Messages

1

General discussion forum / Re: TP-Link 802WR bridge no longer works; recs for E-net to wireless adapter?

« on: 2019-02-04, 23:07:00 »

Mitch, yesterday the TP-Link fired up immediately, not even 5 minutes from unboxing to running. I was thrilled.

Today a different story, and I can't imagine what happened. Our router is relatively new (I know Comcast tends to squeeze every last day out of the gear it rents), but maybe changing to a different one when we're off contract later this year will resolve this issue.

73 Paula k9ir

2

General discussion forum / Re: TP-Link 802WR bridge no longer works; recs for E-net to wireless adapter?

« on: 2019-02-04, 16:01:46 »

UPDATE: a-a-and the problem is back, after I turned everything off and moved the system to the more comfortable OP. I suppose I could just keep changing the ports anytime I need to use this, but seems that shouldn't be necessary.

Still VERY interested in recommendations for a reliable ethernet to wireless adapter!!

Changed port numbers, now all connects again ;-). Will see how long this lasts.... (apparently not long!)

73 Paula k9ir

3

General discussion forum / TP-Link 802WR bridge no longer works; recs for E-net to wireless adapter?

« on: 2019-02-04, 15:13:25 »

I would appreciate recommendations for a reliable ethernet to wireless adapter, as I'm having issues with what I bought -- see below and my separate update to my post.

I bought a TP-LINK 802WR Nano router to use in Client mode as a way to connect RR both at home (to avoid having to run a very long ethernet cable to a convenient operating position) and from places like Starbuck's, etc. The 802 is reported to be used frequently to connect ethernet only devices to a wireless network, so it seemed like a good option.

Yesterday I got the 802 connected to my home wireless, then to the RR Control box, and connected successfully to the remote station.

This morning, the system no longer connects with the 802, but does work if I go back to a direct hard wire connection to my home router. The Control box shows a steady green light on the front when connected to the 802. There must be something with the 802 not working right, but I'm not sure what.

The Control box Status page reports the following after an unsuccessful connection attempt with the 802:
1. Connection status: Faulty
2. SIP status: Connected/transferring
3. RTP/UDP audio status: Stalled (6) [the number varies - I've seen 24 and 19 also]
4. UDP cmd status: Error

I can hear the remote head for the TS-480 make the single beep preliminary to firing up, but the display remains dark. Shortly thereafter I here another single beep.

I tried the following t-shoot steps:
1. Reset the Control box.
2. Reset the Radio box
3. Reset the 802 from scratch to connect to the home network, etc.
4. Tested with a different ethernet cable
5. Verified the 802 config - it is getting its IP from the home router, and its own internal DHCP server is disabled. I can ping the 802 using the IP address my router assigned to the 802.

Alternatively, can anyone recommend an ethernet to wifi adapter at a reasonable price point that has worked reliably? There are some decently priced pre-owned Netgear WCNE2001 units for sale on eBay. I know many are using the 2001 with RR, but some comments on this forum suggest surprise that gear this "old" would still work, so I don't know if that's the way to go.

I've tried an IOGEAR GWU627 that worked with a BluRay player, but it appears to have joined its companions as now DOA. The GWU637 gets similar reports for eventual mortality (many reports indicate it runs hot, not good for long life).

Ideas welcome. Thanks!

73 Paula k9ir

4

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-02, 17:43:52 »

Tnx, Mitch. Yes, hope this thread will help anyone else experiencing an out of the blue cessation of connectivity.

I think we'll be following in your footsteps with cutting the cord. I've heard of Magic Jack and it sounds like we should seriously consider it.

As we emerge from the infamous polar vortex here I would love to be at Orlando, but it's not in the cards this year. However, we will be at Dayton and I look forward to meeting you there.

73 Paula k9ir

5

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-02, 07:35:21 »

Tnx once again, Mitch. This blind dog finally found a bone. I figured out how to change the ports - of course, all as you described - and made the changes to the Radio unit, the remote router's port forwarding, and the Control unit. Connected!

I couldn't set up the Control box in the DMZ, as my Arris Comcast router requires me to enter both an IP4 and IP6 address for the "computer" placed in the DMZ. The Belkin router at my remote site is not so picky. The Arris assigns both addresses to PCs, laptops, etc. However, my networked printers and, alas, the Control box, only get IP4 addresses. So the change wouldn't save.

Under the Triple Play services package we have, I don't think I can replace the Comcast router with anything that wouldn't have the same issues. I believe the Comcast voice service requires either the rented router or one of the other routers Comcast lists on its website as compatible, for example, the Moto MT7711. We could buy the Moto, but I suspect it will have the same issues re: SIP.

I agree with you that Comcast is ripping us all off. It's not just the rented equipment, I suspect it's also mucking with SIP in favor of its own services. My system worked fine with the default ports of 13000-01-02 until yesterday. Did it detect the use of those ports for SIP and start blocking me? We will see how long it works with the new ports; at least I'll know what my first step should be in that event.

