VoIP services in the past two months. And today, I played around with yet another service, SunRocket, which is growing in popularity. SunRocket is one of the cheapest -- if not the cheapest -- VoIP services around. For $199 a year (that's less than $17 a month), you get unlimited calling anywhere in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. The company's international calling rates are pretty low, compared with other VoIP providers, too: Each month, you can do $3 worth of international calling (it's included in your plan). Calls to China, for example, cost 3 cents a minute, which is quite low.
Better yet, even though SunRocket is cheap (most low-end VoIP services start at $19.95 a month), its set-up took, like, two minutes; normally, you have to spend two hours walking through the set-up with some help from tech support. And its quality and features are impressive.
The voice calling clarity and quality are about as good as a traditional phone's. And its features are as plentiful as those of many other services I've trialed.
I could block outbound international or 411 calls. I could block anonymous calls, or calls from specific numbers (the caller I blocked would get a busy signal). Enabling caller ID, and forwarding calls from all of my friends to another number when I don't pick up was a piece of cake.
Voicemail was very easy to configure through the SunRocket site. I could get my voicemails sent to my e-mail address (I got the e-mail virtually immediately after a voice mail was left). I couldn't record a greeting from the Web site, though, and it took me a little while to figure out how to record it over the phone.
SunRocket also offered one important extra that most other VoIP services charge for: You get a free additional phone number with each service. That can come in handy for families where a teenager wants to have his or her own line. When a call to that line comes through, your SunRocket phone can emit a different-sounding ring. The additional number also has its own voicemail box and its own set of features. The best part is, all of this stuff doesn't cost extra.
Now, moving on to a couple of things I didn't like about the service. First off, believe it or not, SunRocket's brochures say it can take up to 10 days since you activate the service for you to be able to receive inbound calls. Granted, I was able to get incoming calls right the way. Still, I've never heard of any other VoIP service companies saying that users might have to wait for up to 10 days for their service to start to work. That's a bit over the top, that.
Second annoyance: You only get to make two free directory assistance calls per month. Most other VoIP services make all 411 calls free. Lastly, I just need to mention that the first DSL adopter SunRocket sent me was defective. That said, the company had already discontinued that equipment line. And the new gear they sent me works like clockwork.
Introduction
This sample configuration shows two Cisco 827 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Routers connecting to a Cisco 6130 Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) and terminating on a Cisco 6400 Universal Access Concentrator (UAC) configured with Integrated Routing and Bridging (IRB).
Each Cisco 827 has a plain old telephone service (POTS) phone attached to its voice port and each router has been configured to dial the other
The information in this document is based on the software and hardware versions below.
Cisco 827-4V customer premises equipment (CPE) IOS Software Release 12.1(1)XB
Cisco 6400 UAC-NRP IOS Software Release 12.0(7)DC
Cisco 6400 UAC-NSP IOS Software Release 12.0(4)DB
Cisco 6130 DSLAM-NI2 IOS Software Release 12.1(1)DA
The information presented in this document was created from devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If you are working in a live network, ensure that you understand the potential impact of any command before using it.
Configure
In this section, you are presented with the information to configure the features described in this document.
Note: To find additional information on the commands used in this document, use the Command Lookup Tool ( registered customers only) .
Network Diagram
This document uses the network setup shown in the diagram below.
Configurations
Cisco 827 (R1)
Note: Dialing 1111 will ring the router R2 phone attached to voice port 1.
Current configuration:
!
version 12.1
service timestamps debug datetime msec
service timestamps log datetime msec
!
hostname R1
!
ip subnet-zero
!
bridge irb
!
interface Ethernet0
no ip directed-broadcast
no ip mroute-cache
!
interface ATM0
no ip address
no ip directed-broadcast
no atm ilmi-keepalive
pvc 1/150
encapsulation aal5snap
!
bundle-enable
bridge-group 1
hold-queue 224 in
!
interface BVI1
ip address 172.16.0.1 255.255.0.0
no ip directed-broadcast
!
ip classless
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0
!--- The next hop IP address is also called the
!--- default gateway and is provided by your ISP.
!--- For this example, one valid default gateway could
!--- be the BVI interface of the Cisco 6400 NRP, 172.16.0.2.
no ip http server
!
bridge 1 protocol ieee
bridge 1 route ip
!
voice-port 1
timing hookflash-in 0
!
voice-port 2
timing hookflash-in 0
!
voice-port 3
timing hookflash-in 0
!
voice-port 4
timing hookflash-in 0
!
dial-peer voice 1 pots
destination-pattern 2222
port 1
!
dial-peer voice 2 voip
destination-pattern 1111
session target ipv4:172.16.0.3
!
end
Cisco (R2)
Note: Dialing 2222 will ring the router R1 phone attached to voice port 1.
