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Old 12-20-2007, 05:59 PM   #1
John Clark
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Default UMA Explained:

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I found this over at Crackberry. I usually don't cross post between here and there but this write-up was well-written and very informative:

Quote:
Originally Posted by jrbreeden (Crackberry.com)
*By default*. TM's UMA (Universal Media Access) sends ALL traffic (Voice AND Data) through TM's UNC controller. Voice goes to TM's RAN and data is sent out TM's ip gateway. Data traffic does not go directly from the wifi access point to the destination, it instead routes through TM's network.

Simply put, UMA is tunneling GSM/GPRS through an IPSEC tunnel to TM's network. It's a liitle more complicated, but this is good enough for a intuitive understanding of UMA.

Your BB finds the UMA gateways (UNC) via a DNS lookup and establishes an ipsec tunnel with the UNC. All traffic, voice and data is then routed through the ipsec tunnel.

So in order for your wifi ap at home to work with uma it must support ipsec passthrough and the firewall must have the ipsec ports open (udp ports 500, 4500,50 and 51).

UMA works at TM's hotspots because TM opens all ipsec port to TM's UMA UNCs by default. All traffic passes through the ipsec tunnel, avoiding the need to login to the hotspot's nework via the hotspot's webpage.

The T-Mobile Browser exception:

There are two modes to run T-Mobile's browser in, Internet and Wi-Fi (see setup/adavnced configuration/browser).

When the TM browser is in Internet mode, all data goes through the ipsec tunnel to TM's network and out to the internet.

In Wi-Fi mode, the browser sends all traffic directly to the destination avoiding TM's UNC gateway. In other words, all voice will go through UMA to the UNC gateway and T-Mobile's browse traffic will go dirctly over IP.

If you use the Wi-Fi browser at home through you wireless ap, it will most likely be faster, avoiding the added latency of routing through the UNC before hitting the internet.

The ability of routing IP directly through IP instead of through the UNC gateway is application specific. The particular application need to be written to take advantage of this. Put another way, the only application on a BB that avoids sending data through the UNC is T-Mobile's browser. There is one other exception that I know of. Midp SSH can be configured to do IP directly and avoid the UNC gateway (and added latency).

You can test this behavior yourself. Go to a t-moble hotspot. You will see TM's *Internet* browser can browse anywhere on the web. Switch to the *Wi-Fi* browser and you'll find the browser redirects you to the hot-spot login page.

The Wi-Fi browser can be used for getting UMA to work on hotspots that demand a login via a web page.

For instance, Safeway now offers free hotspot at their stores but you need to login to their web page first.

Connect with your BB to Safeways hotspot. It will *appear* to fail but in reality it has associated with Safeway's ap and gotten an ip lease via DHCP.

The apparent failure is just that the BB hasn't been able to establish an ipsec tunnel to TM's UNC because all traffic is blocked by Safeway's AP firewall until you login.

Fire up the TM browser in Wi-Fi mode and try to go anyware. You will be directed to Safeway's login page. Login and wait a min. and UMA will connect, you are on the air.

This technique has worked for me with a number of wireless networks that demand a login first. Of course as before, the wireless network needs to support ipsec passthrough and open up the ipsec ports when you login.

BTW: You can get the architecture and protocol specs for UMA (which is part of 3GPP) at umatoday.com.

Hope this helps all .....

Quote:
Originally Posted by jrbreeden (Crackberry.com)
quote=Augustus;84730:Dear jbreeden,
>
>In simple terms, can my T-Mobile Curve (with Wifi) be used overseas
>to make >international phone calls back to the US via the Wifi
>connection, for much less >cost than a non-Wifi call?

A qualified yes. There is nothing stopping you from doing this. As long as your curve can associate with the access point and login to T-Mobile's UMA UNC it will work (the process is automatic and transparent to you). If you search the forums, you will find people doing this all the time.

If you have H@H from t-mobile for $20 a month, then all the voice and data is "free" when using UMA no matter where you are on the planet.

