CQPhone Problems

If you have a problem with CQPhone, right click on the tray icon and "Exit Program", then re-start it. If the problem persists, reinstall the latest version by clicking "Upgrade" on the home page. Remember the problem might not be on your side. The other person might have the problem, not you.

Cannot Connect	Cannot receive calls	Cannot call out
Voice problems	Video problems	Pictures and typing
Windows XP Firewall	Zone Alarm	Other firewalls
Required ports	Routers	Missing buttons
Click here to report new problems and suggestions

Upon successful connection, Your assigned CQPhone number is displayed. This connection repeats at intervals not exceeding 15 minutes. If CQPhone says "Connecting..." for more than a few seconds, there is a problem. This is a simple outbound connection to a web page just like any browser. This problem is very rare. Three possible reasons:

1. The CQPhone server is down.
2. Your computer is not connected to the internet
3. Your firewall is not allowing CQPhone to access the internet.

This problem is very common, and can be difficult to fix. When someone calls you, your phone does not ring. CQPhone runs a tiny server listening for incoming TCP calls on port 24960. If your firewall, router or ISP is blocking incoming connections, you CQPhone will not ring, but you can call out. Often, incoming voice is also blocked so when you call someone, they can hear you but you cannot hear them. Suggested Fixes:

1. Try bypassing all firewalls and routers for a quick test to be sure the problem is not your ISP.
2. Some people may not know what firewall(s) they are running. They may have installed something like Norton Internet Security. If you click Ctrl+Alt+Delete and check under Applications and Processes it might give a clue what firewalls are running.
3. Some DSL modems have a secret router inside that requires setting to CQP ports. A web page embeded inside the modem is used to set the configuration. Try googling for information about your brand of DSL modem.
4. The Windows firewall will not cause this problem, but some other firewalls must be set to the CQPhone ports.
5. Read the sections below about firewalls and routers.

John spent a lot a time trying to fix this probem and he finally reported to solution:

It was my antivirus program that came with the new laptop (3 month trial edition). In that AV program (Trend Micro PCcillian) there is a personal firewall. There are three settings in this firewall, (low, medium, and high). On medium and high, CQP would not work. On "low" setting both CQPhone and Echolink worked fine.

This problem is quite rare. Often people assume they have a problem calling out when really the person they are trying to call has a problem receiving calls. If you are able to make one successful outgoing call to anyone, then you do not have this problem. Suggested Fixes:

1. Try bypassing all firewalls and routers for a quick test to be sure the problem is not your ISP.
If you click Ctrl+Alt+Delete and check under Applications and Processes it might give a clue what firewalls are running.
2. Some DSL modems have a secret router inside that requires setting to CQP ports. A web page embeded inside the modem is used to set the configuration. Try googling for information about your brand of DSL modem.
3. The Windows firewall will not cause this problem, but some other firewalls must be set to the CQPhone ports.
4. Read the sections below about firewalls and routers.

1. Be sure the two icons (mic and speaker) are not muted with a red X.
2. Click Menu> Volume controls and be sure the volume is turned up for both mic and speakers.
3. Windows 98 does not like to share your sound card with other programs, so try closing any other program that might be using your mic or speakers.
4. Try muting both icons then unmute them. This will reset a new connection to your sound card.
5. Some headsets have a mic switch and volume wheel in the wire. These get accidently switched off.
6. Test your mic and speakers by using Windows Sound Recorder. Perhaps you mic is plugged into the wrong hole.
7. Refer to the advice about firewalls and routers on this page.

I hear a weak echo of my voice:

• This problem is very common.
• The echo happens because your partner's mic is hearing her speakers.
• Suggest your partner turn her speakers down and point the mic away from the speakers.
• Try to convince your partner to use a headset or headphones instead of speakers.
• Some web cams have a built in mic that is very difficult to disable. This mic will cause an echo for the people you talk to. I had to throw away an entire Logitech web cam when I could not quiet this mic. I will always to try to buy a web cam without a built-in mic.
• Click CQPhone> Menu> Volume controls> Speaker Advanced> and be sure Microphone Mute IS checkmarked.
• Tell your partner to click CQPhone> Menu> Volume controls> Microphone Advanced> and be sure Microphone is the ONLY item selected.

I hear a strong echo of my voice:

• Click CQPhone> Menu> Volume controls> Speaker Advanced> and be sure Microphone Mute IS checkmarked.
• Tell your partner to click CQPhone> Menu> Volume controls> Microphone Advanced> and be sure Microphone is the ONLY item selected.

