Help! My New VSS V3 will not install

[mikebrunger]

After having problems with V2 that mysteriously stopped working after many years I have de-registered it and bought a new V3. After a total of about 36hrs trying to get it to work I am at a loss. Please help! Has my VSS connected with your servers yet??? T/S steps so far:

1. Serial number 42160534600

2. De-Registered old V2

3. V3 has registered through My Vodafone web page

4. Speedtest results: Ping 30ms; Download 30.84Mbps; Upload 6.6Mbps

5. Router is a Plusnet 2704N fibre connect

6. Port Forwarding set as per instructions. See attached screenshot

7. Tracert:

Traceroute has started…

traceroute to 212.183.133.177 (212.183.133.177), 64 hops max, 72 byte packets

 1  dsldevice.lan (192.168.1.254)  5.326 ms  2.089 ms  1.978 ms

 2  * * *

 3  * * *

 4  be3-3104.psb-ir01.plus.net (195.166.143.136)  30.125 ms  18.467 ms  16.746 ms

 5  core1-be1.southbank.ukcore.bt.net (195.99.125.130)  18.613 ms  16.746 ms  19.053 ms

 6  62.172.103.23 (62.172.103.23)  19.113 ms  17.225 ms  16.814 ms

 7  t2c3-et-3-1-0-0.uk-lon1.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.236)  20.032 ms  19.538 ms  16.950 ms

 8  166-49-211-254.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.254)  18.369 ms  19.228 ms  16.979 ms

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8. VSS is assigned an IP address from router

9. After going through supplied install steps I waited 26hrs and still the Power light is on solid and internet light slow-flashes.

10. I then tried reset by holding reset button for 5 secs. Still same state after a further 12hrs.

11. I can ping the VSS IP address ok

Getting really frustrated with these boxes. What hope do non-techie users have???

[mikebrunger]

Internet light still flashing. In case you ask for the 'normal' information, here it is, but I think we've got beyond standard T/S now.

VSS serial number 42160534600

Traceroute has started…

traceroute to 212.183.133.177 (212.183.133.177), 64 hops max, 72 byte packets

 1  dsldevice.lan (192.168.1.254)  70.080 ms  1.586 ms  1.905 ms

 2  * * *

 3  * * *

 4  be3-3104.psb-ir01.plus.net (195.166.143.136)  18.777 ms  17.845 ms  17.799 ms

 5  core1-be1.southbank.ukcore.bt.net (195.99.125.130)  17.955 ms  18.390 ms  16.569 ms

 6  62.172.103.23 (62.172.103.23)  17.584 ms  17.688 ms  16.913 ms

 7  t2c3-et-3-3-0-0.uk-lon1.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.238)  16.120 ms  17.362 ms  16.912 ms

 8  166-49-211-254.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.254)  16.928 ms  19.664 ms  16.781 ms

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Public IP of my router is 209.93.183.212

Broadband speedtest results: Ping test 29ms; Download 35.59 Mbps; Upload 7.6 Mbps

Other steps taken since MAy 28th when VSS V3 was bought and installed:

1. Powercycled numerous times

2. Router powercycled at least twice

3. Registered on My Vodafone and Active status

4. Connected directly to router instead of through TPLink powrline adaptor

5. LAN cable replaced

6. Router assigned IP address

7. Port forwarding set up although told by Tech Support it wasn't necessary.

Surely Vodafone can fix this??? or shall I go and change it for another one??

[Rahim]

@mikebrunger I've resynced the Sure Signal again from our side as requested. 

Please wait 6 hours before it attempts to establish a connection. 

If you're still having trouble, please try the device in a different location from your home. 

[mikebrunger]

Rahim, as the VSS had not completed setup I had an online chat with Sanchit this morning. To my dismay Sanchit resyncd the vss again and advised me to power off/on the vss after 2hrs to complete the process. Then I was assured it would be fixed. I waited for 3 hrs and powered off/on the vss and after a few seconds the Power light flashed and the Phone and Service lights went on orange. Then they went off and the Internet light starting slow-flash again. According to the setup guide this means the sure signal cannot access the Vodafone System - what a surprise. If it still failed Sanchit suggested I go to the store and get it replaced. That is what I will do.

