QOS with dropcam

This forum includes tips for maintaining the best audio quality possible with the Ooma System. If your Ooma system is having issues with dropped calls, static audio or echo, look here for assistance.
Brock
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Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by Brock » Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:11 pm

Nope the drop cam is back on and no packet loss or discards. I wonder if it isn't Time Warner...

thunderbird
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Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by thunderbird » Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:40 am

The problem would not be the Drop Cam. When connected the Drop Cam just adds an extra load on the Modem and Internet signal.

The problem has to be with the Modem (which can't handle the extra Load) or Internet signal, but usually it is with the Modem.

If the problem eventually comes back, and most often will but with worse problems, you may have to replace the Modem. If you find that you need to replace the Modem, get a newer later model design Modem.

But next I'd see why the upload speed is so low from your Internet provider. 977 kbps is much better, but it still is usually higher.

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lbmofo
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Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by lbmofo » Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:03 am

Brock, just to make sure...every time you update the QoS value in the Ooma device, you are clicking on the "update" button so the QoS number sticks right?

Do you know the advertised Time Warner speeds for the internet package you signed up for?
murphy wrote:Connect to the status web page in your cable modem
http://192.168.100.1
Find the downstream and upstream power in dBmV and the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)…
The downstream signal power should be between -10 and +10 dBmV. (Some say between -15 and +15 but I feel that is pushing your luck)
The SNR should be 35 or more.
The upstream power level should be less than 55 dBmV.
If your modem numbers look questionable, do a “restore factory default” on the modem status page & reboot or do a hard reset if the modem has a reset button. Problem may also be too many cable splitters between incoming cable and the modem.

I have the same cable modem as you. With DOCSIS 3 modems, you want the downstream power to be between -5 and +5 dBmV and upstream power to be less than 50 dBmV.

Go to http://192.168.100.1 and click on the "Signal Tab"

To reset your modem, go to the "Configuration Tab" and click on "Reset All Defaults" and click on "Restart Cable Modem."

Brock
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Joined:Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:50 am

Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by Brock » Sat Mar 02, 2013 5:23 pm

Yes I hit the update button, I even went to the laptop and logged in to make sure it came up with the same number to make sure it was really getting there and it is the same on both machines.

I called Time Warner and I was told I have an "All digital package" I said, yes ok but what the speed should be and they said a minimum of 500k up and 5 meg down, but that it could be more. Very helpful. They did do a remote diagnostic and said everything was in good working order. I promptly hung up.

I also looked at my modem, it says

downstream power 0dbmv
SNR is 38dB
upstream power 43 dB

So going back to the beginning is there a way to limit the max upload in the router (Linksys cable/DSL router BEFSR81) after the Ooma so that it never pushes more than say 500k upstream through the Ooma? I looked around at the setting but don't seem to find it. I understand it would limit the upload for everything else, but it would solve this problem and I could deal with it for now.

Brock
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Joined:Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:50 am

Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by Brock » Sat Mar 02, 2013 5:30 pm

Yaaaaaa I found the setting to limit my upstream and set it for 600k and tried the the Ooma, not glitching, no dropouts with the dropcam on and doing a speed test.

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lbmofo
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Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by lbmofo » Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:22 pm

Perhaps you've been measuring higher upload than you should get but when trying to consistently use more than you are supposed to get, that's when you have problems.

Your modem numbers look good.

Also, for your reference, if you sign up to the "lite" version of internet, not very good for VoIP because how ISPs try to slow down "lite" customers' connections.

Brock
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Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by Brock » Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:47 am

In the end if my Ooma QoS was working that would be ideal, then I could just limit upload bandwidth during calls, but clearly for some reason my Ooma isn't doing this. Is there a way to do factory reset on the Ooma?

Again the odd thing was we never had an issue until late Jan or early Feb, then this popped up with nothing else changing, was there an Ooma update around that time? Could I roll back to the previous firmware to try that?

