I am Moving …

Dear readers,

I am in the process of relocating to the Greater Seattle area in Washington. I am assuming the role of SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test) at Microsoft’s Point-of-sales group.

Due to this, the blog will not be updated for some time. I hope you keep checking the blog in the mean-time.

Thanks,
Mihir Gandhi

 

Community Server 2007 vs. DotnetNuke?

Hello Everyone:

 I am in the process of building two websites – one personal, and another as a potential revenue generator.

The personal website will have my blog, picture gallery, and occasional videos taken from my digital camera. Apart from that, it may have my resume, etc… you know, the general personal webpage stuff.

The other website will host a forum and a blog, and will have lots of Google/Microsoft/Yahoo ADs and affiliate links to generate revenue.

Both the sites will have very little traffic (I will be surprised if the traffic goes over a few 100 megs per month initially).

I am looking for an ASP.net/SQL Server based solution, and Community Server 2007 and DotNetNuke seemed like good options. Anyone can suggest one or the other, clearly laying out advantages and disadvantages based on my requirements?

Thanks in advance.

 

Innomedia Customer Service (or disservice)

I emailed Innomedia Customer Service a few days ago with the following text:

Hello,

I bought the Innomedia MTA6328-2re solution from my VoIP provider, Sunrocket. Last week, Sunrocket stopped their service, leaving over 200,000 customers with this device. Is there a  generic, factory-provided firmware, that we can use in order to port our device to other SIP VoIP providers? If so, I will really appreciate if you can send me a link from where I can download the factory OEM firmware for the device.

Thank You!

Sincerely,

Mihir Gandhi

Today, they replied me back stating that they cannot support their own  device since it was bought from Sunrocket, even though the company has closed shops
Hi Mihir Gandhi,

Thank you for your e-mail.

The VoIP service offered by SunRocket is provided by them.
SunRocket equipment cannot be modified for use on other networks.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Thanks

Regards

InnoMedia Technical Support

 

Free GrandCentral.com Invites

I have 5 GrandCentral invites to give away. First five to post email addy and first/lastname initials on the comments section of this blog will get a free invitation. I will delete your comments once I send the invite so your email does not get spammed

Edit- No need to put the email address and name in the message body. If you put it in the comment form, I will get it.

Edit2 – All Gone

 

Reply from Lisa Bickford of Teleblend

Hello Mihir.

I am not the technical expert on the SunRocket Gizmo (Linksys SPA-2102) but I am told by our technical team that the devices come from Linksys with an administrative password and that they are configured to go by default to LinkSys. We do reconfigure the devices to point to our registration server but we have no lock codes other than the factory admin password. We are trying to locate someone who was with SunRocket who may be able to tell us more about any proprietary configuration that SunRocket may have done that we may not be aware of. I can tell you that we are not setting any new passwords or blocking any devices from being programmed or moved, we are simply updating the SIP server registration when the device is rebooted.

Lisa

 

Open email to Lisa bickford – did Teleblend re-provision the Sunrocket gizmos?

I emailed Lisa this morning asking whether they re-provisioned the gizmo’s with a new admin password. I will wait and see if she responds. If she does not, then on my blog, she is guilty until proven innocent

Lisa,

Some of my blog readers, and other Sunrocket users have expressed concerns that their Linksys Gizmo passwords are changed by Teleblend, rendering them useless if the users decide to go with another (non-teleblend) providers.

Nuvio, a VoIP provider, has also claimed this on their webpage: http://direct.nuvio.com/sunrocket/conversion.html - excerpt directly from their webpage:

“Note: If you have a Linksys SPA-2102, please try to unlock the device using these instructions before signing up for Nuvio service. A small number of customers are reporting difficulty unlocking the Linksys SPA-2102. This is likely due to TeleBlend, in a effort to retain a portion of the SunRocket Customer base having likely reconfigured passwords on the Linksys SPA-2102. Nuvio is currently working on a solution for this issue. Please check this page for updates.”
 

