Sure Signal not transmitting a 3G signal

[Retired-George]

This issue presents the following symptoms:

For version 1 Sure Signal (the one with four lights on the front):

• Lights one and two are solid which indicates the Sure Signal is connected, but isn't giving a 3G signal.
• Light four doesn’t light up or lights occasionally and then goes out at certain times of day.

For version 2 Sure Signal (the one with 3 lights on the front): 

• The power and system lights are both solid, indicating that the Sure Signal is giving a 3G signal.
• Your registered phones don’t pick up a 3G signal.

For version 3 Sure Signal (the plug in version):

• Power, internet and service lights are solid and the ‘in use’ light is either solid or flashing
• Your registered phones don’t pick up a 3G signal

Troubleshooting steps:

Check that your broadband connection meets our minimum requirements.
Please run the broadband speed checker.

If your connection fails any part of the test, this indicates an issue with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and you’ll need to contact them to discuss this.

Your connection speed will vary throughout the day, so we recommend running it at various times to get an accurate reading.

To ensure the Sure Signal broadcasts at the correct frequency, it sends and receives small amounts of data to a Network Time Protocol Server hosted by ourselves. If these packets of data take longer than 240ms to make a round-trip, the accuracy can no longer be ensured and so the Sure Signal will automatically stop broadcasting and light four will go out.

Check for planned maintenance.

Planned maintenance can cause periods of downtime, so check the forum for any planned maintenance. If there is, this will be announced at the top of the Sure Signal forum.

Reset your Sure Signal:

1. Hold in the reset button until all lights go solid
2. Pull the power lead out with the reset button still pushed in
3. Continue to hold down the reset button and reconnect the power lead
4. Wait for all lights to come on and then release the reset button

The Sure Signal will be back online in around 1 hour.

Configure your Router Firewall.
The IP address and ports used for NTP (Network Time Protocol) synchronisation are listed below. You may need these to configure the correct firewall settings on your router.

This step isn’t usually necessary, but it may help if you’re using a complex network (such as a corporate or office LAN), or a complex router.

We recommend contacting your ISP or router manufacturer directly for detailed instructions on exactly how to change your router settings. Alternatively, select your router make and model over at http://portforward.com and follow the default guide there.

Destination IP addresses:

• 212.183.133.181
• 212.183.133.182
• 212.183.131.128/26

• Protocol = UDP
• Port = 123

Please note that in the list of IP addresses above, the notation "212.183.131.128/26"means the entire range of IP addresses between 212.183.131.128 and 212.183.131.191

Perform a PathPing to our server.

In order to check if the Sure Signal's able to communicate with our NTP server, a PathPing can be performed as a test. In order to do this, you'll need to open the command prompt in Windows as follows:

• For XP just click Start > Run and type cmd then hit enter
• For Vista/Windows 7, press Start and type 'cmd' into the search bar
• Right click the result and click ‘Run As Administrator’

Once you're in the command prompt, type in PathPing 212.183.133.181. This will perform a trace route to the NTP server and will show you the route it took to get there. One of the columns will display packet loss, if this occurs before hitting our server, you'll need to contact your ISP for further assistance.

If you've completed all the troubleshooting steps above and not identified the cause of the issue, your Sure Signal may be faulty. Please post in this thread and we can look into it further.

Thanks,

Jenny

[AndyWheeler]

Hi Matt, thanks for getting back to me.

It is a type 1 sure signal. I have been through the troubleshooting guide, including resetting the device and rebooting the router. All other devices on my home network are fine, just the sure signal has a problem since last Thu/Fri - 28 Nov. On starting up, light 1 goes on, then it cycles quickly through 1-2-3-4, then 1 plus 2 blinking for a while, followed by 2 and 4 alternate blinking. Finally, we have 1 and 2 on with 4 blinking (looks like it's about to start up properly!) but it just keeps going round the whole cycle again.

The details requested are as follows:-

the ping test results are: ping 18ms  jitter 3ms  packet loss 0%

my external IP address is: 151.229.54.89

serial number: 21197004829 mac address: 00:0e:59:18:db:76

I phoned Vodafone support this afternoon - they said it had a problem connecting to the internet and that I should contact my ISP (Sky), sending the following email:

Dear customer, Kindly contact your Internet Service Provider to open the below ports and forward them to the Sure Signal device s MAC address the sure signal MAC address is written on the back of the device 1. Ensure that your Sure Signal device is assigned to a fixed static IP address on your router s network. 2. The below table consists of the ports requiring forwarding with their proper protocol types. Port Protocol Type 8 TCP UDP 50 TCP UDP 53 TCP UDP 67 UDP 68 UDP 123 UDP 500 UDP 1723 TCP UDP 4500 UDP 33434 - 33445 UDP 3. Services are only guaranteed on a PPPoA internet connection. 4. The maximum connection MTU size to guarantee the connection is 1500 Regards, Vodafone Technical Customer Services

I haven't had any joy so far with Sky.

Is there anythong else I can do, as I am unaware of any change with Sky.

Thanks, Andy

[Ben_H]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for posting your full results,

As the traceroute isn't reaching us but your speeds and IP are OK, I'm thinking it's a hardware issue.

