Kitz Forum
Broadband Related => Broadband Hardware => Topic started by: burakkucat on January 25, 2013, 02:53:23 AM
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[If this posting is deemed to be in an incorrect place I trust it will be relocated, as appropriate. ;) ]
Whilst searching through newly listed items on the eBay website, I came across a batch of Huawei HG622 VDSL2 Modem/Routers (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130840515303) which make use of the Broadcom BCM6368 chipset.
Apparently the device is compatible with Openreach's NGA GEA FTTC product and has four LAN ports, one USB socket and WiFi (802.11n) access.
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I think these are the next batch of routers from Asbokid. I bought one of his HG610 routers he was selling earlier last year but sadly the firmware was not up to standard for use here in the UK. The only thing which makes me slightly reserved about these is how well they have been tested for use here in the UK and how robust the firmware is for use here. At £50 a pop it is a tad expensive if it proves not to be reliable. I do hope it does perform well here and that my fears are unfounded.
Does anyone know if these model routers are currently in use here with any VDSL suppliers?
Stuart
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I emailed Asbokid today and he has replied saying that these routers are in use in Europe and he has been running one since November 2012 on his ADSL2+ connection since then with no problems at all. The firmware is a european one and he says seems fine. So hopefully all is well with these.
Stuart
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Thank you for your investigations, Stuart.
What do you think would be an appropriate price for a device with that specification?
I, too, purchased one of the Huawei HG610 devices last year but still have not yet rigorously tested it. :blush:
At the last count, £300 had been raised [1] for the Dog's Trust (http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/).
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[1] http://huaweihg612hacking.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/charity-modem-sale-300-raised-to-date-26-nov-2012/
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What do you think would be an appropriate price for a device with that specification?
I think the price is reasonable, my concern was whether or not it might perform here in the UK because the 610 does not. My concern was whether or not it would work here on the UK network and if not it becomes an expensive brick, however Asbokid has allayed my fears as he has been using one here for a three of months with no problems, my 610 was swapped out within days.
Stuart
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:) The price has dropped and abso is using a firmware with no mods and which can be download so the "unlock", if that is right word, should be robust and it think one is worth a try!
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:) The price has dropped and abso is using a firmware with no mods and which can be download so the "unlock", if that is right word, should be robust and it think one is worth a try!
Yay! Now £40-00.
And you are right, Les, there is no 'unlocking' involved. The device uses stock firmware, of which Beattie has not meddled. ;)
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Well I bit the bullet and bought one. Will post when I have had a chance to test it.
Stuart
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Well I bit the bullet and bought one. Will post when I have had a chance to test it.
Like you, one is in transit to The Cattery as I type this posting.
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Mine has arrived :) and gives a good adsl2+ sync about 0.6Mb/s better than a DG834G, this about the same a HG612. It is working with annex m at the moment which is also nice if you have it. It is using 6 watts when idle. It will be a while before I fully explore setting up things.
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That is good to know. Thank you for your preliminary findings, Les.
Have you noticed the achievable sync speed (http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/12063504/640/hg622/Screenshot-from-2013-01-26-14%3A23%3A36.png) under laboratory conditions?
105000 kbps DS and 59942 kbps US.
I.e. 105 Mbps DS and 59.9 Mbps US. :silly:
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The web interface is very similar to that of the HG612, and b*cat's wiki article (http://wiki.kitz.co.uk/index.php?title=Huawei_HG612) covers most of what you need to set up the HG622. The telnet interface is the same too, and the CLI commands all appear to be the same.
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Do you now possess a HG622, Eric?
Thank you for reminding me of the Wiki article (http://wiki.kitz.co.uk/index.php?title=Huawei_HG612) on the HG612, which really needs to be 'tidied up', a few more comments added and the 'telnet' section written. :-[ If you feel the urge to enhance that article, then please go ahead.
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>>> Do you now possess a HG622, Eric?
Yes I do. I've set it all up, but I haven't connected it to the telephone line yet.
>>> If you feel the urge to enhance that article, then please go ahead.
I'll put it on the list of things to do when I have the time... :)
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Are the errors reported correctly in the web interface?
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I rather think not, but I don't have time to check properly right now.
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The HG622 arrived whilst b*cat was still a-slumber in his bed on the last day of January. :blush:
So far I have looked at the contents of the CD-ROM and the (paper) copy of the manual. I need to find the time to power it up and look at its default settings, without being connected to the telephone line.
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Mine has been running for about 20 hours now. Its performance seems rather better than the HG612, with a higher connection speed under the same daytime conditions. It doesn't bitswap as much and the day/night variation in SNRM is higher (those two things may be related). Its wireless performance is fine, although I can't make any comparative judgements on this.
There's one small oddity - I continuously monitor it using rs-ux, and after several hours it fails to deliver a sample and rs-ux complains. What I don't know of course is whether it's a router problem or a bug I've introduced into rs-ux. :)
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Well I've just connected mine and I can see the current downstream connection speed is 9029kbps against 8640kbps using the HG612. Time will tell how well this manages as it is the highest downstream speed I have ever seen on 6db snrm. My upstream snrm is 11db which is much higher than I have ever seen, currently connected at 1020kbps.
I am running rs-ux Eric so will see how it behaves. I'll also check out wireless performance and compare with my wireless 11g access point.