The voice is breaking up:

The use of two-way voice plus two-way video is a little too much for some dialup connections, especially if you are also sharing pictures, visiting web pages, downloading files and using other chat programs. Try muting the mic or closing the web cam to speed things up. Resort to typing chat during periods when voice breakup becomes severe.

Video Problems

Video depends on CQPhone successfully connecting to your web cam, then successfully sending and receiving internet TCP packets on port 24962. CQVideo is a seperate program from CQPhone, so it requires seperate authorization from your firewall. Video problems are quite rare.

• Test your web cam by openning the video window while you are not in a call. When you click "Send Video", your picture should appear both top and bottom.
• Some video capture devices (Dazzle) are not VFW compatible. These will show only a black box for your video. Chris has reported he used a program called WebCamDV by Orangeware to solve this problem.
• Be sure both you and your partner remember to click "Send Video" after the window has openned.
• Web cams can only be used by one program at a time. If you suspect some other program is hogging your cam, try closing all other programs (Yahoo Messenger).
• Click "Adjust Cam" at the bottom and try experimenting with "Capture Source".
• If someone begins viewing you at full screen size, there will be a slight pause while your camera shifts to a higher resolution, and some cams might show a green frame while everything stabalizes. Your local view might appear with a slight ghosted look because your large camera frames are being forced into the small preview window. Don't worry about this. It is normal. Your video looks fantastic at the other end :)
• If you can see yourselves, but cannot see each other, then ONE of you has a firewall or router problem. Try hanging up and reversing the call direction.

Pictures and Typing

Problems with sharing pictures and typing chat seem to come and go, especially if one partner has a very slow connection. Usually this problem can be fixed by hanging up and calling right back. Try reversing the direction of the call. Try right click on the tray icon> Exit Program> then restart it.

• Picture files must be JPG, JPEG, GIF or BMP, and must be smaller than 2 MB.
• Incoming pictures are saved into c:\program files\cqphone\pictures\. Be sure you have permission to write files into this area.
• If you are not receiving pictures, look into Menu> Program Preferences> and be sure you have NOT checkmarked "Ignore Pics/Urls" .
• We have recently confirmed reports that pictures cannot be received if you are using Japanese Windows. We know how to fix it, but this will require a major overhaul.

Windows XP Firewall

With WIndows XP SP2 firewall, it is important that the firewall asks permission for both CQPhone and CQVideo (two programs) to use the internet. Usually this will happen automatically the first time you use CQPhone. Just click "Unblock" and you are finished. It is not necessary to configure any ports.

DO NOT REMOVE WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 2 !!!
I understand there is rumour that problems will be solved if you remove SP2. This rumor is not true. If you have SP2, keep it. It is very risky to remove it.

XP Firewall versus NORTON:
Milt Watts reported he was running Norton Antivirus with XP firewall turned off. As soon as he turned on the XP firewall, CQphone started to work properly.

IF YOUR WINDOWS XP (SP2) FIREWALL DID NOT ASK PERMISSION FOR CQPHONE:

1. Close CQPhone by right-clicking on the tray icon at bottom right and "Exit Program".
2. Go to My Computer> Control Panel> Windows Firewall.
3. Under General Tab, be sure "Don't allow Exceptions" is NOT checkmarked.
4. Under Exceptions Tab, be sure "Display a notification..." IS checkmarked.
5. Under Exceptions Tab, if you see anything like "CQPhone" or "Video Support for CQPhone", delete these entirely.
6. Under Advanced Tab> Local Area Connection> Settings> Services, if you see any reference to "CQPhone" or "Video Support for CQPhone", delete these entirely.
7. Click OK to exit, then close Control Panel.
8. Open CQPhone now. Click "Unblock" when firewall asks permission for CQPhone.
9. Open Video now by clicking the blue eyeball. Click "Unblock" when firewall asks permission for CQ Video.
10. If you accidently clicked "Keep Blocking" then go back and repeat this entire procedure from the start.

