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Troubleshooting

 

All my calls go straight to voicemail.

There are two reasons why this happens:

  1. Voicemail timeout is set to zero seconds.
    If the timeout is set to zero seconds then all incoming calls will go immediately to voicemail. To change this setting log in to your account, select Toolbox from the customer menu. Under Forwards at the bottom of the page you will find your Voicemail Preferences. Change the "Time before voicemail" to 10+ seconds. For further information about Voicemail please refer to the ToolBox Guide.
  2. The Blueface switch is receiving no response from your ATA.
    If this happens calls are routed to your voicemail. The Blueface server periodically 'talks' to your IP phone or ATA. If our server receives no response from your device then it will not attempt to route calls to you, instead, calls are sent to voicemail. First check to see if your broadband is still online. If it is off-line contact your broadband service provider. If it is working power cycle your equipment. This means you switch off your router and IP device and all your other network equipment. Wait five minutes, then power them back on again - starting with your broadband modem, and continue to power on each subsequent device in your network.

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I cannot make or receive calls but my internet connection is still working.

Check all the connections between your IP phone/ATA and broadband router. Power cycle your equipment: switch the power off to your router and IP device and all your other network equipment. Wait 5 minutes, then power them back on again - starting with your broadband modem, and continue to power on each subsequent device in your network.

If this does not reconnect your phone service please check the following:

  1. The device is not configured correctly with your Blueface account settings.
    All devices bought in the Blueface Shop come pre-configured and tested. However if you have configured the device yourself, you may have entered your VoIP settings incorrectly. Check that the details from your Blueface welcome email have been entered precisely.
    Usernames and passwords are case sensitive. If your password is: myPassword then this is exactly what you must enter; using mypassword can cause a failed log in.
    Also check that you have followed the ATA manufacturers configuration guide correctly.
    You can find configuration guides to all hardware sold by Blueface here : phone configuration.
  2. Your phone is plugged into the wrong phone port on the ATA.
    Some ATAs come with two phone ports. All devices from the Blueface shop come configured to port 1. If your phone is plugged into phone port 2 then it will not work. Check that your phone is plugged into phone port 1.
  3. Another device is using the same SIP account.
    If you would like to use more than one device with your Blueface account you will need multiple SIP accounts. For example you may have a home phone, a softphone on your laptop and a mobile phone all configured with your Blueface account details. Each device requires it's own SIP account to function correctly.
    Find out how to add a new SIP account and make sure you get the best call quality for all your devices.
  4. Firewall/NAT is blocking access
    Allocate a STUN server to your IP phone or ATA configuration. We recommend: stun.xten.com if that does not resolve the problem please try the following:

    Some firewalls block VoIP traffic, to fix this you will need to set up port forwarding on your firewall.
    The following ports should be forwarded to the IP address of your IP device:

    UDP ports 5060-5061

    UDP ports 10000-20000

    You should also configure your IP device to use a static IP address.

    A typical example of a firewall blocking: You can make and receive calls, but a short period later (10 mins) incoming calls will go straight to voicemail yet you are still able to make outgoing calls. This is the classic symptom of a firewall closing the connection between your IP device and the Blueface server. Re-booting your device will temporarily resolve it but the best solution is to set-up port forwarding.

    If you use multiple devices or multiple SIP accounts behind the same firewall ensure that each device/SIP account uses a different port for SIP traffic. Each SIP account should use a successive port like: 5060, 5061, 5062, etc.
    If you are using multiple IP devices behind the same router please ensure any port forwarding you may have already set-up is forwarding traffic to the IP address of the SIP account using that port.

  5. There is a compatibility issue with your IP device.
    Some phones may have difficulty interacting with ATAs. This has been known to happen with some DECT phones which use "ring wire", and has been resolved by using an RJ11 ADSL-Plug Splitter between the phone and the ATA.
    Before trying the solution above try another type of phone with your ATA to see if it resolves the problem.
  6. Your normal phone connected to the ATA is not working.
    If your normal phone is not working correctly then it will not work with an ATA. Try another phone/handset with your ATA to see if it resolves the problem.

