Re: Opening ports on Orbi for magic jack

mlmdjd · ‎2020-06-26

I am having trouble with my Magic Jack phone device. I have done extensive troubleshooting with them as well as replacing devices, cords, etc. They keep telling me to make sure ports 5060-5070 are open. I have gone into my router settings and done this. I have looked at my user's manual and followed how the manual says to do it. However, Magic jack says it cannot be done that way and only my ISP can do this. My ISP says they cannot do it as they do not own the router. What is correct and how do I do this? Thank you to anyone who can help me.

Mikey94025 · ‎2020-06-26

Port forwarding is setup by you, not your ISP. You control your router (Orbi) and also the internet device, e.g., cable modem.

What is the cable modem or ISP device you use to get internet? Is it just a modem or can it also be a router/wireless/etc.?
Use https://canyouseeme.org/ to see what it reports for the ports you're trying to open.
Verify that the IP address it reports matches the Internet Port IP displayed by your Orbi. If it doesn't match then you probably have Double NAT. i.e., your cable modem is also a router so it needs to be put into bridge mode or also port forward to your Orbi.
Give us a screen shot of your Orbi Port Forwarding settings.
From https://www.phoneservicesupport.com/port-forwarding-instructions-for-the-magicjack-plus-guide-t12420... it looks like you need to port forward 5060, 5070, 49152, and 65525.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-06-27

I found best and easiest method for VoIP devices is ot use the routers DMZ.

Be sure your ISP modem doesn't have a router built in as well.

@mlmdjd wrote:
I am having trouble with my Magic Jack phone device. I have done extensive troubleshooting with them as well as replacing devices, cords, etc. They keep telling me to make sure ports 5060-5070 are open. I have gone into my router settings and done this. I have looked at my user's manual and followed how the manual says to do it. However, Magic jack says it cannot be done that way and only my ISP can do this. My ISP says they cannot do it as they do not own the router. What is correct and how do I do this? Thank you to anyone who can help me.

mlmdjd · ‎2020-06-27

Thank you. I finally had a chance to try this. Let me say first, though, is that I am just an average person and not a tech person. I can follow directions and do many things but if I sound unsure or a bit "ignorant", please forgive me. I was trying to attach 3 screenshots but I am not sure they are coming through. So, I will try to just insert them below.

1. My modem is my own and not supplied by my ISP (Comcast). It is a Motorola Surfboard eXtreme, SB6141. I see nothing about it also being a router.

2. When I ran the Open Port tool, it could not see the ports indicated by Magic Jack. I followed the instructions for opening the ports including restarting the modem, router and computer but the result was not changed. Here is the error message.

Error: I could not see your service on 73.34.202.242 on port (5060)
Reason: Connection timed out

Your IP:

Port to Check:

3. You indicated to make sure "the IP address it reports matches the Internet Port IP displayed by your Orbi." The tool displays the IP address for Comcast and it is the same as the IP address on the "Internet" tab on my Orbi settings page.

Under that tab and the section for "Internet IP Address" , it says "Get dynamically from ISP" and it shows the same IP address as in the above error message. Is that what you were asking?

4. I (hopefully) attached a screenshot of the port forwarding settings page as requested.

I haven't tried phone calls, yet, as it appears as the ports are still not open using that tool you provided. I'm not sure if I did something incorrect or if it is something else.

Once again, thank you for your help and any more advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

mlmdjd · ‎2020-06-27

Thank you for your suggestion. I do not know what DMZ is. Could you direct me to a source that could explain it to me?

Mikey94025 · ‎2020-06-27

Your replies to my earlier questions were good. It looks like you do have the port forwarding setup and your Orbi is the only router (i.e., you do not have Double NAT).

One last question - How do you know that your Magic Jack device is at 192.168.1.6. When you go to Orbi's admin website and click on Attached Devices do you see the Magic Jack device listed and with that IP address?

@mlmdjd wrote:
Thank you for your suggestion. I do not know what DMZ is. Could you direct me to a source that could explain it to me?

The suggestion for DMZ (demilitarized zone) is to setup your Magic Jack device so that it is exposed to the Internet and not protected by your Orbi router. In Advanced... Setup... WAN Setup you can enter one IP address for Default DMZ Server and check the box. This works if you know your Magic Jack device's IP address. If you setup DMZ then you don't need to worry about individual port forwarding setups because all ports of the device are exposed.

mlmdjd · ‎2020-06-27

Yes, when I look at the Attached Devices list, the Magic Jack device is listed as 192.168.1.6.

Is there any kind of security risk in setting up the DMZ?

Mikey94025 · ‎2020-06-27

@mlmdjd wrote:
Is there any kind of security risk in setting up the DMZ?

Here's more info on the DMZ: https://kb.netgear.com/1118/How-do-I-configure-a-device-to-be-in-the-DMZ-on-my-NETGEAR-router

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-06-28

Let us know if the DMZ works...

@mlmdjd wrote:
Thank you for your suggestion. I do not know what DMZ is. Could you direct me to a source that could explain it to me?

mlmdjd · ‎2020-06-29

Well, I enabled the DMZ setting using the IP address for the Magic Jack device. I have not used the phone enough, yet, to see if it helps the cutting in/out. However, it did not help the delay in hearing the caller. The phone rings, I say Hello, the caller hears me and responds but I can not hear them. After a few seconds, I can hear them. Sadly, that issue is unchanged with the DMZ setting. I will have to try a few more phone calls to see if the other issue is helped. Thank you!