Our Comcast contract is up before the end of this year. It's likely we'll just use Comcast for internet access thereafter. That should give us a wider range of modems/routers from which to choose, as we no longer would need voice.

Yeah, they didn't cover this topic in law school with me either ;-). A large part of the frustration is simply not understanding how everything works, which makes t-shooting that much more difficult. My knowledge of networking fundamentals was rapidly exhausted during this endeavor. I still don't know exactly what SIP is, but that's another topic for me to tackle ;-).

Many thanks for your ongoing support and patience. You saved me a huge trip, and pointed me to the steps that I was too inexperienced to recognize as the right way to go about this.

73 Paula k9ir

6

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-02, 05:21:16 »

Mitch, tnx very much for the additional ideas, as I have run out of them ;-). My brother uses AT&T. He has a TPLink router. I just plugged an ethernet cable into an available port on the back of that router, fired up the Control box after plugging the TS-480 remote head in, and voila - connection established.

The Arris routers used by Comcast do not have a SIP ALG parameter to configure.

I will try to figure out what I need to do to change the SIP ports and see if that works. I'll also try the DMZ solution (although totally disabling the FW had no impact).

However, I'm not inclined to start buying and testing replacement network hardware just yet. I continue to be puzzled as to what could have changed with the home network, as we certainly did nothing to (re)configure the network or router in any way. I'm also struck by the fact that nobody else using RR with Xfinity seems to be facing these issues--there's very little info posted to the forum regarding Xfinity networks and routers.

As a result, I'm reluctant to start buying all sorts of replacement gear without knowing whether that even addresses whatever the problem is. I could end up with lots of devices, none of which resolve the problem. Worse, I could end up with gear that has the same problems as what I have now!

73 Paula k9ir

7

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-02, 01:46:23 »

I tried all 4 ports on the Xfinity router, including the one that worked just fine for my laptop -- no joy.
I disabled the firewall -- no joy.
I have tried two different ethernet cables that were working before, one of which worked at my brother's location earlier today (he uses AT&T ;-)).
We don't use any switch; everything comes through the wireless router. RR marks one of the few times we've ever needed to use one of the ethernet ports.

I'm researching now whether SIP ALG can be disabled on an Xfinity router. I found no such parameter in any section of the router. Info from 2015 suggests I am SOL, but I'm looking for guidance in more recent info.

If anyone has figured a way to disable SIP ALG on an Xfinity/Comcast router, please let me know what the magic is!

73 Paula k9ir

73 Paula k9ir

8

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-02, 00:44:47 »

So I tried accessing my remote station from my brother's house -- success!

I returned home and tried the exact same setup (same cables) and -- failure.

I rebooted our router, but no joy once again. The symptoms remain the same, though I think we've narrowed down the issue to something that--just--happened with the home network yesterday.

I have come to the end of next steps I can think of, though I presume I will be rummaging around router settings and such. If there's a thread or doc I should reference, just point me and I'll get on it.

Tnx again for the direction to try access elsewhere; that just saved me a 12 hour round trip ;-).

73 Paula k9ir

9

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-01, 23:26:38 »

Thanks very much, Mitch. I just finished packing everything up to go to my brother's and try connecting from there. Once I am set up there, I will export the CONTROL settings and email those for you to try access from your location. I'll also update you on whether I have any success connecting from there.

73 Paula k9ir

10

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-01, 22:08:39 »

Tnx agn, Mitch. No problem, I realized the multiple screens probably caused the confusion.

What's odd is that I can access the remote radio box over the internet. So there is an internet connection to the radio RRC, but no meaningful communication to make it do anything (other than a reset).

I am going up to the remote site tomorrow. I don't know of anyone in my home area using RR that I could ask to try accessing the remote site. So I may just try a hard power down/up on the remote hardware to see if that clears things up. I may try testing the control unit at another location tonight; assuming I can just plug into an ethernet port on that router, fire up the box and see what happens.

I may post an update if I run out of t-shooting ideas to resolve the problem ;-).

73 Paula k9ir

11

General discussion forum / Firmware & bootloader questions

« on: 2019-02-01, 16:55:07 »

I noticed I am on firmware v.2,.80 (Control) and 2.81 (Radio) using bootloader 1.10 (I bought the system used). Once I resolve my connectivity issues, I plan to update the firmware to the same version on both boxes (unless that should be done as part of resolving the connection problems).

My questions are:
1. Are firmware updates cumulative, that is, can I upgrade directly to the current v.2.91 from the versions now installed?
2. On the Support and Downloads page, I noticed a reference to bootloader 1.13. Is this bootloader included as part of the firmware upgrade?

Thanks!

73 Paula k9ir

12

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-01, 07:36:45 »

Mitch, the IP address you noted is the external address for the Radio box only. The two boxes are on totally different networks. The IP address confusion may be from the fact that I sent you 2 Status screens for the Control box. The order of the Status screens I sent is

1. Status for Radio unit
2. Status for Control unit before attempting a connection, and
3. Status of Control unit after the attempt

The Control box is configured for DHCP and receives an IP address assigned by my home network router. On its Radio settings page the DDNS address/own host name is entered for the SIP contact.