I will de-register the current vss and then register the new one and start all over again. I am unable to try the vss in another house.

By the way, do you Customer Service Reps have access to the Online Chat discussions? If so, you should be able to see what has been done so far surely.

[grolschuk]

I'm not familar with the PN 2704n router, but a fair few routers 'out of the box' are not overly happy allowing portions of the encrypted tunnel back to vodafone... they think the traffic is destined for them and keep it.

Most boxes have somewhere in their config pages, the ability to allow this through... Some names for this are VPN Passthrough, WAN-NAT Passthrough, Port Clamping, and variations of the above.

Can you see if there is such an option for your to enable, if you have multiple options, it's the one labelled L2TP.

If that option isn't there, then setting up Port Forwarding can sometimes achieve the same results, but sometimes the router still fails to play ball, and I see you have done this already with no joy.

Maybe a question to PlusNet?

[mikebrunger]

Hello Grolschuk. I have just returned home with a replacement VSS V3 but am not that confident it will work. If I connect to my Plusnet router using Expert access I can see there is a menu called L2TP Client Side PPP Connection under Advanced Setup>VPN menu. It asks for a L2TP Server IP address which I guess comes from Vodafone. Is this what you mean? If I access the standard user menu of the router and go to Advanced menu there is a Port Forwarding menu which I have setup as you know. A bit reluctant to play with L2TP config yet so will try the new VSS first. Then maybe call Plusnet and hope I don't get into the finger pointing game.

[mikebrunger]

Latest update. Yesterday I replaced the vss V3 with a new one from local store. I de-registered the old one and registered the new one. It shows active status on your website. Plugged new one into power and connected it to router. Modified port forwarding config for new vss/mac address. Waited at least 14 hours and no change to symptoms!!!

I then decided to contact Plusnet, my ISP and ask about the router and vss config. Here is what I was told by the plusnet customer support rep:

Plusnet CS:

 am afraid we would be unable to assist you with setting up the sure signal box as this is not something we are trained on as it is not our product. 

There is nothing you should need to do with the router to be able to use the sure signal box as our router does work with them. As we do have many customers who already use them with our routers.

Me: 

I understand that it is not your product. I wanted to simply ask if you could verify I have setup port forwarding correctly.

Plusnet CS:

We can't see that from our side, you can only see the port forward rules from within the router which can only be accessed while connected to your router I am afraid.

Also port-forwarding is not something we support ourselves, so I would be unable to assist with that I am afraid.

So.... Plusnet say there is nothing that needs to be done from router side as VSS works fine with them. Vodafone cannot/will not help in any other way other than resync/reset the vss a million times and ask me to do many other unhelpful things. All I want is a working VSS in my house which has worked before for many years!! Is it too much to ask, Vodafone????

[mikebrunger]

UPDATE:

I have noticed the new VSS exhibits slightly different errors. After registering online, power resetting router and VSS and ensuring port forwarding configured (I also put VSS in DMZ), the VSS does following:

1. After a few secs after power on the red power light comes on solid

2. About 10 sec later the Internet light starts to slow flash

3. About 30 secs later the red power light flashes and Service and Phone lights flash ORANGE. This means VSS cannot access Vodafone system - please check you have completed registration.

Well I have registered the VSS. I received an email and text and the online status is ACTIVE. THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST V3!!

What is the problem now? I have an assigned IP from the router.

[Rahim]

@mikebrunger If you're still having this issue, please let us know your Sure Signal serial number. 

[mikebrunger]

Why do you need my serial number? In the past you have reset the vss so many times with no difference. Plusnet say their routers work with your box with no configs required. Vodafone say the problem is not with them. I have replaced the vss recently and still the stupid box doesn't connect. Why don't you try something else to get this to work or maybe admit it doesn't work with fibre connection and stop wasting my time and money??

[Rahim]

@mikebrunger You've mentioned that you've had a replacement Sure Signal recently.

As you've had a replacement device, we'll therefore need the new serial number.