Ditech Networks' Solutions
VoIP NAT/Firewall Traversal
The latest VoIP technology allows service providers to reach new customers regardless of location, as long as there is a broadband connection. However, this opportunity comes with technical challenges.
The most common problem when deploying hosted IP services is the inability of subscribers’ voice equipment to work seamlessly behind Network Address Translation (NAT) equipment and firewalls. Ditech Networks’ PeerPoint™ C100 ensures that subscribers can connect anywhere, anytime, without reconfiguring their equipment.
The Goal of NAT Traversal
The goal of far-end NAT traversal is to allow inbound and outbound VoIP calls to succeed in the highest possible number of cases, even when one or both calling parties are behind one or more address-translation-enabled firewalls.
The NAT Traversal solution includes support for all commercially available firewalls and NAT devices, including full cone, restricted cone, port restricted cone, and symmetric NATs. For real-world deployments, a NAT traversal system solves users’ NAT and firewall problems remotely, from the service provider’s network. The PeerPoint C100’s flexible modes and broad interoperability allow deployment in IP networks without requiring changes to the network or to the VoIP subscribersrsquo; equipment configuration.
Flexible Configuration Options
The PeerPoint C100 can be installed in any network location: on the open Internet ahead of your firewall, in your firewall’s DMZ (where it can be assigned a globally routable IP address), or even with a private IP address behind a firewall providing NAT.
The PeerPoint Session Border Controller (SBC) uses a standard-compliant mechanism to resolve far-end NAT issues without any changes to the endpoints. This solution works even when the endpoints do not register through the SBC, in a pure outbound calling application.
Media Path Optimization
Media Path Optimization (MPO) refers to PeerPoint’s ability to intelligently determine, on a per call basis, if media can be routed directly between two endpoints:
- MPO can work even if both endpoints are behind two separate NATs.
- MPO reduces the cost of bandwidth because the media does not need to flow through a main hub.
- MPO improves quality by reducing latency with fewer hops, and avoiding other potential network problems.
Widest Interoperability
Because of the propagation of SIP through the network, service providers can now “mix and match” SIP network elements and SIP endpoints to offer unique services. Ditech is committed to continuous interoperability to maintain freedom in choice of service. For many years, Ditech Networks has been a regular participant in SIPit events and active in the IETF working groups.
Summary
Most providers of IP telephony services believe that the user’s experience should mirror the ease of use and ubiquitous availability of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). In addition, the economics of providing service requires that things “simply work” so that customer support expenses are kept to a minimum. Given the complexity of today’s NAT- and firewall-protected enterprise and residential networks, this kind of ubiquitous reliability for VoIP can only be provided with a NAT traversal solution: the PeerPoint C100.
Please contact us at VoIP@ditechnetworks.com for more information.