Related articles in the Forum:

Router "Port Forwarding" Setup Guide


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I cannot make or receive calls and my Internet connection is not working.

Check to see if your broadband connection has dropped. Looking at the indicator lights on your broadband modem. Make sure all network cables are connected securely and refer to the installation guide that was provided with your hardware. Ensure that you are using Ethernet cables (not USB) to connect your network equipment (modem, router/ATA, PC). Power cycle all your equipment: switch the power off to your router and IP device and all your other network equipment. Wait 5 minutes, then power them back on again - starting with your broadband modem, and continue to power on each subsequent device in your network. If, after the power cycle your broadband connection has failed to come online you should contact your broadband provider and inform them of the problem.

If this does not reconnect your phone service please check the following:

  1. The wrong cable is connecting your modem to your ATA.
    Some broadband providers (e.g. Irish Broadband) use a specific type of cable from their router to your network. This cable must remain connected. You can use it to connect the router to your IP device, you should not use that cable to join your IP device to your computer. Use the blueface supplied cable to join your IP device to your computer.
  2. Your ISP uses a static/fixed IP address.
    If your broadband provider uses a static IP address your ATA and/or PC may need to have their settings changed.

There is an excellent article on how to use static IP address with various routers and ATAs in Blueface Forums.

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I can make calls but there is no audio.

This can be caused by a number of things:

  1. Clearwire customers must contact support and request that VoIP is enabled on their broadband connection. Clearwire only allows the use of the G729 codec so your IP device must use it as well. Blueface can force use of the G729 codec on your line if necessary.
    Please note that the X-Lite softphone does not support the G729 codec. If you would like to use a softphone with your Blueface account please contact support for suggestions.

    You can reach Blueface support by email support@blueface.ie or telephone (01) 524 2010.
     
  2. Try using a different phone if you are using an ATA, there could be a problem with the phone.
     
  3. If you are using a softphone ensure that your audio system is configured correctly with your computer.
     
  4. Also ensure that your firewall on your computer and router is not blocking voice traffic*.

* For VoIP you may require the following ports to be forwarded to your ATA or PC (softphone): UDP ports 5060-5061, UDP ports 10000-20000

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Causes of Call Quality Problems

More than 90% of call quality problems are directly related to your home network setup or your broadband connection. The tables below may be able to help you pinpoint the origin of the problem.

1. Your home network This includes your phone, your ATA, PC, hubs, switches, routers, laptops - anything connected to your broadband connection whether wired or wireless.
2. Your broadband connection This is the connection from your modem to your broadband provider up to where it connects with our server.
3. Blueface network This is our internal server network.
4. Blueface providers These are the links from our network to our providers and onto the final call destination.
More than 90% of call quality problems are caused by number 1 & 2.
Less than 10% of call quality problems are caused by 3 & 4.

Below is a useful guide to the most likely causes of call quality problems:

Nature of Problem Consistency of Problem Most Likely Cause Alternative Cause
Time of Day
(When the Problem Occurs)		 All day Your home network Your broadband connection
Occasionally Your broadband connection Your home network
Who Hears the Problem
(Audio Direction)		 Both callers Your home network Your broadband connection
One party only Your home network Your broadband connection
Who Has the Problem
(Call Origin)		 Both callers Your home network Your broadband connection
One party only Blueface network Blueface providers
Destination
(where is the problem)		 All the time Your home network Your broadband connection
Occasionally Blueface providers  

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Resolving Call Quality Issues

  1. Your Home Network
  2. Your Broadband Connection
  3. Blueface Network
  4. Blueface Providers

Your Home Network

1. If you use an ATA and you are experiencing problems you should try using a different phone. Old handsets may have poor audio qualities and some phones, even modern new ones, can have compatibility issues.

2. Check the configuration settings of your IP device. Where applicable ensure QoS is enabled, and that VoIP traffic is getting priority. Ensure VAD / silence suppression is turned off on your device.

3. Connect your IP device directly to your broadband router. Ensure there are no other devices (PC, laptop, routers, switches) connected on your network. Frequently traffic from your PC or other network devices can result in significant degradation of call quality. The cause may be a genuine application or may be unwanted applications like viruses, peer to peer software, etc.

