Kitz Forum
Broadband Related => Broadband Hardware => Topic started by: spotter on February 17, 2017, 09:17:27 PM
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Hi, it has been a while, I have had the Zyxel router since April 2015 and was connected to Plusnet unlimited FTTC on the 40/20 service as I am a little way away from the cabinet so i couldn't get 80/20 and it has been solid as a rock.
I had a line fault in January and I lost my phone line and the BB slowed on the DL but was ok. The fault was repaired but in the process i was changed to 40/2 package so my upload dropped to around 1.8 Mbps but connection was solid.
After a lot of complaining , https://community.plus.net/t5/forums/v3_1/forumtopicpage/board-id/Fibre/highlight/false/page/1/thread-id/55826 (https://community.plus.net/t5/forums/v3_1/forumtopicpage/board-id/Fibre/highlight/false/page/1/thread-id/55826), read that if you are bored, I was told I was moved to the 55/10 package and all seemed well for a day with my router stats showing around 45 Mbps DL and 8Mbps UL.
Long story short, since then, a day later initially, when I got home my BB was really slow and kept dropping out and now when i connect my router all i get is all the lights are on apart from the Internet World symbol and then the orange VDSL light goes out, then flashes, then goes solid for a few seconds and the goes out and just keeps repeating that loop but will never connect.
I can connect to my service fine using the BT fibre Modem and standard issue Plusnet router but the Zyxel is smoked.
Any ideas on what it could be please ?
I have tried a hard reset, put all the settings I can find back in, although i have found a few more on here to try and I am going to try updating the firmware but apart from that I am at a loss. it can't be far away on the settings as it did connect to start with but then after a very short time it just starts the loop again.
Any help much appreciated.
I have attached my most recent router stats if that is any help.
Thanks
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You can obviously access the VMG8924's GUI over your network and the screenshot you posted indicates you are connected (to me anyway)
I am sure the experts will be along shortly with some good ideas, what version of the firmware are you running out of interest?
Chunks
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Thank you for the reply, That screen shot was from a few days ago, if I look at that page now it is all zeros but I can access all the settings and change them but whatever i have tried doesn't stop the loop of the orange VDSL light and now I can't get any connection from that router.
I updated the firmware to 1.00(AAKL.16)C0.bin from the Zyxel download site. i noticed the UK site only shows version 7 I think it is.
I have raised a ticket on the Zyxel site also so if the unit is faulty I am still covered by the warranty hopefully.
Thanks
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You may have already done this, but have you tried a different power adaptor (I think it's 12V, 2A) as a failing one can cause all sorts of erratic behaviour especially when it's no longer giving quite enough current to the device?
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Thanks, I haven't tried that as hadn't heard of that but I am very inexperienced when it comes to broadband and related hardware. I'll give it a go
Thanks
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Ok, so what appears to be a very good call on the power supply. I tried connecting up a different power supply and everything was great, connection, faster speed than my plusnet router and not dropped out. I then tried the original power supply connected to a different point, as previously it was connected to a 10 socket tower extension and it seems ok now with the old supply.
Maybe the tower power supply had interference or maybe the original power supply is failing as you say and if i leave it on longer it may start to play up again. i did test it with a multimeter and it appeared fine although current reading was erratic but that could just be me...
I'll leave it connected and see what happens but thanks very much for the advice, we are definitely onto something :)
EDIT !! And it is back off again, I left it for an hour with the original power supply and when i came back, same problem, no internet and the orange light flashing loop again so I put the alternative power supply back on and this time it wouldn't work and the orange flashing light loop continued so I am thinking there is either a setting in my zyxel that the FTTC doesn't like after a period of time being connected or my router is faulty. i'll wait and see what Zyxel come back with.
Cheers
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Judging from my zyxel 1312 firmwares higher than AAJZ.3 they all have issues with dsl part, (mainly disconnections if the line has additional noise even to the same dslam (broadcom) & they blame the PSU
If you don't mind, testing just put back the original PSU and try older firmware, example 1.00(AAKL.5)C0
ftp://ftp.zyxel.com/VMG8924-B10A/firmware/
A reset is a must after the update, going back so many firmwares
i don't think it matters if is not from UK, or ask the support to provide you
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Thank you for the reply, I have installed version 5 firmware and using the original power supply and again it is working.
I will leave it connected for a while as it did this yesterday and then it seems that when it is connected for an extended period of time it will start to play up so will see how it goes and post back.
Thank you for the advice.
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Update is that it was ok for an hour or so and when i checked back it was off again and going back through the same loop of the orange VDSL light flashing and then going off and repeating.
Thanks for the advice though i'll hopefully get a reply from Zyxel tomorrow..
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It seems faulty unit ... have you near by lighting from time to time? because if yes maybe by time, has make weaker its components
The suggestion was for line disconnections ... you can try find an adapter
https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1trkdKpXXXXblXFXXq6xXFXXXG/TRAVEL-PLUG-ADAPTER-Converter-Universal-10-pcs-lot-USA-AU-EU-to-UK-Converter-Travel-Adaptor.jpg
and remove the top ground pin (unscrew it) it will not harm the unit & will work fine, is just regulation to have ground enabled in UK
But again this is for line disconnections suspecting the ground picks up additional noise
or indeed may is better to wait for zyxel support advise
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I thought most modern AC/DC adapters have plastic earth pins already.
