WIP310 Fails To Re-Register. - Page 15

juunda · ‎06-22-2009

Customer has several WIP310 connected wirelessly to an accesspoint and then to a internal PBX Tribox V2.6.22. Using Teliax ITSP.

The phones work great for a while but randomly fail to re-register. The only way for it to work again is to power cycle the device. Customer has tried three diferent access point in order to elimate the possibility of bad wireless connectivity. Has latest firmware 5.0.11

Please advice in any way possible thanks in advance.

BriainWilson · ‎07-07-2011

With reference to Dan Lewandowski's comment:

Have you run an analyzer while the phone is loosing the signal? Just because the phone is close to the AP doesn't mean it's getting a good strong signal. If it's in a home environment, the microwave could be going on, a wireless phone could be getting used, etc... Without running an analyzer you have know way of knowing whether it's the phone or the actual signal.

Thanks for replying Dan; sorry to take so long to respond. Yes, I have tried all these things and much, much more. I was actually a microwave radio engineer (I'm now self employed) and even have two real microwave spectrum analyzers and a sweep oscillator sitting next to me in my workshop. I already knew quite a lot about the nuts and bolts of the RF aspects and I've also recently read the 640 page O'Reily 802.11 book on that specific aspect of radio.

As mentioned in my above post, call drops don't always happen, but when they do, they almost always happen at about 30 seconds into the call. The immunity to non-adjacent interference when you are standing under 2m from the WAP antenna will be pretty excellent; it would take a seriously faulty microwave oven to knock that out (and there are none nearby anyway) and I have no DECT or other ISM band devices here. I've had several 5 minute calls standing right at the coverage edge and several standing next to the WAP. I've had a lot more drop after 30 seconds or so standing in both near and extremity areas. In any case, it is definitely not an interference issue; I have looked very carefully into that potential problem.

With reference to your second post, I think I gave all the info in my very first posts, but I'd have to go and check back as they were probably made over a year ago. My later posts were maybe a bit brief (from memory, the later ones were typed very hastily and I was pretty hacked off, so maybe they were a bit lacking in clarity and poorly worded). I'm using CCMP and I have not tried different encryption as I want to keep my network secure (one of the key reasons I originally chose the WIP-310 over some 'lesser' vendor models was it could handle WPA2-PSK). The WIP310 looks to be associated with the WAP at all times (it's a Cisco 1252 and I can see it in the associated clients list) but it just seems to 'lock up' after a day (or a couple of days) and displays the registration failure (to the SIP server) message. When that happens, sometimes it can be accessed (via its web interface) and you can see it just sitting there unregistered, but at other times, I can't even access its web interface (I have to reboot it).

When I have the 'Not Registered' nessage on the screen, but can access the web interface, it shows it trying to reregister but failing, then it sits as below (it's not been registered for 12 hours):

Refreshing the browser shows the below:

So it looks to be trying at the set re-try intervals.

Draytek 2820Vn (using 5060 for VoIP)

Cisco WIP-310 (using 5062, which is forwarded)

Netgear GS116 switch

Cisco 1252 WAP

Everything is DHCP with MAC/IP bindings set in the Draytek.

Bri

Martin.Griffiths · ‎08-07-2011

Any progress on this issue?

I'd just like to add that I have the exact same issues as Brian, and with almost the same kit.

I have a WIP310, Draytek 2820vn (with SIP disabled) and the phone will randomly fail to register (usually overnight).

Almost all of what Brian has put in his post above applies, including the retrying registration.

Draytek 2820vn (SIP disabled)

Cisco WIP-310 (using 5060 which is forwarded)

Draytek AP-700 WAP in universal repeater mode

I have the WIP310 set to static IP

BriainWilson · ‎08-08-2011

Hi

As you have the same Draytek as I, the below might interest you. I have now got it working a lot better, though it'll take another week for me to verify that it is a partial solution (the phone reset itself when powered down and this interrupted my test; more on that below):

As part of my testing, I've tried different routers and settings and the best I've yet had (using a Draytek) it is by doing the below. Note that the Draytek is a little unusual in that you can set a DHCP range (as normal) and bind things outside that range; it's like every binding is a separate DHCP pool of one (and thus that it doesn't matter if it's outside the pool).

I ran DNSBench.exe (not just the default top 50, but to check all available ones) then chose the best 'uncached' one and set it as my primary DNS server. I then set my ISP's primary DNS as my secondary DNA (both these are set in the Draytek WAN -> Internet -> MPoA page).

I then also set them both as that in the LAN config page and selected 'Force DNS manual setting' (so it didn't just send the gateway address as the DNS setting).

I then used MAC/IP binding to assign a 'fixed DHCP' address to the phone.

[The above steps are as I have always run the WIP310, but in addition to them, I tried an additional trick as detailled below]:

Having done the above, I then set the phone as static IP and with the exact same DNS settings as I had set in the Draytek (and using the IP I'd set in the Draytek's MAC/IP binding table).

