[WXC/VFX] Questions from a nubie

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#61700 23-Feb-2007 10:03

gchiu: ...Haven't got any hardware yet though .. not sure what I will need.

If you want to send faxes, get a Linksys SPA2102 otherwise just get a Linksys PAP2T and save a few $.

Either of these devices will get you going with 1 or 2 VFX lines for $150 max (PAP2T should be about $35 cheaper).

Until Asterisk is supported, getting one of the above Linksys boxes will be your best bet.

gchiu

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#61702 23-Feb-2007 10:12

So, all the other devices mentioned are for those without existing modems/switches?

Does the devices above somehow prioritize the voip packets, or do you need the other gear for that?

gchiu

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#61703 23-Feb-2007 10:17

Got another newbie question ...

How portable is the gear?

If I get a SPA2102, can I take it home in the weekends and use it on my home TC account?

grant_k

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#61705 23-Feb-2007 10:29

gchiu: So, all the other devices mentioned are for those without existing modems/switches?

Yep, that's correct. I was figuring you already had a modem and a switch with a spare port. If not, it's very cheap to buy one...

gchiu: Does the devices above somehow prioritize the voip packets, or do you need the other gear for that?

You need to buy one of the combo devices for that e.g. WAG54GP2V2.

Or else, you can use a SPA2102 as a router and it will also do prioritisation of voice packets. I didn't have any success with that, but you may do, depending on how your network is setup.

gchiu: How portable is the gear? If I get a SPA2102, can I take it home in the weekends and use it on my home TC account?

Yes, certainly. You just need a spare port on a switch. If you want to do this, then definitely don't use the SPA2102 as a router, just use it as an ATA (via the LAN port). Otherwise, the rest of your network will need to be reconfigured whenever you remove the SPA2102.

gchiu

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#61824 24-Feb-2007 08:52

I am often away from my office, and I have decided to set up a VPN to the office. To this end i have ordered a Linksys RVL200 SSL/IPSEC VPN router.

Is there some software like Skype I can use on my laptop so that when I am on the VPN, I can use VOIP thru the VPN and then exploit the VFX?

grant_k

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#61825 24-Feb-2007 09:05

gchiu: Is there some software like Skype I can use on my laptop so that when I am on the VPN, I can use VOIP thru the VPN and then exploit the VFX?

Unfortunately, VFX doesn't support a softphone package at this time. Maverick can tell you whether that is on the agenda for later release or not.

OK, so you are getting a VPN router. But does that mean you won't have a spare Ethernet port which you could plug an ATA (such as PAP2T or SPA2102) into?

So long as you have an Ethernet port available which has access to the internet (maybe a DMZ port?) then it shouldn't matter about using a VPN connection for your laptop. Just a thought...

gchiu

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#61826 24-Feb-2007 09:13

Until I physically get the gear ( the RVL200 and SPA2102 ) in my hands, I am not sure how it will all tie together!

Another possibilty, and I don't know how feasible that is, is to setup a webpage with the VPN connection, and allow anonymous users to connect to my VPN ( restricted access of course ) and then have a softphone plugin to get the 1-800 effect ie. the user does not need to install Skype or other software except as a plugin.

This would currently exclude OSX, and Linux users as the RVL200 VPN is browser initiated and windows only I think at present.

gchiu

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#62141 27-Feb-2007 14:09

Well, my SPA2102 has now arrived. I spent about 7 phone calls to WorldXChange trying to register as a customer - and had to fill in their online form several times .. somehow they lost the first form I filled in

Now I have to wait 2 days for provisioning.

I can't yet see how I am going to put my 3 telephones in this device without pulling some wiring out of the wall, so I guess I'll just plug in one phone for the moment.

I changed the lan address of the SPA to 192.168.1.1 as my network uses 192.168.1.nnn but I haven't a clue what to do next. I am using TC, and another router at present. Does the static IP address in the WAN setup only apply if you are connecting directly to the cable modem?