Stuart
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>>> My upstream snrm is 11db which is much higher than I have ever seen, currently connected at 1020kbps.
Exactly the same here. I presume that 1020 kbps is the Talktalk maximum upstream speed.
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Just been comparing wireless speeds between my 11g access point and the HG622. Using my fast laptop I see speeds just below my speeds on the desktop (which is wired) when connected to the HG622, using the 11g AP the speeds drop very slightly. This is what I expected since the achieved speeds are close to the max my ADSL2+ connection will attain anyway.
Stuart
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Exactly the same here. I presume that 1020 kbps is the Talktalk maximum upstream speed.
Regardless of modem, although my TalkTalk downstream has varied between 15 and 21K over the past year, the upstream has always been 1020, so it does seem to be their limit.
Ian
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Mine has been performing well on annex m for day or two now and am I running with a SNRM tweak given by "xdslcmd configure --snr xx --mod m" giving a snrm of 3 db and about 18Mb/s downstream sync. It has remained better than a DG834G (at the same SNRM) with about 0.6 Mb/s higher sync and marginally lower crc's (on fast path). The upstream speed is however much the same as the DG834G at about about 1.8Mb/s.
I can't directly compare with a HG612 as I have never managed to enable annex m on a HG612 It is not a HG612 gui option and through it looks possible --mod m with all possible xdslcmd's commands does not seem to help. From past experience with annex m the HG612 was also about 0.6 Mb/s faster than the DG834G
I hope to have FTTC in the coming months. I assume the "WAN1_INTERNET_B_PTM4_0_1_0" PTM connection with WAN set in IP Bridge would work like an Openreach modem and IP_Routed(PPP) setting would enable the router to function on its own.
Is anyone able to test the HG622 on vdsl? it would be helpful to have the settings correct for day one!
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I unfortunately can't quite warrant spending £40 on this modem. Apologies if I sound like I don't support this excellent cause; I do. But, I just can't afford one at this time :( .
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I am wondering if my internet issues the past couple of days are this router or not? We have found that browsing is slow and some web sites take ages for the pages to load and complete, it's not a DNS issue because the site is contacted but just that some pages can take a minute or more to load. I was wondering if anyone else with one of these is having a problem? I have tweaked the snrm up a little so my sync down is about the same as it was when using the 612 as I was seeing quite high numbers of FEC errors and some CRCs as well. The problems were apparent both using the laptop wireless and the desktop wired so it's not a wireless issue, and the OS was W7 (laptop) and Linux (desktop) although both use Firefox. If the problem persists I'll swap back to the 612 and see what happens.
Stuart
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I am wondering if my internet issues the past couple of days are this router or not? We have found that browsing is slow and some web sites take ages for the pages to load and complete, it's not a DNS issue because the site is contacted but just that some pages can take a minute or more to load.
Are you by any chance with TalkTalk?
They seem to have a fault at the moment - and I'm experiencing it too - that's pretty much how you describe it.
Pages can take minutes to load, or sometimes time out alltogether. Press F5 to refresh and invariably it'll load OK, although other bits might be missing.
Ian
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I am wondering if my internet issues the past couple of days are this router or not? We have found that browsing is slow and some web sites take ages for the pages to load and complete, it's not a DNS issue because the site is contacted but just that some pages can take a minute or more to load.
Are you by any chance with TalkTalk?
They seem to have a fault at the moment - and I'm experiencing it too - that's pretty much how you describe it.
Pages can take minutes to load, or sometimes time out alltogether. Press F5 to refresh and invariably it'll load OK, although other bits might be missing.
Ian
Thanks for that Ian, yes I am with TT. Had not looked at their site to see if they had issues. I'll wait till this gets resolved and see how it goes.
Stuart
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Is anyone using the HG612 SNRM Tweaking Script (ADSL) with this router. It fails for me and I can't see why. (I have also posted this under the tweaking script thread.) The data$$ file ends up with
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-----Welcome to ATP Cli------
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Login: admin
Password:
Login incorrect. Try again.
Login:
Login incorrect!
Login: admin
Password:
Login incorrect. Try again.
Login:
Login incorrect!
...............etc..........
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I am wondering if my internet issues the past couple of days are this router or not? We have found that browsing is slow and some web sites take ages for the pages to load and complete, it's not a DNS issue because the site is contacted but just that some pages can take a minute or more to load.
Are you by any chance with TalkTalk?
They seem to have a fault at the moment - and I'm experiencing it too - that's pretty much how you describe it.
Pages can take minutes to load, or sometimes time out alltogether. Press F5 to refresh and invariably it'll load OK, although other bits might be missing.
Ian
I experienced the same problem yesterday, and I thought it might be attributable to the change of router. So, thanks for the information.
It seems OK today.
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I experienced the same problem yesterday, and I thought it might be attributable to the change of router. So, thanks for the information.
It seems OK today.
I first realised it yesterday, and thought it was my modem, so switched back to a different one, which appeared to cure the problem but it returned (or I noticed it again) in the evening. Couldn't get the TV to load iPlayer, stuff times out etc.
I still have the problem right now.
There's a lot of discussion about it on the TalkTalk forum http://talktalkmembers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=95382 (http://talktalkmembers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=95382)
Seems it's only affecting certain geographic areas.
