Flashing/steady power light, no other lights lit

[Retired-George]

We’ve created this thread to help with an issue that some people find during setup.

This issue has the following symptoms:

• The power light either constantly flashes or remains steady
• No other lights flash or light up

Please note that whether the power light is flashing or remains steady, this still points to the same issue - the Sure Signal hasn't established a connection to the internet.

The only difference is that if the light’s steady, then the Sure Signal has previously downloaded a profile from the server, if it's flashing then it hasn't.

Troubleshooting steps:

Check the physical connection between your Sure Signal and the router/modem.

In order to work, the Sure Signal needs to be connected to a spare Ethernet port on your router or modem, or a Hub/Switch that is connected to an internet gateway.

In some cases, it’s possible for an Ethernet cable to be faulty, in which case it may not allow your router and Sure Signal to talk to each other.

To verify that the Ethernet cable works, check the lights at the back of your Sure Signal where the cable is plugged in.

There should be a link light on permanently which indicates that an electrical circuit has been established through the cable.

There should also be a light which flashes whenever data is being passed through the cable. If either the data light or the link light do not come on, this could indicate a problem with the cable itself. Please try a spare cable, or plug the cable into a different port on your router/modem.

Check that you’ve got an active internet connection.
Make sure you can connect to the internet on another device, such as your PC or phone. If you can’t connect, this indicates a problem with your router or your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

We recommend rebooting the router to see if this then allows you to connect to the internet.

Reboot your router/modem:

1. Turn off your router or modem at the wall for 10 seconds and then turn it back on
2. Wait for the lights on your modem/router to indicate that an internet connection has been established
3. Press the reset button on the Sure Signal

Check that your Sure Signal has been assigned an internal IP address by your router.

The Sure Signal must be assigned an internal IP address by your router. If your router supports DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), this must be enabled, as doing so will enable the router to assign an IP address to your Sure Signal automatically.

For more instructions on how to do this, please check your router manual, or contact your ISP or router manufacturer.

If your router or network configuration doesn’t allow DHCP, you’ll need to assign a static IP address to your Sure Signal's MAC Address by using your router's configuration panel. Please contact your ISP or router manufacturer for instructions on how to do this. The MAC address can be found on the sticker at the back of the Sure Signal.

BT Infinity customers.

If you’re a BT Infinity customer, you’ll need to log into your router admin page and select port clamping.

Once this has been selected please restart your router and Sure Signal.

Check your MTU settings.

Log into your router admin page and find the location of the MTU field. This varies depending on the make and model so you’ll need to look for it.

Change the value of the MTU size to 1500.

Log out of the router, this will usually result in a reboot.

Perform a reset of the Sure Signal:

1. Hold in the reset button until all lights go solid
2. Pull the power lead out with the reset button still pushed in
3. Continue to hold down the reset button and reconnect the power lead
4. Wait for all lights to come on and then release the reset button

The Sure Signal will now try to contact the network and download its profile. This can take up to 6 hours.

Post your router/ISP details and Sure Signal serial number.

If you’ve done all of the above, or you’re struggling with configuring your router, please post your router's make and model number below. Please also include your Sure Signal serial number and the name of your ISP.

We find that other users of the same router will usually be able to share tips with you, to get things working.

We’ll also attempt to help with this, but due to the number of different manufacturers and models, it is not always possible. We don’t officially support any form of router configuration, so we’ll always recommend contacting your router manufacturer or ISP for assistance first.

Thanks,

Jenny

[Retired-Lee]

Hey Tinkerbellamy,

I've just sent an email to your registered eForum address. Please reply with the requested information and I'll be in touch.

Cheers,

Lee

eForum Team

[cheadle3G]

my sure signal has stopped working, only get the solid power light. i changed my router 4 weeks ago, and the sure signal worked with it out of the box,  didnt do anything. stopped working yesterday. been through all the troble-shooting steps and tried a few more like turning firewall off, no change. suresignal shows as registered on 'My Account'.

my router is Belkin F5D-8635-4 v1

ISP is Orange

Sure signal serial number is 21228589293

I cant understand why it would stop working unless it has developed a fault?

