SunRocket seems to slow down my Internet
July 25, 2005 by Mike Wendland
UPDATE
Please search this blog for updates to this report as this initial issue has been resolved for me since late 1995. A new SunRocket gizmo has greatly imporved connection speeds…. updated May 31, 2006
I had some time do do some troubleshooting with my Internet connection today, which has been erratic and slow over the past few weeks, sometimes losing connections entirely.
I ran a bunch of speed tests and found that, instead of the 6 mbps that I’m supposed to be getting with Comcast, I was actually getting much less, closer to 1.5 mbps. I called Comcast and they saw no problems, saying that it must be on my end, and that I should be getting much faster speeds.
Hmmm.
On a hunch, I disconnected the SunRocket VoIP gizmo.
Speed went right up there, consistently over 5 mbps. I have monitored it several times over the course of the afternoon and the speed hung right there, near the 5 mbps mark or slightly above. So I put the gizmo back in service. Speeds plummeted again.
Needless to say, the gizmo is out of the loop.
Maybe the SunRocket gizmo is bad.
I suppose I could call and see if they think I need a new one.
But based on my previous experience in calling their customer support, I seriously wonder whether it’s worth the effort.
Mike,
Are you using your “gizmo” as the router, or is it plugged into the router? If the Gizmo is the router, or is plugged in between the cable modem and the router - try putting it in directly to the router. You may need to open some ports or set the gizmo to a DMZ setting in your router admin utility. That may help.
I had it installed correctly, as instructed by SunRocket, with the cable going directly to it first.
I use Vonage VoIP. Their instructions state to also place their gizmo between the cable modem and the router. This is for Quality of Service (QOS). I did that at my old provider and had no problems w/ speed at all. At my current provider, I cannot, for some reason, I place the gizmo on one of my router ports. I still have no problems w/ speed. Voice actually does not require that much bandwidth. I have no idea why you would switch your main dial tone at home to a small provider like SunRocket. Live and learn.
Voip doesn’t use that much bandwidth, so clearly there’s something amiss with the gizmo.
Additionally, did you try changing the ethernet cables you’re using with the gizmo? It’s a longshot, but I’ve actually seen some providers cheap out and provide crummy ethernet cables. A bad cable can also cause a lot of errors which really hurt transmissions speeds, too.
Some ethernet ports have trouble auto sensing with other ethernet ports. So if one port is 10 half duplex and the other is 10 full duplex, you’ll get a big drop do to lots of errors.
Mike,
I have Sunrocket and I would strongly suggest you don’t use the gizmo as the router. I had so many problems with it as the router. There were times when the gizmo’s WAN port would get screwy. I would have to replace the ethernet cable entirely in order for it to work again. If you have a regular router, use it. And just plug the WAN port of the gizmo into the router. Ever since I did that, I haven’t had a problem with my phone service for monthes now.
AL
Your Sunrocket “gizmo” is functioning as a router running QOS (quality of service). To ensure quality of service, the Sunrocket router is only allowing a certain amount of non-VOIP bandwidth to come in and out of it. This amount is a percentage of what it thinks is your total bandwidth, say 90% of the theoretical maximum bandwidth. As a result, 10% of your total bandwidth would always be available for incoming and outgoing telephone calls. The problem is that your Sunrocket router “thinks” that you only have a little more than 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth, and so it is limiting you to that. You either need to change its settings or use another router and plug the SunRocket into it, as other posts have said.
This is an over simplified summary by someone who doesn’t know a whole lot about networking. Those more knowlegable feel free to add more details or correct my errors.
Mike,
I have the exact same problem. Gizmo installed… 3 mbps. Gizmo not installed… 6 mbps. I called Sunrocket about it, and they are totally clueless. Probably most people can’t even tell right now that the Gizmo is slowing down their connection. But that won’t always be the case as speeds continue to improve. Hopefully Sunrocket is designing a new Gizmo.
John
Hi Mike
I have Sunrocket too and I had the same problem, but my speed is 4 Mbs.
I have the equipment setup as follows … modem - Gizmo - router and 3 computers. Works pefectly.
