Best router with Vonage?

[Al Pray]

Hi all, new member here. I recently installed the top rated Netgear in my home based on the Router Ranker and it dramatically improved my coverage and speeds. Now my wife just took a new job that will give her a Vonage phone. Vonage publishes a list of approved routers at https://businesssupport.vonage.com/articles/answer/Network-Equipment-Compatibility-21546 and the Nighthawk is listed as having issues. Further when I search for the approve routers all the articles about them are pretty old. Any advice on the best router compatible with Vonage?

 

[avtella]

Hi all, new member here. I recently installed the top rated Netgear in my home based on the Router Ranker and it dramatically improved my coverage and speeds. Now my wife just took a new job that will give her a Vonage phone. Vonage publishes a list of approved routers at https://businesssupport.vonage.com/articles/answer/Network-Equipment-Compatibility-21546 and the Nighthawk is listed as having issues. Further when I search for the approve routers all the articles about them are pretty old. Any advice on the best router compatible with Vonage?

You simply need to disable SIP ALG / DDoS protection on those routers. The Netgear R7800 is the best unit WiFi range/performance wise and the Asus AC86U is also pretty good with excellent VPN performance. Older R7000 and AC68U are also great units. I use Ooma and I did have Vonage earlier with no issues on R8500/R7800/R7000 as I always keep DDoS protection off anyway.

 

[Al Pray]

You simply need to disable SIP ALG / DDoS protection on those routers. The Netgear R7800 is the best unit WiFi range/performance wise and the Asus AC86U is also pretty good with excellent VPN performance. Older R7000 and AC68U are also great units. I use Ooma and I did have Vonage earlier with no issues on R8500/R7800/R7000 as I always keep DDoS protection off anyway.

Excellent! Thank you!

 

[BSquared2]

I just changed my router from an ASUS AC3200 because the calls kept dropping out. I disabled SIP ALG / DDOS, but still no luck.
After pressing Vonage to tell me which router to buy that would not give me issues, they recommended the Netgear R8500 Nighthawk X8, even though last week it wasnt on their supported list. Today, I rechecked Vonage's supported list and they've updated it to include new routers including the Netgear R8500 Nighthawk X8 which now says KNOWN ISSUES: "Disable SIP ALG and DoS Protection. Verify there is no QoS/WMM set. May have audio and registration issues."

It seems to be working so far, but I wont know if it really works well until I get complaints from others in my office.
I hope it works!!! I'll keep you posted.

Be careful, Vonage updated their website on the ASUS routers as well. They dont have the AC86U, but do have the RT-AC87U and says KNOWN ISSUES: "Firmware 3.0.0.4.380.1842 and later creates drop rule and can't be downgraded. May work with if SIP ALG disabled in earlier firmware." Those changes didnt work for me on the AC3200.

 

[Al Pray]

I just changed my router from an ASUS AC3200 because the calls kept dropping out. I disabled SIP ALG / DDOS, but still no luck.
After pressing Vonage to tell me which router to buy that would not give me issues, they recommended the Netgear R8500 Nighthawk X8, even though last week it wasnt on their supported list. Today, I rechecked Vonage's supported list and they've updated it to include new routers including the Netgear R8500 Nighthawk X8 which now says KNOWN ISSUES: "Disable SIP ALG and DoS Protection. Verify there is no QoS/WMM set. May have audio and registration issues."

It seems to be working so far, but I wont know if it really works well until I get complaints from others in my office.
I hope it works!!! I'll keep you posted.

Be careful, Vonage updated their website on the ASUS routers as well. They dont have the AC86U, but do have the RT-AC87U and says KNOWN ISSUES: "Firmware 3.0.0.4.380.1842 and later creates drop rule and can't be downgraded. May work with if SIP ALG disabled in earlier firmware." Those changes didnt work for me on the AC3200.

Thank you! I do have QoS enabled. I will disable it just in case. Then if there are no issues I will try re-enabling it as an experiment.

