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Help Running Nodes

Hotfoon’s Node Support Team works round the clock in providing you technical support. We have a large number of nodes in operating, yet, we endeavor to answer your mails within 2 business days. It is best if you can solve your node related technical problems by reading through this page.

We urge you to try out the suggestions given here before you write to us. That way, you will manage to quickly put your node back in operation without waiting for us.

Click on any question that is the closest to your problem: Disclaimer: The information here is not a legal statement. For the accurate terms of contract between the Nodes and Hotfoon. Read the agreement.
How do I check my account?

Login with your Operator-ID and operator’s password to check the status of all your nodes, their current balances and their online/offline status.

To check each node’s callsheet, you can login with the nodeid and node password from Hotfoon homepage.

I want to change my Operator-ID password

To change the password of your Operator-ID, click here.

Login with your Node-Id as a regular Hotfoon userid from Hotfoon’s home page to change your node password.

I want to change my billing details

To change your billing details, click on the Payment Method and change them.

I want to close down my operations

Write to us at gateway@hotfoon.com announcing your intention to close down. We will confirm the receipt of such a request from you and disable your Node-ID. At the end of the month, we will transfer all your money to you only if the balance is more than USD $100 after deducting the usual money transfer charges. If you have less than USD $100 in your account, they will not be transferred to you and the money will expire into Hotfoon’s account.

Which Conexant Modems do I buy?

Conexant doesn’t make modems. It makes chips that go into modems. They are very much like Intel (who make chips, but not the PCs based on those chips). Two brands that we have successfully tested the nodes on are Dlink and Dax. There maybe others that will work. Some have reported success with Creative ModemBlaster (external) but we haven’t confirmed it ourselves. Check that the modem you are buying has Conexant HCF chipset.

Be aware that there are a number of different chipsets that Conexant makes. Only the HCF modem chipsets from Conexant meant for USB operation will work.

An easy way to test if the modem is suitable is by installing and querying the modem. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. From the Control Panel, click on Phone and Modem Options.
  2. You will see a list of installed modems. Select the USB Conexant chipset modem and click on Properties button.
  3. If you can’t see the modem in the list, then it is not properly installed. Uninstall the modem drivers, disconnect it from the USB port, reboot and re-install the drivers from our Downloads section, reboot again, and reinstall it again.
  4. Select diagnostics from the tabs displayed and click on Query Modem (The modem should not be in use when you do this.)
  5. it will take few seconds for the modem information to be displayed, A modem information window is displayed , check under the fields command and response, if you see the words "AT+GMM Conexant, HCF and Voice USB Modem" then the modem is suitable, if u see "AT+GMM COMMAND NOT SUPPORTED" then the modem is not suitable or the correct drivers are not installed.
I can’t find PCtel Modems anywhere in the market

PCtel does not make modems. It makes chips that go into modems. They are very much like Intel (who makes chips, but not PCs based on those chips). We maintain a list of places where PCtel based modems might be available.

The node software does not work with some batches of the newer PCtel cards. Read our note about PCtel.

The Node software is unable to detect my Conexant modem

You need to test if your modem is properly installed.

To do this, follow these steps:
  1. From the Control Panel, click on Phone and Modem Options.
  2. You will see a list of installed modems. Select the USB Conexant chipset modem and click on Properties button.
  3. If you can’t see the modem in the list, then it is not properly installed. Uninstall the modem drivers, disconnect it from the USB port, reboot and re-install the drivers from our Downloads section, reboot again, and reinstall it again.
  4. Select diagnostics from the tabs displayed and click on Query Mode.m (The modem should not be in use when you do this.)
  5. it will take few seconds for the modem information to be displayed, A modem information window is displayed , check under the fields command and response, if you see the words "AT+GMM Conexant, HCF and Voice USB Modem" then the modem is suitable, if u see "AT+GMM COMMAND NOT SUPPORTED" then the modem is not suitable or the correct drivers are not installed.