Is this correct? If so, my readers will appreciate an explanation to this issue, or revelation of the password, since this device was provided by Sunrocket, and not Teleblend.

 

Looking for a decent laptop …

I am looking for a decent Laptop. I will primarily use it as a desktop replacement, and get rid of my old desktop. The laptop will have two users – me and my wife. I use it a lot for browsing the web, watching movies (streaming as well as AVI from hard drive), programming (.net, SQL Server, Visual C++), and VoIP (Gizmoproject). My wife is a relatively light user, with browsing, emailing, social networking, etc.

Since I will be using it as a desktop replacement, I will also likely keep the laptop ON for extended times (I can’t remember when was the last time I shut down my desktop). I will also hook it up to an external DVI monitor. Thus, in all probability, I am going to need a port-replicator or docking station.

I also tend to hook-up a lot of add-ons to my laptop – 5.1 speakers, slingbox-like device, printers, etc. The more USB ports, the better. I will also require bluetooth receiver/sender for my cell phone:)

Based on my usage, I am looking for a Intel Core 2 Duo based machine with 4MB L2 cache, and 2Gb memory. Online reviews suggest that Lenovo Thinkpad and ASUS notebooks are the best in terms of durability. Although I prefer a light/portable laptop, frankly, I will rarely be travelling with my laptop, other than taking it to and from work at times.. so I will compromise on that aspect. I have a budget of close to $1350 for this laptop.

What suggestions do you, the readers of my blog, have; based on my usage. In addition to the above usage patterns, I also do not replace my computers for a LONG, LONG time (4-5 years).. so please do keep that in mind when you suggest.

Looking for responses

 

Will it Blend? – Q&A with Lisa Bickford of Teleblend.com

I had emailed Lisa Bickford of Teleblend, one of the recommended service providers from Sunrocket’s “good bye” email. Here is the extract of her email:

Hello Mihir.  As an ex-SunRocket user I assume that you know the circumstances of SunRocket closing their doors and abandoning their customers.

The answers to your questions are:

1)      How can Teleblend  use the customer base of Sunrocket? I know you negotiated something with Sherwood, but what *exactly* did Teleblend inherit from Sunrocket? I will appreciate specific details about this.
The Assignee for the SunRocket assets has entered into deals with several VOIP providers, of which Teleblend is one, to offer service to the abandoned SunRocket customers.   Teleblend is a new brand name offered by USA Telephone (www.savewithusa.com ).  We created the new brand name to ensure that customers would understand that the VOIP product is offered as a separate product and to ensure differentiation from both the other companies vieing for the abandoned SunRocket customers and from our USA Telephone customer base.  We also want to ensure that Teleblend is profitable and able to sustain itself on a stand-alone basis over the long term with its own assets, costs, and management team.

2)      Teleblend had suggested that Sunrocket users must signup before July-22 with Teleblend if they want to ensure a smooth number transition. However, there are no details about the company posted on the website? How do you expect us to signup without any information about this Company?
We suggest that abandoned SunRocket customers sign up with us before July 22 because we cannot ensure ongoing service on the existing SunRocket network after July 22.  Our reports indicate that significant portions of the SunRocket network may be shut down on or after July 23 as a result of non-payment by SunRocket.    We will be posting details of the Teleblend entity on our website and our management team as soon as we’ve completed the more pressing issues of keeping customer phones working, establishing voicemail systems for displaced customers, and ensuring that customers calls, emails, and online requests are answered as quickly as possible.  We, like everyone, have limited resources and we are using them to provide excellent customer service rather than to toot our own horns.  We believe the proof will be in the quality of service we can provide during this difficult transition.   I can tell you that thousands of customers have understood this and signed up and are receiving the benefit of our product offer.

3)      If I decide to go with another provider, say Viatalk – will Teleblend hold  the Sunrocket numbers to allow for portability to this career?
Teleblend will not support any old SunRocket phone numbers that have not signed up with us.  People who do not sign up with us will have to rely on whichever vendor they sign up with to determine if their number can be ported from SunRocket.  We cannot be responsible for assisting other vendors with porting old SunRocket numbers.

