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Solution

Sure Signal not transmitting a 3G signal

Retired-George
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)

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

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Hello

 

serial number 21224717989 version 1

 

the sure signal stopped working a few days ago after a lont internet outage (2 hours), presented with only light 1 flashing.

 

I have done a little troubleshooting and have now manged to get to light 1 and 2 solid.

 

how is it looking from your end?

 

 

Internet speed >5 Mbps ping normally <55ms.

 

pathping 

C:\WINDOWS\system32>pathping 212.183.133.181

Tracing route to 212.183.133.181 over a maximum of 30 hops

0 XPS-M133064BIT.int.hillblock.com [192.168.1.104]
1 WRT54GL [192.168.1.251]
2 192.168.1.250
3 losubs.subs.dsl5.wh-man.zen.net.uk [62.3.83.10]
4 no-dns-yet-62-3-86-29.zen.co.uk [62.3.86.29]
5 ge-2-0-0-0.cr1.wh-man.zen.net.uk [62.3.80.49]
6 ge-3-0-0-0.cr2.th-lon.zen.net.uk [62.3.80.45]
7 ldngw1.arcor-ip.net [195.66.224.209]
8 85.205.116.14
9 * * *
Computing statistics for 200 seconds...
Source to Here This Node/Link
Hop RTT Lost/Sent = Pct Lost/Sent = Pct Address
0 XPS-M133064BIT.int.hillblock.com [192.168.1.104]
0/ 100 = 0% |
1 1ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% WRT54GL [192.168.1.251]
0/ 100 = 0% |
2 1ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% 192.168.1.250
1/ 100 = 1% |
3 44ms 2/ 100 = 2% 1/ 100 = 1% losubs.subs.dsl5.wh-man.zen.net.uk [62.3.83.10]
0/ 100 = 0% |
4 45ms 1/ 100 = 1% 0/ 100 = 0% no-dns-yet-62-3-86-29.zen.co.uk [62.3.86.29]
0/ 100 = 0% |
5 46ms 1/ 100 = 1% 0/ 100 = 0% ge-2-0-0-0.cr1.wh-man.zen.net.uk [62.3.80.49]
1/ 100 = 1% |
6 54ms 2/ 100 = 2% 0/ 100 = 0% ge-3-0-0-0.cr2.th-lon.zen.net.uk [62.3.80.45]
0/ 100 = 0% |
7 54ms 2/ 100 = 2% 0/ 100 = 0% ldngw1.arcor-ip.net [195.66.224.209]
98/ 100 = 98% |
8 --- 100/ 100 =100% 0/ 100 = 0% 85.205.116.14

Trace complete.

 

Can you see the sure signal from your end?

 

Thanks in advance

IAn

 

 

FIXED

 

Came back about an hour later and it is working OK

 

Don't you just hate it when that happens

 

Ian

View solution in original position

501 REPLIES 501

cineriv
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Hi Alan.

Yes it is!

 

Good luck,

Mike.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Mike, Didn't have a 1500mA 12v supply knocking about, so tried  a universal supply that I did have, rated at 1200mA and what do you know, up and running in 5 minutes!!!!

 

Thanks for your help, better buy a 1500mA one asap.

 

Why have VF tech support not clocked this?

 

Thanks again

 

Alan

cineriv
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Hi Alan,

I bought mine as a direct replacement, when it arrived it was a 2,000mA unit.

I'm not complaining!   more capacity + less stress = longer life hopefully.

I can't send you the link for it, but I can PM it to you if you wish.

 

At least your 1200mA unit proved the point. :smileyhappy:

 

 

Regards.

Mike.

I have been trying on and off for months to get my ss1 to work.

 

As per the thread

 

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-Sure-Signal/SureSignal-1-flashing-but-not-working-possible-f...

 

it seemed unlikely but I had a spare 12V PSU (1.5A) so I tired it.

 

It connected up straight away . If your ss1 worked for ages then stopped working - read the thread given above

 

Unbelievable !

 

Finally a working SS1 again !

 

 

 

 

cineriv
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Hi logitech,

That's good to hear, but it is difficult convincing people that the power supply could be the culprit because the power indicator appears to be the only light that is working correctly, and the problem is only just beginning to be recognised by tech support.

 

It does seem to be the era of the failing power supplies especially on the Mk.1 SS,

However here's no doubt that it won't be long before the Mk.2 catches up!

 

Regards,

Mike.

Anonymous
Not applicable

A final report and thanks to the forum from me. I bought a 12v/1500mA branded supply from ebay £3. All is working fine. I decided to test the old faulty one:-  12v on no load and 8v with a 10W bulb on it, that is  a load of just 800mA. Point proven I think.

 

Alan

The power supply issue is a good one. I saw a friend of mine today whise SS mk1 had packed up and was showing the power cycling issue. SO I advised him to buy a power supply before bining it and Vodafone!

I have been having problem with my SSmk1 due to a network upgrade at home. It had previously worked faultlessly.  So I instaled a dual WAN firewall having signed up for an EE4G home service because BT have been promising me Infinity for 3yrs + and still haven't come up with the goods! my current BT connection is about 4Mbs but will not support HD streaming. All was/is good and we managed to faultlessy stream 3 HD movies at the same time the other day. However SS no worky. I had configured my old adsl netgear dg834 as modem only via PPoE with max mtu of1492. All pings and traceroutes were fine UPnP on and all ports forwarded etc but still only 2 steady lights. Today I have gone back to PP0A with a double Nat system and the DG834 Dmz'd to the WAN port on my new firewall. Stand by for a further update!.

Didn't work still only steady lights 1&2. Have today configured a DMZ for the suresignal right through firewall etc.

I guess if that doesn't work I will put my dg834 back to its old settings as modem/router and connect suresignal directly to it as before(and working for years no problem) and see if I get any joy.

Yes! Now working. I guess something in Firewall not allowing it to work. I would love to know what!

x4bed
2: Seeker
2: Seeker

Hi,  thank you for your guide to fixing a sure signal box - very helpful.

 

I am really struggling with the same problem but I have two v1 suresignal boxes both have worked at two different addresses for 3 years and both have stopped working this week so I can only assume it is at vodafones end. This is therefore an excellent test case as both boxes are doing the same thing but at different locations thus eliminating routers etc.

 

We have reset both, tested them, moved them, checked with our ISP etc etc.  I have even put one on a fibre connection at work to eliminate BT speed issues.  They both so the same thing and have done all week since they stopped.  After a reset light 1 is on, then light 2 flashes and eventually goes stablem then Lights 1 and 2 stay on, and light 4 flashes for a while but never goes stable and after a while it appears to reboot and tries it all again from the start.  Any ideas ?...please....?