Zone Alarm Firewall

Zone Alarm firewall DOES cause problems for CQPhone. By default, it blocks CQPhone entirely from working. I have experimented with ZA and many people have sent me advice, however I am unable to conclude any blanket recommendations. This firewall has many different versions and many configuration settings buried deep within. A few people have reported their problems disappeared when they switched from ZoneAlarm to the Windows Firewall.
Here is a list of things to try:

• The easiest thing is to click on Firewall and move the Internet Zone Security slider to Medium instead of High. It might be necessary to Exit Program for CQPhone and re-retart it, or reboot your computer.
• After moving the setting to Medium, be sure CQPhone is given permission to act as a server listening on port 24960, and CQVideo is given permission to act as a server listening on port 24962.
• If you wish to stay on High instead of Medium, it is possible to authorize CQPhone for incoming and outgoing UDP and TCP on three ports 24960, 24961 and 24962. However this is quite difficult and the procedure varies with different versions of ZA.
• When you upgrade to to a new version of CQPhone, ZA is smart enough to detect the program it authorized has been changed, so it may silently block the new version. People say "The new version does not work but the old version works fine". Try removing CQPhone for the ZA list, then wait for ZA to ask persmission again.
• The ZA book warns ZA may forget to ask permission if CQPhone is configured to auto start on bootup. It will be silently blocked. Try removing the checkmark in CQPHone> Menu> Program Preferences> AutoStart in Tray.
• CQPhone will not work unless ZoneAlarm is set to allow CQPhone.exe to act as a server. Be sure CQPhone is authorized to use the internet AND ALSO authorized to listen as a server on port 24960.
• The CQPhone video will not work unless ZoneAlarm is set to allow CQVideo.exe to act as a server. Be sure CQVideo is authorized to use the internet AND ALSO authorized to listen as a server on port 24962.

Other Firewalls

We have received reports that Kerio, Tiny, Sygate, Norton and other firewalls interfere with CQPhone. It is a matter of knowing how to properly configure these firewalls. Some of these firewall programs are purposely designed to be difficult to uninstall completely. For advice about these firewalls, refer to the comments about Zone Alarm (above). Remember CQPhone.exe and CQVideo.exe are two seperate programs.

Peter Severeijns has kindly provided the following advice (Click Here) showing how he configured Norton Internet Security 2005 for use with CQPhone.

Required Ports

When using CQPhone with Windows Firewall and most home routers, it is not necesary to think about ports. However, some firewalls and routers require that you set the desired ports. We recommend that three ports 24960, 24961 and 24962 be configured to allow both UDP and TCP in both outgoing and incoming direction.
The Three CQPhone Ports:

• PORT 24960 TCP is used to receive incoming calls and send outgoing calls. Once connected, this port is used for sharing pictures and urls and for typing chat. Your CQPhone TCP server listens on this port for incoming calls. PORT 24960 UDP is used for signalling to pinhole routers and firewalls in order to assist with firewall and router transversal.
• PORT 24961 UDP is used to send and receive voice packets. If mic is muted, small transversal packets are sent instead of voice packets.
• PORT 24962 TCP is used to receive and send video frames. Your CQVideo TCP server listens on this port for incoming video. PORT 24962 UDP is used for signalling to pinhole routers and firewalls in order to assist with firewall and router transversal.

Routers

Tests with popular home type routers (LinkSys, Netgear, Belkin) show there is no need to configure ports for these routers. It is a common mistake that people will set up the router port fowarding to the wrong internal address, so CQPhone cannot work at all. We recommend the port forwarding be attempted only as a last resort. If you have previously set the CQPhone ports in your router and still have a problem, try deleting these ports and run the router totally closed to CQPhone. Routers are configured by visiting a web page embedded inside the router. If you do not have instructions how to configure your router port forwarding, try visiting the home page of the router manufacturer.

We have recently learned that some DSL modems have a secret router inside them. This router will block CQPhone until it is properly configured. The router configuration is performed by visiting a web page embedded inside the modem. If you do not have instructions how to do this, try googling for your router brand and model.

If you decide to try router port forwarding, here are the ports:

• PORT 24960 TCP and UDP (calling, typing, pictures)
• PORT 24961 TCP and UDP (voice)
• PORT 24962 TCP and UDP (video)

DLINK ADVICE
Armando tells us it was necessary to set the router ports for his Dlink wireless. He was very kind to volunteer the following screen shot showing how he did it. Be sure the address where he entered 192.168.0.100 is the actual address your Dlink has assigned to your computer. You can check this 192.168.x.y address by running IPCONFIG from a command prompt on you computer.

Missing Buttons

If the CQPhone window appears to be missing icons and buttons, or the window appears distorted with buttons and boxes in the wrong places, here is the simple fix.

Your video card must be set to the Windows standard 96 dpi:

1. Right click any empty spot on the desktop.
2. Go to Properties> Settings> Advanced>
3. Set Display to "Normal size (96 dpi)"
4. Click Apply then OK OK.