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SureSignal causing dropped ADSL connections

JamesOakley
4: Newbie

I have been using my SureSignal box for a couple of months now, and configuring it was no problem. Within half an hour it was working, and I was getting the 5 bars of 3G on my handset.

 

But: Since adding the SureSignal to my Router (which is a NetGear DGN2000), I began to get my ADSL connection drop to the exchange. The connection was flawless before, but now it will stay connected for anywhere between 24 hours and 4 days before dropping out. I'm not being logged out by my ISP; the router is totally disconnecting, as the line shows no upstream or downstream sync at all. Sometimes this can be fixed by unplugging the cable between the router and the splitter; at other times it requires a router reboot.

 

I have searched and found multiple forum threads such as this one (http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/VSS-working-with-Netgear-DGND3700v2/m-p/1220300/... which say that I need to (a) assign maximum QoS to the SureSignal, and (b) allow ports 50, 123, 500 and 4500 through the Firewall so that outbound traffic is allowed out, and so that inbound traffic is routed through NAT to the SureSignal.

 

I did all of that, and the problem was not solved. What this did allow was more careful diagnostics, because any traffic that is let through the Firewall is logged. I can now see that, shortly before the connection drops, the SureSignal box starts sending one UDP packet to a remote IP on port 123 every second, and one UDP packet to a remote IP on port 4500 every ten seconds. Because the router's log gets full I cannot see how long this goes on before the connection drops, but it would seem to be more than a minute and less than 15 minutes.

 

There are two problems with this: 1. Why would the SureSignal box need to do this? Is it faulty firmware in the box? It is up and delivering a perfect service for 24 hours or longer before this starts to happen, so I cannot understand why this gentle flood of outbound packets would suddenly begin. Obviously I'd like the box to stop doing this, as this is what is causing the dropped connections. 2. Whether or not the box should do this is moot; that behaviour nevertheless shouldn't cause the ADSL to drop its connection entirely.

 

Can anyone point me to a way to resolve this problem? Thanks!

5 REPLIES 5

Nabs
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

@JamesOakley wrote:

1. Why would the SureSignal box need to do this? Is it faulty firmware in the box? It is up and delivering a perfect service for 24 hours or longer before this starts to happen, so I cannot understand why this gentle flood of outbound packets would suddenly begin. Obviously I'd like the box to stop doing this, as this is what is causing the dropped connections. 


Port 123 is used for NTP (Network Time Protocol). The Sure Signal uses this to make sure its clock is perfectly synced with the Vodafone network.

Port 4500 is generaly used for VPN Tunnelling. The Sure Signal works by creating a VPN tunnel to the Vodafone servers to ensure a secure and reliable connection.

The Box won't stop making these requests as they are core to it's functionality.

 


@JamesOakley wrote:

2. Whether or not the box should do this is moot; that behaviour nevertheless shouldn't cause the ADSL to drop its connection entirely.


Your right, this behaviour shouldn't cause the network to be disconnected. It is very difficult to say why this would happen as sending requests on commonly used ports such as this is a faily standard thing.

 

Could it maybe be that the line is dropping and the the SureSignal is then sending these requests to try and re-establish connection but the logs are showing things int he wrong order?

 

If your DSL sync speed i sshowing as zero then it would usually indicate a line issue rather than anything else

 

Nabs

 

Thanks Nabs for your thoughts.
The Box won't stop making these requests as they are core to it's functionality.
It's not the connections to remote ports 123 and 4500 that I'm saying should stop. It's the behaviour of being fine for 24 hours or longer, and then suddently issuing repeat UDP packets every 1 / 10s respectively.
Could it maybe be that the line is dropping and the the SureSignal is then sending these requests to try and re-establish connection but the logs are showing things int he wrong order?
Good thought, but it can't be in this case. The firewall is reporting those packets as successfully getting through, which wouldn't happen if there was no connection. Also, the order is quite clear: a whole string of log entries running over at least a minute reporting these packets being let through the Firewall. Then a single log entry "LCP Down". Then a whole string of entires as the router tries to reconnect but fails. After the LCP Down entry, there are no further UDP packets logged. Because the UDP packets happen over an extended period, the timestamps are far enough apart that it's not just that the log entries appear slightly out of order.
If your DSL sync speed i sshowing as zero then it would usually indicate a line issue rather than anything else
Yes - once the connection has dropped, it is a line issue. But it does seem to be the UDP requests that are causing the line to drop. Reset the line (by disconnecting the cable and reconnecting it) and the internet will be fine again. Until (after 18-168 hours) the SS box starts sending those packets again. That will cause the line to drop once again.

Hi JamesOakley,

 

If the Sure Signal connection is lost, then it will start trying to contact the servers to reconnect. It may be this which is triggering the repeated messages.

 

So we can get a better idea what is happening, can you confirm the following for me?

 

 - What set up did you have in place when the Sure Signal was working?

 

 - What exactly was changed when this issue started?

 

 - What is the Sure Signal serial number so we can take a closer look at this end?

 

Dave

Hi Dave

 

Thanks for your reply. For some reason, the forum didn't send me the usual e-mail to let me know that there was a reply, hence only coming back now.

 

Sure Signal still works. It always has. But since approximately the time I started using it, I have been having ADSL drop-outs. Nothing's changed. I've tried with a different router (Billion BiPAC, as opposed to my old NetGear DGN2000), but that didn't help.

 

SS serial is 40123243384.

 

One theory I'm testing (for which I've had to turn off the SS box entirely) is that the SS could be causing REIN. Is that something you've found before? It doesn't seem to be a common problem, so if that were it a swap on the SS box could be the answer.

hooker1uk
14: Advanced member
14: Advanced member

Does your connection drop off at around 9:59/10Pm every few nights? or at similar times duting the day?
Also how close is the device to the router? 

thirdly is the sure signal or the ethernet csble to the SS and router near the ADSL cable 

I ask as i'm investigating a REIN issue in my ADSL. And plusnet have asked me to look at devices near the router. We have the suresignal  near the router (which has been for a year now)

It drops off at 10pm exactly every few days. I wonder if the SS does some diag tests and it confuses the router knockning it down  

Paul - Blogger at imwellconfused.me.uk @hooker1uk 

Current devices: Nokia e7-00, Smart ultra 7 - archos xenon 96 

Disclosure! I review devices, products and services in partnership with Vodafone UK on imwellconfused uk. Anything I post here is not affiliated or endorsed by Vodafone UK.