No Audio/Video, or No Video, or No Audio, or One Way -- What the...

[DavidM]

OK--recently moved from VA to MN and have been using Messenger for the past
9 months to communicate with my family back in VA using Audio/Video
conversations.

I must say, when things work, they work fine. When they don't, it's all
crap.

1) My mother has a Lnksys 4-port firewall router with a wireless access
point. Both devices are running latest firmware, etc. Mother is using
Messenger 6.1

2) Sister is using Linksys 4-port Wireless Router Version 2. Has lateset
firmware. Sister is using Messenger 6.1

3) I have a Linksys 4-port Wireless router Version 3. I have latest
firmware. I'm using Messenger 6.1.

UPnP is enabled on all routers! All systems are running XP Pro with SP1 and
all fixes.

For the life of me, I get mixes results almost daily.

One day I can connect to my mother without problems. The next, she receives
audio/video but I get nothing. We sometimes stop/restart and it works.
Other times, nothing works. I have tried having both initiate an
audio/video conference.

Sister and mother (they only live a couple blocks away and share the same
subnet at ISP) and can appear to get A/V to work fine most of the time.
Other times, its either/or or nothing.

I have successfully gone to my Linksys webpage and noticed various
external/internal ports being forwarded for Messenger under the UPnP screen.
I've even tried removing all entries and starting a new sessions--as
sometimes it would appear items would stick and never disappear when the
messenger was closed normally.

Can someone please help me understand why I seem to be having mixed results
in getting this to work.

Messenger is a wonderful thing when it works. My mother and sister are
non-techie and have no idea what to do or check for when things go awry.

I've had both run the audio/video wizard many times successfully.

 

[Peter Boulton]

Hi,

Yahoo Messenger works fine. MSN Messenger is crap. I've posted to this
newsgroup with a genuine desire to help Jonathan Kay, the MS Product
Manager, work out why so many people have problems with it, but all you get
is an initial answer with the usual suggestions which your post has already
said you've tried and then no follow up.

Yahoo Messenger gives you chat, voice and video that works, 100% of the
time. I've not tried file transfer, but it has this too. No app sharing,
white boarding or remote assistance. The ports you need to open on your
firewall (if relevant) are clearly documented on the Yahoo Messenger support
pages.

I would add that I have no connection with Yahoo, other than as a user. I
just feel strongly because I have wasted so much time trying to make MSN
Messenger work.

So there.

Hope this helps!

Pete

 

[Lorne Smith]

What makes you think Johnathan Kay is the MS Product Manager? He's an MVP
in Messenger and actually works for Streamload, an online storage hosting
company, and NOT for MS... I suggest you visit his website...
http://www.jonathankay.com/about.aspx

An MVP is merely a non MS affiliated expert who has volunteered their time
to help other users with their problems. MS have acknowledged their
expertise and user assistance by giving them the MVP label which entitles
them to a few perks. Ragging on him is uncalled for and I'm not surprised
he's not responding to you...

Lorne

 

[Lucky One]

Hi David

May be of some help
These are the setting I use with my linksys BEFW11S4
router I do not use a firewall
other than the router you must have latest firmware,
you must have UPnP Enable on the router to get the Internet Gateway to
appear in view network connections
And the router to appear in My Network Places
UPnP Enable/Disable radio button in on the password tab in the router
setting,

I have found that with lisksys routers is that you must a have universal
plug and play installed as well internet gateway device discovery and
control client, go to control panel, add or remove programs, windows
components, networking services, click on details and install
if they are already installed in control panel go to, administrative tools,
services, and look for universal plug and play device, and see if it started
if it is set to start automatic change to manual right click on it go
properties startup type and from drop down box select manual and do the same
for SSDP Discovery service you may have to reboot after reboot you should
see your router in my network places and in view network connections you
will see internet gateway if this fails to work try uninstalling and
reinstalling universal plug and play and internet gateway device discovery

Post back and let me know how you get on
Luckyone

 

[Peter Boulton]

In that case, I am sorry! I clearly got hold of the wrong end of the stick.

Massive apologies to Jonathan, and to anyone else that I have offended. Not
intended. I'm just a bit wound up about it not working!

I'd be interested in whether anybody from Microsoft reads this news group,
or how to register problems on this product.

Pete

 

[Lorne Smith]

Some of MS staff do read these, but they are not permitted to respond as
official replies from MS. They may respond in their own free time, but
their replies cannot be taken as replies from MS.

I'm having probs with messenger myself getting it to talk through ICS on one
end and a router on the other... Works fine from the ICS gateway PC, but not
from a machine using this gateway... Not that it's the end of the world
really.... I can always walk upstairs... If I ever get some spare time,
I'm sure I'll persuade it to talk...

Lorne

 

[DavidM]

Hello, Lucky One.

UPnP and latest firmware is already installed on all my Linksys routers.

I'm kind of confused about the UPnP XP Service and the SSID XP Service.

Currently, UPnP is not started and is set to Manual.

SSID UPnP is started and set to automatic. BTW, I did turn of SSID
Broadcast on my router the other day.

I started the UPnP and went to Network Neighborhood and did not see my
router listed. Am I missing something?

I've never messed with these services before and Messenger seemed to still
work???

Please advise. Thank you.

 

[Lucky One]

Hi David

You are confusing SSID with SSDP

SSDP is the program name for the Internet Gateway
Witch you should see in My Network Places under My Network Connections
as I said in my first post you should try setting this to start manual and
make sure you reboot
if you right click on the Internet Gateway icon and then click on the
settings Button
do you see any messenger settings there if there are a lot of them you
should delete them
if everything is working correctly they should be deleted automatically
after you have finished your Video Conference

I do not think Disabling SSID Broadcast in the router should have any
affected on messenger

All off the Linksys Routers that I have setup use the setting from my first
post sum ten in all in Toronto Canada
the last was over a year ago none have had any problems with Video
Conference
Touch Wood
I all so have some D- LINK Routers same thing all though they work with or
without UUnP Services installed in Windows XP
I have also given the same setting to six or seven other people in this News
Group with good results
as for your Linksys it my be that the latest firmware does not require UUnP
Services installed in Windows XP
to make Video Conferencing work I tend not to update firmware if everything
is working

Luckyone