I can't make a call
Follow the troubleshooting steps below. If you make any changes to your router or network configuration then it’s a good idea to reboot or power-cycle both the router and phone each time.
- Make sure your phone is plugged into your router, switch or hub, and check the phone has power. The screen should light up when the phone is plugged in and you should also see flashing red light behind the keypad on the phone.
- Make sure the phone has got an IP address. If you see 'no IP' displayed on the display, then you need to enable DHCP on your router or elsewhere on your network. You can verify the IP address of your phone by hitting the 'MENU' button on the phone, hitting the 'Down arrow' key once and then hitting the 'MENU' key again. An IP address should then be displayed on the screen.
- Make sure your phone can talk to the internet. Two good signs that your phone can talk to the internet include: a) you should see a dark square icon in the top left corner of the phone's display which shows network connectivity. If this icon is missing or is flashing then your phone is having connectivity issues; and b) the date and time should be displayed on the screen of the phone. If you can see the date and time then your phone can talk to the internet. If you see a blank screen or the date is 1900 then the phone cannot get the current time from the internet time servers, and may not talk be able to the internet.
- If you cannot hear dial-tone when you lift the handset or hit the 'Speakerphone' button then the phone is still not talking to the internet properly.
- If you hear a dial-tone but when you dial a number nothing happens (i.e. no ringing on the other end, no engaged tone etc.) then the phone can still not talk to the VoIP servers. This is most likely caused by a firewall within your network, so try making your firewall compatible by opening UDP ports 5004 and 5060.
- If when you make a call the phone rings but you cannot hear any voice upon connection, this is likely to be caused by a firewall within your network or router. The default settings of some firewalls may cause problems with your VoIP phone. To make your firewall compatible try opening UDP ports 5004 and 5060.
- If you have enabled ports 5060 and 5004 on your firewall, or do not have a firewall enabled on your network then ensure that NAT/PAT is enabled on the router for your phone. Most routers should support NAT/PAT by default.
- If your router has built-in VoIP/SIP ALG support (i.e. the D-Link 504) then you should try turning off this feature in the router if possible. NAT/PAT support is all that is required to get the phone working.
- If you are still having problems, try upgrading your router's firmware to the latest version. Your router documentation should include a website you can visit to find the latest firmware downloads along with instructions on how to upgrade your router's firmware.
Can I use iTalk without a modem/router?
No, a router allows computers or internet devices (like a Budgetone phone) to use your cable or DSL broadband connection.
What modem/router do you recommend?
Any router that supports NAT/PAT should be compatible. Some 'smarter' routers that attempt to provide VoIP or SIP ALG (Application Layer Gateway) support have been known to contain bugs (i.e. the DrayTek, Cisco and Billion routers). Most of these issues can be resolved by firmware upgrades.
We recommend that your router DOES NOT support VoIP or SIP ALG functionality or if possible you should switch this off.
If I have a firewall which ports should I open?
It depends on your router as to which ports you may need to open up on your firewall. Some firewalls only need to open UDP ports 5060 and 5004. However, some routers may require NAT inbound and outbound traffic on your routers WAN interface. In this case you may need to open up UDP ports 1024-65534.
For most users, NAT/PAT firewall functionality will be sufficient enough to protect your home network.
Do I need to forward any ports?
You should not need to do any port forwarding to the phone so long as your router supports NAT/PAT and your firewall rules are not actively blocking VoIP traffic. Try fixing the firewall issues first before doing any port forwarding. If you do need to forward traffic to the phone to get it working then the ports to forward would be UDP port 5060 and 5004.
On some routers you may need to forward all UDP traffic from ports 1024-65534 to the phone. This is of course NOT recommended. Unless your DHCP server is capable of assigning static IP addresses based on the MAC address of the phone, then you may have to update your port forwarding rules each time you reset the phone. If port forwarding is a last option then contact the support team at Slingshot and we will try and find a better solution for you.
how much bandwidth is required to use iTalk?
We recommend at least 128kbps up and down stream, but the faster your broadband connection the better.
Can I use the Internet whiel I make and receive iTalk calls?
Yes, your phone will share your internet connection with any other computing device on the network. However, please keep in mind that if you are transferring large files whilst using your phone, you may experience some clipping or fading in and out of voice. This will be especially apparent if your upstream or downstream speeds are lower than 256kbps.
Which devices need to be powered to make and receive calls?
Your phone operates independently from your computer, so you can switch off your computer and continue to make and receive calls. However, of course you will need to leave your router/modem connected and switched on so that your phone can talk to the VoIP service. If you are using a Softphone however, your PC will need to be switched on.
Can I dial other VoIP or iTalk phones on the Internet?
Yes. You can call toll-free to any other VoIP phone on the iTalk network. In the future we are hoping to expand this so that users can make toll-free VoIP calls to other VoIP providers.
Error Numbers
If you are having difficulties making or receiving calls, you will often get a three digit error number on your phone's LCD screen. Please refer below for the most common errors when making a call.
- 400 - Bad Request
- 401 - Unauthorized
- 403 - Forbidden
- 404 - Not Found
- 407 - Authentication required
- 408 - Request Timeout
- 410 - Gone
- 480 - Temporarily Unavailable
- 481 - Call / Transaction Does Not Exist
- 484 - Number Incomplete
- 486 - Busy or Engaged
- 487 - Request Terminated
- 500 - Server Internal Error
- 503 - Service Unavailable
- 504 - Server Time-out
Can I plug my phone into my computers network card?
No, you need to plug into an external modem/router, switch or hub.
Can I plus two phones into the same modem/router?
Yes, most routers should have no problems with multiple phones connected.
Can I use a phone with a dialup Internet connection?
No. iTalk requires a broadband connection to work properly.