Internet relay calls involve some different things working together:
- your computer and the software loaded on it
- the internet connection through your internet service provider (ISP), and
- 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 Why do I only get a blank page with the NRS banner across the top?
2 I am trying to make a call from my work computer but can't get connected. What's the problem?
3 Why is the ‘Connect' button appearing grey and not responding?
4 What happens if the page doesn't allow me to type in the phone number?
5 What if I get an error message that says my 'IP address appears to be from an invalid location or outside Australia'?
6 I am ringing an 1800 (or 1300) number so why can't my call get through?
During the call
7 Why isn't the word verification (or ‘capcha') working?
8 My call has dropped out while I was in the middle of a conversation. What has happened?
9 The relay officer keeps asking me if I'm still there, even though I have been typing and sending messages. What has happened?
10 Why does no message appear on my screen after the system says that the relay officer is typing?
11 Why has my 1300 (or 1800) call ended up in another state?
Particular instant messaging problems
12 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
13 What if my browser won't load the call or message page?
14 Why can't I see the box for entering the phone number (or the security image) when I go to make a call?
15 What are some general things I can do if I am having problems making an internet relay call?
PROBLEMS GETTING CONNECTED
1 Why do I only get a blank page with the NRS banner across the top?
This means that your network administrator has prevented Java from running or loading on your computer. See Making a call from work for more information.
2 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.
3 Why is the ‘Connect' button appearing grey and not responding?
You can't make a call until the "Connect" button is blue. Sometime you need to wait up to 50 seconds for the call page to ‘initialise' and the button to go blue. If the button stays grey it is probably because you are on a network and your IT manager has placed security restrictions on access to external applications. See more on making a call from work.
4 What happens if the page doesn't allow me to type in the phone number?
You can't make a call until the Connect button is blue. You need to wait until the call page has fully initialised before entering the phone number. See more on making a call from work.
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5 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
6 I am ringing an 1800 (or 1300) number so why can't my call get through?
Some calls to 13, 1300 or 1800 numbers may not work with internet relay. This is because some 13/1800 numbers, particularly for state-based organisations, are restricted to calls from that particular state. Even though you live in that state, your call to the NRS will go via our call centre in Queensland. With internet relay calls, the NRS cannot tell which state you are calling from, so we may not be able to connect you with the requested 13/1800 number.
If you are having problems making a 13/1800 internet relay call, either:
- try to find out if the organisation has another number (not a 13/1800 number) you can call by internet relay, or
SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGES
You may be getting a specific numbered NRS error message. See more on these messages.
DURING THE CALL
7 Why isn't the word verification (or ‘capcha') working?
Word verification is the process where you need to enter the letters from the speckled image on the call page into the box below. There is a 30 second ‘timeout' for entering the letters. If you take longer than this to enter the letters the verification will sometimes fail even if they are entered correctly.
Word verification is not case sensitive. So it doesn't matter if you enter an upper case (capital) "M" or a lower case (small) "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 lower case. See more on word verification
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8 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:
- close other applications and other open windows
- don't copy, move or download files during the call
- 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
- make sure that your system isn't performing updates for some of your applications - for example, Windows, Java or 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 MSN 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 MSN.
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.
9 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.
10 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.
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11 Why has my 1300 (or 1800) call ended up in another state?
Some calls to 13, 1300 or 1800 numbers may not work as intended with internet relay. For example you might ring for a taxi or try and order a pizza and find your call has been answered in another state. This is because some organisations have a national 13/1800 number and then route the call to a local or state office.
For example if you ring from Western Australia the call would normally go to a Perth office. However, with internet relay your call will come via our call centre in Queensland. Because we can't pick up what state an internet relay call comes from, the call will be then routed to the office of the organisation you are calling nearest our call centre, most likely in Brisbane.
If you are having problems making a 13/1800 internet relay call:
- try to find out if the organisation has another number (not a 13/1800 number) you can call by internet relay
PARTICULAR INSTANT MESSAGING PROBLEMS
12 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. It can usually be fixed by updating your NRS contact name as follows:
- Delete the NRS contact from your MSN contacts
- Tick the box next to ‘Also remove from my Windows Live Hotmail contacts'
- Restore nrsiprelay@iprelay.com.au as a contact.
If the NRS contact continues to be ‘offline', then please contact the Helpdesk or send us a feedback message.
PROBLEMS USING THE NRS WEBSITE FOR INTERNET RELAY
13 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.
14 Why can't I see the box for entering the phone number (or the security image) when I go to make a call?
The most likely reason is that you have updated your browser to Internet Explorer 8. We are hoping to provide a proper fix for this, but until then do the following:
- While viewing the internet relay call page go to the Tools menu and click "Compatibiltiy View". You only need to do this once and it should fix the problem.
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15 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.
4 Make sure that Java is working on Internet Explorer.
See how to test if Java is working properly.
