on the PP end. If you get an error (can't access page, etc.), there is something strange on your network that is apparently blocking access.
BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu

Member

Interesting. That trick redirected me to the PP home page. I even tried that URL in the profile field to no avail.

Then for kicks, I took https://provision.phonepower.com/linksys/ProvisionXml.php?sn=$SN&mac=$MA and swapped out the SN for the serial number and MA for MAC address in the provisioning field.

I also tried the same with http://192.168.1.9/admin/resync?»provision.phonepower.com ··· ;mac=$MA and using it as the web browser URL.

Push comes to shove I could factory reset my router and PAP and try again with default settings, but I am not in the mood. I may try and continue to attempt to reach PP first.
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

said by BlondOverBlu:

Interesting. That trick redirected me to the PP home page. I even tried that URL in the profile field to no avail.

The redirect puzzles me. I reconfirmed with both Firefox and IE (I assume you are using one of those) that the example URL gives a blank page and substituting my own device MAC gives encrypted garbage. I am guessing that your MAC is in their system, but there is a problem with the database, causing a server side error with the redirect response. Possibly, your account is set up for a device other than PAP2T. If you still haven't reached PP, try emailing support@phonepower.com and explain the situation.

Using the HTTP URL in the Profile field won't work, because the adapter doesn't (yet) have the key for decryption, which would have been delivered securely by HTTPS, had the setup gone as planned.

A post, possibly yours, was automatically deleted by the forum. If you were swearing at the situation, please repost a censored summary.
BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu

Member

I was able to fix the issue myself and posted my results. Not sure why it would get deleted though, it was perfectly G rated.

The issue was I found a link after a few Google searches that hinted at looking at the PAP's NAT settings which are turned off by default. Once I enabled NAT on the PAP (never knew about that setting on the PAP, just on my router) and used the original URL in the email PP sent, all is now working.

I also never did manage to reach anyone at PP support, so I lucked out thanks to perseverance. I may propose a solution to PP so it can be posted to their knowledgebase. Their recommendation of simply doing a factory reset then use the URL does not work as NAT is off by default.

Update: My original post was approved and posted it seems.
BlondOverBlu

BlondOverBlu

Member

Resolved! Provisioning an unlocked Linksys PAP2T-NA for PP

Having absolutely no luck reaching PP Support via chat, email, numerous phone calls, smoke signals, etc, I was still determined to fix this issue some way, some how without having to cancel my PP service.

Well, after Googling around for a bit, I came across this link:

http://www.voipvoip.com/linksys-pap2/

I read the instructions for laughs, but when I got to the end of it about NAT, I started to think, "Could that be my problem?"

Off I went into my PAP2's internals and located the "NAT Settings". Sure enough, the options for NAT Mapping and Keep Alive were off.

I activated them, saved changes, and after it rebooted, I tried the original instructions from PP's e-mail again.

Voila! The adapter rebooted, downloaded the settings, and after about a minute, the LED for "Phone 1" became active!

I can make outbound calls which are as good, if not better than, with my old POTS provider and even Broadvoice! I'm now waiting until 01/14/2011 for my port to complete so inbound calls can be made as well.
Stewart
join:2005-07-13

Stewart

Member

I am glad to hear that you got it working, but IMHO the problem was likely fixed at PP's end and was unrelated to NAT mapping.

Sure, in some network configurations NAT mapping may be needed for audio to pass or even for the device to register properly. However, I am certain that NAT mapping does not affect fetching a provisioning file. That would not even be conceptually possible, because the HTTP and HTTPS protocols don't transmit IP addresses in the data stream, so there is nothing to map! Now, had the device correctly fetched the file but needed NAT mapping to make calls, you surely would have noticed, because the file sets a password that would have locked you out of the admin section (until you did another factory reset).

There is a gentleman from PP who posts frequently in the forum; we await his comments on this thread.
BlondOverBlu
join:2011-01-02

BlondOverBlu

Member

Very interesting. I'm not well-versed in networking and all that; I just know enough to get into and out of trouble. I read your post, so I decided to factory reset the PAP2 (leaving the NAT settings defaulted to off) and then try re-provisioning it.

It worked.

I was contacted via IM/PM earlier today by someone with the handle ddwrt who was nice enough to forward my concerns to PP. No one responded and I never got through to PP, but clearly something was changed while I did my NAT experiment.

I'm eager to find out what happened, but above all, thrilled the PAP2 is working, plus I learned a few things through all this too!
ddwrt4
Sit down and drink with me
join:2010-06-09
Albany, NY

2 edits

ddwrt4

Member

Groovy man Glad it worked out for you... Sorry mate, they may just have gotten slammed today w\support calls? That really is not the norm... I'm sure someone will follow up with you from PP. I hear ya dude about ^ I can break things and usually fix them (usually), HA!

BTW I believe it was Jen, she awesome with answering all my emails w\porting? Feel free to shoot them an email billing at phonepower.com if you need them.

PhonePower
Premium Member
join:2007-07-20
Winnetka, CA

1 recommendation

PhonePower to BlondOverBlu

Premium Member

to BlondOverBlu

Re: Provisioning an unlocked Linksys PAP2T-NA for Phone Power

We were very perplexed to receive unusually call volumes today. Your posts here prompted us to take a look at the provisioning server and found a database glitch that was causing first time BYOD users (like yourself) to not register properly. This same glitch was also preventing some click-2-calls from going through. While this only affected a very small handful of our client base, it was enough to back up the call queues. I apologize for what were truly unusual circumstances in terms of hold times and missed chats. Once we fixed the registration server glitch, the call volume slowed down dramatically.

BlondOverBlu - Please PM me your account info. I owe you a courtesy credit