Ian
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Having raised the HG612 SNRM Tweaking Script (ADSL) on this router I can report that the HG622 ATP level seems fussy over command file input terminations. Ensuring the login files used in the tweaking script have only a <cr> ending, and using a text file with the same <cr> only ending for the exit command as well, gets it working. A small edit is also needed pick up the sync speeds due to a change in the output style.
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Can anyone report on the HG622 wireless performance?
I am connecting to 3 adapters, each supports up to 150Mbs wireless n. My reported wireless connection speeds are OK (36-80mbs) but the actual throughput either to another computer, or to web is dreadful. Never more than 3-5 Mbs and very often much less, giving stutters in iplayer!. My normal router is a wireless g DG834g and that sustains a mininimum of 16Mbs actual throughput to web or computer to all the same adapters, I hoped for better with wireless n. I have not experimented much with the router position or wireless setup but would like know if others are doing better.
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I've only tested mine briefly and will need to do some more. Problem is that my HG622 is upstairs and in this house downstairs is where my wife uses the laptop it is not good reception and we use the wireless AP downstairs (connected by a powerline device). I'll 'borrow' the laptop sometime and do some tests using the HG622 upstairs and see what it gets.
Stuart
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When I tested mine it was in the middle of the TalkTalk network problem, so the rather poor performance I saw might have been caused by that. I'm using a WAP at the moment, but I'll give the HG622 another go tomorrow.
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asbokid has now run out of these. I wonder what he will get next?
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I've just done a new test, my desktop gives me 7.49mbps download and 0.86mbps upload on an 8.7/1.02mbps connection, using the laptop the same speed test site gives 7.28mbps download and 0.82mbps upload using the HG622 wireless connection. I compared a transfer from desktop to laptop of a DVD ISO of 4.4gb and wireless it takes about 11 minutes and via the lan (which goes via a gigabit switch and not through the HG622 lan connection) gives about 1min 25 seconds.
So on the face of it for net connection the HG622 gives very close to the same speed on a wireless n capable laptop as the desktop does connected wired.
Stuart
Edit: For completeness I just tested the laptop via my WAP 54G and it gives almost identical download and upload speeds. I guess to see any significant differences in net access I'd need a fibre connection as my current connection is as fast as it can be on ADSL2+.
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Would anybody we willing to sell a HG622 to me? I think I can probably afford one now but asbokid has run out :(.
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Would anybody we willing to sell a HG622 to me? I think I can probably afford one now but asbokid has run out :(.
:no: Sorry Alec, I shall be keeping my HG622.
Could I interest you in a HG610, HG612, 2Wire 2701HGV-C or Netgear DG834G, for example?
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I have been playing more with the wireless function using my Sony Xperia phone, seems much faster when downloading updates for apps. However I do seem to have a problem with the wireless and wonder if anyone else sees this - it is reconnecting that is a problem. I found that I had set the lease time rather low (12 minutes when I meant 12 hours and changed the lease time) so I disconnected my phone but found that it would fail to get the IP address and gave up. I had a similar issue with the laptop in that once disconnected it would not reconnect for some time, it almost looks like it has some timeout which prevents a reconnect for some time. Is there a setting I'm missing perhaps?
Stuart
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Stuart, I've found the same, and at the moment I've returned to using a separate WAP. There are settings in the HG622 which I don't understand, so I'll need to experiment some more when I have the time.
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I have had a bit more luck with the wireless. It seems that it works much better if I put the router in almost any position except the most convenient one where I first put it. Also even though I live with almost no detectable other wireless signals it seems significantly more stable with a fixed channel e.g. 11 and not auto channel. A good signal seems to always be the first priority with all wireless!!
Some of my odd experiences may be due to using wireless n for the first time. It seems to be faster with a good signal but but worse than wireless g when the signal is weak, not quite improved range. With a good signal I get the best throughput with wpa2-psk aes, band 20/40 and wmm on. With a poorer signal I have the impression that band 20 and wmm off do better. I don't understand when the 20/40 is used or just what wmm really does though!! Using other than auto on the MCS seems to need real understanding of things, the couple of values I tried (based on wikipedia reading) failed.
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According to this, (http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/221/~/what-is-wmm-%28wifi-multimedia%29%3F) WMM is used to prioritise multimedia throughput.
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Having read up a bit more I believe that running in compatibility mode where b g and n devices are allowed may cause some problems. I am lucky in that both my devices which need wireless are n capable and so I have switched my HG622 to n only and will see if that makes any difference to either throughput or the issue with reconnection.
Stuart
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According to this, (http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/221/~/what-is-wmm-%28wifi-multimedia%29%3F) WMM is used to prioritise multimedia throughput.
I just checked and WMM on the HG622 is only an option is you do not have n mode only, in n mode it is on and greyed out on the relevant web page.
Stuart
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I've tried setting the mode to G only (my internet radio doesn't have N) and also set the channel to Auto, and WiFi is now usable. But it takes longer to connect than the WAP and the signal strength is lower - 2 bars out of 5 instead of 3 bars with the WAP. I'll leave it as it is for a bit longer, but I think I will probably go back to the WAP.