 

[Trip]

QoS on consumer-class OEM router firmware typically is pretty basic, with not much offered in the way of proper congestion management or queuing; and it's the queuing piece, most notably fq_codel (or it's forthcoming replacement, cake) that I'd venture would make more of a performance improvement for VoIP on small, flat networks than almost anything else. If you can't apply a queuing algorithm on your current router's firmware (I'm guessing you can't), then I'd suggest finding a third party firmware than offers it, and does so in the form of fq_codel (Merlin on Asus models, AdvancedTomato for Asus, Netgear and others), or just buy a UBNT EdgeRouter X or ER-4 or build an OpenWRT box to run your routing. Do so, and I bet you'll watch *most* of your VoIP issues all but disappear. (Assuming, of course, that your firewall isn't blocking or slowing voice traffic, or your ISP's upstream path or peering transit don't exhibit too much jitter or packet loss).

And yes, for the purists, just applying a qdisc to an interface is no outright substitute for having proper classing setup, but for the average Joe, I'd argue it makes less difference than having bufferbloat well-controlled before hand.

 

[Shital]

Hi there,

I recently replaced older version of "Netgear Cable Modem with Router" with "Netgear Nighthawk CM1100 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem" to take advantage of 1GB Cable connection. I am seeing stark improvement in my internet connection speed. However my Vonage Phone adapter is unable to connect to internet when I connect one end of Ethernet cable to Modem and another to Phone Adapter. This is used to work with older version of Netgear modem. Any advise how to enable Vonage service using "Netgear Nighthawk CM1100 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem". Appreciate your help.

Here is my set up:
1. "Netgear Nighthawk CM1100 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem"
2. Google Wifi 3-Pack - Whole Home Mesh Wifi System. One of the wifi pod is connected to Modem Ethernet Port.
3. Vonage Phone adapter. One end is connected to 2nd Ethernet Port on Cable Modem and another end to Phone adapter.

If "Netgear Nighthawk CM1100 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem" is not the correct cable modem, then which one should I buy which will allow 1GB speed as well as Vonage services?

 

[CaptainSTX]

The second WAN port on your modem, depending on your ISP, is most typically used for link aggregation and unless you have made provisions with your ISP for a second public IP will not provide a public IP to your Vonage phone adapter.

Having used Vonage in the distant past I understand that their preferred setup is modem-vonage-router. You can try that setup but unless the Vonage adapter has two gigabit ports you won't get the throughput you are paying for.

If that is the case then you will have to use an alternative setup using just the primary WAN port on your modem:

Modem-router WAN port- with the Vonage adapter plugged into a LAN port. It should not make any difference which LAN port on any pod the Vonage device is plugged into for the most reliable connection I would recommend that you use the LAN port on the POD directly connected to the modem.

 

[Shital]

Hi CaptainSTX - thanks for your response. I am little confuse now. I am trying to summarize below my understanding of your response. Please correct me if i am wrong.

1. I should buy D-Link 8-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Metal Desktop Switch or similar switch. Cable connection goes into my "Netgear Nighthawk CM1100 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem". Then connect one end of Ethernet wire into "D-Link 8-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Metal Desktop Switch" and other end into "Netgear Cable Modem". Using Ethernet cable connect "Google WIFI POD" to "1st Port on D-Link Switch". Connect "Vonage Phone Adapter" to "2nd Port on D-Link Switch". This will allow me to have active Vonage VOIP service as well as WIFI network through Good WIFI Mesh.

OR

2. Reach out to cable company to assign seperate IP address for 2nd port on my ""Netgear Nighthawk CM1100 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem".

 

[CaptainSTX]

Adding the switch before the router doesn't resolve the issue if yur ISP will give you more than one public IP.

What I recommend you try to get working is a standard network setup,

1. Cable Modem ---Connected by Ethernet from WAN port on modem to WAN port on router then using an Ethernet cable connect your Vonage device to any LAN port on your router. Your Vonage device will then have a private IP on your LAN. This is the way that almost all devices are designed to work. If the Vonage is stubborn you might have to forward some ports to it but again in this day and age most Internet connected equipment don't require this nor do they require you enable UPNP.