SS3 and BT infinity

[steveh747]

Hi, hoping the tech team can resolve this one. Last week after having worked perfectly since february 2013 my SS3 stopped working. I contacted VF support and had it re-sync'd. The unit appeared to restart fine with the correct light sequence but then stopped and repeated the sequence finally halting with the internet symbol solid orange. Contacted VF support and they sent a replacement unit. After several attempts I have white internet and ready symbols and full signal on my Galaxy S3.  However, when I make a call the incoming speech gradually turns garbled and the call is terninated. This happens sometimes quickly after a few seconds, sometimes after a few minutes, but always the same thing happens and the call is terminated.  All the lights on the SS then go out, the red "on" bar flashes. The unit then tries to reset itself, usually requiring to be reset manualy or switched on/off before it reconnects. VF Support advise the problem is caused by latency (ping) but my BB speed is reasonable-ish, ping is good, it has been stable for 6 months and nothing at my end has changed.

Unless BT has suddenly altered my router settings without telling (I don't believe they have) it's hard to believe this is an issue with the Home Hub 3 or the Infinity service. Happy to give BT hell if warranted but the evidence so far doesn't point that way.

PLEASE CAN YOU HELP FIX THIS - I work from home and completely rely on SS3/Vodafone for business calls.

SS3 Serial = 40132218526

Ping (www.wikihow.com) = 33ms

Ping Router = 1ms

Ping 212.183.133.177 = request timed out

tracert 212 183 133 177 = request timed out

Download = 7.7mbs  (yeah, this really is Infinity!) 

Upload = 1.1mbs

ISP = BT Infinity

Router = BT HH 3

[Retired-Dave]

Hi steveh747,

On the contrary, I'm very concerned if the traceroute is timing out without even getting to the first step. That doesn't involve the Sure Signal at all - it goes from your computer to the router to your Broadband connection.

If you're seeing some steps before it times out, can you post those steps for me?

Can you also check that the router's maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) is set to 1500? If it won't go that high, set it to the maximum available.

In the meantime, I've resynched the Sure Signal. Give it a reset to see if that helps.

• Unplug the Ethernet cable.
• Locate the button on the base of the box next to the Ethernet ports.
• Press and hold the button for approximately 30 seconds.
• Once the lights come back on, release the button.
• Plug the cable back in.
• The Sure Signal will come online in around 1 hour.

Dave

[steveh747]

Hi Dave

Tracert results attached.  

BT HH Manager site doesn't mention Maximum Transmission Unit so it seems as though BT doesn't allow MTU to be altered.  I did read that BT hubs have an MTU of 1458 which apparently equates to 1500.  Nothing on WWW i can find telling me how to check/adjust this. Tips would be good if you have any .. 

I did the reset as you asked. 

This is what happened ...

Before starting, SS3 had Internet symbol orange, other symbols not lit

Disconnect ethernet cable

Press reset button 30 secs

Internet symbol does not switch off ...

Release reset, reconnect ethernet cable 

Slight pause before internet symbol switches off for about 10 seconds then starts flashing white

2 hours later, Internet symbol steady white, Ready symbol steady white

Initially my phone has no signal bars lit up, then indicates no service, then eventually the signal bars light up.  Weird. normally the bars light up the moment it is range.        

Try a call ... unable to connect to the number dialed and the call is cut off.

Wait a few seconds to see what happens ... both Internet and Ready symbols remain white, then a few seconds later In Use sybmol lights up white, goes out, lights up white again and goes out. 

Both Internet and Ready symbols remain steady white.

Try another call ... same as before ... unable to connect then cut off.

This time Internet and Ready symbols go blank, the Internet symbol lights up orange, red "on" bar begins flashing.

20 minutes later the Internet symbol remains orange and the "on" bar is flashing.                

Pretty much this is the same pattern I've experienced these past days, except the calls at least connected momentarilly and this time they didn't. 

So, thank you for resyncing, but no joy I am afraid.   

BTW Update on the latency topic ...

VF Support today inform me the SS3 requires a ping in low 20's to work, which I confess left me a little speechless. Is this assertion correct? 

Given that my ping speed has never been in the 20's, I have some difficulty reconciling this news with the fact my first SS3 somehow managed to work for 8 months or more without a hitch.  I think I might have noticed if it was somehow in the 20's and then suddenly worsened 50% to what it is now.    

BT are adamant nothing at their end has changed and performance is the maximum possible, I'm inclined to agree.

Over to you.

[steveh747]

Hi Dave

Update as of this morning. 

Slightly different results to last night.

SS3 up and working, internet and ready symbols white, full signal strength on phone. 

Three calls ...

first call, 15 minutes duration no problem

second call, cut off after 10-15 seconds

SS3 Internet and Ready lights still white

third call ... now no signal on my phone. 

