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Troubleshooting Common Ekiga Audio and Video ProblemsEkiga is an open-source softphone and video conferencing application that uses SIP and H.323 to connect calls. While it’s a lightweight and capable tool for Linux and other Unix-like systems, users can still encounter audio and video problems. This article walks through common issues, how to diagnose them, and step-by-step fixes — from device detection and driver issues to codec mismatches, network problems, and configuration tips.

1. Preliminary checks: gather information first

Before changing settings, collect basic facts:

  • Ekiga version: Check Help → About.
  • OS and kernel version: run lsb_release -a and uname -r.
  • Audio/video devices: list with arecord -l, aplay -l, and v4l2-ctl --list-devices (if v4l-utils installed).
  • SIP/H.323 provider or peer details: server, codecs, NAT behavior.
  • Network environment: behind NAT, firewall rules, use of VPN.

Having these details makes troubleshooting faster and safer.

2. No audio at all (no microphone or speaker sound)

Common causes: wrong device selected, muted channels, PulseAudio/ALSA conflicts, or permissions.

Steps to fix:

  1. Check hardware and system sound:
    • Confirm microphone and speakers work in other apps (e.g., system sound recorder, VLC).
    • Open system sound settings and verify input/output levels and that nothing is muted.
  2. Inspect Ekiga sound settings:
    • In Ekiga: Preferences → Sound Devices. Ensure correct Input and Output devices selected (PulseAudio, ALSA hw:X,Y, or specific device).
    • Try switching between PulseAudio and ALSA if both are available.
  3. PulseAudio specifics:
    • Use pavucontrol (PulseAudio Volume Control) to see Ekiga streams when a call is active. Ensure Ekiga’s input and output streams are routed to the intended devices and not muted.
  4. Test ALSA directly:
    • Run arecord -f cd -d 5 test-mic.wav and aplay test-mic.wav to confirm recording/playback at the system level.
  5. Permissions:
    • Ensure your user is in the audio group if your distro requires it.
  6. Restart services:
    • Restart PulseAudio with pulseaudio -k (it’ll respawn) and restart Ekiga.
  7. Profile and sample rate mismatch:
    • Some devices fail at certain sample rates. In Ekiga or system config, try switching sample rates (44.1 kHz vs 48 kHz) or set Ekiga to use a compatible device profile.
  8. If using USB headsets:
    • Replug the device, confirm kernel recognizes it (dmesg | tail), and choose the correct USB audio device in Ekiga.

3. One-way audio (you can hear remote, remote can’t hear you, or vice versa)

One-way audio is typically caused by NAT/firewall issues or incorrect RTP port handling.

Diagnosis:

  • One-way where you hear remote but they don’t hear you: your RTP audio from microphone to remote is blocked.
  • One-way where remote hears you but you don’t hear them: their RTP stream to you is blocked.

Fixes:

  1. Check NAT and public IP settings:
    • In Ekiga: Preferences → Network. If behind NAT, enable “Use STUN server” and enter a public STUN (e.g., stun.l.google.com:19302) to discover public IP. Some providers require STUN or TURN.
  2. Configure port forwarding:
    • Ekiga uses RTP ports (default range often 5004+/dynamic). Forward the configured RTP and SIP/H.323 ports on your router to your machine’s local IP.
  3. Use ICE/TURN (if supported):
    • If Ekiga or your SIP provider supports ICE or TURN, configure it. TURN servers relay media when direct peer-to-peer fails.
  4. Firewall settings:
    • Ensure local firewall (ufw, firewalld, iptables) allows Ekiga and relevant UDP port ranges.
  5. SIP ALG:
    • Disable SIP ALG on your router — it often mangles SIP packets and breaks audio. Many routers have a setting “SIP ALG” or “Application Layer Gateway”.
  6. Verify signaling vs media ports:
    • SIP/H.323 signaling may work while media ports are blocked. Use packet capture (tcpdump/wireshark) to confirm RTP packets are being sent/received.
  7. Check codec choice:
    • If media packets reach but still one-way, try forcing a common codec (G.711/PCMU or PCMA) that is unencrypted and widely supported to rule out codec issues.

