troubleshooting
You can be assured that we are working 24/7 to live true to our title as the number one integrated voice platform for the social web, however every so often our users are not able to connect using Vivox Voice. When these rare occasions do occur please check out these topics below for common issues that users may encounter and how they can be resolved. And remember – you can always email us at support@vivox.com and we will be happy to help you resolve any issues!
Connection Test
Verify your headset is working by using the "Test my Mic and Headset" button. The Echo Test allows you to test your voice setup locally and listen to how other people hear you.
Windows Vista users
Many Windows Vista owners disable User Account Controls (UAC) in order to avoid annoying popups from the OS. Unfortunately, this causes the Vivox plugin installation to fail silently. If you think you might have UAC disabled, please temporarily re-enable UAC and re-install the Vivox plugin. Once the plugin is installed, you can re-disable UAC. Please see here for instructions on re-enabling Vista UAC.
Vivox Voice says it's having trouble connecting ... what should I do?
If you're having difficulty connecting, it's usually one of the following 3 issues:
- Local Firewall - Check to see if the firewall on your computer is blocking the connection.
- Network Firewall - Check with your IT department to see if the corporate network is blocking UDP traffic.
- Routers - Check your router to make sure the firmware is up to date, and check that SIP AGF and SPI Firewall are disabled - see the router section below for more info.
Routers
Two features commonly found in consumer routers are SIP ALG (application level gateway) and SPI Firewall (stateful packet inspection firewall). While both of these features are meant to enhance the functionality of the router (better SIP translation of NATed addressing and some additional security features), they can interfere with the processing of Voice-over-IP SIP protocol.
When changes to firmware are made, it is nearly impossible to test all possible network environments in which the router will be used. It is common to find problems in early versions of router family firmware depending on where the original firmware was implemented. As users report issues, development responds, therefore making the most recent firmware your best bet. Adding to the difficulty in management, both of these firmware features are also "black boxes" as they can only be enabled or disabled and generally have no other visible configuration options.
The best recipe for a problematic router is:
- Make sure the router is running the very latest firmware from the manufacturer.
- Starting with the default settings (SIP ALG on, SPI Firewall on, and no special forwarding rules), test voice.
- If Vivox Voice doesn't work reliably, try turning off SIP ALG first (if possible).
- If Vivox Voice still doesn't work reliably, try turning off SPI firewall as well (if possible).
- If Vivox Voice still doesn't work, consider testing voice with an alternate router or by connecting the computer directly to the cable/dsl router.
If Vivox Voice works when directly connected, but not behind the router, it is quite possible that the router does not correctly pass VoIP SIP traffic. Options at this point include contacting the router vendor support channel, or testing with an alternate router.
Disabling SIP ALG has no security implications. Disabling SPI firewall will change the security profile of the router somewhat but the fundamental blocking of Internet initiated requests by virtue of the NAT feature will still be present. If leaving SPI firewall disabled is a concern, be advised that newer routers often handle SIP traffic better, learning from issues found with their ancestors.
For more information regarding issues that have been found you may Google "problem sip alg" and "problem spi firewall".
What ports does Vivox Voice use?
Vivox Voice may use any of the following ports:
# Ports 12000-17000 - UDP - for voice media (RTP/RTCP)
# Port 80 and 443 - TCP - for Web server (HTTP/HTTPS)
# Ports 5060 and 5062 - UDP - for voice control signals (SIP)
# Ports 3478 and 3479 - UDP - to aid in setting up voice with NAT (STUN)
My voice chats keep getting dropped, what can I do?
Dropped calls can often be due to home router firmware bugs. Upgrading the firmware of the router and/or rebooting the router sometimes fixes the problem.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) protocols don't function correctly in networks that include some types of NAT transversal or firewall components. The result is that calls can have one-way audio or fail. One-way audio usually results from a double NAT issue or an unfriendly NAT transversal being used on the network. VoIP itself presents a problem for NAT because the normal protocols it uses deal with the signaling and establishing of the connection.
Audio Devices and Headsets
To hear what you sound like to others, join the "Test My Mic and Headset" button ("what do I sound like") channel.
Using Headsets
If using an USB headset, be sure that the headset is plugged in before attempting to connect to a channel.
If using a non-USB headset, be sure that the microphone and speaker plugs are connected to the appropriate ports (microphone is usually pink, speaker is usually green).
Log out of your channel and check the Audio Devices option in the Vivox Voice Manager (VVM) to verify that Vivox Voice for Facebook is using the correct microphone and speaker combination. Click Select Audio Devices in the VVM menu to see audio settings for Vivox Voice for Facebook. This option is greyed out when logged into a channel.
