Linux softphones

Linux magicJack compatibility discussion

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gnimsh
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Linux softphones

Post by gnimsh »

So I've been doing a lot of testing of softphones in linux lately, and I've had some very mixed results. I am currently using Ubuntu 7.10. I installed a VMWare machine, and first ran the MJ on that fine, complete with phone support and everything. But I wanted to go further than that and run something natively, so I didn't have to run the VM all the time.

Here are the programs I tried: linphone, Kphone, wengophone, ekiga softphone, gizmo project, xlite (for linux, and the windows version under wine) and twinkle. The only one I actually had any success with is twinkle. Edit: I got Xlite to work, see instructions at bottom.

let's see if I can streamline this.

*********
TWINKLE
*********

You can find twinkle here and they also have many packages towards the bottom for the major distros. I'm gonna go through and show you guys how to set up twinkle to get it to work, because I got it to work the first time I installed ubuntu, didn't document it, and then reinstalled (from 64 bit to 32 bit) and struggled until just this morning to get it work.

Here is a link to some deb files for very easy installation of twinkle: http://www.getdeb.net/app/Twinkle

So first, in your user account you'll need to set up your user name.
Your name
username (E<your number here>01), the
domain (just the IP address).

Next the SIP authentication.
Leave the realm field blank.
authentication name is your username the E<your number here>01 number.
Then fill in your password.

Move next to the SIP server section.
For the registrar you will need to use proxy1.nashville.talk4free.com:5070
Check the register at startup box.

Outbound proxy: proxy1.nashville.talk4free.com:5070
Check use outbound proxy box. Don't check the other 2 boxes below it.
Here's some more proxy servers:

proxy1.Atlanta.talk4free.com
proxy1.Austin.talk4free.com
proxy1.Baltimore.talk4free.com
proxy1.Boston.talk4free.com
proxy1.Chicago.talk4free.com
proxy1.Cleveland.talk4free.com
proxy1.Columbus.talk4free.com
proxy1.Dallas.talk4free.com
proxy1.Denver.talk4free.com
proxy1.Detroit.talk4free.com
proxy1.Houston.talk4free.com
proxy1.LasVegas.talk4free.com
proxy1.LosAngeles.talk4free.com
proxy1.Memphis.talk4free.com
proxy1.Miami.talk4free.com
proxy1.Minneapolis.talk4free.com
proxy1.Nashville.talk4free.com
proxy1.Newark.talk4free.com
proxy1.NewYork.talk4free.com
proxy1.Philadelphia.talk4free.com
proxy1.Phoenix.talk4free.com
proxy1.Pittsburgh.talk4free.com
proxy1.Portland.talk4free.com
proxy1.Sacramento.talk4free.com
proxy1.SaltLakeCity.talk4free.com
proxy1.SanDiego.talk4free.com
proxy1.SanFrancisco.talk4free.com
proxy1.Seattle.talk4free.com
proxy1.StLouis.talk4free.com
proxy1.Tampa.talk4free.com
proxy1.Washington.talk4free.com


Next, for the voicemail, just fill in your phone number (minus the E and 01), and choose unsolicited from the dropdown menu.

That's all you need for the basic functioning of the phone, so enjoy!
***********
X-LITE
*****
Click the button to the right of the "clear" button in the center of the xlite console. Choose system settings>SIP proxy>default.

Double click enabled, change to yes.
Display name: whatever you want.

Username: your proxy username
Authorization user: also your proxy username.
Password: Your sip password here
Domain/realm: UserDomain
SIP Proxy: proxy1.YourCityHere.talk4free.com
Out Bound proxy: proxy1.YourCityHere.talk4free.com:5070 (if your ProxyPort is different use that instead of 5070)
After this all the fields remain at default, change nothing.
Last edited by gnimsh on Sat May 16, 2009 11:09 am, edited 3 times in total.
tvland
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Post by tvland »

I installed twinkle as you describe. I seem to be getting a constant 503: Service Unavailable message and the log shows:

+++ 14-3-2008 12:51:19.386976 INFO NORMAL ::listen_udp
Failed to receive from SIP UDP socket.
Error code: 111
Connection refused
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Can you put a screenshot up of your various settings?
Be sure to erase your number, just put a black line over it in a simple editor or something...if you care about us seeing your username (as your password is already hidden anyway)