In all other respects the HG622 is the best performing modem/router of all on my connection. Second best is the HG612.
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Yes the HG622 is performing well on my connection as well, as you say certainly very good possibly the best although my old D-Link was pretty good before it went t**s-up. Wireless N only for me seems a little better but I agree about signal strength, I suspect a router with external aerials would be better. I may consider replacing my WAP with an N capable one later especially if we get a smart TV.
Stuart
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Eric, so it performs better than the HG612, despite using the same chipset? How exactly does it perform better? Does it produce less errors, a faster speed, etc?
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The HG622 connects at a higher speed under the same conditions. When I last used the HG612 I was tweaking the SNRM down slightly (by about 1 dB), and I had a connection speed of ~8050 kbps; now with the HG622 I get a connection speed of 8138 kbps with no tweaking.
Both routers proved to be extremely stable, and their CLI interfaces provide more comprehensive data than other Broadcom-based routers I've used.
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I'd agree with Eric about performance, in fact my HG622 will sync at just over 9000kbps but so far I've actually used the rs-ux option to slightly increase the snrm above the 6db profile and find the 8758kpbs I now achieve slightly better as there are fewer errors, but it was not dropping the link, also I may let it go back to the default 6db in a few days just to see what happens. Originally it was running at this 9000+kbps when TT had their problems last weekend and initially I dropped it lower than it is now because I thought the problems I was having might be my sync speed and errors..
Stuart
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I am fairly ignorant on ports and security but "shields up" gives me all clear with my DG834G but port 631 open on the HG622. Port 631 is for internet printing and I think that is turned off on my PC.
I can't fathom out how it might be disabled or set to stealth on the HG622. Please can anyone offer advice?
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Same here I'll take a look and see if I can fathom out how to turn it off for completeness. I suspect it is something to do with the HG622 being able to have a printer connected by USB directly to it.
Stuart
Edit: I just had a look and the firewall wont reject it and there is no setting on the USB page to disable it, so at present I've not found any way to turn it off completely.
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Port 631 is the port used by CUPS, the Unix printing system. If you can get at the file /etc/cups/cupsd.conf to edit it, replace the line
Listen *.631
withListen 127.0.0.1:631
but I don't know if it's possible to edit this file in situ.
[Edit] Unfortunately that file doesn't exist, so I don't know where port 631 is set up. I've no more time now, but I'll look further later on.
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Eric,
I assume you are referring to a PC running Linux and not to editing the HG622 file system. I am running Windows XP, in that, unless you use it, the advice seems to be to turn off the internet printing service via the registry. I have done that but the open port is at the router I think. Going back my DG834G closes the port (or sets it stealth). I just feel it ought not to appear as open. I have static IP and notice quite a few port scans and other intrusion attempts so I like to careful.
Paul
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No, I was referring to the possibility of closing the port in the HG622, which is of course an embedded Linux system. Some of its config files may be editable.
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I just wonder if you could forward the port within the HG622 to as non-existent PC, that might make a difference. It is a bit naughty that you cannot turn it off and that the firewall does not prevent access.
Stuart
Edit Success port forwarding does indeed get this port stealthed. Just setup to forward from any source address to a single destination on your LAN whcih you know will never be used.
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Thanks, that seems to fix it. I will have a further explore to see if anything else stops it. I wonder if that cure suggests that my PC is responding when it shows as open I will see if I can explore that as well.
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I hate to have to ask this, but I can't make this work. How do you set it up?
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I can say what I did, I added under NAT- port mapping - an entry
close port WAN1_INTERNET_R_ATM1_0_38 TCP/UDP 631 631 631 192.168.0.254 Enable
Close port is my name for the entry. However I really don't know what I am doing and I hope there is better approach other than a spurious redirection. I am concerned that the PC should not respond itself.
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Thanks, that's done it. I was trying to set it up in the Firewall section. :-[
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What concerns me is that port 631 is visible from the WAN side, by default. :(
I have not yet looked at all the suggestions made above but until an nmap executed from elsewhere and pointed to The Cattery shows that all ports are 'filtered' (in 'stealth' mode), I shall not be happy to use my HG622.
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After using the workaround described above, all ports are seen as stealthed (including 631).
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The fix does work and the redirected port can be on a different subnet so that it can't be inadvertently used in the future.
By the way, I can't get the FTP server to work with a usb stick. To be clear I mean the "ftp" advanced menu option and not the "usb" ftp download option under "usb". The ftp port 21 is open on the LAN but does not respond.
I also still find WLAN performance disappointing and I am trying different settings at the moment.
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I also still find WLAN performance disappointing
I agree with that, and I went back to using a separate WAP.
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Thank you for the latest updates, Eric & Les. I've made a note for the next time that I have a 'play' with my HG622.
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Having decided that 'the time was ripe' for another 'play' with my HG622, I set up the NAT port mapping (for port number 631, originating WAN-side) as discussed above --
Mapping Name Interface Protocol Remote Host External Start Port External end Port Internal Port Internal Host
Block-WAN-631 WAN1_INTERNET_R_ATM1_0_38 TCP/UDP 631 631 631 192.168.0.254
I then connected to a remote system that is part of the ELRepo Project (http://elrepo.org) and, from there, instigated an Nmap (http://nmap.org) scan of all 65536 ports of the IP address at The Cattery --
[bcat@Quad ~]$ nmap -n -T4 -A -P0 -p0-65535 IP_address_at_The_Cattery
Starting Nmap 4.11 ( http://www.insecure.org/nmap/ ) at 2013-02-25 04:33 GMT
All 65536 scanned ports on IP_address_at_The_Cattery are filtered
Nmap finished: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 6567.453 seconds
[bcat@Quad ~]$
Just purrfect. :)
[Subsequently edited to 'tidy up' a minor formatting error, etc.]
