How to change UDP timeout on Rogers CODA-4582U

[icedroit]

I have Rogers internet with the Hitron CODA-4582U modem. Also using it as a router (in "residential gateway" mode). Need to increase the UDP timeout on this router to 300seconds since voip phones on the network are becoming unreachable then reachable (connecting to PBX at the office through NAT). Or does anyone know what is the default UDP timeout on the CODA-4582U ?

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[Datalink]

@icedroit can you indicate the specific connection location, office pbx to VOIP ata, or home ata to office PBX?  Just want to ensure that I have this correct.  

I'm running VOIP with a 4582 in Bridge mode.  I don't recall the VOIP ata settings but, I suspect that any timeout settings are in the ata itself and that the modem won't have anything to do with UDP time settings.  I'll have to have a look at my VOIP ata settings to see what's available for timing settings. 

[icedroit]

The issue is not with the phone,

the firewall on the phones' side (CODA-4582U) is very aggressively closing UDP sessions causing registration loss for voip devices, which usually means the UDP timeout is too low on the firewall and needs to be increased to at least 300 seconds. On the network the voip phone (Cisco 8861) is connecting to a PBX at office location through NAT (connecting to the pbx via it's static public IP).

So anyone know what is the default UDP session timeout on this CODA-4582U / how to increase it?

[Datalink]

@icedroit its possible that tech support might have access to a UDP timeout setting but I wouldn't count on it.  You'd have to find a tech rep that is knowedgleable enough to find that setting if in fact it exists within their admin settings for the modem.  

I'll ask the question just to see if I can find out what the UDP timeout happens to be when the modem is running in Gateway mode.  

Looking at the following Cisco config document page 58:

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cuipph/8841_8851_8861/10_5/english/Deploymen...

Is the "Enable Session Timeout" checked and is it set to 86400 seconds?  

[icedroit]

Once again this is not a setting on the phone; even if it was, the firewall's UDP timeout is more important. That is why I need to know/change UDP timeout of the router CODA-4582U which is cutting off sessions aggressively, interfering with SIP registration at the moment.

btw that document you referenced is not the phone I have; I have cisco 8861 MPP/3PCC

[Datalink]

I'll ask the question about the modem's UDP timeout, but, there's no guarantee that I'll get a response. 

Just to point out, the 4582 modem, in Bridge mode is just a dumb modem, unlike the Ignite service which uses the XB6 or XB7.  Now, given that you're on a business plan, I wonder if the business tech support staff might have access to settings that the residential support staff can't access even when the modem is running in Bridge mode.  I would expect that business requirements would go far beyond residential requirements, in terms of tailoring specific timing settings.  Just speculation on my part...  If the business tech support can answer your question, you will receive an answer from them much faster than if I attempt to ask the same question.  

On the face of this, given that the modem is running in Bridge mode, I'd expect any timing issues to be between the VOIP device and the firewall.  

Out of curiosity, is this a case of, "it used to work and now for some reason it doesn't"?  Or is this a first use case, where a newly installed VOIP phone won't register and run reliably?  

Do you have a complete instruction set for your VOIP phone which details all of the settings for the specific PBX that you're connecting with?  Those instructions would have included various time settings such as expiration times and wait times that have to be set in the phone.  

How are you detecting the UDP timeout failures?  From the phone's log?  

These may seem like rather basic questions, but, we see a very wide range of users in the forum, from neophytes to IT admins, so we never know what level of IT knowledge and skills that a particular customer might have when they post a question.

[Datalink]

@icedroit are you running a VPN as well and if so, are you seeing disconnects with that as well?  

Have you ever gone looking for packet loss issues?  Packet loss would certainly affect a VOIP or VPN application and if I'm correct, you can't log into the modem to check the signal levels, given that you're on a business plan.  

Are you running just the modem, or, do you have other digital services such as one or more nextboxes and a home phone.  If so, they would require a splitter on the incoming cable which in turn drops the signal levels to all connected devices.  Low signal levels could be an issue if you're running multiple cable connected devices. 

[HitronDave]

Hello @icedroit, the UDP timeout setting in the device is not changeable by the end user (or by Rogers). It is hard-coded in the firmware. The problem you are reporting has been reported by other customers on other network and it goes beyond the UDP timeout alone.

Based on my discussions with other impacted customers, we have resolved this problem for most use cases (including running the device in gateway mode) in all firmware with a version 7.2.4.5.1b8.

There is one corner case which would only occur if you have your device in bridge mode and your phone directly connected to the device (without another router in between) which is resolved in 7.2.4.7.1bX.

