Yet another person whose Sure Signal v3 won't connect

[jimwillsher]

Hi all,

Seems like there's a few similar posts, all recent ones. My SS worked fine for a few days but now won't connect. I've tried the reet option with no joy.

One forum post (by Vodafone staff) asks for some detials, so here goes:

Speed test - ping 29ms, download 6.87Mb, upload 0.68Mb

Ping test - 27ms, 1ms jitter

External IP - 88.97.49.242 (static)

Tracert

C:\Windows\System32>tracert 212.183.133.177

Tracing route to 212.183.133.177 over a maximum of 30 hops

  1     1 ms     1 ms     1 ms  192.168.1.1
  2    20 ms    22 ms    18 ms  losubs.subs.dsl5.wh-man.zen.net.uk [62.3.83.10]

  3    18 ms    18 ms    24 ms  ae1-122.cr1.wh-man.zen.net.uk [62.3.86.17]
  4    27 ms    24 ms    28 ms  ge-3-0-0-0.cr2.th-lon.zen.net.uk [62.3.80.45]
  5    25 ms    26 ms    26 ms  lndgw2.arcor-ip.net [195.66.224.124]
  6    26 ms    26 ms    25 ms  85.205.0.93
  7     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  8     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  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.

C:\Windows\System32>

Ping

C:\Windows\System32>ping 212.183.133.177

Pinging 212.183.133.177 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 212.183.133.177:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

C:\Windows\System32>

Serial - 42141622656

I've tried a ping and trace from thre other remote servers, on different ISPs, and all fail. So it looks like a connectivity and/or routing problem with Vodafone.

Please advise.

Many thanks

Jim

[Sukhi]

@jimwillsher

Have you opened the following ports on your router?

Ports to be opened for forwarding

• 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)

IP addresses to be allowed on the router & firewall

• 212.183.133.177-179
• 212.183.133.181-182
• 212.183.131.128-191

If it still doesn’t start working after this, please try resetting the device:

1. Unplug the Ethernet cable from the Sure Signal
2. Locate the button on the base of the box next to the Ethernet ports
3. Press and hold the button for approximately 30 seconds
4. Once the lights come back on, release the button
5. Plug the cable back in
6. Allow around one hour for the Sure Signal to come back online.

[jimwillsher]

Hi Sukhi

My router allows all outbound traffic and all addresses. For inbound, no, I haven't specifically forwarded any ports, but from your list I can't forward all those anyway as many of them are common ports - for example we already have 1723 forwarded to our VPN server, and 123 is the standard NTP port that we also have control over.

There is no mention in any VSS docuemntation that a whole heap of ports needs to be opened. There's also no mention of having a static IP on the LAN - which would be needed if we forwarded ports anyway. No, the documentation says we just need to plug it in.

Do you really expect your average home user (which I am not, I'm a network professional) to forward ports?

I believe all this port forwarding is a red herring.

If you look at my post, and the post of several other people, all of our traceroutes are failing after a certain hop, and ping to the address is failing. Surely that's the real cause?

Jim

[jimwillsher · Accepted solution]

Ok, to close this off. I've just had a good chat with a very helpful guy at Vodafone.

The upshot is this: you MUST be able to port forward ALL of the above ports to your VSS. if there is packet loss for whaetver reason, the VSS will attempt to communicate on the VPN, and if you happen to already have a VPN on your network, you are stuffed.

So the VSS is useless to me. I'll deregister it and ebay it.

Jim

[jimwillsher]

Hi all

A few weeks ago I posted here, saying that my V3 SS would not connect. I read lots of similar forum posts, and the general response from Vodafone and from forum volunteers was to give a list of ports to forward. Crucially, I was asked to forward 1723, which anyone in I.T. will tell you is the port for PPTP VPN, and it's highly likely that your outside router is already forwarding this port (as mine is).

I also called Vodafone, and the chap there said the same.

Two days after I spoke to Vodafone, I plugged my SS back in...and it connected. Since then - just over two weeks - it has worked flawlessy. I can make calls, I can receive calls, I can send and receive text messages. And I haven't changed a single thing on my router; it's still doing NAT on my 192.168.1.0/24 network, it's still forwarding 1723, I haven't enabled any other forwarding, my SS still gets its IP address from my DHCP server etc.

So clearly, port forwarding is NOT a requirement.

The leaflet that comes with the SS suggests that you just need to plug it in. There is no mention of port forwarding, no mention of needing a static IP address etc. Which is how it SHOULD be, if Mr Average IT Skills person is expected to use one of these.

So to Vodafone, and to the helpful volunteers on here. Port Forwarding. Required or not? Vodafone says yes, forum posts on here say yes, but the proof says no. Or if it is required, then udner what corcumstances is it required.

If it's not required, then many of the replies on here asking people to forward ports are misleading and unneccesary.

So...what ARE the *definitive* requirements for a SS to work please? In my case, it's plug and play. Now......

Many thanks

Jim

[Retired-Sarah]

The vast majority of domestic routers are a plug and play and no port forwarding would be required.

If a customer has an enterprise router, or tweaked their settings, port forwarding may be needed.

Disruption can be caused for various reasons and port forwarding checks will be advised as general troubleshooting.

Thanks,

Sarah

[jimwillsher]

ok thanks. Yes, the vast majority of routers will operate on NAT, and therefore they will allow any traffic back in that LAN-side traffic has requested (e.g. established connections).