When everything set like that, I had a couple of weeks without a re-registration issue (I was only getting a day or two before) and vastly less call dropouts. Interestingly, I was away for a week and turned everything in the house off (including my WIP-310). After returning, the WIP-310 started its old tricks of dropping almost every call after a few seconds and losing its registration every day. I looked at the phone settings and discovered it had set itself back to DHCP, so I've just put it back to fixed and we'll see if that makes things better again.

My conclusion is that there is a problem with the WIP-310 behaves badly when used as DHCP (remember that I am using MAC/IP binding so that I can guarantee it keeps to the same adreess; this being necessary for the port forwarding). Just giving it a static IP seems to cause it problems too (I had loads of registration failures) but giving it a static and using DHCP with MAC/IP binding seems to be the most reliable setup with the Draytek. After reading the above, it would be easy to blame the Draytek, but as I say, I have tried DHCP with MAC/IP binding (and the WIP310 set as DHCP) with other routers and the WIP310 was no better or worse with them.

Now that I have put it back to fixed IP and left the MAC/IP binding set in the Draytek, I'l see how it performs over the next two weeks then post back here.

Bri

Incidentally, I am using the Draytek's own SIP feature (on 5060) and using my WIP310 on 5062. I initially thought this could be a problem, but as mentioned at the start, I have now tried other routers (without a SIP feature built in) and the WIP310 was just as bad with them (again, they were MAC/IP bound and the WIP310 DHCP).

Martin.Griffiths · ‎08-08-2011

Thanks for the reply!

Last night, I went through all the SIP accounts in the Draytek, and set them to use port 5070 instead of 5060 (even though none of them are actually in use, and I have turned SIP off via telnet command in the latest firmware).

The WIP310 is set to a static, using the same DNS servers as my ISP, and I also use a static public address with my ISP.

Anyway this morning the phone had remained registered, so will check again when I get home!

What a faff!!

Martin.Griffiths · ‎08-09-2011

Dunno where your reply has vanished to...

Anyway, last night when I got home, the phone had "crashed" was no longer accessible on the network, and was unresponsive to any key presses. Powered off and back on and it reconnected to the wireless and reregistered itself.

This morning, it was still registered, so will see again how the land lies when I get home!

BriainWilson · ‎08-09-2011

RE: Dunno where your reply has vanished to...

Hi

Apologies, the phone was going nuts on me and I've been trying new settings. To keep the forum tidy, I deleted my previous post and wrote the above to replace it.

It seems the WIP310 is very sensitive to the DNS server chosen (goodness knows why; it doesn't bother the Draytek's SIP utility). When I had it set with MAC/IP binding and had chosen a local and quick DNS as primary, it worked fine for about a week. When I reverted to my ISP's primary, it dropped calls. When I tried another fast local one (I can't remember which I'd used previously) it still dropped calls. I've now set it to the OpenDNS (details in my above post) as others here have proposed that to be the best for the WIP310.

As mentioned above, I'll let you know how it goes. If you live in Edinburgh and see a WIP310 flying through the air, you'll soon know that had another dropped call!

Bri

BriainWilson · ‎08-11-2011

Hi Martin

Others here have recommended using OpenDNS might be a solution, but I have now tried that and it drops almost every single call after a few seconds. Looking at OpenDNS using GRC's DNS benchmark tool shows that it is not always reachable (I'm in the UK and use Sky as my ISP). I have tried using the Sky DNS servers before, and I still get dropped calls, so I'm now using the ones shown as best for my location (the last time I tried this, the phone worked for well over a week without any problems). As mentioned above, I can't remember which I chose before, but having run the DNS benchmark test several times, it looks like the below ones are the most consistently reliable ones from here:

System Information
Connection Type:	Static IP	Current IP:	192.168.96.42
Host Name:	CiscoPhone	Domain:
Current Netmask:	255.255.255.192	Current Gateway:	192.168.96.1
Primary DNS:	62.69.62.6	Secondary DNS:	212.118.241.33
Primary NTP Server:	pool.ntp.org	Secondary NTP Server:

I have set the phone with the above (and reverted to also using Mac/IP binding with the same settings in my Draytek) and have just had two 5 minute calls in a row, so I'll update this post in a few days to let you know if I'm onto a partisl solution (or not).

Bri

Martin.Griffiths · ‎08-11-2011

I ran that DNSBench.exe tool, but I never actually got around to changing my DNS servers..

Since I changed all 12 SIP accounts in the Draytek to use port 5070, the phone has stayed registered.. That's 3 days now!

Fingers crossed my problems are solved..

Just for info I am using a static IP with my ISP and Draytel for the VOIP. The phone is set to static, and I am using my ISP DNS servers..

Hopefully my problems are now behind me - what's the bets when I get home it has deregistered!!!

