Will a VoIP hardware phone work behind two NATs?

Internet <---> Wireless Router <---> Windows PC <----> VoIP

VoIP phone connected to PC via crossover Ethernet cable

First time user, I bought gradwell.com's VoIP service this week, and
works perfectly with X-Lite behind a broadband router (Virgin Media
aka NTL - 1 IP) but now I want to buy a dedicated hardware VoIP phone
(Snom 370). I'd like to the Snom phone to my PC via cross-over
Ethernet cable so that it can connect to the wireless network and then
to Gradwell's server.

Will this work? If not, what other way can I connect the Snom phone to
my wireless network?

 

Its like posting to Usenet via Google Groups, it works but
it's not very elegant.
Doesn't that wireless router have any Ethernet ports?

 

It does but the router is downstairs and PC and VoIP phone is
upstairs. Connecting VoIP phone to PC's ethernet port is just
temporary (few months).

I've looked into wireless bridge but it looks like a headache.

 

Does it have to be a Snom?
Can't you plug an ATA into the router, and a DECT
base into the ATA?

 

Does it need to be the phone you have mentioned why not get a WiFi
phone which you can take anywhere in the house and even outside
providing you do not go further away from your router than 50 m I
think it is . I have bought two of these this year and it as proved to
be the best move I have ever made wouldn't be without them and would
not even consider going back to using an ATA now .

 

Better still is Graham's suggestion elsewhere in this thread. My DECT
phone:

- gives far more reliable and extensive coverage than does my wireless
AP
- runs on AA cells.
- base station has a ringer in it, too.

 

I guess you're using Internet connection sharing on the PC? In which case,
it might work, but SIP has issues going through NAT at the best of times,
and putting it through 2 NAT routers is just asking for trouble.

If you want to go this route, seriously do look into using a WiFi
bridge. Small box and antennae which you can place somewhere convenient
to pick up a good signal with an Ethernet socket on which you can connect
to a switch, then hang multiple Ethernet devices on.

However, I'm really not a fan of carrying VoIP over WiFi. I do it myself,
with a WiFi VoIP phone (UT Starcom) but it's problematic at the best of
times. Just one application doing a big download on the PC will affect
voice quality over WiFi.

If it doesn't have to be a Snom phone, (and the 370 is a big expensive
phone!!!) then what about a DECT system? the Siemens C460IP is a great
unit, and if you're looking for multiple SIP account support, then the
S450IP is the unit to have.

You then have the advantage that from one handset you can select either
the Analogue line or the SIP line(s). The base unit is separate from the
handsets, and the base unit has both an analogue port and an Ethernet
port, so put the base station next to where the Wireless router is and
connect it in via Ethernet.

And if you get additional handsets, then anyone in the house can use it
to make analogue calls and/or SIP calls. You can even make an analogue
call on one handset and a SIP call on another at the same time.

They really are the mutts nuts of combined analogue/SIP DECT phones
right now! I'm pushing these for home workers to use, so their family
can pickup a handset and dial a number as usual and it goes out over
their existing analogue line, then the home-worker can dial a number
followed by a star and it goes over their "work" SIP account (to their
office VoIP PBX or a service such as Gradwell, voip.co.uk, etc.) .
An incoming call displays differently (can have different ring tones)
depending on the line the call comes in on, so work calls can be ignored
by anyone else in the house.

Have a look at http://www.provu.co.uk/siemens.html

Gordon

 

You need a WBP54G.

http://www.provu.co.uk/linksys_WBP54G.html

Tim

 

Yes, internet sharing on the PC. Either that or connecting the PC and
VoIP phone with a cheap 5 port switch and using Windows to bridge both
networks, that way it's not NAT, correct? Also I can use crossover
cable from the VoIP phone to PC and select both networks in Control
Panel and select "Bridge Networks"

Can you recommend a good WiFi access point? One that would create a
stable wireless bridge with my NetGear WGR614v6.

I'll check out some DECT phones. Thanks for the tip!

 

I'm not familiar enough with how MS Windows does it's bridging/sharing
to know if this works as you describe - I know that sort of thing can be
done in Linux though, so it's not am impossibility it can be done
elsewhere...

I've no experience of anything recent, but this would appear to work,
even if it has features you may never use:

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=2144

That's a netgear unit, so I'd hope it would be OK - the picture on the
page gives you an idea of it's use.

Gordon

 

That's what I was thinking of too. Personally though, I'd just run a
CAT5 cable, it'll probably take less time & be less hassle than trying
to get windows connection sharing to work and then a VoIP phone double
NAT-ted.

cheers,
Paul.

 

Got a Grandstream GXP2020 delivered today and working fine with
crossover cable to PC and network bridging in Windows.

Thanks!