[leanned22]

Hi there,

I need help please!!??? My sure signal has been down for 2 weeks now and im really starting to get fed up now, ive rang vodafone and just getting told its my internet but ive had this sure signal connected to the same isp and router since January and has worked fine since then, ive also rang sky my isp and have been told my internet is fine and there is no problem their end!!?? 

My sure signal just has a flashing power light, ive gone through all troubleshooting tips and nothing is working.

Phone signal is non exsistent without sure signal working and being without it for 2 weeks is driving me crazy

Please help!!??

[Marcshenken]

Hi leanned22

I have the same problem.  Are you by any chance on Sky Broadband with a DLink router?  My SS was working fine and then about 10 days ago just overnight stopped.

After over a week of posting on this thread, voda have been in touch to admit that the new software Sky are rolling out to their routers is NOT compatible with Sure SIgnal.  Something to do with a MER system that SKy have changed to from PPoA (no idea what that means)

Voda pointed me to this thread which has some discussion on it about the issue but no solutions:  http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/New-Sure-Signal-Steady-Power-Light-Only/td-p/679...

I understand that the SS engineers are "working on this issue" but as of Thursday when I last had email contact there was no timeframe for a solution.

So in the meantime all SKy BB customers with a D Link router (which will be most people who signed up this year) - and also the rest of the Sky BB population who are having the new firmware rolled out to them - will be Sure SIgnal-less for the forseeable future.  Pretty pathetic, huh?

[leanned22]

Yeh its a d-link router 😞

This is ridiculous, i hope something can be sorted soon so i can use my phone at home. I dont understand why Sky had to change anything. 

Thanks for letting me know though

[Marcshenken]

yeah - its totally ridiculous.  I am verry unhappy about it.

Frankly I dont blame Sky - they are entitled to change their network - I am sure tyhey had good reason to change to this MER.  I believe that the fault is with Voda as in my opinion they shouldnt be selling equipment that is not compatible with all major broadband providers.

Given the sheer number of posts on these threads just shows that the SS equipment is not stable - perhaps that is why no other network is offering them !!!!!!!

[matt_c]

Hi,

I just purchased the new Vodafone Sure Signal unit from a Vodafone retail shop after I stopped receiving reception in my flat. I'm on Sky Broadband with the D-Link DSL-2640S router. I've not been able to get the VSS unit to successfully connect despite enabling port forwarding for the suggested ports. I've waited 24 hours since registration as recommended.

After reading this thread and the thread linked below I think it may be because of the MER/PPPoA issue. Does Vodafone have any plans to resolve this issue and support MER? When I purchased the VSS the salesman did not enquire which ISP or router I used and I had assumed it would be a plug and play device.

(http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/New-Sure-Signal-Steady-Power-Light-Only/td-p/679...

[hvdv]

Marcshenken,

Couldnt agree more. Cant blame Sky for implementing something that *only* affects the voda equipment and no other devices.it is a vodafone issue.
Moreover, I find the lacking communication (upfront, at point of purchase as well as now when running into trouble) on the part of vodafone somewhat annoying... Are we supposed ti find this out all on our own and then patiently wait while £50 out of pocket until they get around to fixing this?

If indeed the vss is fundamentally incompatible with MER, there will be quite some refund requests and contract cancellations I am sure!

[Retired-BenJ]

Hi cheadl3G

I've sent you an email so we can look into this issue. As you’re not a Sky customer, you shouldn’t be affected by the new router firmware that has been pushed out. However I would like to check the external IP address that you’re using.

Thanks.

Hi Guys

I can appreciate that you’re having a challenge with the Sure Signal and the new Dlink firmware that sky has rolled out. 

We are still looking into this situation however at this moment in time MER encapsulation is not compatible with Sure Signal.

Thanks
BenJ
eForum Team

[cheadle3G]

Hi BenJ, sorry I've just realised my email address was incorrect on the eforum, whoops my mistake. please could you resend me the email you referred to?

many thanks