4.If you're using a softphone then there are a few items you can check too. Make sure you are using a decent quality headset. Speakers and a microphone tend to give poor audio quality. If you think that bandwidth may be an issue then you can try using the G729 codec if your softphone supports it. Check that your computer meets the minimum system requirements for the softphone. Have the minimum possible number of applications running on your PC - the more processor time the softphone gets the more likely it is to work well.


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Your Broadband Connection

How to Determine a Solid Broadband Connection

- Jitter
- Packet Loss & out of sequence packets
- Latency
- Bandwidth (actual bandwidth)

Let Blueface support know the above figures when contacting us. If you do not have these figures or you do not know what the above terms mean then read on and you will learn how to test your broadband connection.

Testing your Broadband Connection

An excellent way to test the quality of your broadband connection for VoIP is to use the Pingtest.Net.

The test takes approximately 2 minutes, after which you can choose to email the results (click on the "Direct link" button) to us for analysis. If you need any help with this application please refer to our forum.

We will then reply with an analysis of what call quality you can expect form your results. If you have call quality issues at specific times of day - that's the best time to run the test.

Related articles in the Forum:

Test your broadband


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Try a different Codec

Typically a single VoIP call will require 80kbps of bandwidth in each direction; but if bandwidth is an issue on your connection then you can try using a codec that uses less than 40kbps of bandwidth. An example is G729 which is supported by Blueface.

Other Problems

Note that if you are having call quality issues with:

  • Echo
  • Static
  • Interference

It is likely that your equipment is causing the static or interference.

Echo can sometimes be resolved by some tweaking of settings on your hardware - if it's on all calls. If the echo is on some calls only then it's really determined by where you are placing the call to, and reducing the echo for that destinations might increase it for calls to other destinations. Sometimes changing the codec to G729 can help reduce echo - so you may want to try that.

Checking Latency through DOS

If you want to test the latency of your broadband connection to Blueface then you can run the following command from a DOS command prompt:

C:\> pathping sip.blueface.ie

The program takes approximately 4 minutes to complete.

The 'RTT' figure is the one of interest for latency and should be in the region of 30ms. If any of the figures are significantly higher than that it can cause problems. You should also check that the level of packet loss is 0%, and no more than 2%.
This data can help you work with your broadband provider to improve your broadband connection.

Another Broadband Quality Check: www.testyourvoip.com

The test is quite short at only 15 seconds but it can be useful if conducted at times when you are experiencing call quality issues, and can give a snapshot of you connection.

Blueface Echo Test

Dial 301 from your Blueface phone.

Whatever you say will be played back to you and you can hear for yourself whether the connection is good or not. With a good connection you should clearly hear your own voice back almost immediately. With a bad connection there may be a delay before you hear your own voice back, or there will be gaps in your speech, pauses, missing words, or garbled words.

How can I tell if the problem is my voice going out, or my voice coming back, or both?

Use your Blueface phone to dial your own Blueface number and leave yourself a voicemail. When the email arrives from Blueface with the voicemail file attached - listen to it on your computer. If the quality of the audio in the voicemail is good then you know that your outgoing audio is good too, and vice versa for poor audio quality. If the quality of the voicemail sound file was good, you can compare it against the quality of the same voicemail when you retrieve it by dialing 171 and listening on your Blueface phone. If it suddenly sound bad - then you know that your incoming connection is bad. For comparison, you could use your mobile to dial your Blueface number and leave a voicemail and compare the quality. This will give you an indication of the quality of your broadband connection for incoming and outgoing voice.

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Blueface Network

Do you have a quality problem where it was fine before but neither you nor your broadband provider have changed anything? Occasionally one of our improvements can turn out to be less than that.

If something is wrong on our network it can effect a large number, if not all, of our customers. However Blueface closely monitors all activity on it's network after upgrades and this means that we are aware of any problems immediately.

On the rare occasion when an upgraded piece of hardware/software is installed and results in a bug we can rapidly roll back the upgrade.