4. Poor audio quality (choppy, latency, echo, artifacts)

Causes include packet loss, jitter, wrong jitter buffer settings, CPU overload, or low microphone quality.

Steps:

  1. Test network quality:
    • Use ping and traceroute to SIP server and peer to measure latency and packet loss. ping -c 20 sip.example.com or mtr for live path stats.
    • High jitter or packet loss requires network fixes or using a lower-bitrate codec.
  2. Adjust jitter buffer:
    • In Ekiga audio settings, increase jitter buffer size slightly to smooth out arrival variations; too big increases latency.
  3. Use a different codec:
    • Switch from high-compression codecs to G.711 (PCMU/PCMA) which are more resilient on poor networks.
  4. CPU and resource usage:
    • Check top/htop while running Ekiga. High CPU can cause audio dropouts. Close heavy apps or enable a lighter codec.
  5. Echo and feedback:
    • Enable echo cancellation in Ekiga (if available). Use headsets instead of speakers to avoid acoustic feedback.
  6. Microphone gain and AGC:
    • Avoid excessive system microphone boost which introduces distortion. Enable/disable automatic gain control (AGC) to find the best balance.
  7. Sample rate mismatch:
    • Ensure system and Ekiga use compatible sample rates to avoid resampling artifacts.

5. No video or black video

Typical causes: webcam not detected, wrong device selected, driver or permission issues, or incompatible video format.

Checks and fixes:

  1. Confirm webcam works system-wide:
    • Test with Cheese or VLC. If those apps don’t see the camera, Ekiga won’t either.
  2. Device selection in Ekiga:
    • Preferences → Video Devices. Select the correct V4L2 device (e.g., /dev/video0). Try toggling between devices if multiple entries exist.
  3. Permissions and device nodes:
    • Check that /dev/video* exists and permissions allow your user to read it. Add user to video group if necessary: sudo usermod -aG video $USER then re-login.
  4. Verify kernel driver:
    • dmesg | grep -i camera or lsmod | grep uvcvideo for USB webcams. If driver missing, install kernel modules or firmware.
  5. V4L2 vs older APIs:
    • Ensure the webcam supports V4L2. Legacy apps may use older APIs; Ekiga expects V4L2-compatible devices.
  6. Video format/size issues:
    • Some cameras default to unusual resolutions. In Ekiga settings, try selecting common resolutions (640×480) and frame rates (15-30 fps).
  7. Conflicts with other apps:
    • Close other apps that might hold the camera (Zoom, browser tabs). Linux usually allows only one process to use the webcam at a time.
  8. USB power/cable:
    • For external webcams, use a different USB port or cable; USB hubs can cause intermittent failures.

6. Low or no video on remote side (they see black or frozen frames)

Often a codec mismatch, network bandwidth limits, or Ekiga’s video encoding settings.

Fixes:

  1. Force a common video codec/resolution:
    • Configure Ekiga to prefer simple codecs and lower resolution (QVGA/640×480) to reduce bandwidth.
  2. Bandwidth limits and QoS:
    • If your network or theirs limits video bandwidth, prioritize audio or enable adaptive bitrate if available.
  3. Packet loss:
    • Use packet capture tools to confirm RTP video packets make it through. If not, address NAT/firewall or ISP issues.
  4. Check H.264 or proprietary codec support:
    • If Ekiga is trying to use a codec not supported by the other end, negotiate a compatible one (e.g., H.263, H.263+, or H.264 if both support it).
  5. Re-start video stream:
    • During a call, try toggling video off/on in Ekiga to force renegotiation.

7. Video is laggy, stutters, or out of sync with audio

Causes: CPU overload, insufficient upload bandwidth, high frame size/resolution, or jitter.