And what is this about clone mac address?

Ta.

grant_k

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#62155 27-Feb-2007 16:13

gchiu: Now I have to wait 2 days for provisioning.

It's most unlikely you'll have to wait that long. WxC say that to cover themselves. They have a policy of under-promising and over-delivering. In my experience, you will be provisioned within 3 or 4 hours.

gchiu: I can't yet see how I am going to put my 3 telephones in this device without pulling some wiring out of the wall, so I guess I'll just plug in one phone for the moment.

You will have either one or two VFX lines depending on what you signed up for, then of course you can use 2-way adaptors to have more than one phone per port.

gchiu: I changed the lan address of the SPA to 192.168.1.1 as my network uses 192.168.1.nnn but I haven't a clue what to do next. I am using TC, and another router at present. Does the static IP address in the WAN setup only apply if you are connecting directly to the cable modem?

First off, let me say that the advice I gave above has an error: You need to connect via the WAN (Internet) port only for your setup, the LAN port will be unused after initial installation.

Because the SPA2102 has 2 ports, it makes setup more complicated than the PAP2T. Try to follow these steps:

1) Restore the LAN (Ethernet) port back to the default address range of 192.168.0.x (It MUST be on a different subnet than the WAN port).

2) Set the WAN port to an unused Static IP address in the range 192.168.1.x and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Gateway address should be the address of your router, Primary & Secondary DNS as recommended by your ISP and don't worry about Clone MAC address, it's not needed.

3) Enable WAN web server.

4) Set the Profile Rule (on the Provisioning Page) to:
http://58.28.20.69/configs/default/default$MA.cfg

If you can't access this page, then it will already be configured correctly.

5) Save changes, then connect the SPA2102 via its WAN port to your router or switch, disconnect the LAN port and power cycle the SPA2102.

This should be all that is needed for the SPA2102 to find WxC's servers and get itself provisioned.

Let me know how it goes.

Cheers,
Grant.

gchiu

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#62156 27-Feb-2007 16:22

Thanks .. it was the power cycling that started the provisioning off .. a step I had missed.

Now to wait for the 10Mbs of updates or so ....

Yes, you were correct .. I got an email about 10 mins after the young lady said I had to wait 2 days!

grant_k

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#62157 27-Feb-2007 16:25

Great news!

I made a couple of additions to step (2) above, after checking my current setup, so make sure that you have all of those settings entered in case you didn't figure them out already

The power cycling caught me out the first time too, which is why WxC state this in their "Welcome to VFX" e-mail:

"To setup your Residential Linksys Device please enter the following Link in the Profile Rule under the provisioning Section of your Linksys Device setup, save the configuration and then power cycle the device. If you have any problems with this please contact our Support team who will be happy to assist you with any issues."

It's easy to overlook that last vital step though...

One last thing: Can you access the Web-based Setup via the WAN port at whatever address you assigned?

gchiu

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#62162 27-Feb-2007 17:18

Yes, I can access the web admin on the WAN port ( now that I've enabled it ).

I was a little confused as my cordless phone does not give me a dial tone, but plugging in my corded phone .. works fine. I guess it's a cabling issue.

gchiu

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#62175 27-Feb-2007 19:21

I took the SPA home and hooked it up to my home TC network. Worked straight away. Very cool.

Now I can take it overseas with me and continue making local Wellington calls for no added charges

grant_k

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#62179 27-Feb-2007 19:37

gchiu: ...Now I can take it overseas with me and continue making local Wellington calls for no added charges

Aaaaahh, the joys of VFX. All the versatility and cost savings of Skype together with the voice quality of an expensive toll call.

Way to go...

gchiu

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#62181 27-Feb-2007 20:00

A couple of questions

The web interface says the date is set to 1/1/2003. Is this something I should bother fixing ( I don't see a way to set up a NTP server ) ?

And how do they tunnel thru my NAT to make the phone ring?

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