Continued VOIP Issues In My Area (Over 4G and Broadband)

RwanNawr · ‎03-11-2021

Since the 1st of October, my VOIP software has not worked via EE Wi-Fi, ethernet or mobile data hotspot in my home location (NP12). Calls do not seem to be given priority. Up until the 1st, this was working 99% of the time (with the occasional service dropout).

My mobile data hotspot has been tested in a different location (CF3) and it returns to normal and performs as expected.

Is there a specific networks team that can check a switch in the area that would be impacting VOIP software over broadband and the mobile network?

RwanNawr · ‎03-11-2021

The VOIP software is installed on a laptop.

My first laptop was swapped out for a new model on the 1st of October to eliminate this factor. The VOIP software had worked perfectly for over a year of working from home on this device, but there was acceptance that it had potentially reached its end of life.

However, with the newer laptop, the issue continued in the exact same manner.

I have also tested the VOIP software on a brand new laptop, using a different VPN login and account, and the issue remains.

XRaySpeX · ‎03-11-2021

@RwanNawr wrote:

Since the 1st of October, my VOIP software has not worked via EE Wi-Fi, ethernet or mobile data hotspot in my home location (NP12).

@RwanNawr wrote:

My first laptop was swapped out for a new model on the 1st of October to eliminate this factor.

Coincidence?

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband or Option 2 for Home Broadband & Home Phone

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up => 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB => 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB => 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU => 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU => 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC => 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC => 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC => 2022: EE 80 Meg FTTC (no landline number)

RwanNawr · ‎03-11-2021

The laptop was swapped after the issue started to try and fix it.

XRaySpeX · ‎03-11-2021

So from what you said the problem can only have surfaced on the old lappy for only a few hours before you swapped it out for the new lappy.

Still makes me wonder about your lappy & the VOIP s/ware installed on it. They are the only common factor at your home location. Far more than the Home BB network & the 4G mobile network which have absolutely no commonality. So there cannot exist a switch to be thrown that would affect both equally.

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband or Option 2 for Home Broadband & Home Phone

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up => 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB => 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB => 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU => 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU => 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC => 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC => 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC => 2022: EE 80 Meg FTTC (no landline number)

mikeliuk · ‎03-11-2021

Hi @RwanNawr ,

Hope it's ok if I ask a sanity check question. Does the VPN login always come first and then VoIP software is used over that private network? Or do you sometimes use the VoIP software without first activating the VPN?

The reason I ask is that VPNs are intended to keep your traffic private from even the service provider using encryption, which would mean the service provider is unable to prioritize your VoIP traffic because it cannot see it as distinguished from the encrypted traffic.

If you always use your VoIP software together with VPN, it's more likely this is a VPN-related problem (which may still have an element specific to certain service providers).

RwanNawr · ‎03-11-2021

I will try to clarify my position as best I can.

I am one of hundreds of users for my company that use the same VOIP software and hardware set up from home. If this was an issue specific to software or hardware, then my IT department (who I happen to work for) would be getting hammered by calls, and hundreds of users would be travelling into offices to work. If this was an issue with EE as a network, there would be dozens, maybe hundreds of users impacted in the same way.

When I first noticed this issue with my VOIP software on the 1st, I had no choice but to go into the office to continue working. The issue did not remain whilst working in the office, which to some degree would eliminate it being a software/hardware issue.

I was given a new laptop, which worked in the office, but on taking it home to test the issue returned exactly the same. My partner has the same VOIP software on a different laptop, and on testing their account, the issue was exactly the same.

With the exact same set up at home, I then tethered my new laptop to my Vodafone 4G and it showed a vast improvement when using the VOIP software. When tethering to my EE phone in a different area, there is also a vast improvement when using the software.

The common factor in all this is EE, I'm afraid. There may be no commonality between broadband and the mobile network, yet the issue is present on both at my home location. Which is why I assistance in getting hold of a technical networks team.

XRaySpeX · ‎03-11-2021

@RwanNawr wrote:

Which is why I assistance in getting hold of a technical networks team.

You cannot contact a specific team. All you can do is call CS & they may redirect you to who they think appropriate.

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband or Option 2 for Home Broadband & Home Phone

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up => 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB => 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB => 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU => 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU => 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC => 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC => 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC => 2022: EE 80 Meg FTTC (no landline number)

RwanNawr · ‎03-11-2021

Thank you.

My company requires users to sign in SBL. We connect to VPN first, then sign into your network accounts on the laptop, then into the VOIP software. I have not deviated from this log in method.

As part of my laptop being swapped over, I also began connecting to a different VPN server, but nothing changed. My partner also experiences the same issue with VOIP at home, and connects to a different server again. My company's network team have also found no fault with the VPN servers. The software works as expected when connecting through the same VPN on my Vodafone hotspot in the same location.

I think this is the correct avenue of investigation, however. I am just at a loss why the issue occurs on broadband and via the EE mobile data hotspot, and only in the one location. Today, from the office, I have tested the EE hotspot once more and I can again confirm the improvement in comparison to at home.

mikeliuk · ‎03-11-2021

Hi @RwanNawr ,

Would it make sense to check with your IT department how many other EE customers are impacted in the same way? It's possible some of your colleagues may have isolated a root cause or could advise the fix or work around?

If this was an issue with EE as a network, there would be dozens, maybe hundreds of users impacted in the same way.

RwanNawr · ‎03-11-2021

Handily, I work in the IT department and am responsible for investigating these calls for users experiencing issues with the VOIP software, so I have applied all of the same same fixes and workarounds that usually work in these cases. However, the following have not worked:

> Changing laptop.

> Plugging in via ethernet.

> Changing VPN server and log in method.

> Changing home router (EE swapout).

> OpenReach engineer visit for line check.

I can only see one other call from a user on EE that notes issues with the VOIP software, which was raised on the 1st. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be same issue, as they are simply reporting a poor quality line, and it also appears to be intermittent.