Ports & voip

Some new games are now adding VoIP features that use port 5060 (as they are
integrated sip clients). I am hearing that BT now fully filters that port
both at the CPE and Server side of things. Has anyone else seen this?.. No
port 5060 traffic is able to make it out thus killing all port 5060
providers (your stuck with BT)...

Just looking for a bit of rough guidance as I am not sure where/what can be
done at this point other than dumping BT. (or getting the VoIP integrated
software supplier to change ports HAH)

mr deo wrote:
> Some new games are now adding VoIP features that use port 5060 (as they are
> integrated sip clients). I am hearing that BT now fully filters that port
> both at the CPE and Server side of things. Has anyone else seen this?.. No
> port 5060 traffic is able to make it out thus killing all port 5060
> providers (your stuck with BT)...

I don't know of any UK providers who filter port 5060.


But I do know lots of types of ADSL router that have SIP ALG's running
on port 5060. They generally mess things up so much as to make the
router useless for SIP.

On the other hand, if you are with an ISP who does filter things, there
are plenty of other good ones who don't. Changing is easy.

Tim

mr deo wrote:

> Some new games are now adding VoIP features that use port 5060 (as they
> are integrated sip clients). I am hearing that BT now fully filters that
> port

Where are you hearing this from? It sounds like the kind of thing that
someone incapable of setting up their kit to support SIP would say ;-)

> both at the CPE

Which would require BT having access to your router. How many people are
left on IPStream-S anyway? :-S

> and Server side of things.

But BT don't run every SIP server in the world, so presumably you'd move
away from BT if it was an issue.

--
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Yes. I'm just guessing.

On Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:53:22 +0100, alexd <troffasky@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>mr deo wrote:
>
>> Some new games are now adding VoIP features that use port 5060 (as they
>> are integrated sip clients). I am hearing that BT now fully filters that
>> port
>
>Where are you hearing this from? It sounds like the kind of thing that
>someone incapable of setting up their kit to support SIP would say ;-)
>
>> both at the CPE
>
>Which would require BT having access to your router. How many people are
>left on IPStream-S anyway? :-S
>
>> and Server side of things.
>
>But BT don't run every SIP server in the world, so presumably you'd move
>away from BT if it was an issue.
There was a suspicion that this was happening in 2004 - there was a
problem but it wasn't something that BT had actively created. It was a
temporary problem.
I think that the best plan is to contact BT, in an email, and ask them
point blank - hopefully you'll get a statement in writing one way or
the other.
If they are blocking then they shouldn't be allowed to get away with
it. It is OK to advise taking the easy path, and just leaving for
another ISP, without saying/doing anything, but it could be the thin
end of the wedge. In my view this anti-competitive practice needs
nipping in the bud - with legislation if necessary.
See if you can find out from BT if this is happening and, if it is,
please report back.
Remove 'no_spam_' from email address.

"Tim" <nutnews@kooky.org> wrote in message
news:4629ecd6$0$513$bed64819@news.gradwell.net...
> mr deo wrote:
> > Some new games are now adding VoIP features that use port 5060 (as they
are
> > integrated sip clients). I am hearing that BT now fully filters that
port
> > both at the CPE and Server side of things. Has anyone else seen this?..
No
> > port 5060 traffic is able to make it out thus killing all port 5060
> > providers (your stuck with BT)...
>
> I don't know of any UK providers who filter port 5060.
>
>
> But I do know lots of types of ADSL router that have SIP ALG's running
> on port 5060. They generally mess things up so much as to make the
> router useless for SIP.
>
> On the other hand, if you are with an ISP who does filter things, there
> are plenty of other good ones who don't. Changing is easy.
>
> Tim

Hi, thanks for the reply..
I would assume that this should ONLY be a problem in the router/modem/ata
combo box that BT is using. The person who has raised this problem with me
however was happy to put back a basic adsl2 modem with no real configurable
options of any kind (think basic modem) and every test he ran still came up
with BT blocking the traffic. I keep saying to myself "It has to be the
router, it has to be" but he has phon'd BT and they have indeed said that
now that they offer their SIP service that the port is block'd to outside
traffic!.. I would love to hear that the BT staff ar not understanding his
question, or just not knowing the correct answer but I fear that BT might be
blocking it.

www.vivox.com is the compnay dealing with the voip tie-in's
they offer chat in Second Life, Eve-Onilne, and a few other MMORPG
environments. I would HATE to see port blocking being a norm just because
the ISP is also the Telco provider. I do know that it's starting to happen
with other services (Throttling Voip / Streaming Video&Audio) yet offering
their "own" services un-throttled.

