iChat snow leopard video NOT working

Hi,

I can not see your modem listed here http://portforward.com/routers.htm
This may be because it is very new(ish) as the list is not always Upp to date.

Elsewhere I have read it can do Ethernet and USB but have not found out if it can route.
Although the comment tab on this page shows it can not be "set up"

It appears to be a VoIP modem into the bargin.
VoIP uses SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) to make connections.
This is normally done on one of a group of port 5060-5063.
If you do not have this service some ISPs block these ports (You pay extra for the Service).
Having also said that iChat uses SIP but because some ISPs have been blocking the recognised ports they have moved to using port 16402 and then some modem "force" SIP to use port 5060 again although the numbers that do this are limited.

We could do with some info on the set up of your Airport Base Station.
Using the Airport Utility in Applications/Utilities access the set up panes for the Airport.
On the Internet Pane is it "Sharing A Public IP" in the bottom drop down ?
At the top of this pane is it showing the same IP as when you go here ?

If it is showing the same IP as that Link (it is your Public IP) and it is being passed through the Arris.
In this case go to the NAT Tab (still on that Internet pane) and Enable Port Mapping Protocol.



7:40 PM Wednesday; January 20, 2010

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Ralph,

Thanks very much for exploring this with me. Some progress - I fiddled with the Bandwidth Limitation Settings in iChat - they were set to None initially. After I set them to 2 Mbps, then 1 Mbps, then each of the others, and tried connecting with the Auto-responder after each setting, I was able to see the Apple commercial at some or all of the other settings - (sorry, I forget if any did not work). Then, lo and behold, after setting it back to None, where it is currently, I am able to connect to the Auto-responder just fine. It's as if either I 'woke it up' (unlikely) or the Auto-responder just had been too busy, I guess.

I still have not been able to see anyone (i.e. a real live person) with whom to start a video iChat, which would be helpful. Thanks too for the links to my modem info - it's good to have that "hidden" access address. Pity I can't configure it, though.

FYI - Here's the requested info on the set up of my Airport Base Station.
Using the Airport Utility in Applications/Utilities access the set up panes for the Airport.
On the Internet Pane is it "Sharing A Public IP" in the bottom drop down ? YES
At the top of this pane is it showing the same IP as when you go here ? YES

It IS showing the same IP as that Link (it is your Public IP) and it is being passed through the Arris.
In this case go to the NAT Tab (still on that Internet pane) and Enable Port Mapping Protocol. *ALREADY ENABLED*

I'm happy to experiment some, but it doesn't seem like there's much more I can do until I discover whether or not I can do a video iChat with another Mac user.

CAF

Yes, what is with Snow Leopard?! I am having so much trouble video chatting on it! iChat chronically sends me the message that I am offline after trying to start an unsuccessful video chat! I never had a problem with Leopard..and before I switched to SL, it was all smooth and dandy...it was after that lots of programs have problems and I have no clue why SL is giving so many problems though everything runs faster! What are you all talking about regarding the 443? I am new to Apple and Macs, so I don't understand what that means...can anyone help me? Also, does anyone have a solution to this problem?

Hi,

Move on to Table 2
http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/ContactTesters.html

I would still put the Bandwidth Limit at 500kbps.



6:34 PM Thursday; January 21, 2010

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Hi,

Welcome to the  Discussions

iChat, by default logs in to the AIM servers on port 5190
This can be changed in iChat menu > Preferences > Accounts then the Server Settings tab.
It can only be changed when iChat is Not Logged in (Deselect "Use this Account" in the Account Info tab).

This login is on the TCP Protocol and so are the Text chats you have.

iChat also uses port 5190 on the UDP Protocol for Direct chats (Ones you can send pics in) and for File Sending.
Some modems seem not to like this dual use so we suggest splitting them.

Port 443 is chosen as it will be open in most domestic routing device (As are others up to a threshold of 1024)
It is used by Secure Web Sites (Such as Banks and the Login here at Apple Discussions). It is also used by some Mail servers.
Any firewall in your routing device is then likely to have this port open for either mail or Web browsing so you will not need to open it specifically.

Previously in ichat 4 and earlier a check was made by iChat on what your Processor speed was and what internet speed you had (with or without any capping in Quicktime or iChat) which then decided what size pic you could send.

