Internet relay calls involve some different things working together:
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your computer and the software loaded on it
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the internet connection through your internet service provider (ISP), and
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the NRS itself.
If you are having problems with internet relay it is sometimes difficult to work out which component is involved. These troubleshooting questions and answers might help you sort out some of the problems.
If you have tried everything below and are still having problems please contact our Helpdesk or send us a feedback form.
Problems getting connected
1 I am trying to make a call from my work computer but can't get connected. What's the problem?
2 What happens if the page doesn't allow me to type in the phone number?
During the call
4 Why isn't the word verification (or ‘captcha') working?
5 My call has dropped out while I was in the middle of a conversation. What has happened?
7 Why does no message appear on my screen after the system says that the relay officer is typing?
Particular Windows Live Messenger problems
8 What do I do if my NRS 'contact' keeps being shown as 'offline' when I try to use it?
Problems using the NRS website for internet relay
9 What if my browser won't load the call or message page?
10 What are some general things I can do if I am having problems making an internet relay call?
11 What if my browser won't load the call or message page?
Problems getting connected
1 I am trying to make a call from my work computer but can't get connected. What's the problem?
Making an internet relay call at work might present some problems due to your organisation's IT security arrangements. Many computer networks have high levels of security and block both internal and external access to all but a few specific ports in the network's firewall.
Your network administrator may need to open one or more specific ports in the network firewall. The network administrator is welcome to contact the Helpdesk to discuss the best way to deal with your organisation's security and management protocols. See more about problems in making a call from work.
2 What happens if the page doesn't allow me to type in the phone number?
If your internet connection is slow it may take some time for the call page to initialise and the Connect button to turn blue. You need to wait until the Connect button is blue before you can enter the phone number. See more on making a call from work.
3 What if I get an error message that says my 'IP address appears to be from an invalid location or outside Australia'?
This means that your IP address (your computer's "address" - the unique number that identifies your computer) is not recognised by the NRS. This could be due to one of the following:
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You are calling from outside Australia. Please note that the NRS is only available for calls from within Australia and so you aren't able to make the call.
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You are calling from a computer network (eg from work) and your network administrator has masked your computer identity (this is commonly done for security reasons). Solution: see your network administrator or contact our Helpdesk. See more on making calls from work.
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Your internet service provider (ISP) may be supplying you with an IP address that was sourced from overseas. Solution: there is no simple way for you to know if this is the problem, but contact our Helpdesk and we may be able to sort it out for you.
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You are using special software (sometimes known as an ‘IP changing security' package) that allows you to surf the Web anonymously. This software creates fake internet addresses that appear to us to be from outside Australia. Solution: disable or remove the software before making a call.
During the call
4 Why isn't the word verification (or ‘capcha') working?
Word verification is not case sensitive. So it doesn’t matter if you enter an upper case ‘M’ or a lower case ‘m’. However the letters shown in the image are all lower case, so make sure you don’t think that an ‘l’ (as in ‘lion’) is a large ‘I’ (as in ‘Iron’). It will always be the former. See more on word verification
5 My call has dropped out while I was in the middle of a conversation. What has happened?
Occasionally your internet relay call might drop out or be disconnected. You may be typing your side of the conversation but the relay officer cannot read what you are typing. We know this can be frustrating and it might appear as if the relay officer has hung up on you. However relay officers do not hang up on a call unless a caller is abusive, or the caller is clearly not responding to the other party or to the relay officer's questions.
Sometimes there is an obvious cause to call drop-out, sometimes not. Often it can be because you have limited internet bandwidth or your computer is carrying out other tasks.
These are some of the things you can do to minimise the likelihood of drop-out during your call:
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close other applications and other open windows
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don't copy, move or download files during the call
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check that your broadband speed hasn't been reduced for some reason (such as running out of your monthly allocation which with many internet plans means that your internet speed is reduced considerably until the end of the month) or that someone in your office isn't doing a lot of downloading at the time of your call
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make sure that your system isn't performing updates for some of your applications - for example, Windows and your antivirus software regularly carry out automatic updates. You can check this by hovering your mouse over all the icons at the bottom right of your screen.
If you are using instant messaging for your call and are still having problems, then try making a call through the NRS website. Likewise if you are using the website but having problems try making a call through instant messaging.
If you work in an office and you suspect that your internet relay calls are dropping out because of bandwidth use by other people connected to your network, you can ask your IT staff to enable ‘traffic shaping' so that a portion of the internet bandwidth is allocated to internet relay.
6 The relay officer keeps asking me if I'm still there, even though I have been typing and sending messages. What has happened?
This is possibly caused by limited bandwidth or because you are carrying out other tasks on your computer at the same time - see the question above. Follow the same suggestions as above for trying to minimise the problem.
7 Why does no message appear on my screen after the system says that the relay officer is typing?
This is an infrequent but random problem. The best thing to do is just to try again.
Particular Windows Live Messenger problems
8 What do I do if my NRS 'contact' keeps being shown as 'offline' when I try to use it?
This is due to a Microsoft software problem. If the NRS contact name you are using is nrsiprelay@iprelay.com.au, try adding a new contact with this version of the name: nrsiprelay2@iprelay.com.au.
This second version of the contact name should work fine but if it doesn't, try the following steps:
Delete the NRS contact from your Windows Messenger contacts
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Tick the box next to ‘Also remove from my Windows Live Hotmail contacts'
- Restore nrsiprelay@iprelay.com.au or nrsiprelay2@iprelay.com.au as a contact.
If you continue to get the contact showing as 'offline' then please contact the Helpdesk or send us a feedback form.
Problems using this website for internet relay
9 What if my browser won't load the call or message page?
If your computer is part of a corporate network then it is possible that the security settings of your organisation don’t allow you to access the internet relay call page or instant messaging applications. If so, contact your network administrator. See also Making internet relay calls at work FAQs.
10 What are some general things I can do if I am having problems making an internet relay call?
Try the following in this order of priority:
1 If you are using Internet Explorer 7, restore the default settings.
Go to Tools menu/ Internet Options / Advance tab and click Restore advanced settings button.
(The changes will only take effect after you restart Internet Explorer)
2 If you are using Internet Explorer 8
Go to Tools menu and click "Compatibility View"
3 Delete your browsing history and temporary files.
Go to Tools menu/ Internet Options / General tab. Under Browsing history click on Delete... / Click Delete all... button at the bottom of the card.
11 What if my browser won't load the call or message page?
If your browser does not load the message page, try the following:
- Check to see if your system is running the Java plug-in. If it is running the plug-in, when you get to the point where the call page should load you will see a Java coffee cup icon (with the clock indicator) in the system tray at bottom right of your screen.
- Make sure your Java plug-in is up to date. When you see the coffee cup icon, right-click on it and select the ‘About Java plug-in' option. A dialogue box will appear indicating the Java plug-in version. If your version is 1.4.0 or lower, you must upgrade to the latest Java plug-in.
See also how to test if Java is working properly.
If your computer is part of a corporate network then it is possible that the security settings of the network don't allow you to download the Java plug-in. If so, contact your network administrator. See also Making internet relay calls at work FAQs.
Specific error messages
You may be getting a specific numbered NRS error message. See more on these messages.
