Restricted cellular backup Internet - How to ensure Ally Voice works during an Internet outage

Restricted cellular backup Internet - How to ensure Ally Voice works during an Internet outage

Overview

This article is to be used to assist clients that utilize a cellular backup that is restricted to specific traffic which does not include their VoIP phone services.
This is the case for most all gateways installed or supported by Point of Sale (POS) vendors.
The most common brands are Cisco Meraki and Mako

Solution

Contact your support provider or IT department and request that they allow your Yealink phones to be allowed to use your cellular backup connection. They can accomplish this is many ways. The most common method is to allow the device on that network by it's IP address or MAC address.

If a temporay solution is needed, we can include routing calls to our ConnectUC mobile app, desktop app, cell phone, or other location. 

Example email to your provider


We would like to update the router configuration for all of our sites so our phones will work during an Internet outage. Our phone provider, Ally Communications, recommends allowing the traffic by MAC address or IP address.
  1. MAC Address configuration - The MAC addresses will start with 80:5E:0C. If a complete MAC address is needed for each phone, please pull a complete list from the list of devices connected to the gateway.
  2. IP Address configuration - If using this method, please always configure an IP reservation for all devices on the network that begin with 80:5E:0C and then allow those IP addresses.
  3. VLAN configuration - Please open a ticket with Ally Communications at helpdesk@allyadvantage.com. Please provide the VLAN ID you'd like to be configured and confirm that the gateway and network switches have already been configured for the specified VLAN.

More Details for Configuration

Firewall wall to allow any of the following over the backup WAN connection
  1. MAC address for any phone starting with 80:5E:0C 
  2. MAC address by specific MAC address - Ally can provide a list form your portal
  3. IP address - Each device should have a reservation in the gateway's DHCP settings
  4. VLAN - If using port-based VLANs, the port should also utilize a MAC address restriction so if non-phone equipment is connected it will not inadvertently allowed over that VLAN
  5. VLAN - tagged traffic - Ally Communcations can update their phones tag their traffic with a VLAN, typically VLAN 100. All network equipment between the phone hardware and gateway must be properly configured. The phones will NOT work if this configuration is incorrect and the VLAN setting will have to be disabled with assistance of Ally Communcations, or the phone will need to set to factory default configuration. 
    1. If you require the phones to utilize tagged VLAN traffic, and cannot utilize a port-based VLAN configuration, please open a ticket with Ally Communications support team by emailing us at helpdesk@allyadvantage.com. Please provide contact information for your support team along with any necessary approvals, PIN number, or account number.  


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