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Thanks for the replies, the power supply has a plastic earth connection already.
I am thinking I will wait and see what Zyxel support say. it is still covered by warranty so hopefully they will say to return it and they will replace it
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They should replace it under warranty. Tell them the fault is intermittent and that you've tried everything. Try to get them to exchange both the router and power supply.
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Thanks, Will do, it should still be covered by the 2 year warranty, I can't think of anything else to try, it seems like it connects ok for a while and then just drops out and won't reconnect as if it was overheating or something
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Ok, Had a reply back from Zyxel support but i am not exactly sure what they are asking, any ideas.
Thank you for contacting us.
We are very sorry to hear about the issues you are experiencing with your VMG8924-B10A.
Is there any chance to configure the Internet by checking the details in the same time with your Internet Service Provider and let us know the results?
We look forward to hearing from you.
When i first had the problem I contacted Plusnet and they said the router was making too many requests and that is when they told me to do a hard reset and enter the login details again which is what I did and it was ok for a short period of time again.
Any ideas?
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Seems to me that they are asking if you can doublecheck your modem's settings with your ISP?
If you're able to put screenshots here (removing any password) than someone here may be able to help - they should be as laid out at http://www.kitz.co.uk/routers/zyxel_VMG8324-B10A_vdsl_setup.htm
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Thanks for the reply, i thought that is what they meant.
I followed that guide when I set it up and tried the VLAN 802.1P setting as zero which is on the plusnet guide, 2 and 1. everything else was as per that example.
It connects perfectly for a short period of time but usually within an hour the connection just drops out and the orange flashing light sequence starts.
When i first contacted plusnet they told me the router was making too many requests and told me to perform the hard reset and enter the settings back in which I did and this worked again for a short period of time which makes me think the settings are ok unless there could be something that would cause it to drop out after an hour of working perfectly?
Thanks
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Sounds to me like it could be heat related, once something reaches a certain temperature it plays up.
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That is my thoughts, i tried an alternative power supply which I thought had cured it but same thing after an hour of being on it died again.
i have replied to Zyxel customer support so will see what they say..
Thanks
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You will know when the PSU is the problem on your modem/router the signs are very dim light emitting diodes on routers display with connection issues and once you replace the faulty PSU the LED's will become bright again and connection is good again.
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I don't think it is power supply, i tried the alternative one I had and the same problem after an hour or so..
Thanks
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I don't think it is power supply, i tried the alternative one I had and the same problem after an hour or so..
Thanks
I know that just letting you know how to diagnose a PSU fail on a modem/router your Zyxel is dying a slow death :(
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I may be on to something else but i don't have time to test it until tomorrow night. But one thing I noticed is during one of the tests i hadn't set up the WIFI password and when i did it almost immediately cut out and on having a google there are quite a few examples of the same problem with different brands of hardware.
It could still be my hardware dyding and i haven't added any new phones or computers to my wifi but it is worth a check.
Thanks
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Was wi-fi turned off? As that would require less power and probably generate less heat, and if it's AC wi-fi that would require quite a bit of juice.
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wifi wasn't off but i hadn't set up the password so nothing could connect to it, my PC is connected by cable.
Apologies, what is AC wifi?
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It's the latest available type of wifi and works on the 5ghz frequency.
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You will know when the PSU is the problem on your modem/router the signs are very dim light emitting diodes on routers display with connection issues and once you replace the faulty PSU the LED's will become bright again and connection is good again.
Unfortunately whilst this can occur it is not always the case with failing, or misbehaving, power supplies. The most troublesome ones are when the power supply, or more frequently the associated circuits, starts to go out of spec as the components warm up. I've seen many examples where a device will seemingly be working fine when plugged-in, but when actually carrying out it's designed functions, and putting extra load on the circuits, it will not. A couple of examples.
A HG612 would drop sync to the dsl line and not re-connect easily. Visually, when not connected to the dsl line, the device and all the led's would seem fine. It turned out the the power supply was slightly out of spec but it was only noticeable when the dsl line was connected, with extra current being drawn whilst the device was trying to sync. Swapped the psu and all was fine. Then on another HG612 with identical symptoms a replacement psu did not help. It was an intermittent board-level circuit fault and the easiest and quickest thing to do was swap it.
Similarly a Zyxel router (NBG series) was visually working fine but would have problems keeping a connection even though everything was fine for months. The unit was swapped-out under warranty, worked fine for a few months, but it too failed but this time in it's entirety. It turned-out that Zyxel had used capacitors in this and several other models by a company called Teapo that were notorious in failing. On opening it up the Teapo caps were swollen and one had gone bang. It was swapped again under warranty but this time I immediately opened and replaced the Teapo capacitors with Panasonic ones on this and several other units. I was very disappointed with Zyxel for not addressing the real issue of them using sub-standard components during manufacture.
