FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
DocJB111
Newbie

I have an Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I wireless router. All firmware has been upgraded on the router. I am unable to send or receive pictures (MMS) over WIFI from my iPad, iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S4. The Apple devices have been updated to iOS 7.0.4 and the S4 was recently updated to Android 4.3. I can send and receive text messages (SMS) from these devices over WIFI. And, of course, I can send and receive both SMS and MMS messages over cellular 3G and 4G networks from the iPhone and S4. I attempted to port forward certain ports on the router specifice for iMessage (per an Apple forum) for the iPad and iPhone. These include ports 80 (TCP), 443 (TCP) and 5223 (TCP). After powering down the devices and router and rebooting, I was still unable to send or receive MMS over WIFI with those devices. I haven't tried any port forwarding for the S4 but I think it's safe to assume that I will encounter the same issues with that device since it did not work for the Apple devices. BTW, no other problems arise with Facetime, Netflix or other streaming services, only pictures via messaging over WIFI.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
Toolman2
Newbie

Hey DocJB111,

Are you using a proxy on your wifi connection? AdBlock makes you create a proxy using port 2020. The FIOS router doesn't seem to like MMS coming from that port. From what I found, MMS uses port 2948 & 2949 TCP/UDP. I haven't found how to make that work through the router yet coming from port 2020 but, once I turned off the proxy all was well. Like you, all other internet traffic worked fine, the issue was just MMS traffic. Any readers know how to get that traffic flowing...? You comments would be greatly appreciated.

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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
smith6612
Community Leader
Community Leader

If the MMS is being delivered over the cellular network to your phone number rather than through iMessage, Google Hangouts or another service that involves using an e-mail address, your cellular data must be on. Are you turning the cellular data off?

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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
Toolman2
Newbie

My phone is an android with kitkat 4.4.2. The problem wasn't the msg app because it worked over another wifi, just my FIOS wifi was the prob. I had an app on it called adBlock that required a manual proxy setup on the phones wifi conection to localhost port 2020. Although it was working for about 3 weeks without an issue it sudenly started to have problems. I did a factory reset on my router and it worked for a day or two and then stopped again. Even disabling the app didn't resolve it. I had to set the proxy to none before it started working. Still searching for the answer...

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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
smith6612
Community Leader
Community Leader

What app in particular is being used for messaging? The phone's stock app or is this a third party app from the app store? Did Adblock Plus receive any updates, either for the app itself or for the filter lists around the time this problem started to happen?

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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
Toolman2
Newbie

I use hangouts normally but the problem was consistent with both. adBlock has received updates and probably got one right before the problem started. It's hard to tell exactly when the problem started because I don't MMS too much. Good point regarding the filter list, that could be the culprit. 

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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
Toolman2
Newbie

Here are some firewall log entries:

TimeEventEvent-TypeDetails
Jul 2 22:32:43 2014Inbound TrafficBlocked - Spoofing protectionUDP 192.168.1.3:37683->224.0.0.251:5353 on clink0
Jul 2 22:32:43 2014Inbound TrafficBlocked - Spoofing protectionUDP 192.168.1.3:50907->224.0.0.251:5353 on clink0
Jul 2 22:32:41 2014Inbound TrafficBlocked - Spoofing protectionUDP 192.168.1.3:37683->224.0.0.251:5353 on clink0
Jul 2 22:32:41 2014Inbound TrafficBlocked - Spoofing protectionUDP 192.168.1.3:50907->224.0.0.251:5353 on clink0
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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
Hubrisnxs
Legend

I use android kit kat, and when over wifi my contacts + app specifically tells me I can't retrieve over wifi.

not that it's being blocked.

Can you send/receive text messages over wifi? help end this debate


A guy I work with keeps arguing with me that you can't send text messages over wifi so setting my phone on wifi when at home to receive text messages and e-mails is pointless since it doesn't work.

Can someone please tell me if this is true or not?

The reason I use wifi is because my cell phone connection is crappy when at my house.
....
Quote:
Originally Posted by RufusThorne View Post
Your friend is correct.
+1

Text messages go through your carrier's network, not your wifi network
+2, your device does NOT do this through the data connection, so even though you might have mobile data turned off, or in this case, connected to wifi. It's using the Short message service center to communicate the data, this is over the voice network effectively, NOT DATA.

Also, this is the wrong forum for this OP.

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Re: FIOS Router blocking MMS but not SMS
Toolman2
Newbie

SMS sends messages using the same connection as your phone calls, it does not use mobile data or WiFI. Emails and MMS use either wireless data or WiFi becaues email uses the internet to cennect to the SMTP and POP servers to authenticate and transfer data and MMS uses them to send the picture or other media, it still send the text of the message through the phone connection and then they all meet up at the other end (the recipient's device). 

If your at home with a bad phone connection you can still send a SMS with only one bar of phone connection (text data is much smaller then voice data). There is no need for mobile data or WiFi for SMS at all. MMS however requires a good data conection for it to go or it might time out (most times it just goes but really slow).

So to answer your question, your data connection at home does not impact your SMS traffic. The SMS message will only NOT go through if you have NO voice conection.

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