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-06-29

Well the DMZ will have your magik jack right on the front line for service so if there is any delay, possible that this comes from the magik jack service or the hardware...Something you might contact the Mfr about to see if there are any known issues with voice delay thru the service and hardware.

mlmdjd · ‎2020-06-29

I only wish that was something that would be helpful. However, before I tried this forum, I had been on the Magic Jack support chat line 5 or 6 times. (You cannot call them.) Each time I went through every single troubleshooting step with them, including changing cables, power adapters and finally, purchasing a replacement Magic Jack device in hopes that would take care of it. They also updated the firmware. Nothing they did helped. They just keep telling me I need to have my ISP open ports 5060-5070. I tell them I have done that but they say that I cannot do it -- it must be done by the ISP. When I call my ISP (Comcast), they say there is nothing they can do since it is not their modem/router. And, this forum has confirmed that I was opening the ports correctly. I am not sure why MJ insists it must be done by the ISP. The upshot is that MJ tells me there is absolutely nothing else they can offer me. So, I am beginning to think that changing phone providers is all I can do. We do not use smartphones and do not want to be a cell phone-only house and we hate to lose our Magic Jack phone #. But, I am worried that I will have similar problems with another VoIP service. Thank you for your help. It is much appreciated!

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-06-29

Opening ports isn't done by the ISP level. It's at the modem/router or router level which even when your using the DMZ, the ports are available while in the DMZ on your router. And since your ISP modem doesn't have a built in router, which is good, the MJ data is just passing thru the Orbi router while in the DMZ so the MJ will have access to all the ports it needs. Nothing to configure on the Orbi router.

Something to try out with a different VoIP provider as a trial run to see how there systen does. Maybe Ooma or something similar and see if something works better.

Mikey94025 · ‎2020-06-29

@mlmdjd wrote:
Well, I enabled the DMZ setting using the IP address for the Magic Jack device. I have not used the phone enough, yet, to see if it helps the cutting in/out. However, it did not help the delay in hearing the caller. The phone rings, I say Hello, the caller hears me and responds but I can not hear them. After a few seconds, I can hear them. Sadly, that issue is unchanged with the DMZ setting. I will have to try a few more phone calls to see if the other issue is helped. Thank you!

It sounds like your Magic Jack device is working, but there are some sounds or delay issues. If the ports were not properly exposed then the device should not work at all. Port forwarding issues cannot cause "delayed voice audio" in a VOIP device. I think something else is causing your sound quality/delay issues and the Magic Jack people are your best resource. I am surprised they are pointing to your home router port forwarding for this particular issue you're reporting.

Have you tried resolution steps like listed here: https://contactforhelp.kinja.com/4-ways-to-repair-the-magicjack-delay-and-echo-issues-1794482352/amp . Another suggestion is to try a different proxy server: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MagicJack/Support_Resources/How-To/Proxy_Change

mlmdjd · ‎2020-07-02

Thank you again. The only option in the MJ article I had not tried was making sure the "Background Services" button was checked. I did that but it made no difference. Trying a different server sounds a bit above me and so, I am not going to attempt that.

My work-around for now is to forward all MJ calls to my cell phone. That allows me to keep my number and use MJ during the rest of my subscription term. I always have many more minutes on my cell phone (pay-as-you-go) than I use and so, hopefully I will not incur more charges. That will also give me time to decide what I want to do in the long term.

Thanks again to all who tried to help. It was much appreciated!

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-07-02

Good Luck.

bluntfin · ‎2020-09-24

The remedy for the magicjack delay is to set up Qos for the device and put it on the DMZ.

mlmdjd · ‎2020-12-23

I have checked my router settings and it tells me "WMM" is enabled - under the "Advanced Wireless Settings 2.4GHz" as well as under "Advanced Wireless Settings 5GHz". Is that the same as "Qos"?

If so, how do I then do as you suggest "add it to the DMZ"? I see my default DMZ settings but I am not sure what to do from there? Thank you.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-12-23

Find the IP address of the MJ device and input this IP address into the DMZ section on the RBR.

I would set a IP address reservation for the MJ device as well so the IP address doesn't change.

@mlmdjd wrote:
I have checked my router settings and it tells me "WMM" is enabled - under the "Advanced Wireless Settings 2.4GHz" as well as under "Advanced Wireless Settings 5GHz". Is that the same as "Qos"?

If so, how do I then do as you suggest "add it to the DMZ"? I see my default DMZ settings but I am not sure what to do from there? Thank you.

mlmdjd · ‎2020-12-25

Thank you. I have just done that and will see if it works.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-12-26

Let us know how it goes...

@mlmdjd wrote:
Thank you. I have just done that and will see if it works.

mlmdjd · ‎2020-12-30

At first I thought it might have worked as a few phone calls were fine. However, it has not worked as the receiver of the phone calls hears a disrupted audio - voice goes in and out for them. It sounds fine from my end but not from the receiver.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-12-31

Any progress on this? Not sure if this could a Orbi issue or a MJ issue. DMZ should work will for any connection issues thru Orbi.

@mlmdjd wrote:
At first I thought it might have worked as a few phone calls were fine. However, it has not worked as the receiver of the phone calls hears a disrupted audio - voice goes in and out for them. It sounds fine from my end but not from the receiver.

mlmdjd · ‎2021-01-01

I just assumed this was a Magic Jack issue as I have no other problems with my Orbi router. My internet connection is good, reliable and dependable. Good speeds. Not sure what else I should be expecting if it was an Orbi problem. Thanks!

FURRYe38 · ‎2021-01-02

Probably. Good Luck.