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:thumbs:
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Is everyone still happy with the HG622? I don't really want to ask this question as it is for charity (so please don't take it the wrong way), but was it worth the money you paid?
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In my view, yes, it was a fair exchange, Alec.
Being a Huawei device, I am quite familiar with what is available, both via the GUI and the CLI. The inbuilt stand, the four LAN ports and firmware that hasn't been subjected to Beattie's 'fiddling' is more than enough for me to rate it above the HG612.
This is my ranking of the three Huawei Home Gateways that I own:
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I haven't tried the HG610, but the other two are both top ranking for ADSL performance in my view. The slightly odd thing is how different they are: initially the HG622 connects at a significantly higher downstream speed than the HG612, and the upstream SNR margin (on a capped TT connection) is 3 dB higher in the case of the HG622. But the HG622 downstream SNR margin falls much further at night than the HG612 (a 4 dB fall as opposed to 2.5 dB for the HG612).
Ultimately I can get rather better performance from an HG612 with the target SNR margin tweaked down by about 1.5 dB than from the HG622 with little room for tweaking.
Having said all that, I'm happy with both purchases, and will no doubt swap between them from time to time.
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I agree that adsl2+ wise the HG622 is good. The Wireless side does however annoy me as it ought to be a benefit. However many routers and adapters seem to get lots of complaints which may be environment related so this may just be for me.
With HG622 reported signal strength on adapters is good at all locations and depending on the type of adapters the stated speeds are 270Mb/s or 135Mb/s. Lan tests are however simply erratic sometimes real transfers computer to computer of eg 30 Mb/s on 150Mb/s adaptor but sometimes barely 1Mb/s ( including from the web) with no reported change in the wireless connection. Also sometimes very stubborn at getting a connection at all. Some adapters seem better than others: I have a mix of brands. The HG622 wireless seems fast but erratic with my mix of adapters and positions near radiators or other metal things. Any advice would be welcome!!!
In contrast connections with my usual DG834Gv4, with less reported signal strength, are always a steady 1OMb/s computer to computer and greater than 16Mb/s from the web.
The HG622 wireless seems fast but erratic, I would be happy if it was as good as the previous wireless G.
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Thanks for all the feedback! ???
Glad to see that the general consensus is positive about the HG622 :)
So far, £920 has been raised for charity from the sale of these modems. 100% of the final sale price going to the Dogs Trust. (http://huaweihg612hacking.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/charity-auction-of-huawei-hg622-vdsl2-modem-router-with-4-ethernet-802-11n-wifi-and-usb/)
Thank you to everyone for their support :)
cheers, a
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By way of on going feedback.
The HG622 seems to give roughly one thousand times, yes more than 10**3 times, the rate of bit swap as a DG834G at the same SNR. 20/min at SNR 6.0 to 60/min at SNR 1.0 !! The HG622 CRC errors (on fast path) are lower though, about 1/min at SNR 6.0 and about 3-4/min at SNR 1.0, about half as much as the DG834G so maybe the energetic bit swapping helps. MY SNR daily variation is about the same on the two routers. The HG622 seems so stable at 1.0 that I will try zero SNR next! I want to see at what stage drop out occurs.
I continue to find the Wireless and Ethernet throughput disappointing. An attached WGR614 with its wireless G equals the HG622.
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On my connection the drop out point of the HG622 seems to be at or very close to zero db SNRM. It survived heavy use for 12 hours at 0.3-0.5db SNRM but resynced when the SNRM fell to 0.1db and probably below. Based on this I will aim to ensure it stays at or above 2db at the worst times of day. A 2db minimum SRNM seems to give a solid low error connection with a fair margin for safety . It corresponds to a max tweak of -2db if tweaked when my connection is at its best. Judged relative to the same error rate the HG622 is 1Mb/s faster than the DG834Gv4.
Given that I am not really using the router and wireless side of the HG622 at the moment, I suspect I would be as well off with an HG612. I can't however use an HG612 at the moment due to its lack of annex m support.
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Some of the VDSL2 chipsets available today are being tested using a Huawei SmartAX MA5616 MSAN.
Of the six devices tested so far, those with the BCM6368 have all come out top.
Under test are:
the two revisions of ECI VDSL2 modem- Rev./I and Rev./r (both with the Lantiq VRX268 chipset).
the HG612, HG610 and the HG622 (all with the Broadcom 6368) and
the SagemCom F@st 2764 (with an Ikanos Fusiv Vx180 chipset, same as Fritz!Box 7390)
four other VDSL2 modems are also being studied (but not yet tested) 2Wire 3600, 3800 (Ikanos) and 3801 (Coppergate) and Planet VC-230N (Metanoia chipset)
Under zero length loop conditions, all of the devices provide close to the same actual speed (110Mbps/64Mbps). However, it is sensitivity measured by SNR that appears to distinguish the devices from each other.
