The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group The MyNetFone TA612V Broadband VoIP Adaptor Gary Taig garyt@melbpc.org.au |
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There is little if any doubt that very soon the vast majority of broadband
Internet users will
be utilising Voice over IP (VoIP) to maintain a low cost telephone system in
their home and/or office. A huge number of businesses already have equipment
installed and running, and if you think back a few short years to the 1980s and
1990s, even then many companies had set up their intra-company telephone systems
through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) operating over the Internet, because of
the high costs of telephony. Today its possible to simply plug in a little box on your broadband line and hey presto, you can talk for hours to someone on the other side of the world for a fraction of the price you would have paid for an interstate call within Australia a decade ago. |
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MyNetFone is a supplier of VoIP services. This month we review the new TA612V
which is a SIP based Plug `n Play, VoIP adaptor. It works wonderfully on a
Westnet 512/512 DSL broadband connection, so much so that from a performance
viewpoint you cannot tell the difference between using this and speaking over a
good quality telephone line to anywhere in the world. I am unable to report its
performance over any of the lower ADSL speeds of 256/64 or 512/ 128.
The TA612V is designed and built for the home or small business; the user needs
only an existing broadband connection (cable, wireless or DSL). This unit
provides the means to network all of your existing home computers and establish
two individual VoIP telephone services into the bargain.
Separate Elements
The MyNetFone VoIP service comprises two elements:
- The hardware, the Adaptor itself is manufactured by NETGEAR and has all the
powerful features of a state-of-the-art NAT router, with the SIP voice
capability added for good measure. It is SIP v2 compatible.
- The telephony component, in this case the VoIP service provided by MyNetFone includes the ability to route your calls from the Internet, out into literally any of the world's PSTNs (Public Switched Telephone Network). This company supplies its service through hardware that is SIP compliant or compatible and while I haven't asked the direct question, I would imagine if you had your own SIP compatible hardware, you could probably purchase some VoIP capacity from MyNetFone.
As I write this I have a dual phone line NETGEAR,TA612V sitting on the desk beside a single phone line Netcomm, V-100 Adaptor all supplied by MyNetFone, with three telephone handsets plugged in. Each has a unique, MyNetFone 09 series telephone number; each telephone handset can call out through the Internet (via the MyNetFone SIP Server) and be directed to any number on any of the regular PSTNs anywhere an the globe — or the call can be routed back in through the same broadband connection to either of the other two handsets (numbers) or, it could be directed to any other user an the MyNetFone network. This is the MyNetFone VoIP service.
More Bandwidth Is Better
Clearly you need the bandwidth to do extra things through your broadband Internet connection, but that's where the future lies, isn't it? I've tested this setup with the help of family members and had the following activities 311 happening simultaneously:
- three separate telephone conversations. One local call, one to the Optus
mobile network and one interstate
- uploading mail and attachments via the same high speed ADSL Internet feed
- sending a fax from my office fax via the regular Telstra PSTN to another fax located close by, over the same telephone wire.
Versatile?
Although powerful, the TA612V is not a wireless router, nor does it have a built in print server like some other Netgear routers. Whereas routers will often have up to four ethernet connections for your network — enabling you to plug in several computers or other Ethernet devices (eg. switches), the TA612V has only one Ethernet connection other than the incoming broadband connection. Of course by connecting to a multi-port switch you can have a large network attached to this one item.
Installation
The TA612V VoIP adaptor can be installed in a number of configurations. See Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. With time severely limited I successfully set it up as in both Figures 1 and 2. I tried quickly and somewhat impatiently but did not make it work like the regular V-100 dumb adaptor (Figure 3) and again because of time constraints I made no attempt at all to set it up as in Figure 4.
The four possibilities are:
- The TA612V is the only router on the system — set up between the
ADSL (or Cable) Modem and the computer. You enter the required PPPoE logon
details (if they are needed) and upon startup it logs on to your ISP through the
modem. Then it operates as a DHCP server, enabling the home user to establish a
completely new computer network that can grow as needs grow. See Figure 1.
- Set up between the ADSL modem and an existing network. See Figure 2.
- Installed as a dumb adaptor, like the Netcomm V-100 which plugs the Netcomm V-100
which plugs into the back of an existing ADSL router or modem/router. See Figure
3.
- Set up between the router and a computer (or switch) on the local network. See Figure 4.
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1. The Only Router On the System
When operating as the only router, the TAG] 2V performed perfectly. Setting it up was a breeze (I bypassed my existing FM114P NETGEAR router) and provided that the instruction guide was followed — a simple step by step process — startup went without mishap. Within a few minutes I had two extra telephone lines and a DHCP server that would satisfy the needs of almost any home or small business network.
2. Between Modem and Existing Network.
Initially I experienced a little difficulty with this set up but only because it was being done on a live system and I disobeyed the Installation Guide. I couldn't perceive that one DHCP server would operate successfully in serial with another (existing) DHCP server, especially with these units where the software is almost identical. They were both NETGEAR routers, each had similar configuration screens and my idea was that one of them, namely the TA612V would have to allow the Ethernet traffic to feed straight through to the first piece of equipment on that part of the network — the existing DHCP server.
I tried to run the setup with the TA612V not being a DHCP server, but alas it failed. With the same arrangement I attempted to run it with the TA612V as the DHCP server and the FM114P as a pass-through unit, but not surprisingly that also failed.
Following these failures I reestablished the network, searched and found online the user manual for the TA612V and discovered, strangely enough that it agreed with my approach. It said that if another device on the existing network already acts as the DHCP server, one should uncheck that box on the configuration screen (so that the TA612V doesn't perform that task).
