"New Location" text messages

[gfwilliams]

I know this seems to have been asked a million times, but I have a Sure Signal v2 and I keep getting text messages telling me I've moved (serial # 40120555962).

I know why this is - it's because BT keeps changing my IP address. The problem is that I can update the post code, but 2 days later BT will change my IP address again and it'll send me yet another text message reminding me.

It's insane. Can you configure the sure signal not to send these reminders? I have no plans to move, but if I do you'll know because I'll update the address on my Vodafone account!

[Retired-Andy]

Hi gfwilliams,

I’ve checked for you, and it’s not possible to disable the text messages.

Thanks,

Andy

[gfwilliams]

So I just have to put up with text messages every 48 hours, seemingly any time of the day and night?

[Retired-Andy]

Hi gfwilliams,

I’m afraid so since the text messages can’t be disabled.

Andy

[gfwilliams]

Is there any way to block the text messages on my phone or to change the number that they are sent to?

My Galaxy S3 doesn't want to block the number - it says it is invalid.

[Ben_H]

Hi gfwilliams,

As Andy mentioned, there's no way of stopping the automated messages.

An option would be to speak to your ISP to see if there's a way of getting you a fixed IP.

Cheers, Ben

[gfwilliams]

There isn't a way to get a fixed IP. I have searched for other reasons and BT don't provide fixed IPs to residential customers.

Can you lodge some kind of complaint or request for a change with the makers of the Sure Signal box?

BT is one of the largest home broadband suppliers. Most of your users will use them, and you're saying that every single one of those users on BT will have to put up with repeated 'you have moved' text messages, that can't be blocked by their phones, at any time of the day or night?

That's a huge problem. At the very least can it be set up to send the text messages to a different phone number? I have a payg number (not vodafone) that they could be sent to.

[grolschuk]

I wouldn't have thought that dhcp lease renewals on the router would cause such a flood of alerts. Maybe one or two a year, but the majority of the time, the renewed address would be the same one, or at least from the same pool and geolocation.

As you said, BT are one of the major ISPs, and I'd have thought Vodafone and the forums would have seen many more complaints about this happening.

The address allocation, while not static, is extreamly sticky, and normally only renews itself when the DSL connection is made.

I wonder if the router is set to dial on demand rather than keep a persistant connection, which would mean that it dials up more often than most, or if something is causing the router to disconnect, and when it reconnects it gets a new address.

[gfwilliams]

Yes, it's frustrating that it does change the IP so often. All I can assume is that the modem occasionally crashes (because it's fibre there's a special interface box in addition to the home hub).

I actually have a linux PC sitting in the corner, requesting a webpage once a minute all the time so that I can figure out what the IP is when I'm away from home (and also dissuade BT from disconnecting me). Sadly it doesn't do any good, and probably once a week my IP changes for no apparent reason.

[Ben_H]

Hi gfwilliams,

I'm afraid we'd have a lot more BT customers posting about this if they were all experiencing the same. I understand this doesn't help your situation if your home setup is polling as often as it is.

I can certainly feed your suggestion back for you, I just can't guarantee any immediate changes off the back of it.

Many thanks, Ben