The ECI Rev/I (Lantiq VRX268) is notably inferior to the newer ECI Rev/r (also Lantiq VRX268) .
The ECI Rev/r is notably inferior under the same conditions, and in terms of SNR to the Broadcom devices.
The Ikanos is notably superior to both the ECIs, but not quite as good, in terms of SNR, as the Broadcom.
In summary, the Broadcom 6368 devices are more sensitive, providing a higher SNR across the VDSL subcarrier signals under 0-loop conditions.
Whether that superior performance will remain when attenuation and background noise are introduced artificially remains to be seen. (next stage!)
cheers, a
(https://forum.kitz.co.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.picturepush.com%2Fphoto%2Fa%2F12298774%2Fimg%2Fmodemtests_02_13%2FScreenshot-from-2013-02-28-01%253A23%253A40.png&hash=a139cbfc652a15d7cf629b549fe6869e4bb00ade) (http://picturepush.com/public/12298774)
* All the results, so far, are here: http://insidehuaweima5616msan.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/contrasting-zero-loop-stats-... (http://insidehuaweima5616msan.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/contrasting-zero-loop-stats-for-eci-i-revision-and-r-revision-vdsl2-modems/)
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I have had experience of a HG612 holding sync right down to -1.9 dB SNRM, finally 'letting go' at -2.0 dB.
As of yet, I have not observed a SNRM lower than +2.0 dB with the HG622.
For the same target SNRM, the HG622 will synchronise 250 - 300 kbps higher than the HG612.
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I think the PCB in the HG622 has two U.FL Mini PCI connectors for the WLAN, it certainly has two connectors that look like that in the wireless circuitry.
see top left the "gold" colored connectors https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6wW18mYskvBR18tWDJlejFCY00/edit?pli=1
I have ordered a couple of "Mini PCI U.FL to RP-SMA Antenna WiFi Pigtail Cables" on ebay from Hong Kong at £1.59 for two
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221075748847?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 .
I have couple of RP-SMA antennas so I will simply connect them and see what happens. If it improves the wireless I think a permanent mod to add holes for the RP-SMA connector on the back will be quite easy, there looks to be space to fit them in.
I will have to wait a few weeks for the items but it will keep me amused for a while when they come!
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I don't have a HG622 to hand, but they do look like the U.FL connectors... except they look like they're female ones.
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I wondered over the sex and or polarity. Looking at the actual PCB I think the connector has a central pin which is lower than the outside edge. I would have expected it to be higher. I am however hoping the connector ordered will fit that as it looks to have central socket. I did however wonder over the how low the central pin is. I decided that at £1.59 it was worth a try. If anyone is familiar with these sockets and their variations I would welcome advice.
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Oops :( close examination shows it is a probably an MS-156 connector http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/RF-switch/p/sm/1009699517.htm which I think is is normally used for a test point. It seems that sometimes you can connect an aerial to it but most connectors are bulky and I don't think they would fit in the case.
This may work but I am suspicious of the MS-156 test point status and it costs more
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/MS156-TO-RP-SMA-Male-jump-cable-RG178-15CM-for-LTE-modem-Yota-LU150-1PC/907723_641087483.html
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I'm sure Asbokid has discussed the gender of such connectors, elsewhere, in the past. Perhaps he will advise on this, when he next passes by?
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I do vaguely remember a discussion - about the wifi antenna connector on the Huawei HG8240, which turned out not to have wifi any way! It does look like the MS-156 as Les-70 has noted.
cheers, a
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Found it. It was actually in the thread about the BT HH3.0B and was ten posts long, starting from here (http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php/topic,10161.msg214576.html#msg214576). :)
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I still have not managed to get the HG622 USB port to work as an LAN or WAN FTP server for a memory stick. An FTP server is not much use compared to a NAS drive but has anyone else had a go at that yet.
p.s. I ordered a pair of MS-156 connector leads, see above, but I remain doubtful over whether they will do the job. According to connector manufacturer, Hirose, they are good for only 30 insertions but can be used as aerial connectors. To work on the HG622 it depends on just how the antenna circuit is put together.
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I would prefer to keep all the processing power available for the modem/router basic functionality and, if such storage is required, connect a NAS to one of the LAN ports.
At present, I am just using the first two LAN ports of my HG622, with the WLAN disabled.
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I understand your intent but if your not using the "extras" heavily, or at the same time as other things, they are convenient to have.
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Indeed, yes. And I am always interested to know the possibilities of a device -- as one day it might be useful.
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I'm interested too :-) It appears to recognise when the shared directory is valid or not, and in the kernel logs, there is also a log entry about SAMBA, and no USB being inserted so cannot share files. Not sure where SAMBA came from.
cheers, a
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From a google PDF translate, the O2 Czech Hg622u manual mentions FTP starting the samba server. A reboot is supposed to needed but that does not seem to hep. A screen shot shows the USB drive showing up on the FTP page but that does not happen for me.
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A progress report re the wireless.
My MS156 to RP SMA connectors arrived and work allowing an external aerial. The cable provided was however very stiff and springy so any small deflection put stress on the coupling so I guessed that to be permanent mounted in the case would be difficult without a clamp stopping the strong pulls on the connector.
