Vodafone Germany w/ ISP-Supplied Modem/Router (Fritz!Box or Touchstone): Ongoing Discussion

Roon Core Machine

Networking Gear & Setup Details

ISP is Vodafone Germany and it’s used with a AVM Fritz Box 6690 Cable

Connected Audio Devices

Number of Tracks in Library

Description of Issue

Hi, I have a problem with arc.
ISP is Vodafone Germany Cable and the diagnostic data is:

{
“connectivity”: {“status”:“NetworkError”,“status_code”:502,“error”:“error: Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 77.20.253.100:55002, response code: undefined, body: undefined”},
“external_ip”: {“actual_external_ip”:“xx.xx.xxx.xxx”,“router_external_ip”:“”},
“status”: “status”: MultipleNatFound
,
“natpmp_autoconfig”: {“status”:“NotFound”},
“upnp_autoconfig”: {“server_ip”:“192.168.178.1”,“found_upnp”:true}
}

Upnp is enabled and port is also matching.
Think it’s a ipv4 thing with Vodafone…

Maybe you can help.

1 Like

Hey Felix,
bad news Vodafone doesn’t assign public IPv4 addresses to customers, you’ll need a business contract from them to get one assigned.
The problem you’re having is called double-nat:

I have a business contract at the same ISP Vodafone Germany Cable with the same fritzbox and it’s working fine for me.

Hey Paul,
Sounds not so good. So as I understand you, there are only two solutions at the moment:
a) Business account with statical IP v4
b) waiting for a IP v6 Solution of roon labs itself

Right?
Hopefully there will be a fix.

unfortunately you are right

Maybe the @Roon_2.0_ARC_Support can help or implement IP v6 (it’s the new standard since 20(?) years).

1 Like

fantastic. same provider, slightly older cable box, same problem. ■■■■■ was really looking forward to use the mobile thing…
@Roon_2.0_ARC_Support any idea how to help us solve this problem?

Other provider Same FRITZ!Box

As in my thread, if ISP doesn’t provide port forwarding, nothing works.

Vodafone germany , net cologne, net Aachen don’t provide it.
Seemed to be a workaround with static ip from this provider, maybe with additional cost.

Hi @Felix_Witte and other affected users in this thread.

Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention.

By all indications, Vodafone Germany has implemented blanket IPv6 with DS-lite on residential accounts. Please see the master thread here: Vodafone Germany: No port forwarding for home accounts. DS Lite Tunnelled IPv4 address that doesn't do port forwarding. [NOT Resolved for Most Users; See Posts. Roon Investigating]. The team is actively investigating a workaround and we’ll continue to post updates there. It’s an unfortunate situation but one we hope to resolve in the near future.

Note that the issue does not extend to all Vodafone subsidiaries or networks outside Germany, as far as we know. I strongly recommend users still continue to troubleshoot even if Vodafone is their provider, as we may be able to find a temporary workaround or identify an issue unrelated to carrier-grade NAT/IPv6.

Thank you for your patience and believe me, I relate to your frustration as I’ve bumped up against carrier-grade NAT myself. Some internet service providers offer public IPv4 addresses for residential accounts; some even offer it for free. Others do not offer it all, and resort to a more basic implementation of DS-Lite that does not support port forwarding for any use. Certain users will be frustratingly arrested if their internet service provider is not willing to work with them. The timeline is unclear for a resolution from the Roon team side; it may take longer than any of us want, and it may never work for every user. That said, rest assured we are aware of the quandary you’re in at this time and are working to make ARC a workable app for as many users as possible, given the limitations and variations inherent to internet service providers.

5 Likes

What’s the exact question that should be asked to ISPs to clarify that:
Do you support port forwarding?

Or anything more specific?

Hi @Piotr_Pekala,

Great question. Asking if they support port forwarding will be a common question, and will likely prompt your ISP to provide you with a scripted offering of solutions (or lack thereof).

If you’d like to be more specific, you can pass along the following questions:

  • Have you implemented carrier-grade NAT for my account level?
  • Have you fully implemented IPv6, or do you have IPv4 addresses available?
  • Can I request a static IPv4 address to support port forwarding?
  • Are there any ports you have reserved at the ISP level I should be aware of?
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You can also try to call Vodafone support and ask nicely, if it is possible to get a proper IPv4 address as well. I had similar issues with 1&1 three weeks ago and they were able to provide a the IPv4 address for 3 DSL contracts in Berlin after a call. I don’t want to promise anything as I am unsure, if Vodafone Germany will offer the same thing…

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Hi there!

I have the same problem. Vodafone, Germany…… ARC is not working. My cable box is called FRITZ!Box 6691. I‘ve tried everything.

Is there a known issue with Telekom Germany. If not, I will switch.

Edit:
I am sorry! I have a FRITZ!Box 6591 Cable.

Hi, I don’t know. But I‘m in contact with Vodafone atm. Maybe there is a solution. If yes, I‘ll keep you informed.

Hi all and @Roon_2.0_ARC_Support, it seems possible to add a „dynamic public IPv4“ free of charge. I was a bit confused because I thought I need a static IPv4…
But at the end: it works.
So it seems to be a solution.
Or is it a „false“ or „unstable“ solution?

According to my research with Vodafone Germany you may or may not be lucky. Their forum had many recent threads where they said no to customers requesting it. I received a letter in 2019 saying that they won’t provide one anymore. In the best case though, any IPv4 for residential accounts is apparently purely goodwill and they can take it away at any time because the contract does not promise it. The option is only part of the contract for business accounts

I don’t know if I‘m lucky because we‘re talking about a dynamic (public) IPv4. I‘m not so much into it, that I know if it‘ll work stable and ongoing.
But what I can say, that there might be an option for some users.

Yes, a dynamic public IPv4 address that can be port-forwarded is what I am talking about. Residential Vodafone Germany contracts don’t promise this and they are routinely denying to set them up (though possibly not always and they seem to be leaving existing ones alone for the time being but without promises)

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Do you know, if ARC works fine with such a dynamic IP? If yes, it would be awesome!

I thought so. The only requirement is that the address is able to be port-forwarded, as far as I can tell. Nearly nobody has a truly static public v4 address

Dynamic vs Static in my understanding a dynamic address can and will change. If your router is discovering that address via DHCP (which is often a default) it will pick up on that as and when it changes and adjust accordingly. Ergo that aspect of it works for the purposes of ARC.

The secondary issue is that the dynamic ip allows port forwarding, that’s the method of opening a pinhole in your firewall for ARC to communicate with the remote ARC device.

1 Like