If you have successfully gotten the response of step 5, then you can try starting the node and it should now detect the modem correctly. If you still have a problem, write to us at gateway@hotfoon.com. Describe what happened in each of the steps listed above.

The Node software is unable to detect my PCtel modem

You need to test if your modem is properly installed.

To do this, follow these steps:
  1. From the Control Panel, click on Phone and Modem Options.
  2. You will see a list of installed modems select the Internal PCtel chipset modem (usually listed as HSP MicroModem) and click Properties.
  3. If you can’t see the modem in the list, then it is not properly installed. Uninstall the modem drivers, reboot and re-install the modem (with drivers from our Downloads section), reboot again before testing.
  4. Select diagnostics from the tabs displayed, click on Query modem , your modem should not be in use while you click Query modem.
  5. It will take few seconds for the modem information to be displayed under the fields command and response if you see the words "ATI4 PCtel Micromodem voice/data/fax/Speakerphone", the modem is suitable.
    If you see don’t see these words, try reinstalling the drivers again.

If you have successfully gotten the response of step 4, then you can try starting the node and it should now detect the modem correctly.

At times, instead of using the drivers from our site, people tend to install PCtel using the drivers that come on the CD with the modem. If you suspect that you have done this, then you will need to reinstall Microsoft Windows 2000 all over again and this time take care and to use the drivers from our site.

Other noted problem with pctel modem is that system shares the same IRQ allotted to PCtel modem with other devices , usually network cards/USB devices/sound card etc, to check that there is no IRQ sharing go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System tools>System Information. The system summary is displayed in a console window, drop down hardware resources and select IRQ, check that the PCtel modem has unique IRQ alloted, if you see that the IRQ is shared with other deivce(s), you will need to uninstall the modem drivers, shutdown the system, change the PCI slot of the PCtel modem and reinstall the drivers. You can also try removing/disabling the device that is sharing IRQ with the PCtel modem.

Some newer PCtel cards are reported to be incompatible with the nodes. In such cases, you will not be able install the modem with our drivers. Such PCtel modem cards cannot be used with Hotfoon Node software. If you still have a problem, write to us at gateway@hotfoon.com. Describe what happened in each of the steps listed above.

The Node software is unable to detect my cell phone

At present, we support only Motorola C350, C450 and C375 for the GSM nodes and LG Electronics. RD-2030 for CDMA. Other phones won’t work at all.

Be sure that you have properly installed the phone drivers from our site. To test that the drivers are correctly installed follow this procedure:
  1. From the Control Panel, click on Phone and Modem Options.
  2. You will see a list of installed modems. Select the phone’s modem and click Properties.
  3. If you can’t see the phone modem in the list, then it is not properly installed.
    Uninstall the phone modem drivers, disconnect it from the USB port, reboot and re-install the drivers, reboot then attach the modem to the USB port.
    Use the proper drivers from our Downloads section to install the modem.
  4. Select Diagnostics from the tabs displayed, click on Query modem. (Your phone modem should not be in use while you click query modem.)
  5. It will take few seconds for the modem information to be displayed.
    Under the fields command and response if you see the words AT+GMM "your phone Modem Name" correctly displayed, the modem is suitable. If you see don’t the phone modem, try reinstalling the drivers again.
Note: The Motorola C375 reports as C450, this is normal.

If you have successfully gotten the response, then you can try starting the node and it should now detect the phone correctly. If you still have a problem, write to us at gateway@hotfoon.com. Describe what happened in each of the steps listed above.

