Video Call Fails

I can do video calls with all of my friends except one. Whenever either one
of us initiates a video call, the other hears the ring, answers, but the
video and audio connection is never made. After a few moments, we both get a
message that says "Your Video Call has ended". This happens every time. She
can see herself in her own camera, and I can see myself in mine, but we
cannot see or hear each other.

We are both using Live Messenger 8.1, and both have identical Microsoft
VX-6000 cameras with the latest drivers installed. She is running XP Home
with all service packs and updates, and I am running Windows Vista Home
Premium. We are both using Windows Live OneCare, but otherwise are not using
any other firewall or security software or hardware.

What the heck is wrong?

Greetings,

Where is she exactly? For instance, on some university and college campuses, such
connectivity is often blocked.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--

"dkaleita" <> wrote in message
news:68BBBAAC-C77D-43C7-9A06-...
>I can do video calls with all of my friends except one. Whenever either one
> of us initiates a video call, the other hears the ring, answers, but the
> video and audio connection is never made. After a few moments, we both get a
> message that says "Your Video Call has ended". This happens every time. She
> can see herself in her own camera, and I can see myself in mine, but we
> cannot see or hear each other.
>
> We are both using Live Messenger 8.1, and both have identical Microsoft
> VX-6000 cameras with the latest drivers installed. She is running XP Home
> with all service packs and updates, and I am running Windows Vista Home
> Premium. We are both using Windows Live OneCare, but otherwise are not using
> any other firewall or security software or hardware.
>
> What the heck is wrong?

We are both calling from our respective homes. She is using a Motorola
SURFboard® SBG900 Wireless Cable Modem Gateway. I wonder if the default
security settings for this device are blocking some of the necessary UDP
ports for a WLM Video Call to work.

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> Where is she exactly? For instance, on some university and college campuses, such
> connectivity is often blocked.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
> "dkaleita" <> wrote in message
> news:68BBBAAC-C77D-43C7-9A06-...
> >I can do video calls with all of my friends except one. Whenever either one
> > of us initiates a video call, the other hears the ring, answers, but the
> > video and audio connection is never made. After a few moments, we both get a
> > message that says "Your Video Call has ended". This happens every time. She
> > can see herself in her own camera, and I can see myself in mine, but we
> > cannot see or hear each other.
> >
> > We are both using Live Messenger 8.1, and both have identical Microsoft
> > VX-6000 cameras with the latest drivers installed. She is running XP Home
> > with all service packs and updates, and I am running Windows Vista Home
> > Premium. We are both using Windows Live OneCare, but otherwise are not using
> > any other firewall or security software or hardware.
> >
> > What the heck is wrong?
>
>

We are both calling from our respective homes. She is using a Motorola
SURFboard® SBG900 Wireless Cable Modem Gateway. I wonder if its default
security settings are blocking the necessary UDP ports.

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> Where is she exactly? For instance, on some university and college campuses, such
> connectivity is often blocked.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
> "dkaleita" <> wrote in message
> news:68BBBAAC-C77D-43C7-9A06-...
> >I can do video calls with all of my friends except one. Whenever either one
> > of us initiates a video call, the other hears the ring, answers, but the
> > video and audio connection is never made. After a few moments, we both get a
> > message that says "Your Video Call has ended". This happens every time. She
> > can see herself in her own camera, and I can see myself in mine, but we
> > cannot see or hear each other.
> >
> > We are both using Live Messenger 8.1, and both have identical Microsoft
> > VX-6000 cameras with the latest drivers installed. She is running XP Home
> > with all service packs and updates, and I am running Windows Vista Home
> > Premium. We are both using Windows Live OneCare, but otherwise are not using
> > any other firewall or security software or hardware.
> >
> > What the heck is wrong?
>
>

I have the same exact problem! A colleague can connect on a video call with
everyone but me. We are both at work (Boston and Washington), but my IT
department assures me that incoming video is not blocked. We both use
Windows XP professional. She is using msn Messenger 7.5, I've tried both msn
Messenger 7.5 and Windows Live Messenger without luck. Help!

"dkaleita" wrote:

> I can do video calls with all of my friends except one. Whenever either one
> of us initiates a video call, the other hears the ring, answers, but the
> video and audio connection is never made. After a few moments, we both get a
> message that says "Your Video Call has ended". This happens every time. She
> can see herself in her own camera, and I can see myself in mine, but we
> cannot see or hear each other.
>
> We are both using Live Messenger 8.1, and both have identical Microsoft
> VX-6000 cameras with the latest drivers installed. She is running XP Home
> with all service packs and updates, and I am running Windows Vista Home
> Premium. We are both using Windows Live OneCare, but otherwise are not using
> any other firewall or security software or hardware.
>
> What the heck is wrong?

Well, the problem turned out to be firewall related after all. My friend
didn't realize that her Motorola SURFboard® SBG900 Wireless Cable Modem
Gateway contained a firewall, and that by default it blocked the ports that
WLM needs for Video calls.

According to the Microsoft Knowledgebase article at
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/927847, WLM webcam calls require
all ports from 5000-65535 open to both TCP and UDP! Creating a custom
firewall hole for those ports in the Motorola router fixed the problem.
Luckily my friend is using a software firewall (Windows Live OneCare) on her
PC as a second line of defense against attacks. Presumably because Live
OneCare is a Microsoft product, it already knows about Live Messenger so we
didn't have to change any additional settings there.

"dkaleita" wrote:

> We are both calling from our respective homes. She is using a Motorola
> SURFboard® SBG900 Wireless Cable Modem Gateway. I wonder if its default
> security settings are blocking the necessary UDP ports.