If you use any wireless hotspot (usa or overseas) that blocks UMA ports (ipsec) for any reason, then UMA won't work. This isn't a UMA problem. it's a hotspot problem - it's how the particular wireless hotspot is setup.The owner of the hotspot has every right to set that hotspot up any way they want. If the hotspot blocks UMA you're just SOL, you'll need to try other hotspots until you find one open to UMA.

If you are technically proficient enough, the curve contains troubleshooting tools to identify WHY a curve will not login to UMA through a peticular hotspot. This data can often be used to find a workaround.

If you're not technically proficient, then you'll need to just keep trying different hotspots until you find one that works.

>If so, HOW (again, in simple terms, please) can one do this???
>Do I have to connect to a Wifi network in the foreign country
>(e.g., at my hotel) and then call? If so, how do I do this
>(i.e., connect to Wifi and make the call)?
>Can you explain this step-by-step, or direct me to a source that can?

Yes, you need to connect to a wifi network in order to use UMA regardless of where you are in the world.

As an aside, the UMA protocol standard defines both WiFi (802.11x) and Bluetooth as physical layers for UMA, though at this time no one has implemented UMA over Bluetooth. I think we will see it in the future.

You make a UMA call the same way you make a RAN (cell) call, punch in the number and hit the send button, it's "transparent" to the enduser (you).

As far as the "step by step" in setting up UMA and making a call on the curve, that's an RTFM question (if you don't know what RTFM means you can google it . You can download the curve's manual at blackberry.com. The faqs and howtos and forums on this site, blackberryforums.com and others also are full of the info you are looking for. Google is your friend.

Personally I think UMA is as disruptive a technology as the cell phone system itself and has a fantastic future. It has the potential to end landline use altogether. (the cellular phone system, another great technology developed at Bell Labs and first introduced by the Bell System - the *real* AT&T - in Chicago in 1978).

In this case, the term "disruptive technology" is a GOOD thing. It's an innovation that shakes up the old order.

Good Luck

Hope this helps someone here.

Link to original post click here.

Last edited by John Clark; 12-20-2007 at 06:01 PM..
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Old 12-20-2007, 08:08 PM   #2
offroadr35
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Interesting, thanks. This UMA thing is just TOO COOL!
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Old 12-20-2007, 08:22 PM   #3
xyrcncp
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So as far as the default internet browser...would it be recommended to leave it in WiFi browser? or change it as needed? Mine was set by default to "Internet Browser".
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Old 12-20-2007, 09:58 PM   #4
John Clark
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The problem with leaving it set to wifi browser is that when you are out and about on EDGE then links won't work, etc.
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Old 12-20-2007, 10:17 PM   #5
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John thanks for finding this. Wonderful information.
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Old 12-20-2007, 10:18 PM   #6
stewsan
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Thanks for the great information. I have been using it overseas now for a couple of months and it works great. I did have to block my caller ID number from going out as I was getting quite a few return calls at the big buck rate.
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Old 12-20-2007, 10:27 PM   #7
John Clark
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If you're on UMA when the return calls come in it shouldn't cost you anything.
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Old 12-20-2007, 10:38 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Clark View Post
The problem with leaving it set to wifi browser is that when you are out and about on EDGE then links won't work, etc.
Gotcha' I left it on Internet Browser. Thanks.
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Old 12-21-2007, 10:22 AM   #9
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edit

Last edited by sgtcasey; 12-24-2007 at 05:57 PM..
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Old 10-16-2008, 01:21 PM   #10
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All this is very helpfull but probably not complete. I am at a location where I can not get UMA to work so I looked into the advanced diagnostic report and found the address of the UNC server. This address (hbsc.uma.rogers.com) is not public, i.e. the public DNS infrastructure does not find an IP address for it. In the same report, the BB infrastructure is an IP address instead of a name, which, I figure, is done so that DNS configuration is not a problem. The UNC server address is probably resolved somehow via the BB infrastructure. Someone can confirm this? I am trying to figure out why UMA does not for me here.
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