You might want to adjust the setting on the gizmo though to limit the upload speed or adjust the percentage of the bandwidth. You’ll want to get close to 80% QOS I use http://internetfrog.com/ to do my testing.
http://www.xliter.tk
yea… it was illogical for you to put the “gizmo” before your router…
Same problem here. I have Comcast cable with SunRocket. SunRocket works for me, but my broadband speed went from 4-6 MBps to 1.2! Lower upload speeds too.
I followed the previous advice and plugged my Gizmo into my Linksys WRT54G Port4, gave Port 4 a high QUOS priority, and now I’m back to 5MBps and gained 100K on uploads! The SunRocket service seems unaffected.
Thank you all for the tip!
When I plug my SunRocket gizmo into the router I am able to receive inbound calls without any problem. However, when I attempt to make an outbound call, to any number, I get a fast busy signal.
Any ideas as to why this would be happening?
Several months to a year ago I asked Sunrocket about this. (Comcast 6 mb speeds slow to 1.5 when the gizmo is directly in live after the modem.)
The second level tech support let me know it was a known issue that they were working on……
I’m fairly sure my router doesn’t have QOS, so I’m stuck for now.
My router is a D-link DI-704P, does anyone know if I can do QOS with it?
Thanks,
Peter
How exactly do I change the QoS setting on my Linksys router to enhance VoIP service? Also I read suggestion about viewing the setup for Sunrockets gizmo in the browser - how do I find the address? Thanks!
i have a wireless G linksys Vonage router hooked up. when im’ not making any phone calls the internet is blazing fast, as soon as i make a phone call and use the internet, the internet comes to a crawl. is this the same problems people have mentioned. any help would be appreciated.
thanks.
I am having the same trouble that many of the posts here are talking about, i.e., that my (Comcast) high-speed slows to a deadening crawl with the SunRocket gizmo installed before the router. (That’s the way SunRocket recommends it be set up.) I’ve been pulling my hair out, on the phone with tech support to SunRocket, Comcast, and Linksys, and all with no luck. As I’m a software developer, I understand the principles of troubleshooting, and am just about the throw the SunRocket gizmo out the window! However, after reading these posts, I’m now going to try the alternative way to set it up (with the gizmo BEHIND my wireless router). Wish me luck, and I’ll chime back in with the results!
Guys/Girls, just to let you know I am a Tech in a VOIP Service Provider. Gizmos or VOIP routers use Proxy servers so your speed goes down because you are surfing through the VOIP proxy for your normal internet surfing. So for quite some time there is no fix for this issue. Rest assured if you have a router your speed is not affected.
Not sure if this can be an issue but I’ve overheard these devices are actually 100/10 base/T unlike most devices in the market which are 10 base and gozzle down your connection …Please check –>
http://www.innomedia.com/products_sohores_mta6328re_features.shtml
As they are the manufacturer of the “Gizmo” device.
Is there a proper set up sequence for connecting the gizmo to a PC that needs to be connected to both a modem and a macintosh computer via a router?
I haven’t even had a chance to use the phone service yet, but after getting all the equipment connected, there’s a consistent problem with the PC’s “ipconfig” numbers achieving internet access upon start up. I have to continually renew the ipconfig in dos and sometimes even reboot the modem to clean everything out and start again.
I’m always finally able to get back online with both computers, but it’s a real incovenience.
Any ideas?
My original setup was from the Modem to router and then to the Gizmo. I kept getting a busy signal after dialing a number. I then moved the Gizmo in front of the router and the problem went away. There had to be a issue with my router and Gizmo. Customer service was a waste of time becuase they had no clue and kept telling me to unplug. I have a linksys SRX 400 router. Anyone have any suggestions? Any setting I can do on the router to make the gizmo work behind the router?
