System died, how to resuscitate?

[K9IR]

Mitch, tnx very much for the additional ideas, as I have run out of them ;-). My brother uses AT&T. He has a TPLink router. I just plugged an ethernet cable into an available port on the back of that router, fired up the Control box after plugging the TS-480 remote head in, and voila - connection established.

The Arris routers used by Comcast do not have a SIP ALG parameter to configure.

I will try to figure out what I need to do to change the SIP ports and see if that works. I'll also try the DMZ solution (although totally disabling the FW had no impact).

However, I'm not inclined to start buying and testing replacement network hardware just yet. I continue to be puzzled as to what could have changed with the home network, as we certainly did nothing to (re)configure the network or router in any way. I'm also struck by the fact that nobody else using RR with Xfinity seems to be facing these issues--there's very little info posted to the forum regarding Xfinity networks and routers.

As a result, I'm reluctant to start buying all sorts of replacement gear without knowing whether that even addresses whatever the problem is. I could end up with lots of devices, none of which resolve the problem. Worse, I could end up with gear that has the same problems as what I have now!

73 Paula k9ir

[dj0qn]

Paula,

My personal opinion is that Comcast is ripping off their customers. If you plan on keeping them a few
years (at least the internet part), then the ROI is about one year if you buy your own router/modem.
They charge $12/month rental and a new set should be in the $150 range, depending upon your needs.
So it is also a long-term financial decision and will hopefully solve any technical issues.

Note that you can borrow a router from someone else and try it out. You need to go through the process
of having it enabled, but they now make it easy with a web page and text message. Switching back and
forth is only a few minutes.

Changing the ports is easy if you have remote access to the radio RRC and its router. Just change the three
ports to something else, then go into the router port forwarding an change them there. Then locally change the
control RRC's ports and it will be fine. If you don't have remote access to the radio RRC and router - and you
should always have both - then you would not be able to make the change without traveling to the radio site.
Since this is an experiment and may not have any effect, I would not make an extra trip there. You also would
possibly need to try various port numbers to see if one works, so definitely it only makes sense to make these
tests from the control location. I recently solved a guy's problem by changing one port, so you never know.

The whole thing is about eliminating each possibility until you find the problem, and it can be complicated. I did
not learn this in either law or in business school, so believe me it is something we can all learn if I can 

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[K9IR]

Tnx once again, Mitch. This blind dog finally found a bone. I figured out how to change the ports - of course, all as you described - and made the changes to the Radio unit, the remote router's port forwarding, and the Control unit. Connected!

I couldn't set up the Control box in the DMZ, as my Arris Comcast router requires me to enter both an IP4 and IP6 address for the "computer" placed in the DMZ. The Belkin router at my remote site is not so picky. The Arris assigns both addresses to PCs, laptops, etc. However, my networked printers and, alas, the Control box, only get IP4 addresses. So the change wouldn't save.

Under the Triple Play services package we have, I don't think I can replace the Comcast router with anything that wouldn't have the same issues. I believe the Comcast voice service requires either the rented router or one of the other routers Comcast lists on its website as compatible, for example, the Moto MT7711. We could buy the Moto, but I suspect it will have the same issues re: SIP.

I agree with you that Comcast is ripping us all off. It's not just the rented equipment, I suspect it's also mucking with SIP in favor of its own services. My system worked fine with the default ports of 13000-01-02 until yesterday. Did it detect the use of those ports for SIP and start blocking me? We will see how long it works with the new ports; at least I'll know what my first step should be in that event.

Our Comcast contract is up before the end of this year. It's likely we'll just use Comcast for internet access thereafter. That should give us a wider range of modems/routers from which to choose, as we no longer would need voice.

Yeah, they didn't cover this topic in law school with me either ;-). A large part of the frustration is simply not understanding how everything works, which makes t-shooting that much more difficult. My knowledge of networking fundamentals was rapidly exhausted during this endeavor. I still don't know exactly what SIP is, but that's another topic for me to tackle ;-).

Many thanks for your ongoing support and patience. You saved me a huge trip, and pointed me to the steps that I was too inexperienced to recognize as the right way to go about this.

73 Paula k9ir

[dj0qn]

Hi Paula,

Glad that changing the ports solved the problem. There is no real reason to understand why; it could
have been a change in Comcast somewhere, or maybe something local started using a port in that series.

Changing the router may or may not have solved the problem, depending upon where the port was used.
Not sure why they would not have anything against SIP, as long as it doesn't conflict with their own SIP
implementation for your home phone (which usually uses port 5060).

There are indeed routers on the market with phone ports that are certified for Xfinity use, since I just helped
someone here in Naples make the switch. I personally "cut the cord" last year and only have internet. I use a
TV streaming service for the handful of U.S. channels we watch. I have always had my U.S. phone on a Magic
Jack device, which you can port your number to and have a much cheaper and more flexible long-term solution.

So hopefully your problems and solution will help someone else that experiences similar problems find a solution.
Hope to see you in Dayton in May or Orlando next week.

73,
Mitch DJ0QN / K7DX

[K9IR]

Tnx, Mitch. Yes, hope this thread will help anyone else experiencing an out of the blue cessation of connectivity.

I think we'll be following in your footsteps with cutting the cord. I've heard of Magic Jack and it sounds like we should seriously consider it.

As we emerge from the infamous polar vortex here I would love to be at Orlando, but it's not in the cards this year. However, we will be at Dayton and I look forward to meeting you there.

73 Paula k9ir