Issue with Sure Signal 3

[ssizen]

Hi

Has a SS£ and changed routers, same make but since the SS3 does not work, Vodafone support (after a very long call hold!!) reset but no change so any help much appreciated, I have it plugged direct into the router (although before it was not), it is showing

Flashing Red / No Internet light / Steady orange service / Steady orange In Use

IP is this but it changed on router reboot:      217.44.235.28

Speed test is: Upload 2.86Mb / Download is 8.2Mb

Serial is:          42151297498

I have tried reserving an IP based on its MAC as well and forwarding the following ports in the table below

Traceroute is as below

Any help much appreciated we get zero signal where we are which is not in the middle of nowhere either

Cheers

	1	SS3	8	192.168.1.67	8	TCP
	2	SS3	50	192.168.1.67	50	TCP
	3	SS3	123	192.168.1.67	123	UDP
	4	SS3	500	192.168.1.67	500	UDP
	5	SS3	4500	192.168.1.67	4500	UDP
	6	SS3	1723	192.168.1.67	1723	TCP or UDP

TR is as below

1    15 ms     1 ms     1 ms  ARCHER_VR2600 [192.168.1.1]

  2     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  3    10 ms     8 ms     8 ms  31.55.186.181

  4    11 ms     9 ms     8 ms  31.55.186.180

  5    12 ms    10 ms    11 ms  195.99.127.56

  6    13 ms    11 ms    11 ms  peer1-xe1-0-1.faraday.ukcore.bt.net [213.121.193.197]

  7    12 ms    11 ms    11 ms  t2c3-et-8-1-0-0.uk-lon1.eu.bt.net [166.49.211.240]

  8   132 ms   125 ms     9 ms  166-49-211-254.eu.bt.net [166.49.211.254]

  9     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 10     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.

[gsmsecure]

What's router MTU setting?

[ssizen]

Hi

Its default at 1480

Cheers

Shaun

[gsmsecure]

Your problem is likely that the SureSIgnal needs to be set to an MTU of 1500 or it simply will not work...

I told Vodafone about this issue 3 years ago and they have refused to issue a fix for it. If you cannot set this to 1500 on your router then I am afraid you will need to replace it with one that allows this to be changed.

Check port forwarding but I am certain your issue is MTU..

What router do you have?

[ssizen]

Hi

Its a TP-Link Archer VR2600

It will not allow anything above 1492, I did have an old non fibre TP link before, not sure what the MTU was on that, will power it up and take a look

Help really apprecited

Cheers

[DuncanMcG]

I've read a number of problem reports here which all point to the same issue. Traffic is routed to 166-49-211-254.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.254)  but gets no further. Clearly a problem with firewall or router configuration change where traffic moves from the BT network to the Vodafone network. My own traceroute is below. It amazes me how long it takes Vodafone to admit to a problem and then resolve these issues. It's not the first time ....

traceroute 212.183.133.177

traceroute to 212.183.133.177 (212.183.133.177), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets

1  BThomehub.home (192.168.1.254)  14.025 ms  16.786 ms  16.750 ms

2  * * *

3  * * *

4  31.55.185.188 (31.55.185.188)  21.493 ms  22.169 ms  22.723 ms

5  core2-hu0-17-0-1.colindale.ukcore.bt.net (195.99.127.156)  25.338 ms 25.957 ms core1-hu0-8-0-5.colindale.ukcore.bt.net (195.99.127.146)  27.180 ms

6  peer6-hu0-1-0-1.telehouse.ukcore.bt.net (195.99.127.25)  28.790 ms 195.99.127.83 (195.99.127.83)  13.028 ms  20.303 ms

7  166-49-211-228.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.228)  19.511 ms t2c3-et-3-3-0-0.uk-lon1.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.238)  20.206 ms 166-49-211-228.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.228)  20.121 ms

8  166-49-211-254.eu.bt.net (166.49.211.254)  20.029 ms  19.973 ms  27.559 ms

9  * * *

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[gsmsecure]

Unless you can change the MTU setting, you're stuffed..

Only a router allowing a 1500 MTU unfragmented packet through will work.

I forwarned Vodafone about this issue over 3 years ago during a 3 hours telephone conversation and was assured they would fix it after BT OpenReach announced full fibre roll out in favour of ADSL causing more issues with this setting. This means many SureSignal users upgrading from ADSL or having new connections installed will more than likely suffer this issue.

Vodafone prefer instead, to claim it is a compatabilty issue with your ISP and take it up with them as it is "thier problem". Why should ISP's should cater for the SureSignal when the SureSignal should auto adapt the router settings is beyond me.

They have failed to do this quick and easy fix to SureSignal signal firmware to overcome this.

1492 will simply NOT work!!

You'll find your old TP Link and ADSL connection was not affected as more than likely the default setting was 1500 which is the largest packet available, so unless you 'tweaked' your router for slightly better speeds due to more efficient packet sizing then you would not have had any issues. It is also possible your router was auto-scaling depending on the requests from the SureSignal.

I am with Plus.Net and their supplied BT Openreach modem and PlusNet router could not be set, hence business class routers although now many other cheaper options are available. At the time only Draytek manufactured a suitable router.

Vodafone tech at the time was dismissive and failed to support the issue (nothing has changed since either as not once have I seen a Vodafone Tech Team mention or question MTU) which is why I believe they are in denial.

Once I found the cause, I raised a high level complaint and spent 3 hours on the phone to a Vodafone high level tech support guy explaining the reasons why it was imperative the SureSignal was urgently updated to prevent the flood of users having these issues who assure me it would be raised with Alcatel.

The best of it is, Alcatel manufacture VDSL termination equipment such as routers, modem and data transmission systems, yet the produced this piece of junk without future proofing it.

I spent around 18-24 working hours trying to resolve with silly tests and settings that did not work.

It was only when I put on a FLUKE network analyser was it apparent that packets were being smashed through the router trying to enforce 1492 MTU meaning 8 get dropped on every transmission and lost making the SureSignal spend its time trying to re-request, re-request, re-request until it gives up.

[gsmsecure]

I suggest contacting the BBC Watchdog programme as a new router is an additional cost to get 'their' product to work.

I ended up paying over £360 in routers at two locations to get them to work..

After I made such a strong complaint, Vodafone finally refunded half the SureSignal cost towards my time and costs of the routers although I was still left substantially out of pocket.

[ssizen]

Frankly I am about to cancel the whole account, I have quite a few handsets on a busness accounf, just been 20 minutes on hold and with a tech person (in the looses sense of the word) who simply kept saying speak to BT the ISP, its not BT its Vodafone, its their box. Then she started using words like VPN and Static IP, just random tech words, I've been in IT all my workiong life so she got short thrift, so then I got to the higher tech support, well not actually, they were too busy so she said to call back.

When I see that stupid advert guranteeing network coverage it makes my blood boil, try walking round here Kevin bacon watching a film, I am not out in the sticks, close to large towns just awful coverage.

idiots...rant over

[ssizen]

I also checked my old router, the MTU was 1480, the main differance is that went via a BT modem as the olld TP-Link box did not have an integrated modem.