Sure Signal stopped working - help please. (2 flashing lights)

[JohnAdams101]

Hello,

I've had my Sure Signal for years now. Worked fine.

The last few weeks it has just had the 2 flashing lights.including thew red flashing light.

I've tried turning it off/on again - not helped.

Tried the reset procedure. No help.

Tried calling Vodafone - they advised they reset the vpn connection at their end. No help.

I've reset it again. No help.

Just the two lights flashing.

I've not made any broadband or firewall changes. It's worked fine for 2 years.

Can you help please?

Serial Number: 40114512748

My IP: 86.167.145.5

My broadband speed and quality is fine - 20mb down, 2mb up.

Tracing route to 212.183.133.177 over a maximum of 30 hops

  1    18 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.1.1
  2     8 ms     8 ms     8 ms  213.120.155.230
  3     9 ms    10 ms    11 ms  213.120.155.142
  4    10 ms     9 ms     9 ms  217.41.216.226
  5     9 ms     9 ms     9 ms  31.55.164.221
  6     9 ms     9 ms     9 ms  31.55.164.109
  7    10 ms     9 ms    10 ms  109.159.248.206
  8    17 ms    15 ms    15 ms  109.159.248.150
  9    13 ms    13 ms    14 ms  109.159.254.108
 10    29 ms    30 ms    17 ms  195.66.224.124
 11    15 ms    15 ms    14 ms  85.205.116.14
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 14     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 15     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 16     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 17     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 18     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 19     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 20     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 21     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 22     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 23     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 24     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 25     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 26     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 27     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 28     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 29     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 30     *        *        *     Request timed out.

[Retired-Andy]

Hi JohnAdams101,

Trying the Sure Signal on a different internet connection would help us identify where the possible cause lies.

As you’ve requested, I’ve just performed a resync for you. To make sure the resync completes, can you perform a factory reset:-

• Hold down the reset button until all the lights show/flash (about 30 seconds)
• Keeping the reset button held down, remove then re-insert the power lead
• Once all the lights display, release the reset button
• The Sure Signal will come online in about an hour

Let me know how you go on.

Thanks

Andrew

[JohnAdams101]

No luck

Still the same flashing lights.

I've no alternative internet connection to try it from either unfortunately.

Look forward to hearing from you.

[Sukhi]

Hi JohnAdams101

Do you have the option of trying a different Ethernet cable to see if that helps?

It does sounds like you have a faulty Sure Signal in which case we can reapir if for you. See here for more info.

Thanks

Sukhi

[JohnAdams101]

Hi,

New ethernet cable did not help.

I'm not sure it is a faulty unit.

I was looking at this thread and it's exactly the same:

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/Sure-Signal-suddenly-not-working-BTHomeHub2-all-...

I am also on BT broadband.

I note you have an ongoing issue with BT broadband but suggest it is to do with the infinity broadband routers?

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/Sure-Signal-and-BT-Home-Hub/td-p/1519302

Might I suggest the issue is related to BT rather than specifically their router?

(Unless you can tell me the specific issue so we can decide/analyse ourselves).

I believe there are a few of us experiencing the same issue - might we all be on BT broadband?

[JohnAdams101]

I've had problems lately:

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/Sure-Signal-stopped-working-help-please-2-flashi...

So has this user:

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/Sure-Signal-suddenly-not-working-BTHomeHub2-all-...

We have BT Broadband in common.

I note there is an official announcement but this relates specifically to the router:

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/Sure-Signal-and-BT-Home-Hub/td-p/1519302

Is anyone else on BT Broadband (who does not use the BT supplied router) that is having the issue?

Thanks.

[harpsichord8]

Hi JohnAdams101,

Author of 'VSS Suddenly Not Working' post here.

Spent the £100 yesterday in store for a new VSS. Have to say it's working like a dream. Didn't have to forward ports and it was up-and-running within an hour (though misleading blurb on one page of setup guide - but not another - suggested 10mins so you can imagine my horror when it hadn't settled yet!). So clearly a faulty unit - I would say wear and tear as in constant use since 2/2010. If it helps, you could consider £2.380952380952381 per month over 3.5 years which kind of mollified my apoplectic bank account.

Best wishes,
Anna

[Sukhi]

Hi JohnAdams101

Thanks for getting back to us. It’s possible you could be affected by the issue that we're aware of.

As the Sure Signal as made some connection, can test it elsewhere? Maybe around a friend’s house and see if that makes any difference ?

harpsichord8 - I believe your issue is now resolved?

Thanks

Sukhi

[harpsichord8]

You are not going to believe this - or maybe you are - but my VSS3 stopped working after around 5 hours. Solid red light and intermittently flashing internet light. last connected to server 2am Thurs morning. I had it re-synced this morning after calling Customer Services. The lady gave me the *wrong* method of resetting the device; she said just hold down reset button for 20+ seconds. I did this, released the button, and no red light at all - unit off. So I unplugged & plugged back in. Solid red and intermittently flashing internet light. I don't know how long this will take. She said if reset doesn't work then restart router - after 24 hours?? I gave the shop my VSS1 as both in this Forum and speaking to the shop staff it appeared it had ceased to function; it was out of warranty so would cost me to repair; the shop agreed better to buy a new one. Then a message in the Forum said maybe it's BT. I no longer have the first unit and have spent £100 on the new one. I am supposed to wait until it works, do tests, open ports...?

This is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. I have spent £100. You CANNOT offer this unit in the slick way you do in your marketing material when there is this level of uncertainty and malfunction. I want my money back but I also want some compensation for the huge amount of trouble this has put me to, and the loss of my original unit. I will have to travel a further 80-mile round trip to Cambridge just to return the VSS3.

Anna

[JohnAdams101]

Hi,

I do believe we all have the same issue here and it's not a faulty device for any of us.

I'd love to try it somewhere else but unfortunately i've nobody suitable to ask. (It's quite a strange thing to ask a neighbour).

[harpsichord8]

Hi,

24 hours after resync - nothing. I restarted the BT router and while it was rebooting the internet light on the VSS was still doing its slow and intermittent flash, so that showed me there's no connection at all, just trying to find one. I have now spoken to my shop. The shop has a mobile number, so on my landline that's 30p/min. They can't help. I've given up my original VSS which probably worked fine (because I was told it was probably dead - and on here, too, with a crass comment implying 'what do you expect after 3 years?') and now am going to return my £100 VSS3. So I will have nothing at home now.

Or should I sit on the new unit and wait to see if a solution appears? I've got 14 days to decide (the shop gave me an extra 7 days).

My issue is becoming more and more with Customer Services. The call centre is laughably inept (even my shop acknowledges this). Everyone is leaving me high and dry. The shop has not offered anything by way of acknowledgement that I handed in the first unit in good faith. The thing is, because we are all on contracts, Vodafone don't have to worry about whether we are going to walk. They've got me for another couple of years on 3 phones, all renewing at different times, so you think you might as well keep them all with Vodafone. I feel totally let down by the company, who are happy to leave me to do all the legwork with a useless unit, advertised as brilliant, and stand by while I take pains to do things like spend half an hour on the phone, make an 80-mile round trip to a shop (durr - rural area, hence Sure Signal) or spend my valuable time writing messages on this forum which are usually answered by the tech team after a few hours. I suppose it's not official Customer Services here.

Any other company and I would have walked long ago; Vodafone does keep me with them for the deals, but I'm sure I would have been able to shop around successfully. I would have left them a few months ago after a long-drawn-out issue with swapping two of my mobile numbers around... but that's another story.

Anna