As it's a few years out of warranty, we'll be unable to supply replacement parts. However, you may find testing another power lead or Ethernet cable helps solve this for you. 

If you get a chance to try both and it works, let me know.

Thanks,

Ben

[AndyWheeler]

Hi Ben,

I have tried swapping the ethernet cable and that's fine. I saw from another thread that someone else with a suresignal v1 on Sky broadband had the same problem, which was fixed by a flash update from Vodafone. Could this be the way forward for me?

Regards,

Andy

[AndyWheeler]

.... further inforation on this one - I connected my SureSignal version 1 to my neighbour's broadband (TalkTalk) and it still fails to connect properly, exactly the same as my Sky broadband, also after a hard reset of the SS, so I guess that eliminates Sky from the suspect list. I also checked the mains adaptor which is delivering 12.2vDC. By my reckoning, that just leaves the problem firmly in Vodafone territory, either: (1) something has changed with the Vodafone service, requiring a firmware update to the SS box, or other setting change at Vodafone, or (2) the SureSignal itself has become faulty, which still seems unlikely - why should it suddenly fail, out of the blue???

Does anyone have any insight into this or further suggestions?

thanks, Andy

[Gemma]

Hi @AndrewWheeler

The Sure Signal is running the latest firmware version.

It’s showing as going through a set up cycle within the last 5 minutes.

Please leave it switched on for at least 1 hour and don’t reset it etc.

If it’s still not connected within the next hour, it looks like your Sure Signal may be faulty.

We can send it for a chargeable repair.

Thanks,

Gemma

[AndyWheeler]

thank you for the update Gemma. How do I get it repaired?

Kind regards,

Andy

[Retired-Kay]

Hi @AndyWheeler,

You can find more information on arranging a repair here.

Thanks,

Kay 

[golsen]

Vodafone Sure Signal v1 not transmitting a 3G signal (2 lights solid - others off)

Been working for 4 years, then stopped over the weekend.  I’m not directly using Plusnet, though I’m still waiting for my ISP to tell me if they route across Plusnet in any way.

Oddly, have had only 1 light for the last 4 days, then now 2 lights today.

Have done de-register/register and reset.

ping test results from here 0% packet loss, 91ms ping, 35 ms jitter

external IP address. 151.249.74.128

Sure Signal serial number: 21197120062

I can’t ping 212.183.133.181 - I get a timeout.

I can ping 212.183.133.182 - typically 25ms.

Hope it gets fixed soon.  SureSignal was the reason I moved from O2.  It's critical out here (in the East Riding of Yorkshire).

Thanks.

[golsen]

OK.  That's odd.  It's started working again.  Not sure if someone at Vodafone's done something - in which case, thanks!

Lights 1 and 3 are flashing, 2 and 4 are solid.  I don't think it used to be like that, but, anyway, it works. 

[cineriv]

Hi all,

My faithful Mk.1 SS has been recycling continuously since yesterday morning. 

the boot up gets as far as a steady light on 2 followed by flashing light on 4 which then goes steady, briefly followed by a quick flash on light 3, then re-cycles.

IP Adress ....... 92.4.89.196

SS S/N ...........21197034214

Broadband speed test. .......http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4005718602

Pathping results ........ 

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9600]
(c) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Mike>pathping 212.183.133.181

Tracing route to 212.183.133.181 over a maximum of 30 hops

0 Mikes-ATC [192.168.0.4]
1 192.168.0.1
2 host-92-4-80-1.as43234.net [92.4.80.1]
3 host-78-151-224-29.as13285.net [78.151.224.29]
4 host-78-151-238-24.as13285.net [78.151.238.24]
5 host-78-144-9-145.as13285.net [78.144.9.145]
6 host-78-144-10-52.as13285.net [78.144.10.52]
7 host-78-144-12-133.as13285.net [78.144.12.133]
8 lndgw2.arcor-ip.net [195.66.224.124]
9 85.205.0.86
10 * * *
Computing statistics for 225 seconds...
Source to Here This Node/Link
Hop RTT Lost/Sent = Pct Lost/Sent = Pct Address
0 Mikes-ATC [192.168.0.4]
0/ 100 = 0% |
1 1ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% 192.168.0.1
0/ 100 = 0% |
2 16ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% host-92-4-80-1.as43234.net [92.4.8
0.1]
0/ 100 = 0% |
3 19ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% host-78-151-224-29.as13285.net [78
.151.224.29]
0/ 100 = 0% |
4 21ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% host-78-151-238-24.as13285.net [78
.151.238.24]
0/ 100 = 0% |
5 20ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% host-78-144-9-145.as13285.net [78.
144.9.145]
0/ 100 = 0% |
6 20ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% host-78-144-10-52.as13285.net [78.
144.10.52]
0/ 100 = 0% |
7 21ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% host-78-144-12-133.as13285.net [78
.144.12.133]
0/ 100 = 0% |
8 25ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% lndgw2.arcor-ip.net [195.66.224.12
4]
100/ 100 =100% |
9 --- 100/ 100 =100% 0/ 100 = 0% 85.205.0.86

Trace complete.

This problem appears to be very similar to the Plusnet problem a few days ago, but my ISP isTalktalk.

Mike.