I was getting the 503 a lot the last few days, having to do with the server outages. Try switching to a new server like newark instead of nashville, for example
tvland
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Post by tvland »

gnimsh wrote:I tried changing servers with no luck. I noticed something in the log during the REGISTER portion:
Send to: 66.116.125.133:5070
Your Registrar entry is incorrect. Should be talk4free, not talkforfree. The latter domain actually exists and resolves, but there is of course no proxy there.
Stewart
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apology

Post by Stewart »

Tvland, I'm very sorry. I accidentally butchered your post, instead of responding to it. I don't know if there is any way to get it back. I hope my suggested solution helps. In any case, you can post again if you desire; I'll be more careful next time.
tvland
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Re: apology

Post by tvland »

Stewart wrote:Tvland, I'm very sorry. I accidentally butchered your post, instead of responding to it. I don't know if there is any way to get it back. I hope my suggested solution helps. In any case, you can post again if you desire; I'll be more careful next time.
Whoooo nice butchering there! Butcher up some steaks, I'll bring the booze!

I must be blind! That was it, thanks.
tvland
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Post by tvland »

I seem to have a different dial tone now. It's a higher tone than normal. I had this the very first time I plugged in the MJ.

Also is the best audio to use ALSA or OSS?

ALSA seems to have the device listed while OSS has a mixer.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Hey there tvland, I tried to reply last night but kept getting database errors that would say there was nothing to post to, so now I'm trying it again...

So, I've got my magicjack soundcard working in ubuntu linux (7.10) but just the soundcard function of the piece, not the MJ itself. When I pick up the phone now I hear the same high-pitched sound, until I start to make a call, at which point the dial tone comes back. I believe its just a function difference between this softphone and the MJ one. It doesn't effect your phone calls at all though really...
tradertx
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Which twinkle version?

Post by tradertx »

Regarding twinkle, was the version you installed the 1.1x version or the just-released (as of March 8th) version 1.2?
Last edited by tradertx on Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

oh wow...I'm using 1.0.1. I guess I better go update!
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Hm well I just checked it out and it looks like its still in beta, so I think I amy just stick with 1.1 a bit longer. Let me know if you notice some improvements?
tradertx
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versions of twinkle

Post by tradertx »

What got me curious was in the Synaptic listings for my PCLinuxOS setup. It showed twinkle available titled as 1.1-3pclos2007 --- I'm not sure if that's exactly the 1.0.xxx version you are using, or slightly newer. Nor am I at all knowledgeable as to whether any version difference..... makes any difference regarding MagicJack. Just offhand, my impression is that any version that is already working... has a lot more credibility than any other, regardless of how much newer.
tradertx
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Two twinkle links

Post by tradertx »

tvland
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Post by tvland »

After playing around quite a bit, I can see the call quality can be made better through twinkle. The only drawback is the dialing and and answering have to be done on the computer. We need some kind of drivers that can interact with the MJ directly.
tvland
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Post by tvland »

Another problem I noticed is that the system scans the usb bus randomly and sometimes disconnects and then reconnects the magicjack. This hasn't happened in a call so far, but if it does it will most likely end it! You can tell when it happens because the light on the magicjack goes off for a second and then windows pop up for the flash and cd drives. This may be limited to my system unless someone else has this problem?
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Tvland, can you tell us what you did to make the call quality better with Twinkle?
tradertx
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VOIP tutorials--maybe some help for Linux--twinkle--MJ?

Post by tradertx »

On the following link, I found tons of Linux tutorials, including three devoted to configuring the quality of VOIP signals:

http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/

Here are those three:

Giving VoIP Traffic the Green Light, Part 1
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/ ... ls/6266/1/

Giving VoIP Traffic the Green Light, Part 2
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/ ... ls/6272/1/

Giving VoIP Traffic the Green Light, Part 3
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/ ... ls/6275/1/

Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I can judge whether there are useful clues therein to help our Linux--twinkle--MJ challenge.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Thanks, I'll take a look at those when I'm not drunk.
robatino
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Post by robatino »

Using these instructions, I have it working with Twinkle (thanks!). Reading the Twinkle Manual (version 1.3.2), I found that on the SIP server page, if an outbound proxy is used and it is identical to the Registrar, then the Registrar field can be left empty. So my User profile settings are:

User
SIP account
Your name: Firstname Lastname
User name*: Exxxxxxxxxx01 (replace x's by phone number)
Domain*: talk4free.com
SIP authentication
Authentication name: Exxxxxxxxxx01 (same as above)
Password: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20-character MJ password)

SIP server
Outbound Proxy
x Use outbound proxy
Outbound proxy: proxy?.city.talk4free.com:5070 (where "?" is a small positive integer and "city" is a nearby city in the proxy list).