Brock
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Joined:Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:50 am

Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by Brock » Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:31 am

I have been playing with things. I tried putting the Ooma after the router and set that port with a high priority, but still heard some glitching. Then I tried entering the mac address for the Ooma with that set as high priority and setting the ports for auto, still some pausing. I put the Ooma back in front of the router and then slowly upped the QoS on the router until I heard glitching which was at 950. I could hear a tiny bit at 900, so to be safe I just set the QoS in the router to 800.

thunderbird
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Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by thunderbird » Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:54 am

Brock:
The problem is that with such a low Internet Upload speed, when more users come on and start using your Internet provider branch of Internet that goes to your house and that you are connected to, your Internet both upload and download speeds will go down with the higher use. There is enough download speed, but not enough Upload speed to handle those fluctuations in Upload Internet speeds, which affect the Ooma Telo. So you will always have problems, until you have your Upload Internet speed increased.

I had the same problems at one time. I was always making adjustment and always though things were fixed. Then at certain times of the day or weekends, I would have problems again. Then my internet provider increased my Upload speeds. What a difference that made. Since then my Internet speed has been increased again. Now I just connect my Ooma Telo, and in Ooma Setup I leave everything factory default, except I set MAC address to Use Built In on the Ooma Setup Internet page, which will help with garbled voice and disconnects and other problems. Now I never have problems since my Internet provider speeds were increase.


Factory Reset Ooma Telo - Old Alternate Manual Procedure
1. Remove power from the Ooma Telo.
2. Repower the Ooma Telo.
3. Line 1 & Line 2 lights come on.
4. Line 1 & Line 2 lights go out and the Trash and Envelope lights come on for a very short period of time.
5. The Trash & Envelope lights go out and the bottom row (runway lights) starts scanning to the right. (sequence above may be slightly different with later firmware versions)
6. When the scanning stops, the Ooma symbol will began flashing Red.
7. Press the Trash button, then the bottom row Stop button (small square button).
8. Hold both the Trash and Stop buttons pressed until told to release.
9. The Ooma symbol will alternately blink Red and Blue.
10. The Ooma symbol will turn solid Red.
11. Release the Stop and Trash buttons.
12. Wait for a short period of time. The Ooma Telo will cycle back into a reboot.
13. After a successful Factory Reset, all Ooma Setup settings will be Factory.

If you are using an Ooma Wi-Fi dongle, you have to access Ooma Setup and rescan for the Wi-Fi network before a Wi-Fi connection can be made. The same is true for DSL, if you have to enter Connection type PPoE and a Name and Password for the Internet provider connection. You may want to reset MAC address to Use Built In, reset your Quality of Service Upstream/Downstream Internet Speed settings, and Bluetooth settings if you are using Ooma’s USB Bluetooth dongle. Ooma Telo handsets will have to be re-registered.

Brock
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Joined:Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:50 am

Re: QOS with dropcam

Post by Brock » Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:15 pm

thunderbird wrote:Brock:
The problem is that with such a low Internet Upload speed, when more users come on and start using your Internet provider branch of Internet that goes to your house and that you are connected to, your Internet both upload and download speeds will go down with the higher use. There is enough download speed, but not enough Upload speed to handle those fluctuations in Upload Internet speeds, which affect the Ooma Telo. So you will always have problems, until you have your Upload Internet speed increased.
I totally understand what your saying but I have to disagree. If the QoS had worked correctly in the Ooma this wouldn't be a problem as the Ooma would throttle back the other uploads while the Ooma was in use. The bottom line is the Ooma's QoS failed causing my problems.

I really like the Ooma and have been telling everyone to get it, but if it took me this long to figure out a work around then some of the people I tell to get one will have similar issues. Ooma needs to be bullet proof with very very little input from the end user if it wants to catch on and varying upload speeds is not an uncommon thing so Ooma needs to figure it out.

Again if the QoS had worked like any other QoS I have seen in the past I wouldn't have had this problem because it would have held some upload space for Ooma to use, but it obviously didn't passing 900+ upload while in use with the QoS set to 300, that can only tell me Ooma's QoS isn't working. In the end this is going to be a larger problem, I can deal with it, I can work around it as I have done (with the help and understanding from all of you) but most consumers will just ditch it and that's not a good thing and one person out there complaining about the bad connection will outweigh the 20 saying it works great.

Is it just my Ooma that the QoS doesn't work? I don't know and have no way of knowing, but we have proven it doesn't work and it NEEDs to in order to be successful in the long run.

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