fbf Annex A: "Internet" LED lights for no reason

[maleas]

Hello again,

I have a Fritz Box Fon (Annex A), international version. Yesterday I updated to firmware 06.04.17 english (similar to the German 06.04.15, if I understand correctly).

Before the firmware update, the Internet LED only lit when there was a Voip call in progress. Now, it also lights for no reason at all!

Could it be some SIP traffic (like "SIP OPTIONS") that triggers that behaviour perhaps? One of my Voip providers sent SIP OPTIONS every one minute. If AVM has now configured the led to light at ANY SIP activity, including non-voice one, that would explain it. But that would be a bug nevertheless.

Since the English firmware version came out after the German one, I would expect that if this was a indeed a bug, it would be fixed in the English version

I will appreciate any help, I'm going crazy with these changes

Thanks in advance.

 

[Marsupilami]

My 7050 doesn't behave like that. Internet light is only lit while a VoIP call is active. I think this could be a bug in the english 08.04.17. I am afraid this firmware isn't used very often. So there won't be too many people to confirm this.
Did you contact AVM?

 

[maleas]

My 7050 doesn't behave like that. Internet light is only lit while a VoIP call is active. I think this could be a bug in the english 08.04.17. I am afraid this firmware isn't used very often. So there won't be too many people to confirm this.

Interesting... It feels though this is a general problem that affects all versions and not only the english one. It so strange though, since it did not exhibit itself in the previous version

As I've written above and further isolated after some tests with specific voip providers, I think this issue is due to a specific one! Not sure though. Would you be interested to provide you with an account to check whether the same behaviour is exhibited on your fbf as well (I don't have the 7050, I have the "simple" fbf)? Is it flashed to the latest released firmware?

Did you contact AVM?

I have already created a ticket with AVM and am currently waiting for them to contact me, hope they'll resolve this.

 

[Erpet]

I also have the FBF Fon with WLAN (Annex A) and since updating with the new firmware the Internet led is flashing in changing time difference, from 5 to 30 seconds.
The only way to stop the flashing is, to plug off the box for some seconds. Afterwards it is OK for some hours, but than starts again.

Not a big problem, but probably related to the fact, that the function "call in absance" does not work. The info led starts flashing for a few seconds, and than immidiatly the internet led flashes in 5 to 10 seconds time difference.

I am very interested for the answer of AVM!

 

[maleas]

I also have the FBF Fon with WLAN (Annex A) and since updating with the new firmware the Internet led is flashing in changing time difference, from 5 to 30 seconds.
The only way to stop the flashing is, to plug off the box for some seconds. Afterwards it is OK for some hours, but than starts again.

Not a big problem, but probably related to the fact, that the function "call in absance" does not work. The info led starts flashing for a few seconds, and than immidiatly the internet led flashes in 5 to 10 seconds time difference.

I am very interested for the answer of AVM!

Erpet, I'll keep you posted. Im curious though: how many voip providers have you got installed? Can you try rebooting with a single voip provider at a time, and checking whether the internet led lights up?

 

[Erpet]

I have three providers installed (see below) and I have the German version.

Rebooting with one provider has not changed anything! Has it helped in your case?

I am pretty sure that the problem is related to the Annex A version of the FBF Fon, because I am very sure, that this problem has not been posted until now, whether with the Annex B version nor with any other Frtzbox, which are already several weeks or month available.
As the Firmware for the Annex A version is very new, and the problem not so big, it is easy to understand, that it has not been posted until now.

 

[maleas]

I have three providers installed (see below) and I have the German version.

Rebooting with one provider has not changed anything! Has it helped in your case?

I also have SIPDiscount, plus two other voip providers based in Greece, eVoice and i-Call. The problem seems to appear when eVoice is used. To confirm it, I disabled the eVoice account from the telephony menu, then rebooted. So only SIPDiscount and i-Call were active. That did it! No more Internet flashing!

Can you try the same? That is, leave only SIPDiscount activated and reboot.

I am pretty sure that the problem is related to the Annex A version of the FBF Fon, because I am very sure, that this problem has not been posted until now, whether with the Annex B version nor with any other Frtzbox, which are already several weeks or month available.

This is a plausible theory. Here a large number of Annex A fbf users (it is given by an ISP in ADSL packages) exists. All of them who updated to the latest (english) firmware observed the same problem.

As the Firmware for the Annex A version is very new, and the problem not so big, it is easy to understand, that it has not been posted until now.

Hmm, hasn't a German version been around for some time for Annex A as well? Although iirc, most German users are on ISDN and not PSTN.

 

[Erpet]

Can you try the same? That is, leave only SIPDiscount activated and reboot.

As it works always some hours without problems I would have to do this for one or two days and this is not possible, because I need VB and SD hourly!

Hmm, hasn't a German version been around for some time for Annex A as well? Although iirc, most German users are on ISDN and not PSTN.

Germany only uses the Annex B version. Switzerland and Austria Annex A. Annex A firmware 08.04.15 is available only since less than 14 days.

I have recongnized the flashing of the internet led the first time, after I have activated "call in absence". But probably befor I did not observe the leds very much.

I now also will write a ticket to AVM.

 

[maleas]

I now also will write a ticket to AVM.

AVM's response in my ticket so far has unfortunately been to restore defaults on the new firmware, reenter data, check if the problem persists and if it does revert to an old version using the special firmware reset/downgrade procedure, reconfigure the router, check again if the problem persists and then again upgrade to the last firmware...

