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Jenny
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:
- Turn off your router or modem at the wall for 10 seconds and then turn it back on
- Wait for the lights on your modem/router to indicate that an internet connection has been established
- 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:
- Hold in the reset button until all lights go solid
- Pull the power lead out with the reset button still pushed in
- Continue to hold down the reset button and reconnect the power lead
- 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
Any other suggestions VF? Postcode is (PO15 7..)
A very frustrated customer,
tkop2010
James_Vodafone, on 22 October 2010 - 12:33 AM, said:Hi Tkop2010,Welcome to the eForum from all of the team:)
Sorry to hear you are also having issues, as with a lot of other users in this thread a reset of the sure signal has resolved the issue for them, can you confirm if you have tried this? if so what happens? do you get the same issue?
James
eForum Team
*******************************
Hi James, thank you for your prompt reply. That was the first thing I tried before contacting VF for technical support. Since then I have tried the portforwarding workaround, a factory reset of my router, I've restarted virgin modem, router and SS a number of times with no effect. My ISP is Virgin and there are absolutely no faults with the line (20MB).
It seems a bit strange that a number of people have recently been experiencing issues with their SS when it has been working absolutely fine until now. What strikes me is that people are reporting the same fault and they are on different ISPs and also have different routers. The only common denominator in all this is the VF SS servers.
Any suggestions welcome! 🙂
Thanks,
Thanos (tkop2010)
*****
I didn't get a second reply on the other thread so I thought I'd move it to a more relevant theread 🙂
*****
At present I have no immediate information or troubleshooting tips to add, I will be consulting with George, however, to see if we can come up with additional advise, or suggestions leading to a resolution.
Thanks
Reidar
eForum Team
Hi guys,
r1chardc, the difference between the flashing and steady power light when no others are lit is indeed that one hasn't downloaded a profile whereas the other has. All this means is that if you do have a steady light then the Sure Signal has been at least able to connect to the server at some point. In most cases this happens after the Sure Signal has been working correctly for a period of time but has then stopped. In some instances this isn't the case though, either way I'll be discussing this with the Sure Signal project team tomorrow.
sainttrorey, have you checked that your Sure Signal appears in your Router's DHCP table? If you're unsure of how to do this I'd recommend contacting your ISP or router manufacturer. It may also be worth testing a different ethernet cable or router if possible.
paulpenny, a very warm welcome to the eForum. I'd just like to clarify that we definitely haven't changed anything at our end that would suddenly prevent your Sure Signal from working. It could be a change that Sky have made at their end, or indeed new firmware downloaded to your router. I'd recommend contacting Sky to see if anything has changed at their end at all.
Hi ...can I just say something here. I have had the same problem with the power light on steady and nothing else happening. I called customer support this morning and went through all the usual checks with them BUT (and it's a big but) I was told to do a factory reset by pressing the reset button, removing the ETHERNET cable (!), reinserting said cable and releasing the reset button. Of course...no change. I was then told it was a problem with Demon...contacted them...said it was a problem with my Netgear router.....contacted them....no, not them...after 2 hours back to Vodafone who said it was a problem with my router settings. So, I checked the ports were open.....IP address all OK...firewall off... and still no better. I then read on here that to do the factory reset I should have unplugged the power cable instead of the Ethernet cable! Have just done this and now all lights are flashing randomly so I'm hoping it's going to sort itself out....fingers crossed.
I do feel that the Vodafone operator should have given me the correct reset info in the first place!!
George
eForum Team
Firstly I had the solid power lights and no other lights. I read the forum and tried as I could to follow the instructions on adding the IP address and mac address of my SS box to my router (I wasnt sure how to do this so added it in the only place I could see that would accept a mac address). Once I did this it connected straight away.
Next morning I awoke to no signal, just the steady power light.
The port forwarding instructions didn't appear relevant to my router (D-Link 2640-S)
Also I figure I dont need to make any changes as it connected the first time with no issues and worked for weeks.
I tried a factory reset and had the flashing power light, still no sign of connection. I then removed the info I had put in my router and law and behold I have a flashing sequence of lights. After a little while I was connected again
Yay. NO.......after returning from work the next day, I have no connection again, just a solid Power Light.
I factory reset again and now have a flashing power light.
Can someone please advise me what I need to do, without this box I literally have no signal in my house at all.
Hi, I bought the sure signal box a couple of months ago, followed the instructions on the box and it worked straight off.
Also I figure I don't need to make any changes as it connected the first time with no issues and worked for weeks.
I factory reset again and now have a flashing power light.
As you rightly say, if it "worked straight off" you know that you "don't need to make any changes" to the router configuration and the majority of advise in this troubleshooting thread is irrelevant to your situation.
If you have made any router configurations changes, you may want to consider returning the router to the state it was in when the SS box worked correctly.
Following a factory reset it took my SS box around 48 hours to complete its configuration updates and move on from a flashing power light to a working system. So my advise at this point would be to do nothing and wait expectantly.
Following a factory reset it took my SS box around 48 hours to complete its configuration updates and move on from a flashing power light to a working system. So my advise at this point would be to do nothing and wait expectantly.
I personally cannot see any reason for the SS to take 48 hours to do anything - unless (as I strongly believe) the problems we are experiencing are down to problems with the vodafone infrastructure.
Just ask yourself "what could possibly take 48 hours or for that matter 2 hours. Even downloading a new firmware (based on the fact that you need upwards of 2mb broadband to use SS) should not take anywhere near that long.
There is something hinky about the whole setup/registration/reconnection process of the SS. You only have to look at the deluge of users with this issue in early October and the "it should now be sorted" reply from the Vodafone mods without ever explaining what was sorted.
Don't get me wrong I realise that technical support can be a real B.ll ac.e (I do it myself) but this wall of silence and infallibility just winds people up - yes especially me!
If there is an issue and there obviously is then just tell us and sort it out! Also post a full description of the process the SS goes through and the times it is expected to take (and why) for each process so we don't have to sit around for 2 days watching a sodding flashing light before you believe us that it's banjaxed!
As you rightly say, if it "worked straight off" you know that you "don't need to make any changes" to the router configuration and the majority of advise in this troubleshooting thread is irrelevant to your situation.
If you have made any router configurations changes, you may want to consider returning the router to the state it was in when the SS box worked correctly.
Following a factory reset it took my SS box around 48 hours to complete its configuration updates and move on from a flashing power light to a working system. So my advise at this point would be to do nothing and wait expectantly.
It seems to have a mind of its own, last night after finally getting to a point where I didn't care (then realising of course I care, my iPhone is just a door wedge without signal), I reset my router to how it was before I made the changes and as of this morning it was still 1 lonely flashing power light. I'll check again when I get home later. Maybe my SS Box is at fault!? It certainly wouldn't appear to be the router.