Current configuration
!
version 12.1
service timestamps debug datetime msec
service timestamps log datetime msec
!
hostname R2
!
ip subnet-zero
bridge irb
!
interface Ethernet0
no ip directed-broadcast
!
interface ATM0
no ip address
no ip directed-broadcast
no ip mroute-cache
no atm ilmi-keepalive
pvc 2/100
encapsulation aal5snap
!
bundle-enable
bridge-group 1
hold-queue 224 in
!
interface BVI1
ip address 172.16.0.3 255.255.0.0
no ip directed-broadcast
!
ip classless
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0
!--- The next hop IP address is also called the
!--- default gateway and is provided by your ISP.
!--- For this example, one valid default gateway could
!--- be the BVI interface of the Cisco 6400 NRP, 172.16.0.2.
no ip http server
!
bridge 1 protocol ieee
bridge 1 route ip
!
voice-port 1
timing hookflash-in 0
!
voice-port 2
timing hookflash-in 0
!
voice-port 3
timing hookflash-in 0
!
voice-port 4
timing hookflash-in 0
!
dial-peer voice 1 pots
destination-pattern 1111
port 1
!
dial-peer voice 2 voip
destination-pattern 2222
session target ipv4:172.16.0.1
!
end
Cisco Access 6400 NRP
Current configuration:
!
version 12.0
service timestamps debug datetime msec
service timestamps log datetime msec
!
hostname NRP
!
ip subnet-zero
!
bridge irb
!
interface ATM0/0/0
no ip address
no ip directed-broadcast
no ip route-cache
no ip mroute-cache
no atm ilmi-keepalive
!
interface ATM0/0/0.200 point-to-point
no ip directed-broadcast
no ip route-cache
pvc 1/150
encapsulation aal5snap
!
bridge-group 1
!
interface ATM0/0/0.300 point-to-point
no ip directed-broadcast
no ip route-cache
pvc 2/100
encapsulation aal5snap
!
bridge-group 1
!
interface Ethernet0/0/1
no ip address
no ip directed-broadcast
!
interface Ethernet0/0/0
no ip directed-broadcast
!
interface FastEthernet0/0/0
no ip address
no ip directed-broadcast
full-duplex
!
interface BVI1
ip address 172.16.0.2 255.255.0.0
no ip directed-broadcast
!
bridge 1 protocol ieee
bridge 1 route ip
!
end
Vigor2600V / Vigor2600VG
ADSL Router
with Voice-over-IP
The DrayTek Vigor 2600V has all of the features of the Vigor2600Plus ADSL router with the addition of two phone sockets, to provide Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) facilities - just like having two extra voice phone lines. VoIP enables you to use your existing broadband capacity to carry regular voice calls to suitably equipped remote sites, for example another Vigor2600V router. The Vigor2600V also has enhanced VPN capacity and Internet content filtering. Versions are also available with an ISDN interface and a built-in wireless access point.
The calls between the two sites in the example above are free of charge because they are making use of your existing always-on ADSL connection, but cost isn't the only advantage; using VOIP means that you have additional call capacity in your home or office, without tying up your regular phone line.
The voice calls (speech) are compressed in real time to make maximum use of the bandwidth, similar to the way that an MP3 audio file contains compressed sound and other internet activities (e.g. web browsing) run simultaneously with the VOIP calls. A preset QoS system automatically gives voice traffic priority.
Features :
ADSL Router & Firewall with built-in ADSL modem
Four port 10/100BaseT Switch, with VLAN and port throttling
Internet/VPN Facilities as per Vigor2600Plus router
Optional 802.11g Wireless LAN built-in (Vigor2600VG or Vigor2600VGi)
Internet Content/URL Filtering (See later)
Voice calls can be carried over existing ADSL connection
Two VOIP ports (RJ11 to BT type sockets)
Automatic QoS Assurance for Voice-over-IP Calls
Integration with the PSTN via ITSP (e.g. DrayTel) enabling you
to make/recieve calls from regular phone lines
Configurable/Selectable QoS for other services
Output of ring current and call progress tones (dialtone, busy, ring)
FXS Phone Ports - Connect any standard analogue phone into the phone ports How it works
Using the Voice-over-IP facility is simple. You connect any standard telephone to one of the two phone ports on the unit. In the simplest usage mode, you lift the handset and dial the IP address of the remote unit ( * is used in place of the normal dot). The router then contacts the remote router and the phone connected at the other site then rings - the Vigor2600V provides ring current and call progress tones to the handset (dialtone, ring tone etc.). The remote user lifts his handset and the two parties can then talk to each other. More conveniently, you use the phone book to dial remote users with a short code and a SIP registar/proxy to locate users automatically without needing to know their IP address.