Intermittent issues can be some of the most time consuming and most difficult to track down. I much prefer when something totally fails and you can easily spot the fault. It's a bit like trying to track down those elusive intermittent HR (crackly phone line) faults that disappear just when an engineer turns up to look at it. So much easier if the joint or cable fails totally.
Hopefully Zyxel will promptly swap Spotter's unit under warranty without too much trouble.
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One of the issues with a second user VMG8924 is that people think it uses the same PSU as the VMG8324 and that is NOT the case. The VMG8924 needs a higher amperage than the VMG8324. People have reported that the VMG8924 is very unreliable with the VMG8324 PSU. In this case if the router was new and came in an unopened box then the PSU 'should' be of the correct specs.
Stuart
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Thanks very much for the in depth replies , I am away tonight but have picked up an email from Zyxel who are being great to be fair. They have asked me to check the routers error log and sent me instructions on how to read or set it up as whenever I have looked at the log it is just the headers and a blank page.
I had an intermittent crackly phone line for a long time but it is only when it goes completely and the BB drops do I contact them otherwise BT try and charge £120 if they can't find a fault which is what happened to me even though I had no BB connection. It was only when a BTW engineer visited did they fix it in no time and refunded me the cash.
It had just happened again recently whereby I lost phone and BB slowed which is originally why I thought it was an ongoing line problem but of course my free issue modem and router is working ok.
I'll post back with an update but failing hardware certainly makes sense.
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Just a quick update, Zyxel support have been excellent and I have emailed them the logs from the router and they have replied straight away confirming that they believe it to be an internal power issue as you guys have suspected and they have asked me to complete an RMA request and so I imagine they will want me to return it to them to be repaired or replaced.
Their replies have been very prompt and professional, it has been me taking the time due to work.
Stand by for an update :)
Thank you all
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Thanks for the update into internal power issue then it would be one of these boys in the picture below "capacitors" in the DC voltage input stage of the circuit
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I think i read about them, probably in this thread, I'll see what they come back with and if they just send me a new one then i might have to get the screwdriver out and see if i can give myself a shock off one of the capacitors :o
That Netgear D7000 looks a bit saucy !
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i might have to get the screwdriver out and see if i can give myself a shock off one of the capacitors :o
Not with 5V caps a wee tingle with a 12v one but your average modem/router will step down the voltage to 5V which most electronics use these days
capacitors are used to smooth out DC variables, Power supply voltage can sometimes supply erratic and unsmooth voltages that fluctuate greatly and if one capacitor is faulty in the chain it will effect the whole circuit.
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Should be ok then, i remember years ago my neighbour taking apart his old TV bless him and he took it out in the back garden to make sure it couldn't get plugged in while he was taking it apart.
He had the back off and touched his screwdriver on something and got a whack which made him jump backwards which he then thought it must be discharged and tried it again and got another whack which sent a shock up his arm and he had a burn mark on his elbow for some reason !
He hen put it back together and it didn't work at all after that..lesson learned :)
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Hi
Not with 5V caps a wee tingle with a 12v one but your average modem/router will step down the voltage to 5V which most electronics use these days
capacitors are used to smooth out DC variables, Power supply voltage can sometimes supply erratic and unsmooth voltages that fluctuate greatly and if one capacitor is faulty in the chain it will effect the whole circuit.
Whilst they are used as smoothing that was more applicable to old transformer driven devices, these days it's a bit more than that and they are used for decoupling and reducing the impedance of the copper tracks due to way the chips work. So the circuit sees all it's power coming from a power source that is just a centimeter or two away from a capacitor with little distance the current needs to travel, and as each main circuit has it's own capacitors, they are effectively decoupled from each other.
You need to make sure replacement capacitors are of a low series resistance type (LSR), the lower the better, and a general purpose "smoothing" type capacitor will not suffice.
Regards
Phil
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ok thanks, i have not heard any more since i sent the RMA, i am guessing it is just going through the system ....
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Ok so here's the update.
Started the RMA, had a reply saying the router was out of warranty so I emailed the receipt I got from Stuff.co.uk showing i purchased it in April 2015 so Zyxel promptly reinstated the warranty and asked me to complete another RMA. I did that and I had an email telling me to post it off to a repair centre in Scotland and within 2 days I got a reply saying my unit was being returned and a brand new unit turned up today, although having a 2 pin shaver plug on the power adapter which wasn't a problem as I had an adapter.
It is connected and up and running and all seems to be good so all in all, although the support process takes a while, I am very happy with the communication and support from Zyxel and thank you to all of you for your help :thumbs:
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. . . having a 2 pin shaver plug on the power adapter . . .
Hmm . . . They have sent you a European PSU rather than the correct UK version. I would be inclined to notify them of the mistake. :-\
It is connected and up and running and all seems to be good so all in all, although the support process takes a while, I am very happy with the communication and support from Zyxel and thank you to all of you for your help :thumbs:
:)