"mute" button syndrome - can't hear anything after

[jbat]

I just got my magicjack today and it was NO joy at first. Took over 5 hours to get it to work.

After setting everything up, I connected a phone and dialed. The called number answered but then I could not hear anything (happened on both calling and recieving parties) - the "mute" button syndrome.

I think there are numerous issues involved and you have to troubleshoot each one to see what works. Please post your solutions here to this "mute" button syndrome.

I went on the magicjack chat line and went thru a list of the usual things - sent the volume control at 1/3, run this diagnostic program and another one and reboot etc etc to no avail. Ports 5060, 5070 were open already.

I came across some posts the suggested opening up UDP port on the router from 10000 to 65535.

I have Verizon DSL and their Westel modem which I know blocks a lot of Ports and I have my own router which also can block.

I tried opening ports with port forwarding from 10000-65535 on the Verizon Westel and IT WORKED ( CREDIT TO BigWootz ). However this opens a large security risk so I found that 62000-65535 worked for me and a lot less ports open.

I don't understand why magicjack needs these high UDP ports open to work. Other website info states that "this should not be - that the firmware needs an upgrade" - however Verizon is not the best place to get this type of support and since it works I stopped looking.

I wonder how many other users of magicjack have literally smashed their devise in frustration. Some lucky users seem to get it to work out of the box.

[fatmaninthebathtub]

Mine worked out of the box but there were little problems afterwards that had to be addressed.

[mphixson]

mine worked out of the box when i got it a couple years ago.
note I am verizon as well with westel modem. I run the modem as bridge connection and use netgear wireless as the router.
I didn't have to open any ports or anything as you described.

[jbat]

mine worked out of the box when i got it a couple years ago.
note I am verizon as well with westel modem. I run the modem as bridge connection and use netgear wireless as the router.
I didn't have to open any ports or anything as you described.

Seems to have to do with security settings on the Westel Verizon modem. At location #2, using an older Verizon Westel modem installation was a "breeze" because no firewall was installed.

Location #1 ( that I had trouble with ) had a very high security setting. According to MJ docs opening up UDP ports 5060 and 5070 were all that was needed.

NOT SO.......I found that MJ uses UDP ports 62000 to 65535 on location #1 and this is UNDOCUMENTED BY MJ!! MJ should inform users of all the UDP ports it is using so you can set it up properly.

If you don't have your DSL modem set to high security then it should work out of the box, but you may have more problems with Trojans and the like.

[mphixson]

If you don't have your DSL modem set to high security then it should work out of the box, but you may have more problems with Trojans and the like.

No actually by setting the westel as a bridge connection, the security is in the netgear wireless router.. but good try...

[jbat]

jbat wrote:
If you don't have your DSL modem set to high security then it should work out of the box, but you may have more problems with Trojans and the like. ...

No actually by setting the westel as a bridge connection, the security is in the netgear wireless router.. but good try...
...

True.......but the Westel modem provides additional security which I like.
Now if I didn't have the D-link router attached to my network and just had the computer directly connected to the Westel Verizon modem, I am open to a less secure situation.

I have the westell Verizon modem with the open UDP ports as indicated and my Dlink router is connected directly to the Westel modem and providing the needed security.

[jbat]

Today I came back and plugged in my MJ and it didn't work!!!

The strange thing is I was able to connect to the internet and surf but couldn't get MJ to work.

Well I tried to access my Westel Modem and it would not respond even though the Internet worked!! So I had to reboot the Westel modem.

When I accessed the modem all my settings for the MJ were lost!

Now I found that to get the MJ to work, UDP ports had to be opened again to 10000 thru 65535! (instead of the 62000 thru 65535 I had before).

I may just leave the Westel modem on a low security setting since my network router is doing all the firewalling.

What a pain.

[admiral70]

After a whole day of search the forum and messing with things I could not figure out why I could not hear the people talking to me. They could not hear me either.

I had to go to the speaker volume and there was a phone control and it was muted. This is a Windows 7 system.

Doh Bart....

In case it helps.