In the end I got the same connections with adapted U.FL Mini PCI leads so I need not have wasted my money on the MS156. If a short piece of ordinary solid copper telephone cable wire is inserted into the female socket of the U.FL Mini PCI connector and then this wire is nipped off so that about 0.9 mm protudes. Between 0.8 and 0.9mm looks like it would work, too short and it does not switch the RF and too long and the connector won't snap on and damage may be done. About 0.8-0.9 mm is as short as my snips would cut it whilst the wire was pushed into the socket. The total wire length is about 2mm with this cut. The U.FL Mini PCI leads that I have are a much more flexible cable and are easy to bend about. Both the MS156 and the adapted U.FL Mini PCI seem to need a solid push to get them to snap on with a nice click.
It all worked well enough on a bench to encourage me to drill holes to mount the RP SMA connectors on the side of the router sitting behind the PCB. i.e. the side with no components. This way round the board drops back into the case and then the leads run over the top of the board where there is a big space and the RP SMA connectors fit through a hole each side. They then hold the board in place if the hole is well positioned
I have compared the wireless with a DG834G wireless using inSSIDer and measured before and after the mod. The mod boosts the signals so that rather than being 2-3 db less than the DG it becomes 2-3 db more. A gain of about 5db in inSSIDrer and definitely 1 bar on the windows wireless display. Possibly better if your lucky with antenna orientations. It seemed very useful but after leaving it for a couple of days I have to say that signal strength does not seem to be the cause of the poor wireless behavior. Things still loose connection and there seems to be need for a wireless restart sometimes
I am sufficiently disappointed to have now removed the connectors and turned off the wireless --- I now have two extra small ventilation holes left in the side of the beast. The wireless is back where it was on inSSIDer and connection reliability is, I think, just the same with and without the antenna.
It all provided some amusement :D and no harm seems to have been done apart from more ventilation! ??? in the router!
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I decided to have one last careful try with the external antenna.
A careful check shows that ONLY the MS156 connector near the edge of the board (with a J7 label by it) seems to do anything.
Connecting to only that connector with the MS156 -RP SMA pigtail and no antenna drops the wireless output by about 20db and then connecting the antenna to the RP SMA gives a potential improvement of 5db over the original output i.e. 25db up from "no antenna".
Connecting to the other MS156 further from the edge of the board (with a J8 label by it) does not influence the output signal whether or not the J7 connector is in place or not. Given the 20db drop with J7 connected it suggests that there is no wireless running in that side of the circuit. I would not have expected a drop of more than 3db if connecting to J7 left J8 running and I doubt that J7 can disconnect the J8 side.
If anyone has an HG622 opened up, asbo maybe, I would really welcome confirmation from another HG622.
The simplest test is to enable the wireless and connect to the router wirelessly (if it is not connected the wireless power seems to cycle up and down every few seconds). Then start inSSIDer and look at the time graph of the wireless power. If a piece of 0.4-0.5mm diameter solid wire is pressed into each of the MS156 connectors in turn I get a ~20db drop in J7 and no effect with J8. I would welcome confirmation that J8 does nothing in other HG622's. If it does something, then maybe my HG622 has dodgy wireless!!
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Hi Les,
It is added to the TODO list. What are you using to measure wireless output?
cheers, a
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Hi,
I have only been able to use inSSIDer and the Wireless connection utility. I suspect inSSIder is best if all you have are wireless cards and adapters and no RF test equipment. I think inSSIDer is adequate for rough relative measurements. The dramatic difference between pressing into the connector by J7 vs that by J8 certainly does not need anything more to show it. When I made the MS156 connections to RP SMA I took no change when an antenna is screwed in and out to mean no signal.
One uncertainty that I have is how dual antenna systems operate, in terms of whether they always keep both both antenna powered up?
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Hi asbo,
Is the test of pressing into the MS156 still on your todo list?
By the way the HG622 is still my favorite modem. It has been interesting comparing with the HG612. Main difference is the time to achieve sync and what I guess is the time for the DHCP service. I power down overnight and use standby quite a lot. I never have to wait for the internet with the HG622, everything works as soon as I can login or the moment I come out of standby. With the HG612 and other modems there is always an annoying delay before web access is there. Does the HG622 have some faster components or is it just different?
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Just thought I'd say that my HG622 has now been up for 70 days and DSL connected for 63 days which I think is excellent. SNRM drops to around 3db at night and goes up to around 7.5db in daytime on a line with 42db attenuation.
Stuart
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Any more of these coming soon, asbokid?
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Hopefully, arobertson! There is a different firmware coming with a bootloader that might calibrate the wifi transceivers better. Or that's the theory. What is it with bootloader problems?! Unlocking the ECI vg3503j /r (the newer of the Openreach VDSL2 modems) is hitting the buffers because of a locked bootloader problem. [1]
As for the Huawei though, yes there should be some more soon :-) It is planned to sell them in aid of a different charity - Guide Dogs for the Blind. Does that meet with others' approval? Hopefully I will get the lounge back once they're sold :-) Someone peered in the window the other day and said to her mate: "don't think anyone can live there - look at all the boxes!"
cheers, a
[1] https://dev.openwrt.org/changeset/36315
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A question from a novice! Is the bootloader updated with any firmware updates or does it remain in place unless updated with e.g. a specific CFE> command? If not is JTAG access needed to change the bootloader?
