Version 3 VSS Lights (Power - flashing, Internet - off, In Service - orange, In Use - orange)

[Retired-Lee]

This thread has been created to discuss and troubleshoot the version 3 Sure Signal when the light sequence is as follows:

• Power: Flashing
• Internet: Off
• In Service: Solid Orange
• In Use: Solid Orange

Cause

This light sequence indicates the Sure Signal's not active and it has been unable to authenticate on the Vodafone network

Troubleshooting

Please restart your Sure Signal. If the symptoms continue please add the following details to this thread:

• Your speed test results from here
  
• Your ping test results from here
  
• Your external IP address from here
  
• Your Sure Signal serial number
• The results of a traceroute

Traceroute command:

On a PC:

1. Click on Start and select Run
2. Type CMD into the Run box and press enter/click ok
3. A black box will appear
4. In this box type tracert 212.183.133.177 press Enter
5. Paste the output of this command into your reply

On a Mac:

1. Open Terminal (Applications, Utilities)
2. Type 'traceroute 212.183.133.177'
3. Press Enter

This will help us get the quickest possible resolution for you.

Thanks

LeeH

[colin7]

Jenny

I have done as you instructed, and as I have been instructed numerous times before and the result is exactly the same. It doesn't work.

Regards

Colin

[tomalbanese]

@arukDave: cheers I'll probably have to wait a bit and get a new router its a shame really there's no mobile cover at all in the village where i live. I've been relying on the SS for about a year now. Thanks for the advise though.

Thanks vodafone but I had tried resetting, I just thought there was some other factory reset or something. I'll have to wait and get a new router.

[Gemma]

Hi everyone,

@colin7– I’m sorry to hear the issues you’re having.

Please test your Sure Signal at a different location.

@tomalbanese– Take a look at more information, about using BT Home Hub.

To rule out a faulty Sure Signal, please test it at a different location (so using a different router and internet connection).

[jhopkins]

Gemma

I don't  know  how you organise your life, but  a lot of us don't have  'another  location' to try out our SS.My nearest relative is 2 hours away and  many of my neighbours  aren't online. Of those that are,  quite a few  are terrified  of the  whole  business. And why should we pester our relatives and neighbours anyway? If there was a  half-decent  mobile signal , or the SS device  was  fit for purpose, it wouldn't be necessary. And  before you say it IS fit for purpose,  your  posting was  message number 2407  on this thread and  it was  your 2737th posting on this forum....so for a  'fit-for-purpose  'device,  it certainly keeps you ( and us) busy!

[colin7]

I seem to be caught in some sort of loop, unable to get out, unable to get a sensible response from Vodafone as to why the VSS is not working.

Gemma - Yes, I could test the VSS at another location again. I have done so before, but this is a brand new devise which I obtained after the previous reset, try it at a different location, reset etc. etc. instructions...

As others here have experienced. Vodafone seem unable to explain why, without changing any settings the VSS stops working and, rather more oddly, why then changing settings, or repeating things we have done before will make any differences.The VSS does seem a very effective way to waste £100.

[JLCHEREAU]

Cannot get it to work:

- VSS3 S/N 40131558740

- Currently at 86.167.23.117 on BT broadband

- All ports (8, 50, 53, 67-68, 123, 500, 1723, 4500, 33434-33445) opened on router as described.

- VSS3 gets an IP address assigned on internal network (DHCP with reservation to always keep the same address) - I can successfully ping VSS3 on internal network

- speed test DL 14.37 Mbps -  UL 0.81 Mbps

- ping test ping: 35ms Jitter 3ms

Tracing route to cluster4.vap.vodafone.co.uk [212.183.133.178]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 10.0.0.1
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 18 ms 17 ms 17 ms 31.55.187.232
5 18 ms 17 ms 17 ms 195.99.127.170
6 18 ms 18 ms 19 ms 195.99.127.10
7 19 ms 19 ms 21 ms 195.99.127.3
8 20 ms 23 ms 20 ms lndgw2.arcor-ip.net [195.66.224.124]
9 21 ms 19 ms 20 ms 85.205.0.86
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.