As a SunRocket subscriber I have the same issues as the rest of you subscribers are experiencing and SR tech supports have no clue of what’s going on. But I think I fixed my problem. My original setup was cable modem (Surfboard 5120) –> gizmo –> the Linksys SRX200. I had some incompatiblity issues with Linksys routers before so I thought I’ll dig out my old D-Link DI-614+ backup router and plug it in. New setup is now cable modem –> D-Link –> the gizmo to D-Link –> LinkSys to D-Link. I ran MySpeedPC and I am getting 5.33mbps down and 368kbps up. Ran MySpeed PC again while the phone was online and I am getting 5.05 up and 294 down. Halleluiah! It works! Now I can surf and talk at the phone at the same time without a noticeable degredation on my download speed. Could it be that the LinkSys router is the culprit here? I don’t know.
I am having the same issues.
Been with Vonage for 4 years, NO problems.
Switched to SR and at first had the Gizmo in FRONT of the router. My gaming experience (BF2) was terrible due to lost connections. So I would have to reconnect to the game, only to be dropped moments (not a set time) later.
So someone suggested that I clone the Gizmo’s MAC address. No go. This didn’t fix the problem.
Someone else suggested (from dslreports) that I move the Gizmo behind my router and forward ports: 5060 and 16384-16393 to the Gizmo. Which I did.
Same thing, if not worse.
My BW seems OK. 3mbps service. but sometimes I have to click the GO button a fews times or click a link a few times make the page render because it just seems like it’s (the browser) doing nothing.
Tonight I’m going to close the ports, remove the MAC cloning, reset my router, and go from there…
We had the same slow-down problem. When the gizmo is connected to the modem between the router and modem our broadband speed decreased by about 50% its capacity on average. To fix this I tried putting it behind the router. However, when I put it behind the router the caller would go in and out on in an interval of about every 2 seconds. To fix this I disabled the spi firewall (denial of service firewall). With that firewall disabled on the router the call quality is excellent and the broadband connection is full speed.
Sunrocket is now working great and I am very happy with the service now that that issue has been resolved.
I am having this issue, i have dlink di-634m router. My gizmo will only work if i bring it infront of router. If i plug gizmo in router’s port, it will not register. It does get an ip adress from router. But wont go any further.
Try setting it as the DMZ host in your router config.
Can somebody please tell me, an idiot, how to get this sunrocket gizmo to not slow down my internet? So far when I hook it up to my calbe modem, it makes my computer crap out. I have no idea what you mean by changing configuration or anything like that. Please help this clueless moron out!
Thanks!
Ok, I’ve seen lots of guesses here.
For all of us, we need **facts** towards solutions, not I think BS.
Fact 1, SunRocket Gizmos slow down internet activity when installed as SR requests.
Fact 2, Having more than 1 device on a LAN with the same MAC address is a really bad idea - google “ARP” for details.
Fact 3, Placing the gizmo behind your router is more secure, but there are trade offs in complexity and/or voice quality.
Fact 4, I’ve been working with Cisco/Linksys tech support for 6 weeks to solve this issue.
Fact 5, My setup:
Comcast 6000down/384up Kbits/sec
Toshiba DOCSIS 1.1 modem
WRT54GX-v2 router / 2.00.16
Gizmo on the “inside”
Multiple PCs and other media devices
Linksys has given me some ports to be forwarded to the gizmo - they seem like a major guess.
We have double checked my QoS settings; basically, Gizmo is HIGH and all other devices (by MAC) are LOW. Also, I’m on a beta version of the next firmware; so far so good.
“kindly try to forward port 10,000-20,000, 5060-5061, 53 and 69 using UDP protocol” to the gizmo. I have no proof this will work, but wanted to share. Seems like shots in the dark to me. None of those ports interfere with others I need, so I’m willing to try.
I may disable the SPI, once I figure out exactly what is really does. Facts, not hearsay.
If someone finds this interesting, throw me an email in a week or so with the URL back here. Once I have a known good config, I will create a clear picture of the network and settings, if there is interest.
It says to search this blog for updates as the initial issue was resolved. I am unable to find a resolution and have the exact same problem. With the Gizmo in front of and behind my internet router, my network slowly loses bandwidth until it goes from my top speed of 10mbps to around 256kbps. It’s pretty b/w as restarting the gizmo always gets me my bandwidth back. this happens whether I’m on the phone or not.