PSTN Integration via DrayTEL service
Calls between VoIP users can be made simply by dialling each other's IP addresses, but as IP addresses are long and can change, a SIP registrar (such as DrayTEL) can allocate you a more convenient ID for people to call you on. A SIP ID/address, for example, might be 899899@draytel.org. Then other SIP users can call you on your DrayTEL address (even if they don't use DrayTEL themselves).
The DrayTEL server also provides another important facility - a gateway to the PSTN. This means that using your Vigor2600V, you can not only free make calls to other VoIP/SIP users, but you can call any regular telephone line or mobile phone too (calls to the PSTN are chargeable at attractive DrayTEL rates). DrayTEL can also allocate your own personal '0870' (national rate) phone number for anyone to call you on.
With your router you'll receive a voucher entitling to a free DrayTEL account, free allocation of your 0870 number and £2.00 worth of call credit to make calls to regular phone lines worldwide (you can buy more credit). Remember call credit is only needed for calls to the PSTN - VoIP-to-VoIP calls are always free so any friends/colleagues or remote office who also have compatible VoIP can be called or call you for free. There is no charge to you to receive calls from the PSTN via your DrayTEL 0870 number and there is no rental charge.
Note : The DrayTEL service is operated independently of DrayTek Corp. and usage is subject to DrayTEL's own service terms. Voucher valid in UK/NI only.
Phone Directory - Quick Dialling
Rather than having to type (dial) a whole IP address each time, the Vigor2600V has a quick-dial directory for up to 99 entries so that you can use a short code (of your choice) in place of a long IP address, as well as enabling you to store SIP registrary names or dynamic DNS names. The router will automatically keep the SIP registrar updated with your current location (by IP address) so you do not need a fixed IP address.
Automatic QoS Assurance for VoIP
Traffic levels from your local users to the Internet can vary; if someone else on your router is downloading, that will affect your speeds. Mostly that's quite tolerable - you just get your data a little slower but you wouldn't normally notice. With VoIP, things are different. A voice call has to be digitised, transmitted to the remote end and the turned back into an analogue waveform (sound!) in real-time. If part of a packet is delayed then the sound becomes jerky and intermittent which at best is annoying and in worst cases intolerable. The Vigor2600V firstly uses efficient codecs designed to make the best use of available bandwidth, but secondly includes automatic QoS Assurance. QoS (Quality of Service) Assurance reserves part of your Internet bandwidth for voice calls whilst a voice call is active (the reserved bandwidth is available for regular use if there is no Voice call active). This means that, regardless of what else other people are doing on your Network, you will always have the necessary inbound and outbound bandwidth reserved exclusively for Voice.
Software Compatibility
As well as being able to call to another Vigor2600V, you can receive calls from users of compatible PC software, notably Windows Messenger (Version 4.7 or later, shown left) and the popular X-Lite software (shown right). Both of these pieces of software are free. You can also make and receive calls from any other SIP compliant VOIP devices.
Technical Specification of VOIP features :
Versatile dedicated DSP processor for VOIP codec functions
Toll-quality voice performance
Industry Standard VOIP & Compression Protocols :
SIP
G.711 A - Law / u - Law
G.726 ( 40, 32, 24 & 16 kbps )
G.723.1 ( TrueSpeech / Annex A VAD / CNG )
G.729A & B ( VAD / CNG )
Fixed gain control
G.168 Line Electrical Echo cancellation
Jitter Buffer ( 125 ms )
Signalling Methods : In-band, Out-band or SIP-Info
Compatible with 3rd party VoIP Gateways and ITSPs (Internet Telephony Service Providers)
Toll Quality Voice with QoS implementation for VOIP including :
Low latency queuing ( LLQ )
Policy-based routing
Random Early Detection
Support for VoIP through VPN tunnels
Warranty : Three (3) year manufacturer's RTB warranty
Vigor2600V Series - Specification Highlights
Combination ADSL Modem, router, firewall, print-server and Voice-over-IP device
ADSL Interface compliant with :
ADSL & RADSL
ATM Protocols : G.DMT, AAL5, ATM UNI3.1/4.0 PVC, up to 8PVCs, MPoA (RFC1483/2684), OAM F4/F5 Loopback (ITU-T I.610), ILMI.
Auto-Rate Negotiation. RADSL compatible.