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Hopefully, the bootloader can be replaced by including it in a firmware image (along with the rootfs and the kernel). I've never actually tried that since you have to re-flash it via JTAG if it goes wrong. It's certainly possible to JTAG the bootloader. It takes many minutes though. Here are a few notes on re-flashing a 6368-based device using JTAG. [1] The 6368 doesn't behave itself so it's necessary to manually define the JTAG registers and instructions for the SoC. Nothing ventured, nothing gained though :-)
cheers, a
[1] http://huaweihg612hacking.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/jtaging-the-broadcom-bcm6368-hg612/
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As you say nothing ventured nothing gained, I have a usb blaster on order and using your guide will have a play on an old HG612 to further my education as a long term insurance against bricking things. I am not keen on wrecking my HG622 at the moment and it is not worth even trying without a different bootloader to use!
I assume a bootloader update is also possible with a CFE> flash command if you know what your doing - which I don't. However as you say if anything is wrong and there is only JTAG left.
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The b*cat is known to occasionally prowl around the back of eBay, sniffing the aroma that emanates from the bins . . . :blush:
Having just returned from such a foray, I'll mention that there is a Huawei HG622 modem/router (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231025394696) currently up for auction. :)
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I still have not managed to get the HG622 USB port to work as an LAN or WAN FTP server for a memory stick. An FTP server is not much use compared to a NAS drive but has anyone else had a go at that yet.
In case anyone is interested the answer is easy and should have been obvious to me. Just add a rule under ACL on the firewall for ftp access. Obviously safe on the LAN but needing more caution if enabled for the WAN.
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I am not sure if it good practice but I have crossed posted this here so that this subject contains the main info on the HG622.
On a HG622 I have been trying dynamic blob swapping between 030 orginal Hg612, the 033-normal Hg622 version, "new" blob 035 and the latest 038. I followed Asbokid's HG612 guide to this.
The HG622 does not support TFTP to move things in and out but if a usb stick is inserted it is mounted in the file system and facilitates very easy transfers. I can swap between 030, 033 and 035 and they all work fine in the HG622, 035 may be a bit better that 033 but nothing dramatic. However with 038 I get "Segmentation fault" on starting it.
# xdslcmd start --up
Segmentation fault
#
I assume 038 has structural differences that the others lack.
In my linux ignorance I think a segmentation fault is not an easy thing to fix up!! any contrary advice would be welcome. I wonder whether also swapping other adsl bits at the same time might solve the issue, that might however just add more problems.
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Is anybody still using this? :)
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Is anybody still using this? :)
Yes. It is my current modem/router of choice.
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I have just ordered one :)
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@AlecR When you get it please report what dsl driver version you have on it. The usual version is an 033 one which may or may not support G.INP and does not support vectoring. Also unless it is an unlocked version you may have to get UART and possibly JTAG access to unlock it. On some ISP ones you just need to reflash with the Jazztel firmware via UART access, that firmware has the 033 dsl driver. On others you first have to replace the locked down bootloader via JTAG.
As burakkucat indicates the HG622 is very good on adsl, on FTTC it is almost identical in performance to the HG612 with the old 035 dsl driver that Asbo provided for Hg612's.
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I no longer have an HG612 and this was cheaper so I thought I would buy one :)
I'm still trying to obtain an HG612 at a reasonable price but I have nothing as of yet.
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@AlecR What is the source of the HG622? and is it unlocked.
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Is it possible to make the HG622 G.INP-compatible?
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It may or may not already be compatible. You may be the first to find out. If it is not compatible you may want a later firmware. However I have not seen any firmware since available since the Jazztel version Asbokid used. Hence me asking where you getting from? and when you get it which dsl driver it shows in firmware.
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I have purchased it from China.
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You will have to see what comes and whether it is a locked down ISP version or a Huawei retail version.
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Well the seller still hasn't shipped the modem which is rather frustrating.
Do any Chinese modems support vectoring?
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Generally those available from China are cheaper than things you get in the UK but don't have any other advantages. Indeed the firmware on them is often a foreign ISP version and often locked up. Sometimes you can find unlocked firmware but not always. You can need JTAG if the bootloader is locked. The more recent models do tend to support vectoring and G.INP but you often can't be sure of this. If you want something cheap try ebay, if you have lots of patience ex ZEN TG589's and ZEN Zyxels VMG 1312's come up cheap. I bought one of both these (ex ISP brand new) this year for about £20-30 but have not got round to evaluating their performance. On my line error resistance rather than max speed is my priority.
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I didn't think the TG589 supported VDSL?
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It does http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/products/16234-thomson-tg589vn/specifications/#content
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Well my HG622 never shipped and I've now been refunded.
What's next? :P
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Well my HG622 never shipped and I've now been refunded.
That is both unfortunate and fortunate, in the same sequence as your above statement.
What's next? :P
What do your want to do? What is your ultimate plan? :-\
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To try as many modems as I can of course! :P
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To try as many modems as I can of course! :P
Ah, o.k. ::)
Perhaps you would like to try the TP-Link Archer VR900?