  • From the Control Panel, click on Phone and Modem Options.
  • You will see a list of installed modems and their COM ports, note the COM port of the phone modem.
  • If you can’t see the phone modem in the list, then it is not properly installed. Uninstall the modem, shutdown the computer, reboot and re-install. Use the proper drivers from our download section to install the modem.
  • From Start->Programs->Accessories->Communications, select HyperTerminal.
  • HyperTerminal will prompt you to enter a name for the connection; enter test.
  • Next, HyperTerminal will display the Connect To dialog. In the Connect Using list box, select the COM port as noted above (the modem will also be listed by name, don’t select that). Click OK.
  • On the main window of HyperTerminal, type AT+GMM.
  • In response, if you can see the Phone model being correctly reported, then the phone is installed properly. If you see don’t see these words, try reinstalling the drivers again.
  • Close the HyperTerminal. (If you forget to close it then the modem will not be accessible to the node and the node will fail to detect it). Note: The Motorola C375 reports as C450, this is normal.

    If you have successfully gotten the response of step 8, then you can try starting the node and it should now detect the phone correctly.

The Node software is unable to detect my ISDN adapter

Each ISDN adapter comes with its own setup program. During the setup, it is important you should select CAPI support to be installed.

Often, the manufacturers do supply a test application that can test your ISDN line using CAPI protocol. You should use it to find out the problems.

There are many and different types of ISDN adapters. It is difficult to establish general guidelines about properly installing them. As long as CAPI support is properly installed, and the ISDN line is up, the node will reliably detect CAPI.

The Node software detects the telephony device, but I am still offline

If the Node software reports that it has detected a telephony device and yet remains offline line, check the following in exactly this order:

  1. Check that the telephony device is being detected properly. If not, read the sections on properly detecting the devices.
  2. Check that the server name is proper in the node software.
  3. From File menu, choose Sign-in and check that the server is set to hotfoon.com.
  4. Check that the nodeid and password are proper. From File menu, choose Sign-in and re-enter the node-id and the node’s password (Don’t confuse the node’s password with the the operator-id’s password, the two are different. The node password is different for each node. It is emailed to you when you register a node. If you have forgotten your node’s password, visit here and enter your node-id).
  5. Check internet connectivity.
    Are you able to access www.hotfoon.com site? Check with your ISP or the system administrator that UDP traffic is allowed on your internet connection.
    At times, due to Internet problems, not all sites are accessible. Wait for a few minutes to determine that the outage is not temporary and try accessing www.hotfoon.com again. If you are not able to access the site, write to us at gateway@hotfoon.com to provide you with an alternative server.
  6. Are you unable to call through Hotfoon, (even though you can access www.hotfoon.com)?
    At times, you might have web access but UDP traffic might be blocked on your Internet connection.
    To test this, download hotfoon dialer and try making a call from the node PC. If you can.t reliably call a number or talk to another hotfoon user (by entering his userid instead of a phone number), then there is a problem with your Internet connection. Check if you have a firewall that blocks UDP traffic. Check if your ISP blocks UDP. Many a times, your Internet connection might be through a web proxy. Such Internet connections are useless for operating Hotfoon Nodes.

If you are still having problems, write to gateway@hotfoon.com. Mention which of the steps gave you a problem.

I am online, but I don’t get even a single call

If you are online and you don’t get any calls, there maybe a number of reasons for that.

You should realize that not getting any calls is different from getting short calls that are not being billed (the billing starts only after the first 60 seconds). Watch the node window for a while, if you are getting calls, but they don’t last a minute, then read this. On the other hand, if you are not getting any calls at all, try the things mentioned below.

  1. You might be trying to run the node during lean hours. The Internet telephony traffic varies according to the time of day and week of day. Wait for 24 hours before giving up.
  2. You might be experiencing difficulties with the Internet. If your internet connection is bad, then calls are not setup properly. Download the Hotfoon dialer, and try making calls to friends in the USA through Hotfoon. If the calls go through, then your Internet connection is alright. If not, call the Internet service provider’s support and ask them to setup the Internet properly so that you can call using the Hotfoon dialer.
  3. There may not be many callers for your area. If you don’t get callers for more than a day, write to gateway@hotfoon.com to start a promotion for your site. When you write to us, supply a test number that we can call through your node to test if everything is technically alright with your node.
My node frequently goes offline