How can I be sure my headset is working correctly?
On Windows machines (XP OS), there is a Sound Hardware Test Wizard available in Sounds and Audio Devices in the Control Panel. With this wizard you can record and playback your voice, to verify that your microphone and headphones are working.
To test your audio, join the "Test My Mic and Headset" button. The Echo Test allows you to test your voice setup locally and listen to how other people hear you. You should hold your push-to-talk key to hear yourself.
Sound Quality and In-Channel Noises
Why is my audio quality bad?
Poor audio quality can be caused by a lack of bandwidth or CPU, or audio hardware connections or configuration. Ensure that there are no bandwidth intensive applications, such as BitTorrent or Limewire running on your network.
Check your Task Manager to ensure resource availability (i.e. CPU usage below 100%).
Finally, audio hardware connections or configuration may be to blame. Check all your connections and make sure that volume and microphone boost settings for your microphone are reasonable (see Why is the sound loud or distorted section). Excessively high volume settings will cause audible distortion in your voice signal transmitted to others.
I can't hear anything at all and/or no one can hear me, what should I do?
1. Verify that your headset is working properly, and check that your microphone and speakers are plugged in properly. (See the section above titled Audio Devices and Headsets.)
2. Ensure that you're holding the PTT hotkey or or have the PTT toggle in the correct position. The Push-To-Talk button should be green and say Talking... when ready. (See What does "Push-to-Talk" (PTT) mean? in the Getting Started section above.)
3. Log out of your channel and check audio devices in the VVM (Vivox Voice Manager) to see that the input and output devices are set correctly. This option is not available when in a channel.
4. Make sure that external volume control on the headset is turned up and is not muted.
5. Check the audio controls on your computer. Make sure that the audio is not muted and that it is turned up.
6. Try turning off your firewall. If that fixes the problem, then open the following ports on the firewall:
# Ports 12000-17000 - UDP - for voice media (RTP/RTCP)
# Port 80 and 443 - TCP - for Web server (HTTP/HTTPS)
# Ports 5060 and 5062 - UDP - for voice control signals (SIP)
# Ports 3478 and 3479 - UDP - to aid in setting up voice with NAT (STUN)
7. Check your Router and Setup.
8. Try to access at non peak usage time.
Echo from other participants
The most common cause of echo in channel is using an open microphone with speakers. To minimize echo, try the following.
1. Verify that others are using a headset or using expected audio devices for Vivox Voice chat.
2. Verify that others are using Push-to-Talk (PTT).
3. Ask other participant(s) to verify that their system audio settings are not sending all inbound audio to their microphone device (Stereo Mix or Wave In, which may not be available on all computers).
To disable Stereo Mix in Windows XP:
1. Control Panel->Sounds & Audio Devices->Advanced->Options->Properties->Recording
2. Verify that Stereo Mix (or Wave In) IS checked.
3. Mute Stereo Mix volume or set volume to 0.
Other participant(s) are too loud or too soft.
Ask other participant(s) to adjust their microphone volume down or up.
Ask the user to enable Push-to-Talk (PTT).
Check out the information under the Why is the sound loud or distorted section.
Why is the sound loud or distorted?
You may find that some other programs require you to turn on the Microphone (Mic) boost in your Windows audio preferences. Note that Vista has an optional boost level (in dB). Vivox Voice for Facebook does not require this and you may need to disable it.
In Windows XP: To disable Microphone boost enter your Windows volume control panel. Make sure the "Advanced Controls" option is selected in the "Options" menu. After this is selected you will need to select Options -> Properties from the menu and select the "Recording" option. While there, make sure that "Show Microphone" is checked, then click "OK". You will see an "Advanced" button below your microphone volume slider. Click this button and uncheck the +10 mic boost box from the following screen.
- Control Panel -> Options -> check Advanced Controls.
- Options -> Properties -> Recording -> check Show Microphone -> click OK. Click Advanced below microphone volume slider -> uncheck +10 mic boost box.
In Windows Vista: Open the control panel, then select "Hardware and Sound", then "Sound" from the "Hardware and Sound" pane. In "Classic View" mode, you can click "Sound" directly without the extra step. Select the "Recording" tab from the window that opens, then double-click on the appropriate device. The device you are using should have a green checkmark at the bottom of the device icon. Now select the "Levels" tab from the "Microphone properties" window that opens, and set the "Microphone Boost" to 0. Accept the setting by clicking the "OK" button in the "Microphone properties" and then in the "Sound" dialog.
- Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound -> Recording -> double-click appropriate device.
- Microphone Properties -> Levels -> set Microphone Boost to 0.
- Click OK in Microphone Properties -> click OK in Sound dialog.