In practice little can be done to improve your call quality on our systems as there is very little that can go wrong on the Blueface switch. A few tweaks we can make (changing your codec, changing the route your calls take) that on occasion can help, but these just change what/how/where the data is carried over your network, your broadband connection and to our suppliers.

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Blueface Providers

If you have call quality problems with one specific number or a specific type of number (e.g. a particular country or mobile numbers) but all other calls are fine, then it might be related to an issue one of our suppliers. In this scenario we may change the route your call takes to determine if the call route is the issue.

It is also worth noting that the quality problem may be related to the other persons phone or phone network. Some mobile phone networks may have poor coverage in some areas similarly it can also be the case that some foreign telephone networks have old and poor quality networks.

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Maximising Call Features

My phone rings for no apparent reason.

This can be caused by the voicemail system on your ATA sending a signal to your phone. Your phone incorrectly interprets this as a signal to ring.

To resolve this issue on a Netgear TA612V and WGR613V:

Login to your netgear using 192.168.61.1 and enter the following:
Username : Admin
Password : password

Without logging out, re-log in using 192.168.61.1/set_prov.htm

Select > Provision Settings > Provisions Parameters

Then fill in the following details:

Method: TFTP (tick this check-box)
Server: mullet.blueface.ie
Default Port 69
Primary Alternate Port: 69
Secondary Alternate Port: 69
Account:
Password:
Interval (min.): 30
Configuration File: blueface240.rc4
RC4 Key (HEX): 1313

This problem has been reported on various routers from Sipura, Netgear and Linksys.

If you have another router type with this issue or you still have problems please email support@blueface.ie.


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The keypad tones on your phone are not working (DTMF).

DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) are the sounds you hear on phones when you press a key. These tones communicate with the Blueface switch and help you access service like voicemail by recognising your PIN when you dial it on your telephone keypad. DTMF is also important for accessing services like phone banking etc.

You can check if you can use DTMF tones by dialing voicemail (171) from your blueface phone and entering your correct PIN.

If this fails double check your PIN and try using a different phone preferably one that you know successfully uses DTMF. Many old phones do not support DTMF and use a pulsing system which is incompatible with Blueface.

If you successfully accessed your voicemail by entering the PIN, you should now try a non Blueface number, for example your phone banking and see if it can recognise the keys you press.

If this does not work then email support@blueface.ie detailing what happened.

Related articles in the Forum:

Echo Problem and DTMF not working properly

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I Cannot Access my Voicemail

Double check that you are using the correct PIN by logging in to your Blueface account and selecting Toolbox then Voicemail.

Ensure your phone can use DTMF properly.

An alternative method for access your voicemail is by dialing 3020 and following the prompts. If this does not work access your voicemail by dialing (01) 4361720 and following the prompts.

If your voicemail does not activate at the time you expect it to then check it's timeout setting. You can find details on how to do this in the Toolbox Guide. If your calls go straight to voicemail this setting may be set to 0 seconds.

Finally check that your ATA is correctly registered with the Blueface server. See 'All my calls go straight to voicemail' for more information.

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Incorrect Caller ID Displaying

The Caller ID that is displayed to called parties is set by Blueface, this can be a geographic or non-geographic number but not a Blueface extension.

You can change your caller ID by logging in to your Blueface account select Toolbox > SIP > Edit a SIP Account > PSTN Caller ID. You can find a visual guide on how to do this in the Toolbox Guide.

If the incorrect number is still being displayed please contact support@blueface.ie letting us know the number.

If you number has been ported it may take a little time for the Caller ID to be set correctly from our suppliers.

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Tracking Your Calls

If you check your call history and notice that some calls seem to be ringing your own number, this is normally correct. Incoming calls are recorded and are denoted by a small blue phone icon and there is no charge associated with them. Outgoing calls are denoted by an orange phone icon.

If you are having difficulty with call forwards that you have set up be sure to check that they are configured correctly in the Toolbox for each specific number you have. Pay particular attention to the format of the numbers e.g. landline, mobile or international.

If you have a query about a call or calls in your call history please contact support@blueface.ie with details.

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