Tooway satellite/Skype

[BOAC]

Tried to help a friend (whose telegraph pole had been knocked down) by lending my USB phone and setting her up on Skype. She can call me but with BIG delays and then a disconnect with a Skype warning about 'connection problems'. Difficult to sort out via remote access, but

1) My internet /Skype calls are ok
2) Don't know what firewall/AV she is using
3) She is able to SMS out via Skype

Any suggestions where to look? Google searches a bit inconclusive.

[Loose rivets]

So who is she linked into? I assume her router has been knocked out.

[BOAC]

Not sure about the ISP, but the router is functioning 'normally' in internet and email access and during the whole Skype 'outage' I was able to remote into her machine.

[mixture]

You're using a satellite link for time sensitive data communications, what exactly gave you the impression you'd ever get a positive outcome ? :E

Updated to add...

P.S. You need to work on your Google skills !! Two seconds on Google yields the following statement on Skype's own website that reinforces my original statement:

Skype does not recommend the use of satellite internet links or mobile internet connections for Skype Connect due to extreme latency associated with these types of connection which can severely impact voice quality.

[BOAC]

Well, I saw that actually, but it does not reflect what is happening, does it? 'Voice quality' is fine, until the 'Internet connection' breaks. That's what I am asking about, and Google is full of the same problem on land based connections with no suggested cure I could find and no mention of 'satellite'. All the squawks I can find refer to latency issues which she could live with until the BT rigor mortis eases and they fix her line.

What you are saying is that satellite broadband is no good for VOIP then? What is the problem APART from latency? This from the 'AvonLine' satellite web page
" You can use free telephone and video calling services like Skype, Messenger and Facetime. " - and they suggest ditching your landline too - you are saying this is misrepresentation? I wonder how many of the public realise that the 'fall back' for rural areas will not work properly.

[mixture]

but it does not reflect what is happening, does it? 'Voice quality' is fine, until the 'Internet connection' breaks

says the man who said ......

BIG delays and then a disconnect with a Skype warning about 'connection problems'.

i.e. are you sure its the internet connection breaking and not just Skype throwing its hands in the air because you're using an unsupported connection type (and hence a connection type the development teams don't design and test for, hence its left up to default exception handling to pick up the pieces).

[mixture]

Just dug up some email comms I had with someone when I was the satcom option for someone, in summary.......

You also have to be aware that Tooway is a 30:1 contention product and, perhaps more importantly, is not FAP free. So it might be their filters that are performing the first act in killing you off rather than bandwidth or latency (which will finish the job, as mentioned earlier).

Reuters, CNN and BBC are sending their creative writers (sorry, "journalists"!) out with Tooway kit. But then they're on the newer KA-SAT kit with corporate deals (i.e. lower contention, no/minimal FAP).

Tooway still works based on DVB broadcasting technology, people who absolutely need reliable TCP/IP over satellite (such as the armed forces) are using iDirect based satellite kit which has a much lower level of retransmissions and lower latency. As a result people are happily using it for VoIP and web conferencing.

[BOAC]

That is interesting. Is anyone aware of other VOIP providers that will work with Tooway? I am sure 99% of the punters being persuaded to install Tooway are mot aware of the Skype problems and since BDUK are likely to use a fair bit of this it will, I'm sure, lead to tears.

[Guest 112233]

Mixture: what do you mean by FAP please ?

CAT III

[BOAC]

Just another TLA:): Fair Access Policy, the same really as Fair Usage policy (FUP)

[mixture]

Hello CATIII,

Mixture: what do you mean by FAP please ?

FAP = Fair Access Policy.

Otherwise known as packet shaping and rate limiting. They are the two other main tools in the operators arsenal alongside the easier to understand concept of contention ratios.

Packet Shaping / Rate Limiting is the technical side, the policy side is what you'll find buried deep in the small print of your contract (although some operators make it more of an effort to get details than others)

Basically they put rules into their kit that define what you can do, how much of it you can do, and when you can do it.

For example, they could set a rule that says "do as much TV streaming as you like, but only after 18:00 or any time on weekends". Or they could say "prioritise Skype traffic, but limit maximum throughput to X amongst all subscribers". Or they could say, do whatever you like... but once more than 2GB of traffic has passed through your connection we'll throttle you. (You've probably seen the latter style of FAP on your mobile phone 3G contract).

Basically, its a tool that enables the operators to cram as many people as possible onto the same network.

Here on earth its less of a problem, because with the increasing spread of fibre and faster backbone kit, whilst the FAPs are still there, the providers can let Joe Bloggs have a bit more liberty than he might have had a few years ago.

With expensive and throughput constrained satellite comms the link cost is a lot higher for the operator and so the choice is either (a) pass the price onto the customer (b) impose strict FAP so you can cram more punters on whilst keeping the advertised price low.

Hope this makes some sense ?

Is anyone aware of other VOIP providers that will work with Tooway?

I think the key will be to find a provider that has more flexibility on codecs used (Skype only use their proprietary one).

I suspect a codec with more aggressive compression will probably help to a certain degree, as might be a more traditional client/server VoIP provider rather than Skype's peer-to-peer setup which will add some complexity into things.

[Guest 112233]

Thanks Mixture - The CATIII dog bit the wrong end of the antenna

The problem of the fixed-spectrum frequency assignment, happy reading at IEEE Xplore - Modified PSO algorithm for the FAP problem (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnumber=5688720&searchField%3DSearch_All%26queryText%3Dfap+problems)

Sorry ?

CAT III