4)      Are there any numbers available on the financial strength of teleblend? How much funds, debts, assets, etc do this company have? These numbers will help users like me to make an informed descision whether to go with teleblend or not.
Teleblend is a private company and, as such,  financial information will not be made public.   Rest assured that the owners of Teleblend are using their own money to support this venture, not public stock, and therefore we have a vested interest in the ongoing success and profitability of this venture.     We are here to provide service at reasonable cost and work with our customers to ensure uninterrupted service.

5)      How many servers and hardware infrastructure does Teleblend own? How many subscribers can the company have before the service quality will begin going downhill?
We own significant network infrastructure all across the US among the USA Telephone companies.  We are a privately held company and as such we are not willing to disclose either our inventory or our specific network connection points.   We currently serve more than 200,000 customers across the US and we have the capability of adding as many more as we need to as long as the business we are taking on is profitable and sustainable.

I will be happy to post your answers on my blog if you agree, or keep them private if you want. I just want some specific answers so that I can make an informed descision.
Please feel free to post these answers to your blog.  I expect you will see further information on our website today or Monday as we continue to work to serve our new Teleblend customers.  Please check our website regularly for additional information.

BTW, I do not know, had never heard of, and am no relation to Lisa Hook, former CEO of SunRocket.  My past employment can be found here: www.nationwide.net and here www.inreach.com.  I am still associated with both companies.

Lisa

 

Configuring 2 lines with Innomedia MTA6328-2re & Viatalk

Adam Nollmeyer commented on my previous post about the 2-line feature offered by Viatalk. I tried it out, and I am glad to report that I have a step-by-step guide on how to get this working.

Before I start – one caveat: for me, line 2 seems to take precedence over line 1. In other words, when someone calls me, the phone connected to line 2 rings, but the phone connected to line 1 does not! Same thing happens for call waiting – only line 2 gets the call. However, I am able to make calls from both lines simultaneously. This may be a Innomedia issue, but I am not certain.

Anyways, here is the step-by-step:

Step 1: Enable line 2 on the Sunrocket/Innomedia MTA6328-2re Gizmo.

a) Enabling the 2nd line is not available via the web interface – it is only available from telnet. Telnet to 192.168.251.1 (in windows, you can do this by going to START -> Run. Type in “telnet 192.168.251.1″ and click OK)
b) Log in using the username ‘admin’ (all lower-case) and password ‘7UprUtew’ (case-sensitive).
c) Type in ‘Mp’ (without quotes, case-sensitive). This option will allow you the configure the phone ports.
d) Follow the on-screen prompts to enable both the ports. When prompted whether you want to save the configuration permanently, select ‘y’.
e) Power-cycle the gizmo by unplugging the power cord, wait 20 seconds, and plug the power cord back in the gizmo. At this point, your gizmo should have both lines up and running.

 Step 2: Configure the second line

a)  Go to http://192.168.251.1/Voice_adminPage.htm and login using ‘admin’ and ‘7UprUtew’ as the username and password respectively.
b) From the menu bar, go to VoIP -> User Account. For line 1, your ‘username’ must be set to your 11-digit phone number (starting with country code 1). The password was sent to you by viatalk in the activation email. All other fields must be blank (user name, authentication ID, Hot Phone number). Select ‘No’ for the ‘Use hot phone number’ option, and ‘Yes’ for the ‘Fax T38′ option. Click the “Save” button.
c) Repeat step (b) above for line 2 and click the “Save” button.

Step 3: Reboot/Reset/Power-cycle everything 

a) Power cycle your cable modem
b) Power cycle your gizmo (If the gizmo is behind a router, then power cycle the router, then the gizmo)
c) Power cycle the phone connected to Line 1
d) Power cycle the phone connected to Line 2

Now everything should be working! Try it out and let me know how it works. One forewarning: For the first few calls, both my phones were ringing. This issue auto-corrected it self after a few calls. So if this happens to you, just wait 10 minutes or so and try again.

ENJOY!