Waited 45 minutes to see if the signal came back - it hasn't.

I could perhaps grasp this if the SS3 had lost is connection and the lights had turned orange, but they have remained on white. 

BTW Ping command consistently reports 30-33ms (measured off wikihow.com), although btspeedtester reports 39ms whereas other speed test sites also report 33ms; unsure which to believe. 

[Retired-Kay]

Hi steveh747, 

Each hop on the traceroute needs to be no more than 200ms, yours go as high as 508ms. 

This suggests there is latency on the line so you would need to speak to BT so they can help further. 

Thanks, 

Kay

[steveh747]

Hi TTeam

Got on to BT regarding long ping times. Yes there was indeed a network fault ... the problem has now been solved apparently, but SS3 is still unable to connect reliably - same symptoms - call initially connects then voice scrambles and cuts out - internet symbol flashes orange.             

I've run a tracert several times over the past couple of days since being told the fault has been fixed and each time the same pattern comes back ... the first ping on 213.120.158.142 appears to fail whereas the two successive pings are fine and everywhere else the performance looks good. 

To me this looks suspiciously like it might signify there is still fault, albeit a different one perhaps.  However yesterday BT wholesale were adamant their diagnostics show no fault at their end and the problem is with Vodafone.

I'd appreciate your opinion before I go psyching myself up for another marathon with BT support.

[Retired-Dave]

Hi steveh747,

It's an unusual pattern, certainly, but the connection seems to be getting through. I'd be more worried if it was showing a high time like before.

Now they've confirmed there was a fault. I've given the box a fresh resync for you. Can you give it another reset, just so we can be sure we've flushed out any trace of the previous blockage?

Dave

[steveh747]

Hi TTeam

Did the reset as you asked. Made one call, 7 mins duration and was then cut off. Same as before.  

Repeated the reset, left it overnight and this morning the Internet symbol is flashing orange.  Tried again this time switching the SS3 off waiting a few minutes before switching on.  Internet symbol flashes white but it eventually turns orange flashing.  The red on bar also flashes.

If the BT network is performing the problem surely has to be with Vodafone. Now that a resync hasn't fixed it can you for example run a diagnostic to find out exactly what is going wrong. Happy to fire up the SS3 at an agreed time and start a call so you can watch what happens. 

Really need to get this working guy's    

[Retired-James]

Hi steveh747,

This could be down to the Home Hub 3 as we are still investigating an issue with BT directly regarding using this with the Sure Signal.

At the moment this looks to be down to packet loss during the connection.

However, we have seen this resolved when customers are upgrading to the Home Hub 4.

It might be worth asking BT about this option.

James

[steveh747]

Hi TTeam

Okay, this is weird ...

Overnight Wednesday, having left SS3 in disgust connected with internet light flashing orange, after no prompting or changes at my end it sprang into life.  Thursday first thing … first call cuts out immediately, but Internet and Ready lights remained On and still had full signal on mobile.  Next call stayed connected.  I held several hours of calls yesterday without any further issues.    

Today, internet and ready lights still solid white, full signal on mobile.  First call - cut off immediately.    Lights remain on white, but no signal on my mobile.  Grrrr.  Switch SS3 off at the socket, unplug Ethernet cable, leave 2 hours, switch on and reconnect …. Unit powers up and connects … now been working 3 hours. Several calls no problems.

Attaching 4 tracerts …

Particular point of interest is IP 213.120.158.142

Tracert_11112013-0850 SS3 Not Working … first message times out, successive messages get through

Tracert_11142013-0830 SS3 Working … all messages get through

Tracert_11152013-0955 SS3 Not working … all messages get through

Tracert_11152013-1225 SS3 Working … first message times out, successive messages get through. 

The latest tracert was run at the same time as I had a call running via the SS3.    

So, although the first message sometimes gets through and sometimes it does not, we can pretty much rule out this as a factor because SS3 is evidently resilient enough to work in both situations. 

Therefore, as you say the problem could be with the HH3 router, or it could be at the VF end.   

We know SS3 and HH3 combination do work reliably in this case because until two weeks ago they had done so faultlessly for 8 months.  Why would this suddenly change.  Unless, of course, BT secretly updated the router with faulty software (possible I suppose), or the replacement SS3 I was sent isn’t the same internally … ??

On the assumption that the two SS3 units really are identical and swapping them over hasn’t thrown an intermittent fault into the equation; everything about recent SS3 behaviour appears to point to a glitch at the Vodafone end, or in the replacement SS3 unit.

If VF are still convinced replacing HH3 will solve this then I'm happy to buy another unit, well I'm not but if there's no alternative then I guess I have to.  However I'd want a firm commitment that if the same fault arises afterwards Vodafone reimburse the cost.