Can you confirm if your device is still running 7.2.4.1.4b15 firmware? If so, perhaps a moderator here or technical support could assist you in upgrading to 7.2.4.5.1b8 to confirm that this resolves your issue.

[Datalink]

@icedroit I suspect that your modem is currently on version 7.2.4.1.4b15.  You would have to call business tech support to confirm that.  There is another version undergoing testing, but, from what @RogersIan has indicated, that version has run into some type of issue in the test phase.  I don't know the current status of that next version or what that version number happens to be.

[icedroit]

Thanks for responding, for some reason I didn't get notification email of the replies to this thread....

1. I am not running any VPN. The VOIP phone is connecting to the office's PBX simply via NAT.

2. My CODA-4582U modem is firmware version 7.2.4.1.4b15 so it needs to be upgraded... I got PM from support and will give them the MAC to have it upgraded and I will update you if there are more issues. Thanks everyone.

[icedroit]

The Rogers team upgraded the firmware of the modem with the remote phones to 7.2.4.1.4b15 and it turns out that the issues were not at all on the remote phones side. The issue is the Rogers internet connection at the OFFICE where the PBX is located and other phones connect INTO. That location also has an identical Hitron CODA4582U modem and it is on old firmware probably. The issue isn't with PBX or firewall because even if you plug in phone directly to that modem and it is in bridge mode, the calls still drop etc. no matter what voip system the phone is connected to. i.e. I have tried RingCentral, Vonage, Grandstream, Voip.MS, PBXAct, FreePBX etc. and all calls that go through that Rogers internet connection at the office DROP after some time. Tried with several phones brands and models etc. and the issue has 100% been isolated to ROGERS INTERNET. When we plug in phones or the PBX at the office to a SIM modem/LTE connection or anything that isn't the Rogers cable connection, there are absolutely ZERO issues with voip / UDP. The issues are only happening on this Rogers cable connection.

There is no longer issue with phones unregistering/becoming unreachable since I switched their registration protocol from UDP to TCP as the modem doesn't cause any issues with TCP. However the issues with UDP still remain as that is also the cause of dropped calls because the RTP audio stream for all calls goes through UDP and there is no way to change RTP audio it to TCP.

So to recap:

1. Registration issue is same cause as dropped call/call quality issue - the Rogers internet connection is degrading or dropping or delaying UDP packets. THE ISSUE IS NOT ONLY A VOIP ISSUE, IT IS NOW ENTIRELY A UDP PACKET ISSUE.

2. I am awaiting Rogers team to upgrade firmware of the Rogers modem at the office location, hopefully that will fix the issue. I will update this discussion after the firmware has been upgraded with the status of the voip issues; hopefully it is not something to do with the cable connection going to the pedestal etc. and if it is then I will ask Rogers to provide another SIM card with static IP so I can use it just for my voip traffic and they will need to do this free of charge if their cable system is causing the problems. (Zero issues with voip/UDP on SIM card from Rogers).

[jburns74]

I am having the same issue with a few of our clients using our cloud based system.  My client is using the Rogers Business Internet (router mode) and it continuously dropping the IP phones.  Some times it is just audio but lately (since Aug 15th 2022) the phones say Network Unavailable and then come back online within 1 min. 

Other colleagues of mine have lost clients because of this ongoing issue  with Rogers internet.  As far as the client is concerned, the internet is fine as they can browse the internet.  Some staff working offsite with DSL or another internet provider have no issues at all.  Unfortunately the main office with approx. 12 users are using the Rogers cable internet.  Extremely frustrating!

[RogersTony]

Hello, @jburns74

Welcome to the Rogers Community Forums!

Thank you for posting your concern to the community. We know how important it is to have a consistent internet connection. 

• Are the IP phones connecting via Wi-Fi or Ethernet?
• Do all devices lose connection at the same time or just the IP phones?
• Have you noticed if the internet modem goes offline during these events or does it remain connected?

We look forward to your response.

RogersTony

[jburns74]

Hi Tony,

The phones are running via Ethernet.  I believe the phones are losing connection at different times.  The internet (general browsing) remains ok.   It’s almost like certain UDP ports are closing at random or something.

As a side note, I did make a change to the router last evening.  Changed it from DUAL to only IPv4 only as recommended by an I.T buddy.

I’m onsite today and everything seems stable.  So now I wait for the customers feedback!

[Datalink]

@icedroit was the office 4582 modem updated to a newer firmware version, and if so, did that resolve the issue?

[Datalink]

@jburns74 are you still seeing issues with the phones, or did the switch to IPV4 resolve any issues.  Did you read thru the posts above yours, regarding the UDP issues with the current 4582 firmware?