Ok, I’ve done what Linksys support asked and still have the QoS VoIP issue. The only thing left is to place my gizmo in front of the router (eeek!). I expect to lose bandwidth.
I’ll be opening another ticket with Cisco/Linksys on QoS.
First off, let me say that Vonage couldn’t pay me to be on their service. I do some Network and VoIP consulting on the side and have received the WORST support (when you can understand them) from that company.
That being said, I, personally tried a company called VelocityTel. Great folks, good call quality and poor features.
So now it’s on to SR. Let me say this first - I have had numerous compatibility issues with VoIP and Linksys in any combo. My advice (for what it’s worth) is to avoid that combo at all costs.
Now, a quick work on ports and QoS. Most VoIP carriers will use the same common ports for their service. A good resource to use when someone tells you to open, close or forward a port is:
http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers
Don’t hesitate to use/open both TCP & UDP protocols.
Port #53 is for Domain Name Server and I’m not sure why a VoIP carrier would like for you to open or redirect this port other than to resolve DNS functions which the router should be doing already…
Port # 69 is for TFTP (Trivial File Transfer) and is used to config your VoIP adapter.
Port # 5060 is for the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and is used to for call set-up and tear-down processes.
Port # 5061 is SIP with the added umph of Transport Layer Security (TLS) which, theoretically, helps to keep your call secure - much like SSL but stronger encryption.
It’s all fun and games until your bandwidth drops or calls won’t go through. Here’s an easy solution - Broadband Device (DSL or Cable Modem) to a HUB or Switch (recommend at least a 4-Port.) Most providers will allow for anywhere from 2-4 Dynamic IP addresses by default, sometimes more, depending on your service level.
Have a static IP? This should not be a concern for the following scenario since, to my knowlege, “static” IP addresses are pointed to your MAC (Media Access Control) adress. For example, if you currently have a “static” assigned to your router, then this would remain unaffected by the use of a switch.
Step 1. Plug the ethernet cord from your modem into a switch.
Step 2. Plug your VoIP ehternet cable into the switch.
Step 3. Plug your router’s WAN ethernet cable into the switch.
With this, you get to keep the security of the hardware firewall, and don’t have to do any advanced port or QoS configs.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
I was planning on signing up for SunRocket and won’t after reading this blog and then going to bbb.org. The BBB revoked SR’s BBB membership in June 2006 because of so many customer complaints (many unanswered).
Thought all could benefit from this.
OLD SETUP:
==========
- Vonage
- 2 separate lines using Linksys PAP2 unit.
NEW SETUP:
==========
- Sunrocket
- Daisy chained 2 Innomedia Gizmo’s
- Linksys router, Gizmo 1 WAN port to router LAN port.
- PORTS 5060-5061 and 16384-16403 forwarded to WAN IP of Gizmo 1 per tech support
**Gizmo 1
- WAN = static IP for internal network
- LAN = default (192.168.251.1)
**Gizmo 2
- WAN = DHCP (plugged in to LAN on Gizmo 1)
This works. I have all interfaces limited to 10mb (as evidenced by green led instead of yellow). I run this on Cable connection with 5mb. So far, not hit on network bandwidth (4.75 down / 485 kbps up)
Heads up though… their tech support has no clue unless you get to their tech leads, etc. and even they couldn’t tell me how to do this. I know someone there does because before I purchased the two Gizmo’s / accounts, I asked them how to make this work and they said to “daizy chain them”. When I called in to ask for details… no help at all. I had to use my own brain cells.
HTH! If you need further details, email me direct.
Ok - I’m the original “TheOtherGuy” poster, but a number of posts on this thread have my name that I didn’t make. Any post after 7/15/06 aren’t mine.
Someone else is saying that nobody should go to Vonage using my name - not true. I have 3 friends on Vonage and they all believe it fits their needs for support and quality. One of them had some trouble getting reimbursed for 3 months for minutes used over his plan because a hangup wasn’t caught. Besides that, they’ve all been happy enough not to leave/switch from Vonage. I have no personal experience with that company.
The single post listed as “Kevin” appears to be my original posts.
I was going to update this blog with new info today. Can’t trust it. So long. The rest of you need to know this.