Since it would take for me some time and then some, I gave one of my voip accounts to AVM and asked for them to check things out (that is if it works or not). Hope they select to do so, otherwise I'll have to spend a couple of hours tinkering with the box :/

Something that just might be of interest to you: like I said, I _believe_ the problem is due to my eVoice account. And when I disable it it did not show up.

While at this eVoice-deactivated state the following strange thing happened: a friend of mine called my incoming number which is associated with eVoice. This incoming number is a normal telephone number, that is, someone from a normal phone can call it. So this call came through the fixed line ("fixed line" lit), since the voip account was down. So far so good.

However, some seconds after hanging up, the internet light which remained dim after the reboot started lighting up.

My theory: the reboot did not alter my ip. For some reason, although not registered with evoice, the evoice server decided after this call to send to me some kind of packet, which triggered fritz's behaviour, that is the internet led started lighting up again for no reason...

Is SIPGate owned by finarea/betamax as well? Because so far my own SIPDiscount account seems ok, chances are your own sipdiscount (and voicebuster as well, if they have the same sip server software) are not the "culprits". Skype does not use SIP. That leaves SIPGate as the possibly problematic client...

 

[maleas]

Update

Seems this is a MWI issue after all. Telnet'ing my fbf showed the following to take place, after which the internet led lighted up:

Sep 11 20:44:58 voipd[415]: <<<UDP Request: NOTIFY sip:[email protected];uniq=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sep 11 20:44:58 voipd[415]: ua_rcvnotify: text/plain
Sep 11 20:44:58 voipd[415]: NOTIFY-Value = 0x0 (nvoice=0, nemail=0) 2XXXXXXXXX
Sep 11 20:44:58 voipd[415]: INTERNET led value = 0

Therefore it is MWI-related, a feature available in the new fritz firmware. Plus the hunch I had that this was related to a specific voip provider, might be right. The specific voip provider uses asterisk. Up to february (possibly later this year) there was an issue with the SIP MWI functionality of asterisk. Specifically, it was not RFC-compliant, causing problems for RFC-compliant-MWI agents like fbf (and possibly Grandstream ATAs as well). See http://bugs.digium.com/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=6390&history=1

A patch was produced for asterisk to resolve this. According to the fbf-user and asterisk tester that reported the issue, the asterisk patch resolved the MWI problem. Perhaps this is related to the internet led, that is you have a provider that employes an older version of Asterisk without the patch???

In any case and as a workaround, to check this is indd MWI-related: dial #97*1* which is supposed to disable MWI (#97*0* enables it). Reboot perhaps and check whether the internet led lights up...

EDIT: Hmmm, SIPGate uses asterisk? That might explain your case...

 

[maleas]

In any case and as a workaround, to check this is indd MWI-related: dial #97*1* which is supposed to disable MWI (#97*0* enables it). Reboot perhaps and check whether the internet led lights up...

EDIT: Hmmm, SIPGate uses asterisk? That might explain your case...

Alternatively, do not disable MWI, but rather from the firewall block all traffic from and to the sipgate server(s)...

 

[Erpet]

I have entered #97*1*! Can I see somewhere if it has been successful?

I have no firewall installed, because I use the fritzbox function as firewall! In the protecion area of FB I could ot find Sipgate and also no other VOIP provider.

I really dought if it can be related with Sipgate, because I do not use it, neither for outgoing nor incoming calls. If the above change is not successful I might deinstall it at least for trial reasons.

I will report in one or two days, if the change was successful! Thank you for your support!

From FB I do not have any answer until now!

Regards

Erpet

 

[maleas]

I have entered #97*1*! Can I see somewhere if it has been successful?

Perhaps only implicitly, that is if the internet led does not light anymore without a reason

I have no firewall installed, because I use the fritzbox function as firewall! In the protecion area of FB I could ot find Sipgate and also no other VOIP provider.

That was the firewall I was talking about. Find which is the sip server of sipgate. Then use the firewall from fbf to block all access to the sip server of sipgate.

I will report in one or two days, if the change was successful! Thank you for your support!

No need, we have the same issue

 

[maleas]

Instead of using the firewall, you can also try to completely remove SIPgate from the accounts. That is, do not only disable it, remove it as well completely and reboot.

From some initial reports it seems it does the same thing. Then check if the led lights up or not.

 

[Erpet]

Instead of using the firewall, you can also try to completely remove SIPgate from the accounts. That is, do not only disable it, remove it as well completely and reboot.

What are you meaning? I do not have installed any Sipgate programm as I only use it with the Fritz!

 

[maleas]

What are you meaning? I do not have installed any Sipgate programm as I only use it with the Fritz!

I mean, remove the sipgate account completely from the fritz

 

[Erpet]

I mean, remove the sipgate account completely from the fritz

I have done it as you proposed yesterday! Several hours it was OK, but than I tried a mobil call and immediatly the led started to flash!

In the mean time I have got an answer from AVM:

"Aufgrund Ihrer Beschreibung vermute ich einen Defekt der von Ihnen
eingesetzten FRITZ!Box.
Bitte teilen Sie mir die vollständige Seriennummer Ihrer FRITZ!Box (vom
Aufkleber auf der Geräteunterseite) sowie Ihren Vor- und Nachnamen, Ihre
Adresse und Telefonnummer mit, damit ich den Versand eines Austauschgerätes an Sie veranlassen kann."
This means in a nutshell: they offer to replace my box against a new one.

I have to admit, this is very generous. I will do it after my vacation.

Thank you for your help. I will post here, after I have received the new box!


Best regards!


Erpet