The Radio box has a fixed internal IP address consistent with the network it is on.

Hope this clears things up ;-).

73, Paula k9ir

13

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-01, 05:19:35 »

Thanks again, Mitch. FYI I went back to using a direct wired ethernet connection to my home router when I couldn't initially re-establish connectivity via the network bridge. So all my earlier t-shooting efforts were done without the network bridge. I do have a cheapo wi-fi extender (IOGear GWU627) that used to work with a blu-ray player; unfortunately, like so many of these extenders, it has failed and no longer works ;-). They all seem to get mediocre reviews but I'll give try another brand and hope for the best.

The tones I hear are the 3 note sequence that repeats 3 times; it is not a busy signal.

For the avoidance of any doubt, here are the status pages for both units (including the Control unit before and after a connect attempt). I admit the details are beyond my current knowledge level, so there could be something below that I didn't recognize as incorrect, or that flags the cause of the problem.

RADIO:
Status

Radio   ON
Connection status   Disconnected
SIP status   Idle
Last SIP error   None
RTP/UDP audio status   Disconnected
UDP cmd status   Disconnected
SIP command timeout   0
Rx Jitter buffer size   12
Rx Jitter delay   10
Dual Rx   0
External IP   206.146.83.22
SIP Out port   13000
SIP In port   13000
Audio Out port   0
Audio In port   0
Command Out port   0
Command In port   13002
External SIP In port   13000
External Audio In port   13001
External Cmd In port   13002
Other party   0.0.0.0
Input 1   High
Input 2   High
Output 0   Low
Output 1   Low
Output 2   Low
Dynamic DNS status
OK
Ping status (watchdog)   Off
DNS status   OK, remoterig.com = 213.180.92.125
Active profile   Default
PTT status   OFF
Antenna-Switch (IP)   not connected
Common network settings   No

CONTROL before connect attempt:
Status

Control panel   ON
Radio   OFF
Connection status   Disconnected
SIP status   Idle
Last SIP error   None
RTP/UDP audio status   Disconnected
UDP cmd status   Disconnected
SIP command timeout   0
Rx Jitter buffer size   12
Rx Jitter delay   10
Dual Rx   0
SIP Out port   13000
SIP In port   13000
Audio Out port   0
Audio In port   0
Command Out port   0
Command In port   13002
External SIP In port   13000
External Audio In port   13001
External Cmd In port   13002
Other party   0.0.0.0
Input 0   High
Input 1   High
Input 2   High
Output 0   Low
Output 1   Low
Output 2   Low
DNS status   OK, rkfe6qsh.ddns.remoterig.com = 206.146.83.22
Active profile:   Default
PTT status:   

CONTROL after start attempt (status page didn't dynamically refresh. I went to another page and then back to Status):
Status

Control panel   ON
Radio   OFF
Connection status   Disconnected
SIP status   Error
Last SIP error   SIP Error
RTP/UDP audio status   Disconnected
UDP cmd status   Disconnected
SIP command timeout   0
Rx Jitter buffer size   12
Rx Jitter delay   10
Dual Rx   0
SIP Out port   13000
SIP In port   13000
Audio Out port   0
Audio In port   0
Command Out port   0
Command In port   13002
External SIP In port   13000
External Audio In port   13001
External Cmd In port   13002
Other party   206.146.83.22
Input 0   High
Input 1   High
Input 2   High
Output 0   Low
Output 1   Low
Output 2   Low
DNS status   OK, rkfe6qsh.ddns.remoterig.com = 206.146.83.22
Active profile:   Default
PTT status:   OFF

14

General discussion forum / Re: System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-01, 03:17:32 »

Mitch, thank you for the quick reply.

I did click Restart (tried twice) for the Radio unit via the web interface, but the radio still does not turn on. I am hearing the 3 sets of three tones from the control head of the TS-480.

Anything else to try, whether remotely or at the remote site?

When you say "it thinks the connection is still alive," do you mean the radio unit? If the radio unit, is this a situation where a remote switch to cycle power to the TS-480 itself would be helpful to reset the system?

Paula k9ir

15

General discussion forum / System died, how to resuscitate?

« on: 2019-02-01, 02:23:58 »

Apparently my laptop did a reboot while I had the Control unit connected via a network bridge on the laptop and the remote radio was on. After getting nowhere reconnecting the Control box to the network bridge, I tried the following steps to get the system back up, but was unsuccessful:

1. Connected the Control box directly to my home router. I just hear the 3-tone signal from the TS-480 control head.
2. Reset power to the Control box.
3. Reset the Control box via the MicroBit setup manager.
4. Verified I can access the Radio box remotely - it is still running.

I did not yet try a remote reset of the radio box.

Are there other steps I can take to get the system back up and running? Thanks for any help.

Paula k9ir