Skype problems (international connections)

[DSLinCanada]

Hello Everyone,

I am an ex-South African living in Canada. I am trying to stay in touch with my family and friends in SA using skype but am not winning. Whenever we connect using skype, after between 10secs to 2 minutes of great conversation, the connection is lost. Consistent problem with 3 different skype users located in Gauteng all with ADSL lines.

Is this a common problem? Is it just hellkom fiendishly stopping me from bypassing their tollgate? Any suggestions, comments or technical advice would be very much appreciated. Please PM me at [email protected] (and let me say thank you in advance!).

I do not think the problem is my side as we have pretty good DSL service here (http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Internet/ShawHighSpeedXtremeI/)

 

[vinesh]

i've been having the same problem aswell

 

[ScrnScrm]

Hi
It all depends how your local network is configured. It makes a big difference in SA. To be a "supernode" on Skype, you need to have a legal IP address with the default ports open. If you dont, you become a subnode off someone who does meet these requirements. To cut a long story short, most of the broadband connections are firewalled, and its mostly dialup connections that meet these requirements. You will most probably find that your supernode is a dialup connection and doesnt have enough bandwidth to support a good connection.
Best bet is to put the machine runnign Skype here in SA on the DMZ temporarily whilst you want to make calls. This way it will become a supernode and your call quality will be good. Move it back behind your firewall when you are finished. Alternatively, use port forwarding on your firewall, but watch your bandwidth consumption.
A good place to start is to first check what your node status is...
Hope this helps.
Cheers -

 

[DSLinCanada]

Thanks

Hi ScrnScrm,

Thanks for the advice. I will get the node/supernode status sorted out, check that they address any firewall issues and see what happens. Much appreciated.

 

[renm]

Hi ScrnScrm,

Thanks for the advice. I will get the node/supernode status sorted out, check that they address any firewall issues and see what happens. Much appreciated.

I've been a Skype user for almost 2 years in SA, and have made a lots Pc-PC, PC-landline calls (incl. Canada), hasn't got any problem. I've tried SA Diginet, Telkom ADSL(Telkom ISP or others), actually I found out, the ADSL is better than Diginet for Skype (don't spit me , probably our Diginet connection is too narrow and many users share it).

DSLinCanada, I added your hotmail into my MSN messenger, if you like we can have a test call on Skype