VOIP has stopped working -- FIOS Internet -- ? UPDATE STATUS

[#1]

Here is the solution.

The Actiontec box has a firewall that is "over configured." 

Port forwarding works for ONE device and ONE only.  You are bonding the internal IP/port# with the router's external interface, so to speak.

If you have ONLY ONE VOIP device, this is a perfect solution.

However, if you have more than one, then you need to either turn off the firewall or add an exception to the firewall.

I turned off the firewall, and VOILA both devices worked just fine ( NO port forwarding).

I added an exception rule to the firewall and re-enabled firewall -- everything works.

What I STILL don't understand is why my setup worked for >5-6 weeks and then spontaneously stopped working and also why no one at Verizon could tell me this might be the problem.

[#2]

That must be a significant difference to the Westell router as I don't see anything anyhwere about turning firewalls off or on or providing exceptions.

The Westell has a tab that says firewall settings and the only thing I can equate to your FW on or off is Maximum Security and Minimum Security.  Max may be what you have as FW on as it severly restricts what outgoing ports a client can access.  Min would appear to allow everything in and out.  Typical (Medium) allows all out and nothing in except port forwarding - Medium is the default.

[#3]

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@plautus wrote:

What I STILL don't understand is why my setup worked for >5-6 weeks and then spontaneously stopped working and also why no one at Verizon could tell me this might be the problem.

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1. Good question. Maybe a new firmware update after the initial 5-6 weeks?

2. Because Verizon does not support port forwarding. They only support basic connectivity. If you computer can get on-line, they stop, no further support. Therefore their agents are not trained in everything the router can do and they probably on average know less about the routers capabilities than you do. Most of them dont even know how to get to the port forwarding section let alone how to configure it. There are exceptions but for the most part they know less about the router than most on these boards.