I ran a Sure Signal v2 (Serial 40110531478) successfuly from 2011 until sometime this summer. This is in a home office where we are lucky to have Vodafone Signal for 30 minutes in 24 hours. So it is essential. However, if there is no resolution to this problem, after more than 20 years with Vodafone I/we will have to change to EE, as not being able to use the mobile phone is destroying our businesses!
We have had always had the same Static IP which is 81.136.199.82 and the router default MTU is 1488 (1492 = max).
The internal LAN runs on the 192.168.16.1->254 range.
When I returned from working overseas on 17/10/15 the Sure Signal would not connect. This was with the same BT ADSL & Netgear Router that had been in use from 2011.
I tried all the Vodafone recommended fixes and checked the v2 was registered at Vodafone; all to no avail and the best Vodafone came up with was 'your ADSL is too slow!'. Strange then that it had worked for the previous 4 years!!
One week later we upgraded to Fibre with a new BT Business Hub 5 and a 40:10 profile on which we are getting 39.02 Mbps Down & 9.765 Mbps Up. And guess what? The Sure Signal v2 still will not connect! So speed is NOT the problem.
Since then my Dealers Evolve have spent hours on the problem and I've also tried all the same configurations with a Sure Signal v3 with exactly the same result. The error codes for both say the Sure Signal can not contact / reach the Vodafone servers!
Both the v2 & the v3 have been connected to other Broadband systems, both Fibre & ADSL and work perfectly!
All permutations of Firewall open, closed, port forwarding and no port forwarding have been tried.
I have also tried forwarding ISAKMP, port 123 & NTP port 500 to the v2 = same result.
I've also changed the DNS to the open Goggle DNS adresses 8.8.8.8 & 8.8.4.4, just in case BT was redirecting certain ports = same result.
10 days ago I had a 3 hour session with BT and confirmed that all the Vodafone suggested ports were open on the the Business Hub 5 and confirmed there was no blocking. I repeated the port tests yestereday with PF Forwarding. But the Sure Signal v2 will still not work.
So for more info:-
1. Tracert to 212.183.133.177 eventually reaches 85.205.0.86 (11th hop) which I understand is a Vodafone server = OK
2. But Pings 212.183.133.177/178/179 & 212.183.133.181 (any packet size) and Telnet to the same IPS on ports 50, 123, 500 & 4500 all fail.
3. However I have had odd results when pinging 85.205.0.93 & 85.205.0.86. Last week pinging 212.183.133.177 resulted in 85.205.0.93 and pings resulted in messages such as 'Packet need to be fragmented but DF set.'. A packet size of 1300 resulted in a successful ping, albeit slow, so I tried reducing MTU to 1300, but v2 would still not connect.
Today Tracert on 212.183.133.177 resulted in 85.205.0.86 which gets a reply in an average of 26 milliseconds, but only up to a packet max size of 1468 bytes. Over 1468 bytes results in 'Request Timed Out'.
So 1468 + 28 = 1496. On the BT Router the default MTU is 1488 which is lower, so it should work, but the v2 still will not connect.
After nearly a month without my mobile working at home, or in the office I am now out out ideas, patience and time. If Vodafone cannot resolve this I will have no choice but to ask for compensation and to change network to EE where their equivalant Sure Signal box works and where I also have a consistant mobile signal.
Just as a footnote a new Mobile mast has recently been installed, which is almost line of sight to the property at CB21 5NT, but Vodafone obviously don't consider coverage for this area as a priority!
Mike Earl
Earl Associates
Mike Earl
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