Twin phone ports - Connect any regular analogue telephone phone
Compatible with all UK ADSL lines and all ISPs
Four-Port 10/100BaseT autosensing Ethernet interface with manual speed over-ride (expandable)
Virtual LAN (VLAN) Facility - Enables you to segment the Ethernet ports to provide common or exclusive Ethernet access to the other segments (see earlier).
Ethernet port throttling - Each of the four 10/100BaseT Ethernet ports can be limited to a maximum throughput (RX/TX selectable). e.g. Port 1 could be set to provide max 256Kb/s to prevent individual users, or LAN branches from consuming too much of your broadband bandwidth.
Print Server capability via built-in USB port. Compatible with most standard printers with a USB port and any Windows 98SE, 2000 or XP client PC.
Internet Firewall facilities featuring :
Automatic Keep-state facility for tracking packets and denying unsolicitied incoming data
Selectable DoS/DDoS protection
IP Address anti-spoofing
User-configurable packet-filtering
NAT/PAT with Port Forwarding/Redirection & DMZ
Internet Content Filtering features selectable :
URL (web-site) blocking by user-defined keyword. e.g. enter 'fredbloggs' into the blocking list and users will be unable to access www.fredbloggs.com etc.
Prevent accessing of web sites by using their direct IP address (thus URLs only)
Blocking automatic download of Java applets and ActiveX controls
Blocking of web site cookies
Block http downloads of file types :
Binary Executable : .EXE / .COM / .BAT / .SCR / .PIF
Compressed : .ZIP / .SIT / .ARC / .CAB/. ARJ / .RAR
Multimedia : .MOV / .MP3 / .MPEG / .MPG / .WMV / .WAV / .RAM / .RA / .RM / .AVI / .AU
Time Schedules for enabling/disabling the restrictions and regular Internet access
VPN facilities :
High performance VPN with dedicated co-processor : Up to 16 simulteneous VPN tunnels.
Dial-in or dial-out, LAN-to-LAN or Teleworker-to-LAN
Protocol support for PPTP, L2TP, IPSec (MD-5 & SHA-1)
Encryption : MPPE, DES/3DES & AES
PFS (Perfect Forward Secrecy) - Adds additional key protection
Pre-shared/IKE keying
IKE Phase 1 Agressive/Standard Modes & Phase 2 Selectable lifetimes
Radius Support for dial-in teleworker profiles
Compatible with other leading 3rd party vendor VPN devices
For further details about Vigor VPN click here
Wireless Features (Vigor2600VGi and Vigor2600VG only) :
Wireless client connectivity to the Internet and to other wireless/wired PCs for peer-to-peer networking
54Mb/Sec Maximum Total Wireless Network capacity (depending on environment)
Wireless range up to max 200M (open space) and typically up to 50M direct line of sight in buildings/homes. Performance will vary considerably depending on environment (obstructions, walls, ceilings, building type etc.)
Twin aerials to give best coverage and diversity (higher-gain aerials are available as an optional extra)
Compatible with any client device complying with the 802.11g Protocol
Backward compatible with 802.11b devices
WLAN Time Schedule - Wireless can be disabled at certain times of day (e.g. out of hours)
Wireless Security Features :
VPN over WLAN - supporting IPSec/3DES encryption
802.1x User Authentication
WPA Data Encryption (Feature est. avail. March 2004)
64/128bit WEP wireless encryption
Client MAC Address locking
SSID stealthing
Wireless interface can be disabled when required (from web interface)
ISDN Features (Vigor2600VGi only):
Compatible with ISDN2e, BT's Home/Business Highway & BT Midband™ lines
Uses ISDN for shared Internet access (dial-on-demand)
Support for 64Kb/s and 128Kb/s (Multilink-PPP)
Automatic ISDN backup for Internet access during ADSL failure
Bandwidth-on-demand (automatically switches between 64Kb/s and 128Kb/s)
Direct ISDN Dial-up LAN-to-LAN connectivity (to another ISDN site)
Remote 'teleworker' direct dial-in access to your LAN (from a remote ISDN line)
Remote activation of ISP dial-up (dials ISP on receipt of recognised Caller ID)
Microsoft uPnP Compliant - The uPnP protocol enables router control and enhanced access for uPnP enabled multimedia applications, such as MSN Messenger etc.
SNMP & Syslog control/logging/monitoring
Dynamic DNS Posting, compatible with popular services
Support for non-NAT public subnets (multiple public IP addresses)
LAN Side IP address range and DHCP server/relay is fully configurable
RIP & Static Routing configurable
VPN Passthrough for VPN client/server running behind the router
Easy configuration and monitoring from web-interface and comprehensive diagnostic tools