BriainWilson · ‎09-01-2011

Hi

Well I've been using it with a fixed IP address (and on 5070 with the ports opened in my Draytek) and have tried it using OpenDNS for a week and also the fastest and most reliable one shown via DNSBench for a week. It has not experienced the registration failure over the entire test period, which is great, but 50% of incoming calls still drop after 10 to 30 seconds (outgoing ones are mostly okay, but they do occasionally drop out as well). When the calls drop, the wireless signal strength indicator still indicates a full signal (not surprising as the WAP is only a few feet away) but 30 seconds after the call drops, the signal indicator drops to zero, then a few seconds later, the phone very briefly shows the registering message and then the signal strength meter pops up to full signal again (then registration message immediately disappears and you can make calls again). I've about run out of things to try in order to resolve this issue, so if anyone has any cool ideas about the calls dropping out, please do let me know.

Bri

Martin.Griffiths · ‎10-23-2011

I gave up... It deregistered itself again not long after I posted my last reply..

It's just not reliable enough and is more trouble than it is worth.

Sigh!!

BriainWilson · ‎11-03-2011

Hi Folks

Well I've set my Draytek to automatically reboot every two days, and as well as opening the TCP VoIP port (mine is set to 5062), I've now also opened posts for the UDP 16384~16482 to see if that helps any. Now that I've set the router to reboot every couple of days, it no longer de-registers itself overnight (ever) which is a huge leap forwards, but it still drops nearly every single call after about 20 to 40 seconds into the call (both incoming and outgoing). When it does drop the call, it all looks okay on the screen, but about 30 seconds after dropping the call, it shows as having no signal, then a few seconds later, it shows as acquiring network then it re-registers and signal shows as full strength again. It's very frustrating as I've sorted the de-registration issue but still have this call dropping issue (and this one makes it totally unusable).

Bri

BriainWilson · ‎08-09-2011

A faff and a half! I've had problems since I bought it (18 months ago) and only by doing the above has it shown some signs of being potentially usable; only more time will tell. I did notice the new capability to disable the Draytek's internal SIP (and the Draytek forum posts suggesting there were problems running it in addition to 'external' SIP phones), but I don't think that's the problem (as the WIP did exactly the same on non-Draytek routers).

For some reason it's been playing up again yesterday and today (dropping every call at between 2 and 30 seconds). I've now moved to another configuration option and will let you know how it goes:

Draytek (WAN) set with my preferred DNS servers.

Draytel (LAN) set as above, but with the 'Force DNS manual setting' set to off.

WIP set to static IP address (and not bound in Draytek)

WIP set to 5062 with port forwarding set in the Draytek

WIP set to primary DNS to 208.67.220.123 and secondary DNS to 208.67.220.220 (system set to manual DNS order).

It seems to work okay, but I've just noticed that it seems very reluctant to register after a signal loss. It does work, but if you reboot the WAP, the WIP310 won't automatically re-register when it comes back on line. Even restarting the phone doesn't do it (whereas it used to when I used to have it set with the same DNS as the router and with MAC/IP binding set too). I now have to reboot the router and phone to get it to work. I'll see how it performs 9droped calls etc) with the above and post back in a few days.

I feel the need to mention that my Draytek SIP feature has worked flawlessly for 2 years and the Cisco has been totally unusable since I owned it. I've spent days and days (over the past 18 months) experimenting with different things to try to make it reliable and I can't believe I'm still faffing about with this thing.

All the best,

Bri

BriainWilson · ‎07-07-2011

Hi

Regarding Mark Powell's comment:

After only a few seconds of being over 6 meters from the WAP, the signal strength meter drops from full to 2 bars to 0 during the 'cut-off' period of the call. In the same physical position, the wi-fi signal strength will then return immediately to full and the 're-registration' process will begin.

I have something very similar. The phone works fine for several calls (even when you are distant from the WAP) then it does as above (I've had it standing 2m from the 1252 WAP). It's showing full strength, then the call drops, then after 30 seconds it shows zero, then it re-registers and shows full strength.

As to my initial posts, I am, still having exactly the same issues as before: The phone works for a day, or sometimes even two days, then the next time I look I see it shows as being unregistered (with full signal showing). Usually, when it is in this state and I try to access it's web interface, I can't get access to it (rebooting the phone is the only fix for both access and registration).

I've had this phone for 18 months and have been unable to reliably use it. I've tried everything suggested in this forum section and even recently tried a different router (in case is was a conflict in my Draytek 2820Vn which also has VoIP) but it's none of these things; it looks like it is just that the phone that is not working correctly.

Any new ideas would be very, very welcome indeed!

Bri

johnumina · ‎07-07-2011

Briain,

I have also tried everything to fix these units. I installed 7 of them for a customer that has an IP phone system, thinking that "Cisco" would be reliable. My solution was taking them out and replacing them with a Panasonic multi remote wireless system. If anyone wants more units, I have them.

tiagoaviz · ‎07-07-2011

Give it up guys, these units will make a lovely doorstop.

Better search for alternatives as the Panasonic or Siemens devices which are far superior and have decent support.