Voice mail
Voice mail address: xxxxxxxxxx (phone number)

with all other entries left at defaults.
jp10558
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Post by jp10558 »

How do you find out your MagicJack password?
jp10558
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Post by jp10558 »

Anyone know how to translate this for X-Lite? I can't install Twinkle on the EeePC...
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Ugh. I tried xlite for linux and thought it was just horrible. I'd rather try to help you install twinkle on the EeePC than figure out xlite.

Let me know what OS you have running on the Eeepc and we can go from there.
jp10558
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Post by jp10558 »

default install on the 4G (not surf). I believe it's Xandros.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

I don't know how long you've been using Xandros, but I could definitely recommend that you install ubuntu on your EeePC. There is a netbook remix as well as straight ubuntu 8.10 that will work with the EeePC, there are deb packages available for twinkle in ubuntu.

To get you started, here's a link to what the ubuntu netbook remix can do: http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/nbr

and here's a link on how to install it all! http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos ... _poweruser

If you have no desire to install ubuntu (though I definitely think it will enhance your netbook experience) you could start with twinkle by looking at the instructions here: http://www.xs4all.nl/~mfnboer/twinkle/index.html

You'll have to install the dependencies listed there before the program.

In the mean time I'll see if I can figure out xlite.
robatino
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Post by robatino »

I got concerned when I heard that some people had been booted for violating the TOS, since there seems to be no way to set the User-Agent in Twinkle. At present I'm using IPKall/FWD/dukaDIAL as primary phone service, and keeping the MJ service as backup.
jp10558
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Post by jp10558 »

Well, I don't have an atom processor, so Ubuntu is out of the question. Plus, this is set up with other software, and I need it working. If this doesn't work, I'll just bring my Windows laptop as well...

Twinkle is pretty hard to figure out for me - it doesn't work from synaptic, and I can't double click -> next -> finish it on that website ... I have no idea if any of the versions of the dependancies will break Xandros, and some are not the version (QT is 4 for download) that Twinkle wants...

XLite was easy, double click and it ran...
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

AFAIK only one person has been caught because of that.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Whoa I did it.

SIP phone details for Xlite:

Click the button to the right of the "clear" button in the center of the xlite console. Choose system settings>SIP proxy>default.

Double click enabled, change to yes.
Display name: whatever you want.

Username: your proxy username
Authorization user: also your proxy username.
Password: Your sip password here
Domain/realm: UserDomain
SIP Proxy: proxy1.YourCityHere.talk4free.com
Out Bound proxy: proxy1.YourCityHere.talk4free.com:5070 (if your ProxyPort is different use that instead of 5070)
After this al the fields remain at default, change nothing.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

jp10558, did you manage to get xlite working then via the setup I posted?
jp10558
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Post by jp10558 »

It connected, but I guess bandwidth or the eee can't handle the connections well... Oh well, worth a try.
falserepellant
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Post by falserepellant »

I am not very good at linux but I use it from time to time to learn. I was trying to connect MJ in linux. I tried to follow the instructions in this thread; however, I have a couple of questions:

1. when I try to click Register from Registration menu in Twinkle a popup window opens that asks me to enter User name and Password and the window says "Login required for realm: stratus.com"

2. In setting SIP authentication do I create a new Password or in one of the post replies it said that 20 characters MJ password.. I bought magic jack almost 8 months ago, and I don't remember they ever gave me that 20 characters password. The only password I have is the login to the my.magicjack.com
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Check out the tools here: http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/stro ... t4230.html

They will help you find your SIP info (login name and password)
Kif Kroker
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Post by Kif Kroker »

You need to extract the username and password from the MJ. You can use the Strohs tool in the following link to extract them.

http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/stro ... t4230.html
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

@kif Hah I beat you! :p j/k.
Kif Kroker
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Post by Kif Kroker »

Damn you! LOL :)

Your just quicker on the draw gnimsh. :)
falserepellant
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Post by falserepellant »

Thanks. I'll check it out over the weekend.
nayten
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Post by nayten »

The tutorial seems to work great for me, but it seems that I'm unable to receive calls. Any advice?
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

To start with, can you give your system information, distro and version, what program you're using, audio setup, stuff like. Also if you can explain in detail what happens when you receive an incoming call that would help too.
nayten
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Post by nayten »

I'm using Ubuntu 9.04, Twinkle 1.3.2. I'm using a mic/speaker plug generic headset.