 

A Sunrocket User’s review of Viatalk

As some of you know, I recently switched to ViaTalk, following Sunrocket’s collapse. Here is my review of ViaTalk from a Sunrocket perspective:

Voice Quality:
The voice quality on ViaTalk is very good, much like it was on Sunrocket. The service seems very stable, and I have been able to call without any problems.

Website Usability:
1) ViaTalk’s website is very poorly made, and I rank the usability aspect very low, specially when compared to Sunrocket’s website. The biggest annoyances on the website is the navigation – going back and forth between menu’s is very tough.
2) Everything on the website is tied to your phone number. The “Custom Caller ID” feature, for example. Once the Sunrocket number ports to ViaTalk, I will have to re-do all my settings with the new number!
3) There is no way to add international numbers to my contact list, Custom Caller ID, and Speed Dialing pages – it seems to truncate my number to 12-digits.
4) There is no cross-page support. For example, If I add someone to my custom caller ID list, I cannot select that name on the “Whitelist” page – I have to type all the information again! This is really painful, since I have to add every contact twice – once one the “Custom caller ID” page, and then some on the “Whitelist” page, and some on the “Speed Dial” page.

Device:
I used the Bring-your-own-device option, and configured my Sunrocket/Innomedia MTA6328-2re to work with ViaTalk. This seems to be working very well for me.

FAX:
I have been unable to send FAX with ViaTalk. According to their website, they charge additional dollar for sending & receiving FAX, unless you use the business plan. Sunrocket had no such restrictions.

Contract:
ViaTalk provides a 15-day money-back guarantee. However, after that, you are bound by the contract. If you cancel the service, you will not be refunded any pro-rated amount. This, to me, is a huge negative when compared to Sunrocket. However, we all know what happened to Sunrocket…

Speed Dialing:
ViaTalk only offers up to nine speed dialing numbers to be configured. This is very limiting for me, and I see no reason why their software can not be expanded to accomodate extra numbers.

Voice Mail:
The Voice Mail features are comparable to Sunrocket’s. There are some nice extras, like SMS notifications to cell phones. However, ViaTalk does not send voicemails as email attachments.

Softphone:
This is one area where ViaTalk offers a LOT of freedom. You may use any SIP-based softphones, such as GizmoProject. The service works seemlessly with softphones.

“Unlimited” Calling:
ViaTalk has a 5100-minute per month cap on the “unlimited” plan. That is not quite unlimited, is it? In comparision, Sunrocket had no such limits. According to users on DSLReports.com, other companies also have some form of limits, however I have not verified this.

Customer Service:
1) Over the past few days, ViaTalk has been very busy with the huge influx of customers like me, switching from Sunrocket. With this in mind, ViaTalk did a great job with activating my account in less than one day. There are several outstanding customer support tickets open for more than two days, but bearing in mind that they are swamped with Sunrocket refugees, it will be unfair to judge their support right now. I will give an update after a few weeks once the sea is calm.
2) That aside, it is very heartening to see their CEO, Brenden, regularly post messages on DSLForums. Great personal touch
3) I do find it somewhat amusing, that users can pay an additional fee to avail “Priority Support”.

Promotional Offers – Now you see it, now you don’t!
Promotional offers on ViaTalk’s website seem to change very rapidly, sometimes in less than 24 hours! This causes a lot of confusion, and very little time to research our options to decide on our VoIP provider.

Call forwarding:
This feature seems to work fine for me. There are additional/advanced features such as “SIP Forwarding” which are cool, but I have not used them yet.

E911:
I have not used this feature yet, and likely, will never use it, since I have a pre-paid cellphone for emergency purposes. I highly recommend everyone using VoIP to have some alternate means of 911 through POTS or Cellular phone service.

Overall, for $199 annually, this is not a bad service – the voice quality is great, and there are some very good features that are not available with other VoIP providers. Website usability is not that important to me, and I recommend this service to anyone who needs a decent broadband phone service for cheap. If, however, you require FAX, do check their extra charges and compatibility before signing up.

To Signup for Viatalk, click here!