[Jenny]

Hi everyone,

@andyu – Your IP address isn’t on our whitelist so I’ve sent this to our support team for review.

@colin7 – Testing it at another location will help us determine if the fault with the Sure Signal, or the connection.

Sometimes, your ISP may make changes you’re not aware of, and these changes can affect the Sure Signal.

@JLCHEREAU – Everything you’ve posed looks fine and your Sure Signal connected to our servers this morning.

Do you have a HomeHub? If so, check your router settings and make sure BT Smart Setup is switched off.

[tomalbanese]

It's not that I'm not confidant, it's just that looking at the tracert test shows that the connection is getting through, how could it be that the SS is recognised by the router and tries to connect but gets blocked along the way. The SS worked on previous router. How could having a fibre optic connection change whether I can reach an ip address, surely it's a problem with how vodafone servers are reacting to my attempt to connect. I've tried resetting my SS box and I've reregistered my SS to see if it woud make any difference, I just can't see any problem from my end.

[tomalbanese]

Ok, i've been looking through the forum posts and opening ports isn't a problem, I've done that and put the SS in DMZ I also adjusted one of the other settings mentioned. Nothing is working.

I can't afford to buy another router at the moment and would really like this working, I'm using a BT Business hub 5 and have a fibre optic connection. Could someone from tech team please get in touch and let me know if there are any problems with my connection.

Once again the ports are open, I don't think I can allow specific connections to ip address on this router I could try, but don't think it allows it. I also haven't tried resetting my SS as I'm unsure whether it would ever connect again.

[arukDave]

@tomalbanese

Sadly, having been there, done that, and worn out the T shirt myself.

The BT (so called but lame) "Business" hub, is the problem, and/or the Outreach modem box.

Putting the SS in a DMZ may help, but that is unlikely.   It could also expose any vulnerabilities it may have lurking, to the great unwashed of the www.

And no, from the GUI interface at least, there is no way to setup WAN address based rules with those BT routers.   At least, none we found in several months of fiddling, plus I for one don't know of anyone who's got any SNMP or Telnet access/success with it either.

Another wrinkle is that it appears are not able to support more than one VPN passthrough configuration.  (Odd for a "Business" product.)

So, if you have any other configured VPN that the router knows about, such as remote access for teleworkers, the SS will not work, especially if any of the needed ports are common to both.  (PPtP protocol's etc)

We changed to the (expensive but good) Vigor router, replacing the BT router and Outreach modem in one hit, configured it to pass all traffic from Vodafones SS servers to the internal stattic IP the SS is on, enabled the Fragmented Packets setting, and it burst into life (figuratively speaking) and it's all been working fine ever since for some months now.

I do know that it also works fine with the low cost DG1000 series of Netgear ADSL routers, as before we changed the router here in the office, I "parked" it at home, and it "just worked" with that box.    Plus, I found it easy to setup rules so that it has unrestricted communication with Vodafone's Sure Signal servers (all the known addresses and ranges, for all protocols) and only them.

However.  As you have the Infinity service, you'll need to use a router that either has it's own VDSL modem, or can accept a LAN type interface from the Outreach box.

Someone many months ago said they got a SS working with a BT Business hub, but never came back to explain what or how they did to do that when we all asked.

Despite what the ISP's might say, you can in practice use just about any common router with any ISP, so long as it can connect to their gateway servers.   Just that youre on your own, re any support needs, if it's not one of their own branded (and no doubt back door'd) units.

Plus, in this case, your trying to use a compeditors service, so why would they (BT) want to help you?   Cruel, but...    Likewise, Vodafone canot be held responsible for any other ISP supplied service or hardware shortcomings.

Sad but true.

Regards.

Dave B.
(not part of or affiliated in any way to Vodafone, Draytek  or BT!)