TIPS Adding user based in the Philippines, no audio (PLDT/Anveo Direct/Wazo/XiVO)

Todd Freeman

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Is there any location specific settings I should be aware of when setting someone up who is located in another country?

I have a user who needed to return home for an extended duration. We set him up with a new laptop, and tested a softphone on the laptop before he left.

He lives in a semi-rural area in the Philippines, and currently taps into his neighbor's network (with permission) via an ethernet cable. The ISP is "PLDT", and they provide a modem/router combo that is currently in use. For whatever reason, PLDT won't install a line directly to him, and I get the impression this is a common practice where he lives.

The ISP provided network device leaves a lot to be desired. Every time you need to change anything even semi-serious, you have to go through this convoluted process of resetting the admin password, and logging in through a different series of pages.

Anyway, the common theme I've read up on is to disable the SIP and RTSP Application Layer Gateway (ALG), then add in the port rules manually. When I do that, I immediately lose connection to the PBX server.

So, I'm confused as to how to proceed with this. Everything appears to be functioning, but we can never hear one another. I've tried different codecs (even though the selected codecs worked before he left), messing with his Windows Firewall, and different combinations of ALG settings and port settings.

What would you do in my shoes? I have SIP traces, but there doesn't appear to be any red herring where those are concerned, though (admittedly) I don't know what I'd be looking for. I'd be happy to provide a sample if requested.

PS. In case it wasn't obvious, I've set him up with a DDNS service and tested and configured WAZO to make sure his remote IP is accepted. There appears to be no issue where that is concerned.
 

dallas

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In some countries the SIP port is blocked.
Can the softphone register to the PBX? You will also need to forward UDP ports for the audio path.
Another alternative is to create a VPN from his laptop to the network where the PBX is installed.
 

Jake

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I second a VPN or if you can try IAX. PLDT is a pain to deal with when is was there, they are the incumbent. I'd say try Digitel as as alternative ISP but PLDT bought then a while ago.
 

Todd Freeman

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Apologies for the delayed response...

Can the softphone register to the PBX?

We did have registration at one point, but he's been relying on Skype for the time being. He was approved for his own line, so I am hoping the tech there can setup his modem in bridge mode to remove it from the equation.

Regarding VPN

He's currently connected to the local office through a tunnel, but we don't have great hardware. I doubt the throughput wouldn't be enough to satisfy a consistent enough connection.

However, our PBX isn't located in the office, it is hosted by Vultr. I could probably setup a VPN server over there if we can't get him connected any other way.

Thank you both for your feedback, I will update this again as things progress!
 

krzykat

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I second a VPN. In some countries, they use DPI and not even port changes or IAX get through, even worst is I've seen it work for a short period before it gets blocked. A solid VPN is about the only way around.
 

Todd Freeman

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Quick update...
We're able to register the softphone and place calls, but still no audio.

He did end up getting his own DSL line, but the new modem they gave him might be harder to get into.

I will try the VPN next. He's actually already connected to one to access the local resources at the office, but the hardware there isn't robust enough (nor is the uplink fast enough) to make that a viable option.

I was going to try something like PIA, but then I remembered that the PBX only allows connections from specific IPs/FQDNs. I think that might make the randomness of the servers a bit of a problem. Any recommendations for a service?
 

jerrm

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I'd probably load OpenVPN on the PBX itself and have him connect direct. @wardmundy's default VPN option is neorouter and may be a little friendlier than OpenVPN.

But before overworking it, have you tried an IAX as @Jake suggested? It's built to be more firewall/nat friendly. Control and Audio share the same connection, so audio issues are not usually an issue if you can get registered.
 

Todd Freeman

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Thank you for the reply!

I have not tried IAX, but I'm intrigued. I don't see anything within my Wazo setup that would allow me to configure a Line with IAX.

There does appear to be settings for "IAX Protocol" under "General Settings" and "Trunk Management", but I can't see anything within the Anveo account to setup an "IAX Trunk".

It would appear I am lost ;) Could you point me the right direction? I've tried various searches but I'm coming up empty.
 

jerrm

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IAX would be for the Philippine extension, not a trunk. He would need a softphone that supports IAX to connect to the PBX (Zoiper),

Just noticed the WAZO part. Not sure if WAZO supports IAX extensions or not.
 

JFrost

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@Todd Freeman if memory serves, PLDT will be employing a carrier grade NAT (especially to more rural areas of PH) and this is most likely your problem.

A vpn like OVPN or Neorouter might be the easiest/most straightforward way around. To be clear we took a stab at this a couple years ago. We only needed it for a couple of weeks at the time but never quite got it working.
I'd be curious how this works out, in case we ever need it again.

J.
 

Todd Freeman

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IAX would be for the Philippine extension, not a trunk. He would need a softphone that supports IAX to connect to the PBX (Zoiper),

Just noticed the WAZO part. Not sure if WAZO supports IAX extensions or not.
If by "extension" you mean "line", then I don't think I can with my current setup. There's no option to configure a line with IAX. Here are some screenshots...

There are only two options for adding new lines with the current config, SIP and CUSTOM:
2466

If I tried to add a CUSTOM line, it feels extremely generic, like I would have to do quite a bit more afterwards:

2467

There's only one other place I've found that deals with line-based protocols, and that's within the User menus:

2468

Neither of those are IAX, so I'm not sure how far I can go with the current config if the end result is IAX. I may need to install additional pieces to get that working. I'm on version 17.17, by the way.
 

Todd Freeman

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@Todd Freeman if memory serves, PLDT will be employing a carrier grade NAT (especially to more rural areas of PH) and this is most likely your problem.

A vpn like OVPN or Neorouter might be the easiest/most straightforward way around. To be clear we took a stab at this a couple years ago. We only needed it for a couple of weeks at the time but never quite got it working.
I'd be curious how this works out, in case we ever need it again.

J.
Since Neorouter has been mentioned before, I think I'll start looking into that next.

The user is currently getting around this issue by using Skype, which works for him, but can get expensive. He'll need his outgoing calls to be coming from a number within North America for at least another year, possibly 18-24 months.
 

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