Changes in Quicktime for Snow Leopard and in iChat can mean that now you can send bigger pics.
My MacBook Pro version 1,1 for instance has gone from a 340 X 240 pixel pic to 640 X 480 pixel which is in fact 4 times as many pixel per frame.

iChat iChat 4 and earlier the setting in System Preferences > Quicktime > Streaming tab was needed to be set at 1.5Mbps
This was because the Automatic setting capped iChat to 384kbps (in iChat 3 and 2 it could be read as zero).
The Intranet/LAN setting was also suspect in iChat 2 and 3 hence settling on 1.5Mbps

In iChat 5.x (Snow Leopard) there is no capping by the System Preferences > Quicktime - iChat "Sees" all of your Internet Speed.
The controlling factor is the Upload speed.

This means ins some cases you may be leaping from 1.5Mbps to as much as 10 or even 20 Mbps with some services.

If your Buddy is not as fast as you on their service or vice versa the Buffering built in to iChat may not be able to cope if the differences are too vast.
Audio can get dropped in some cases. Picture pixelation can happen at bigger differences.

The setting in iChat Menu > Preferences > Video section Bandwidth Limit is best set at 500kbps as a starting point.

Once you have successful chats you can use the Connection Doctor (Video menu) to see the buffering slowly change the speed when you choose a new speed (i.e wait until the Bit Rate settles before doing another).
It can pay that both ends start at 500kbps to even out the speeds.

Notes:
With older or slower speeds a 10% change (5% up, 5% down) in your Internet speed at any one time from your ISP may be only a few kbps. With multiple Mbps a 10% variance may be as much a 1Mbps in difference.
Capping iChat in the Bandwidth setting may stop such vast changes.

A LAN (Home, Office or Apartment with shared services) with many computers or Games Consoles is likely to also suffer great changes in the Bandwidth (the portion of your internet Speed actually available to you) may change from moment to moment and iChat stores what it can see at Launch but this maybe different when it tries to Video chat.



6:58 PM Thursday; January 21, 2010

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Hello, just me again! I called Apple Tech Support and they told me all of the fancy dancy stuff on how to change it to port443 etc etc...IT STILL DOES NOT WORK! AGHHH! I still cannot get this issue fixed..they have upgraded my case to a "severe" one and now the Engineering Team has to take a look because we have tried everything...and the person I spoke to on my second call back after the reinstallation of Snow Leopard (unsuccessful)...he was a senior advisor at Apple! and the guy could not help me! They think it might be glitch that they did not catch while developing SL and they must create a solution for it now...because OBVIOUSLY a lot of people have this same issue, as do I! The rep did ask if I wanted to go back to Leopard, which requires you to wipe your hard drive...NOT HAPPENING WITH ME! I have too much information to lose and I am not willing to do that...quite honestly, if this is the case, I want and need Apple to know about this problem and they need to fix it! I have no idea why this was not a issue with Leopard and that Apple missed the connection between Leopard and SL...how is it possible to suddenly have a glitch such that the program does not work any longer?

Hi,

To be fully confident of offering you new advice we would have to know the model version of your MacBook Pro, what modem and routers make and models you maybe using and what you had set up on the MacBook Pro in iChat and anywhere is the System Preferences to get iChat to work.

Then we would need to know what was being done on the Leopard machine and if this was on the same LAN (Bonjour or AIM or Jabber chats) and what the set up was there for iChat as well.

Some Ideas.
Make sure the Snow Leopard/iChat 5 is set to 443 (It requires SSL to be On and the Enter key used to "Set" the port)
System Preferences > Security > Firewall is better at ON and then the Advanced Button with Allow Signed Apps used and iChat Added to the List.
The Stealth option should not be ON.
In iChat the Bandwidth should be set to 500kbps.

On the Leopard End.
System Preferences > Quicktime > Streaming tab needs to be at 1.5Mbps
System Preferences > Security > firewall can be at Allow all (Off) or Allow Specifics with iChat in the List (Again No UDP Block and NO Stealth)

If this is the starting point you are at then, if using an AIM Login, try deleting com.apple.ichat.AIM.plist on the iChat 5 machine (Your Home Folder/Library/Preferences)

Did "Everything" include reinstalling the App ?
Reinstalling the support folders with Pacifist ?
Making sure you were not Relaying through AIM ?
Trying Relaying through AIM ?
Deleting any .plist to do with iChat ?

I have a MacBook Pro 1,1 as I said previously. It can Video chat to my G4/1Ghz Tower running Leopard and iChat 4.0.8



8:24 PM Saturday; January 23, 2010

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"