If your node is frequently offline, it can mean one of two things

  1. Your Internet connection is bad.
    In such cases, you should immediately switch to a better ISP. If your Internet connection is bad, the callers will suffer and they will disconnect from your node within 60 seconds. You will not get paid for these short calls, although you will end you paying your telephone company for these calls.
    Having a bad Internet connection is bad for business and it leads to financial loss.
  2. You have virus/malware
    This is quite common now a days. Read our installation instructions on keeping your computer free of them. They can really bring down the productivity of your node.
My node is not getting many calls

Check the following:

  1. Is your Internet connection intermittent?

    Have a friend call your node through Hotoon. To force calls through your node, the caller has to prefix your node-id and a full stop to the dialed number. For instance, if you are calling 1-800-535-7004 through the node with id testusa, you will enter testusa.18005357004 into the hotfoon dialer. Can the caller hear the called party? Can the called party hear the caller? Note the Signal level on the node’s main window. It should be between 4 and 5 for most of the calls.

  2. There may not be too many callers for your area.

    You can write to us at gateway@hotfoon.com to promote your node area.

  3. There may be too many nodes in the area.

    The calls are equally distributed among all the nodes that service a particular area. We, at Hotfoon, try balancing the callers and nodes. We close registration for nodes of an area if we feel that there are enough nodes in that area.

My PCtel node calls don’t last more than a minute

If your node is able to detect the PCtel modem, get online, but the calls don’t last more than a minute, check the following:

  1. Is your phone line operational?

    Disconnect the line from the PCtel modem and attach a regular phone instrument to the line. Make a call and check if you are able to call various numbers.

  2. Is the phone line firmly connected to PCtel modem’s LINE jack?

    There are two jacks on the PCtel modem, be sure that you have attached the phone line to the LINE jack (not the PHONE jack) on the modem card.

  3. Check that you have installed the Hotfoon supplied drivers instead of the drivers that came with the modem card.

When calls don’t last long, it usually means that one of the two parties is not able to hear the other properly. On PCtel, this is usually means that the phone line is not properly connected to the modem card or that the phone line is bad.

Some of the newer PCtel modem cards are reported to be incompatible with Hotfoon Node software. If you are stuck with such a card, there isn’t much to be done. You can try running the node with a Conexant modem instead.

My GSM/CDMA calls don’t usually last more than a minute

If your node is able to detect the phone, get online, but the calls don’t last more than a minute, check the following:

  1. The cell phone based nodes require two cables:the audio cable and the data cable. Are both connected properly?

    Especially, check that the audio cable is proper. At times, due to bad soldering, the audio cable may not be working. Read the audio cables test procedure.

  2. If the Audio cable is working well, check that the phone is working by making calls through the phone. It is possible that either your credits have expired or that you’re line has been disconnected.
  3. Check that your Internet has a good throughput.

    Try making calls using Hotfoon dialer from your node PC. If you the call quality from the Hotfoon dialer is good, then the Internet connectivity is good enough. If the call quality is bad, get a better Internet connection. At times, the Internet, being a global, public network suffers temporary traffic jams. these usually sort out in a few hours time.

My GSM / CDMA node goes offline after a few hours

1. If your nodes go off after a while, check if the phone battery is okay. The chargers supplied with the phones usually have AC plugs of European style that do not fit very well in the electric plug points of Asian countries. You can either buy an adapter in the market that has spring leaves inside (so that they hold the charger firmly) or you can hold the charger in place with a bit of scotch tape.

2. Check if you have the electric power fluctuates at your node location. Often, if there is a major power fluctuation it is reflected into the phone instrument, freezing the phone. You will have to buy good Uninterrupted Power Supply for such cases.

I am still having trouble!!!

If your Node is not working after a successful login, write down the series of messages displayed in the Node window and send us an email describing your problem to gateway@hotfoon.com.