Everything works great for making calls. When I call my number, it rings just one time (sounds like it gets cut off) and goes straight to my MagicJack voicemail, as if my MagicJack is not online.

Not sure what you're looking for more in-depth than that. I got my SIP info using the MJ Utilities Suite, and it seems as though that's all running well since I can make calls.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Hm I've never experienced that. Make sure you have call forwarding disabled.

I'm on 8.04 as my headset, along with various other devices, would not work in 9.04. I can't really test it myself for this reason, unfortunately.
nayten
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Post by nayten »

Not sure what I did differently other than a reboot, but works like a charm now! Thanks for the help.
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Ah, the mysteries of linux. Sometimes a reboot is all that's needed :)
stav
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Twinkle on Ubuntu, few issues

Post by stav »

First of, thanks to gnimsch and all the fellows that worked so hard to post all these goodies.
I followed gnimsch step-by-step instructions installing Twinkle and MJ on Ubuntu9.04 and I get the following error message, "Cannot reach the STUN Server STUN:proxy01.miami.talk4free.com:5070. If you are behind a firewall then you need to open followingUDP ports , Poerts 5060 (SIP signaling) Ports 8000-8005 (RTP/RTCP).".
anyone has a suggestion on how to overcome this?
I haven't installed any firewall on Ubuntu and have no firewall on my wireless router either.
Thx,
Stav
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

On your sip server settings in twinkle, make sure "registrar" looks like: proxy1.Miami.talk4free.com:5070

Check the "register at startup" box.

Under "outbound proxy" use the same line as above (proxy1.Minneapolis.talk4free.com:5070)

Check the FAQ page from twinkle and search for STUN, as it seems to address this problem: http://www.xs4all.nl/~mfnboer/twinkle/index.html

Finally, you may try logging into your modem at 192.168.1.1 or maybe 192.168.0.1. The IP address depends on your modem brand but its usually one of those. From there you should be able to enable portforwarding for the required ports. Good luck!
stav
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Post by stav »

I opened the ports and it works now.
However, I cannot use my phone to place and answer calls. The headset works fine, though. Any hint on how to overcome this ? The audio settings are all defaults (OSS conexant).
Thanks for helping,
Stav
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

stav wrote:I opened the ports and it works now.
However, I cannot use my phone to place and answer calls. The headset works fine, though. Any hint on how to overcome this ? The audio settings are all defaults (OSS conexant).
Thanks for helping,
Stav
In linux, the MJ device works as a soundcard. When you plug a phone into the MJ soundcard while running linux, it just funnels the sound from the soundcard to the phone instead. There is no software running to detect the dialing from the number pad on the phone. Therefore, while you should be able to have a conversation via your telephone, you must dial from the software phone.

As the MJ also runs as a soundcard, you could also check to make sure the device is not muted. First, I am assuming you're running ubuntu. There are a few issues with the gnome volume manager, and so its better for you to use gnome-alsamixer, which can be installed from synaptic. Once you install that, open it up. There will be 2 tabs, one for your default sound card and one for the usb mixer. Unmute everything in the usb mixer. You can also try this in ubuntu's volume manager, but I think alsamixer works better.
stav
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Post by stav »

I run Ubuntu 9.04.
Installed the alsamixer and the device is unmuted. I went to Twinkle and changed the system settings of the sound card to ALSA USB Internet phone by Tigerjet(USB Audio) on all selectable items in there. Still unable to use the phone. It works with the headphones and the standard settings tough. Something I'm missing here? Thx

Also, do you know if the MJ works if plugged directly in the USB port of the router?
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

Hm well as of this writing, all softphones other than the MJ one no longer work... that means that twinkle will not connect to the MJ service, sadly. So it may not be your set up at all.
stav
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Post by stav »

I'll try the x-lite and report back. Thanks anyways for your great help. Do you happen to know a thread about connecting the MJ directly to the wireless router or if this setup will work?
Have a great w/e,
Stav
gnimsh
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Post by gnimsh »

I don't but I don't believe you can hook it up to a router like that as you would still need to run the software phone, which a router cannot do.
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