Re: [Linphone-users] Query about Linphone configuration, and SIP interoperability

[Bret Busby]

On Thu, 21 Feb 2013, Bret Busby wrote:

> Hello.
>
> I have, within the last day, installed Linphone on my computer, running 
> Debian Linux 6.0.x amd64.
> The installed version of Linphone, is 3.3.2, being the version stored in the 
> packages repository for the particular version of Debian Linux.
> I also have Ekiga installed, and Skype.
>
> I havbe a brother who has an Apple computer (I am not sure of which operating 
> system that he is running on his computer). He has Skype installed, but 
> mostly uses FaceTime, which is only Apple to Apple, and he has told me that 
> it is better quality than Skype.
> The web page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_VoIP_software , 
> shows Linphone to run on each of MS Windows, Linux, and Apple Mac OSX, which 
> would, in theory, allow communication between all of the members, who would 
> be interested in communicating using softphone software, of my immediate 
> family, who mostly run MS Windows, apart from me running Linux and my brother 
> using an Apple computer.
> Ekiga does not yet run on Apple Mac OSX.
>
> So, I thought that I would try Linphone, and find whether my brother would 
> try it.
> On the Ekiga users mailing list, is a discussion about interoperability 
> between different softphone software packages, and it has been said that SIP 
> packages should be able to communicate with each other.
> The web page at http://wiki.ekiga.org/index.php/Ekiga_Interoperability , 
> shows that Linphone and Ekiga, should be able to communicate with each other.
> I have so far, had two attempts at calling Ekiga destinations from Linphone; 
> the first to a person, and the second to the Ekiga Echo Test Call number; 
> address@hidden .
> On both occasions, while the Linphone call history, showed both calls to have 
> been sucessful, I heard no sound from the other end.
> So, the first question here, is, is Linphone interoperable with Ekiga; can 
> Linphone and Ekiga, communicate between each other, with voice and/or video?
> The second issue is, in setting up the Linphone SIP address, Linphone 
> automatically, with no otherwise option, sets the SIP address as 
> <account_name>@<account_holders_IP_address>, rather than, as Ekiga does, 
> <account_name>@ekiga.net ; <account_name>@<SIP_provider>.
> This means that any contact that I would make with anyone, using Linphone, 
> and, any copying and pasting of an entry from my call history, such as
> "
> Outgoing call at Thu Feb 21 01:01:11 2013
> From: "Bret Busby of Armadale, Western Australia" <sip:bret@ <IP_address> >
> To: <sip:address@hidden>
> Status: completed
> Duration: 2 mn 1 sec
> "
>
> displays my IP address within my LAN here, which is not the kind of 
> information that I want to publish on the Internet.
> So, the second question is, can I set the SIP address within Linphone, to be 
> other than my IP address, for example, can I set my SIP address within 
> Linphone, to be of the same format as in Ekiga; like address@hidden 
> ?
> Thank you in anticipation.
>
> --
> Bret Busby
> Armadale
> West Australia
> ..............
>
> "So once you do know what the question actually is,
> you'll know what the answer means."
> - Deep Thought,
>  Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
>  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
>  A Trilogy In Four Parts",
>  written by Douglas Adams,
>  published by Pan Books, 1992
> ....................................................
Hello.

It has since occurred to me, that both problems could simply be issues 
of the interface and functionality of Linphone.
Regarding whether Linphone is interoperable with Ekiga, on the basis of 
my observations, in considering this further, whereas Skype and Ekiga 
both have in their configuration components, provision for making test 
calls, to assess and adjust settings for hardware such as sound and 
video input devices, whilst in Linphone, I had the video window, that 
showed that the webcam settings seemed to work, in the absence of a 
provision of Echo Test Call functionality in Linphone, I have no way of 
finding whether the microphone is compatible, or, whether the correct 
setting for the microphone, is being used. Therefore, it is possible 
that no sound was going from my end, resulting in no response from the 
other end.
Regarding the issue of the SIP address defaulting to the example given, 
which incorporated the IP address within the LAN, whereas Skype and 
Ekiga, upon running the applications for the first time, 
invited/required the setting up of an account, in Linphone, this only 
happens when a user selects "Free SIP Account" from the menu, which is 
not intuiotive, especially when the application automatically sets up a 
default account with the user's IP addressm causing a user (as it did 
with me) to believe that that is the only account that will be provided 
for making SIP calls.
And, with that, I am not sure, but, without the SIP address 
<account_name>@sip.linphone.org, which resulkts from setting up the free 
SIP account, it may be that calls across the Internet, cannot be made. 
With what I subsequently read, that may be correct.
So, I believe that both the issues that I raised, are issues with the 
interface and functionality of Linphone.
And, as I apparently cannot make Echo Test calls, I cannot dtermine 
whether I can get Linphone to work for making calls.
--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
  Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
  A Trilogy In Four Parts",
  written by Douglas Adams,
  published by Pan Books, 1992
....................................................