I am still not 100% sure this isnt a router issue, but I was just testing
the waters to see if I should push this guy to really bitch about one of the
largest isp's in the land..

> There was a suspicion that this was happening in 2004 - there was a
> problem but it wasn't something that BT had actively created. It was a
> temporary problem.
> I think that the best plan is to contact BT, in an email, and ask them
> point blank - hopefully you'll get a statement in writing one way or
> the other.
> If they are blocking then they shouldn't be allowed to get away with
> it. It is OK to advise taking the easy path, and just leaving for
> another ISP, without saying/doing anything, but it could be the thin
> end of the wedge. In my view this anti-competitive practice needs
> nipping in the bud - with legislation if necessary.
> See if you can find out from BT if this is happening and, if it is,
> please report back.
> Remove 'no_spam_' from email address.


They have told the customers "Yes" we are blocking as it's restricted to
"our" own SIP service.

mr deo wrote:
>> There was a suspicion that this was happening in 2004 - there was a
>> problem but it wasn't something that BT had actively created. It was a
>> temporary problem.
>> I think that the best plan is to contact BT, in an email, and ask them
>> point blank - hopefully you'll get a statement in writing one way or
>> the other.
>> If they are blocking then they shouldn't be allowed to get away with
>> it. It is OK to advise taking the easy path, and just leaving for
>> another ISP, without saying/doing anything, but it could be the thin
>> end of the wedge. In my view this anti-competitive practice needs
>> nipping in the bud - with legislation if necessary.
>> See if you can find out from BT if this is happening and, if it is,
>> please report back.
>> Remove 'no_spam_' from email address.
>
>
> They have told the customers "Yes" we are blocking as it's restricted to
> "our" own SIP service.
>
>
Kinda strange then that our Asterisk server at HQ allows remote connects
and 50% of our ADSL links are with BT Business (the others are with
Zen). Unless of course they are only crippling home users - but then I
would have thought we'd be hearing the screams up and down the length of
this newsgoup by now!?

On Sat, 21 Apr 2007 22:39:00 +0100, Linker3000
<linker3000@googleminushyphen-mail.com> wrote:

>mr deo wrote:
>>> There was a suspicion that this was happening in 2004 - there was a
>>> problem but it wasn't something that BT had actively created. It was a
>>> temporary problem.
>>> I think that the best plan is to contact BT, in an email, and ask them
>>> point blank - hopefully you'll get a statement in writing one way or
>>> the other.
>>> If they are blocking then they shouldn't be allowed to get away with
>>> it. It is OK to advise taking the easy path, and just leaving for
>>> another ISP, without saying/doing anything, but it could be the thin
>>> end of the wedge. In my view this anti-competitive practice needs
>>> nipping in the bud - with legislation if necessary.
>>> See if you can find out from BT if this is happening and, if it is,
>>> please report back.
>>> Remove 'no_spam_' from email address.
>>
>>
>> They have told the customers "Yes" we are blocking as it's restricted to
>> "our" own SIP service.
Well, BT now own Plusnet, they do SIP VOIP. BT have initmated that
they will adaopt a 'hands off' approach to Plusnet. How long though
before Plusnet start doing the same thing - then others might follow.
Some may see this only as a problem for BT broadband customers but, in
time, it might prove to be a problem for others.
I'd like to see an official announcment on their web site confirming
this.
If it is true then I would suggest some negative publicity for BT and
communication with MPs.
If everyone put a comment about this as a signature to emails and
postings then the word would soon get around. I think that BT are so
big that they would ride the storm but smaller ISPs would not be so
quick to rouse the displeasure of customers.
There was a faxyourmp.com site I have just tried it and it wasn't
found.
A petition on http://www.number10.gov.uk/ might help.
There is also a web site to email an MP
http://www.writetothem.com

So, is there any written proof on their web site about this blocking?
I couldn't find anything with a google search but then my connection
is not so good today. The fact has to be established, without doubt,
before any action can be taken.
>>
>>
>Kinda strange then that our Asterisk server at HQ allows remote connects
>and 50% of our ADSL links are with BT Business (the others are with
>Zen). Unless of course they are only crippling home users - but then I
>would have thought we'd be hearing the screams up and down the length of
>this newsgoup by now!?
How many people on this group use have BT broadband though?

Remove 'no_spam_' from email address.