The TA612V also works on its own ie. with no computers plugged in. However, if you have a DSL Internet feed that requires a login you will need a computer and browser (once only) to enter the PPPoE login details. What a neat way to start a small computer network! You could ask a friend with a laptop to enter the initial data and voila! you would have two special telephones on a computer- free, computer network. Hey...
I tried again, leaving the box checked and lo and behold they sang from the same song sheet. Not only that — all the IP addresses had been allocated correctly.
Having achieved that, I was reading further into the manual and noticed that the TA612V possesses an auto- uplink capability. The FM 114P has a push button to activate this feature (for an uplink connection such as to a switch or hub) but the TA612V didn't have that button. So, it's awfully hard not to draw the conclusion that the auto-uplink alone has enabled the new router to operate adjacent to the existing router.
Note: In the TA612V standard package one does not receive a CD containing the (PDF) user manual; I certainly could have done with it. Anyway, MyNetFone is reviewing the policy. In the meantime the manual is available for download from this URL http://www.mynetfone.com.au/downloads
3. Installed as a dumb adaptor, like a Netcomm
V-100
This was in fact the first test I performed. The TA612V was straight out of the
box and I plugged it into a spare Ethernet connection on the back of the FM1
14P. When it was set up and started up in a manner similar to that needed for
the V-100 and power was applied, it did not work as I expected. But, it was wise
not to spend more time on it; I figured one can buy a V-100 to perform that
task, if and when needed.
4. Set Up Between the Router and a Computer
Apparently the MyNetFone preference is to have the unit located as the first
item of equipment after the modem. This would be in the interests of achieving
the best possible voice quality. Since all of this testing was being done on a
live network, and every change of equipment — even small changes — required a
considerable
amount of messing around and reestablishment, I decided not to touch it. There
will be occasions and/ or situations where the TA612V will need to be located
literally inside an existing network, but I had no wish to be attempting to
create such a scenario. Rest assured that if you see such
a possibility on your system, the chances are it will work and the configuration
should be very straightforward. Provided that your network enjoys adequate spare
bandwidth, the phones are designed to find the MyNetFone SIP server and should
always connect satisfactorily.
When All Is Done
When your local installation is completed and you have a dial tone, you must
contact MyNetFone to complete the following formalities.
- register your telephone number on the MyNetFone network, with your name and
details
- ensure your home town is correctly recorded, for local call charging purposes
- to select the payment plan you wish to use and organise the business side of the operation
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Main Security Features
Security features include the ability to send to you via e-mail a log of
activity (see Figure 6).
If I installed one of these units permanently I would ensure my FM114P was the
firewall that faced the outside world. With the FM114P you can choose to include
in your log file, any or all of the following: Known Denial of Service attacks
and port scans, attempted access to blocked sites, router administration logins,
all Web sites and newsgroups visited, local activity, and all incoming and
outgoing traffic. With the FM114P you actually have those choices, and it even
reports incoming packets that are dropped. There is much detail available for
the security freak.
The TA612V no doubt has the ability to report those threatening activities, and
it does send e-mail, but sadly you don't get any choice about the content of
your e-mail. Clearly one would have to wait for something to occur before seeing
a serious message from the TA612V. I've grown accustomed to more detailed
reports from the FM 1 14P and lets face it when a report shows that an unknown
packet has been blocked from entering, and identifies its origin, that does give
you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Part of the user manual reads:
"Unlike simple Internet sharing NAT routers, the TA612V is a true firewall,
using stateful packet inspection to defend against hacker attacks. Its firewall
features include:
- Denial of Service (DoS) protection. Automatically detects and thwarts DoS
attacks such as Ping of Death, SYN Flood, LAND Attack, and IP Spoofing.
- Blocks unwanted traffic from the Internet to your LAN.
- Blocks access from your LAN to Internet locations or services that you specify
as off-limits.
- Logs security incidents. The TA612V will log security events such as blocked
incoming traffic, port scans, attacks, and administrator logins. You can
configure the router to E-mail the log to you at specified intervals. You can
also configure the router to send immediate alert messages to your Email address
or E-mail pager whenever a significant event occurs.
- The TA612V prevents objectionable content from reaching your computers. The router allows you to control access to Internet content by screening for keywords within Web addresses. You can configure the router to log and report attempts to access objectionable Internet sites."
I feel that a simple performance test still needs to be carried out on a slower broadband connection, and I will do that as soon as I can find a member who lives close by — but, if you already have a well performing 512/512 or better broadband connection, the TA612V and the MyNetFone service will provide you with an up- to-the-minute VoIP phone capability and perform the task more than satisfactorily.
I will report the performance results for 256/64 and/or 512/128 ADSL feeds in the November or December magazine.
Minimum Requirements
- Broadband (Cable, DSL or Wireless) Internet Service
NETGEAR recommends 64 kbit/s upload and 128 kbit/s download per line
- Any analogue, cordless or DECT phone
- MyNetFone Broadband Phone service
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape 4.7 or higher
The MyNetFone TA612V is available from computer resellers throughout Australia. You can also purchase it direct from MyNetFone. The Web site is http://www.mvnetfone.com or call 1300 731 048.
The dual line TA612V router model sells for $179. The single line V-100 unit is $129.
Call Rates
Rates are extraordinarily low. You pay only 10c for untimed local calls, 10c per minute for STD (capped at 51.50 per call). Calls to most overseas destinations are lower again, eg. 2.9c per minute to USA, 2.5c to UK. A full list of rates is available on the MyNetFone Web site.
Accounting
You can gain access to the MyNetFone billing and account information from an online portal that enables you to top up your account or pay your bill, whichever the case may be. You will receive a monthly e-mail containing detailed call records and call costs, but you can also log into the customer portal at any time and examine your call records and costs. Records are available as soon as you complete a call; you can determine the time, duration, number called and so on.
Reprinted from the October 2005 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