Fixes:

  1. Lower resolution and frame rate:
    • Set camera to 320×240 or 640×480 and 15 fps to reduce encoding load and bandwidth.
  2. Check CPU/GPU usage:
    • If encoding is software-based, CPU may be the bottleneck. Close background apps or enable hardware acceleration if Ekiga and drivers support it.
  3. Network optimization:
    • Ensure sufficient upstream bandwidth. Use wired Ethernet instead of Wi‑Fi for stability.
  4. Sync settings:
    • Some delay in the audio may be corrected by increasing buffering for audio or video; adjust jitter buffer settings carefully to trade latency vs smoothness.
  5. Use a faster codec or lower-complexity profile:
    • Simpler codecs or profiles reduce encoding time and packet size.

8. Call setup fails (no ring, instant hangup, or busy)

If signaling fails, audio/video won’t start. Causes include wrong SIP credentials, server settings, NAT traversal, or TLS/SRTP mismatches.

Resolution steps:

  1. Verify account settings:
    • Double-check SIP username, domain, proxy, registration server, and password. Use the provider’s recommended ports and transport (UDP/TCP/TLS).
  2. Check registration status:
    • Ekiga shows account registration status. If it’s “Not registered” or “Authentication failed,” correct credentials and server settings.
  3. TLS/SRTP and certificates:
    • If using secure transports, ensure certificate validation is satisfied or use accepted ciphers. Disable TLS temporarily to test plain UDP/TCP.
  4. SIP trunk/provider restrictions:
    • Some providers restrict codecs or require specific SIP headers. Consult provider docs and set Ekiga’s advanced SIP options accordingly.
  5. SIP trace:
    • Enable SIP logging in Ekiga (or use Wireshark) to see SIP messages (REGISTER, INVITE, 200 OK, etc.). Look for 4xx/5xx/6xx responses that explain failure.
  6. Firewall/router blocking signaling:
    • Ensure SIP port (default 5060 UDP) is allowed through local and network firewalls.

9. Interoperability problems with modern clients/servers

Ekiga development has been less active in recent years; some servers or modern clients may expect newer protocols (e.g., WebRTC).

Workarounds:

  1. Use a gateway or SBC:
    • Employ a Session Border Controller (SBC) or media gateway to translate between older SIP/H.323 and newer protocols like WebRTC.
  2. Adjust codecs and transport:
    • Force widely supported codecs (G.711, Opus if supported) and use standard SIP transport options.
  3. Test with a modern SIP softphone:
    • Compare behavior with a current client (Linphone, Jitsi, MicroSIP on Windows) to isolate whether issue is Ekiga-specific.

10. Advanced diagnosis tools and tips

  • Wireshark/tcpdump: capture SIP and RTP flows to inspect headers, SDP, and media ports. Filter by udp and sip to find relevant packets.
  • srtp/unencrypted: if SRTP is used and media fails, test with plain RTP to confirm encryption is the blocker.
  • STUN/TURN logs: check what public IP and ports STUN reports — mismatch indicates NAT or router rewriting issues.
  • System logs: /var/log/syslog, dmesg, and PulseAudio logs (pulseaudio -vvv) can reveal driver or permission errors.
  • Test calls: use echo test services (many SIP providers offer echo/sound test accounts) to isolate microphone vs network issues.

11. Quick checklist (summary of actionable steps)

  • Verify hardware works in other apps.
  • Choose correct audio/video devices in Ekiga preferences.
  • Use pavucontrol to route audio streams when using PulseAudio.
  • Enable STUN or configure port forwarding for NAT traversal.
  • Disable SIP ALG on router.
  • Try common codecs (G.711 for audio; lower-res video codecs).
  • Lower video resolution and frame rate to reduce CPU/bandwidth load.
  • Check user is in audio/video groups and device permissions are correct.
  • Capture network traffic if needed to inspect RTP/SIP flows.

12. When to seek help

Provide these when asking for help:

  • Ekiga version, OS and kernel, exact error messages, screenshots of preferences, SIP registration logs, and a short packet capture (pcap) of a failed call (if possible). Mask any sensitive account passwords before sharing.

Troubleshooting Ekiga audio/video problems is usually a process of elimination: confirm devices work at system level, verify Ekiga settings, then check network and codec interoperability. Following the steps above will resolve most common issues.

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