Urgent Need to be contactable. Sure Signal not connecting

[rwhitetlc]

The issue you’re experiencing:

I contacted your customer services technical dept last week to say that for the next month I am not at home but filling in for someone while they are in the USA. Sadly I have found the signal at their home in Godalming, Surrey is between 0 and 1 bar. I explained that I am on call and it is essential that I be contactable.

Eventually, after numerous contacts, including one where it was suggested I sleep in the garden as the signal is stronger outside, I was told that you would send me a SureSignal to solve the problem. Great.

It arrived but will not connect to Vodafone.

Here are some extracts from the various conversations:

Hitakshi: Ray, I see that your sure signal is registering it is in process.

Hitakshi: After the sure signal is registered you will have power light sold green and other two lights solid white.

Ray: Great that is good news. So now I just wait for the lights and then try adding myself as a user is that right
Hitakshi: Correct.

Well I waited overnight and nothing happened so I contacted again:

Anamika M: Let me escalate this issue then Raymond.

Anamika M: This is done now, you will have to just restart the phone after 30 minutes
Anamika M: Just restart the phone after 30 minutes

Dr Raymond White: Thank you very much. The fact that the suresignal is still flashing I can just ignore and I will turn ff my phone for 30 minutes then turn it on again. Is that correct?

Anamika M: Yes, that's correct Raymond.

Dr Raymond White: Great. I really hope it works. If not who must I contact

Anamika M: Raymond, do not worry. This will work.

Naturally it did not work.

So I tried again by using a friends Landline I phoned
I was then asked for the ISP provider but explained that I have no idea as this is not my home and the owner is out of contact in the USA

He said that was not a problem and he would fix it. I was told to unplug the sure signal for 1 hour then plug it in again.

Did that help? NO!

I wrote to complaints and they replied by text saying the ref number is 1-684850828499

In my emails I said please email me do not phone as I am unable to receive calls.

So what happened.

They phoned and we could not hear each other and then the line dropped out.

They sent texts complaining that I am not answering my phone. But if I could answer my phone I would not need their help. My problem is that I can't use my phone.
Madness as that is why I am seeking your help. If I could answer my mobile I would not be calling and begging for assistance.

I NEED TO BE CONTACTABLE. IT COULD SAVE A LIFE!!!!

I am getting desperate. So I emailed your CEO Nick Jeffery and explained. In response I got a text message (so obviously nobody had read my email) saying exactly the same as Complaints. It is being looked into and giving me yet another ref number

I can phone out on the landline here but it is set up to divert incoming calls so I can't be phoned.

I beg of please do something.

What light sequence you're seeing:

Flashing red bar and then a blank space and then 2 solid lights

Your speed test results 

Ping 10

Dounload 37.39

Upload 1.87

Your external IP address

IP 209.93.15.72

IPV6 ffff:d15d:f48

Your Sure Signal serial number:

43171520570

The results of a traceroute.

Tracing route to 212.183.133.177 over a maximum of 30 hops

1 2 ms 2 ms 1 ms ZyXEL.Home [192.168.1.1]
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * 10 ms 8 ms 137.hiper04.sheff.dial.plus.net.uk [195.166.143.137]
4 10 ms 8 ms 8 ms be3-3104.psb-ir01.plus.net [195.166.143.136]
5 9 ms 9 ms 8 ms 195.99.125.134
6 9 ms 9 ms 10 ms 213.121.193.207
7 9 ms 10 ms 9 ms t2c3-et-7-1-0-0.uk-lon1.eu.bt.net [166.49.211.228]
8 9 ms 9 ms 10 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.
14 * * * Request timed out.
15 * * * Request timed out.
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
19 * * * Request timed out.
20 * * * Request timed out.
21 * * * Request timed out.
22 * * * Request timed out.
23 * * * Request timed out.
24 * * * Request timed out.
25 * * * Request timed out.
26 * * * Request timed out.
27 * * * Request timed out.
28 * * * Request timed out.
29 * * * Request timed out.
30 * * * Request timed out.

Trace complete.

ROUTER

I managed to login to the router and attached are the details. 

[Alex · Accepted solution]

@rwhitetlc The light sequence you’re seeing, indicates an authentication failure.

Please speak to your internet service provider and advise them you’re trying to set up a VPN tunnel.

If you’re using a static IP address, please advise them that you’re trying to set up a VPN tunnel and the IPsec is being blocked on an internal firewalled server within their network. If you’re using dynamic IP addresses, please advise your internet service provider that you’re trying to setup a VPN tunnel and that the IPsec packet is being fragmented in transit.

[gsmsecure]

Hi

"fragmented in transit" is the closest response yet I have seen that nearly,  very nearly suggests a problem with SureSignal units and Fibre and some ADSL connections.

In many respects this response is correct but does not go so far as to tell you that the issue is MTU settings that the SureSignal relies on and simply down to poor design.

It will more than likely need the Router replacing as MTU is fixed on many of them and as the poor design and incorporation of network protocols within the SureSignal, then it is unavoidable and will never work.

Better designed equipment will negotiate with the router or simply re-assemble the packets but this device is incapable.

I informed (warned) Vodafone that MTU would become an issue in the future of which they decided to completely ignore my 3 hour conversation explaning the oversight and never fixed it.

The SureSignal should be able to adapt to varying packet sizes which it cannot and therefore packets arriving back via the router have had data packets smashed to pieces.

Other equipment  (properly designed) would either request packet size change to the router or reassembled them itself but it cannot and therefore will fail at thd VPN stage.

It's a nightmare with Corporate firewalls and yet they still produce them with no fix.

Run MTU packet size tests on your connection and if less than 1500 you need to change this in the router or if not possible,  go buy an alternative that supports it.

Vodafone could have fixed this years ago saving wasted time and costs of new equipment but as usual,  they ain't interested.

Vodafone tech avoid this response even though it was blatantly obvious to them what the issue is due to not wanting to admit a flaw and therefore end up wasting customers considerable time trying to find why it doesn't work when they should be more honest on the issue.

[rwhitetlc]

Thanks

I believe that your comment. "Vodafone could have fixed this years ago saving wasted time and costs of new equipment but as usual,  they ain't interested." is 100% accurate. 

Sadly Vodafone has no interest in their customers. Provide some of the worst customer service in the country, employ inadequately trained technical help staff, make promises that are never kept and frankly do not care about anything except selling their (so-called) service.

I received a 'compensation' gift from them as an apology.  Totalling up the time I wasted on the phone, writing to them etc,  and calculating at my normal minimum hourly rate I am now, thanks to their 'generosity', only about £950 out of pocket. 

Seldom have I been so disillusioned with any company.

[Gemma]

@rwhitetlc - It’s not good to hear you feel this way.

If there’s anything left outstanding that we can help with, please let us know.

[gsmsecure]

There is one great big 'biggy' outstanding which will save a lot of users,  especially those being forced and voluntary upgraded to Fibre who are inaware they stand a good chance of incompatibility.

UPDATE THE FIRMWARE WITHIN THE SURESIGNAL to support fully varying MTU.

Its easy to claim sympathy for an issue 'Vodafine' was told about years ago but as always.. offer some hollow sympathy,  take the money but still continue to ignore the issue.

Maybe being more honest as to the problem would help,  rather than claims of the issue lies with the ISP and blankin those pulling their hair out.

If the apology was sincere,  it'd be taken to a higher lever to resolve!!