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[kitz]

These are the screeens from the GUI that I currently have set

1) interfaces screen

2,3 & 4) WAN configs are in an i-frame - so screen caps as I scroll down the page. Not included the MTU setting at the end.

[kitz]

Finally the advanced screen.


Hopefully these may help.

[kitz]

Update - Tried new firmware that was released today but the issue is still there.

All the symptoms are remarkably similar to the known problem that was on the sbg3300.   
The streaming issue only affects devices running iOS7.  My ipod(iOS6) and phone (android) are perfectly fine.

Since a fix was rolled out for the SBG3300 on the 26th of March, it is hopeful that it shouldnt take too long for new firmware to be written for the VMG8324 too.

Well Ive had a reply from ZyXel asking for more information on my devices as they cant seem to replicate the issue.

So a bit of digging today and I notice this

http://usertools.plus.net/status/archive/1396600749.htm

Posted on: Friday 4 April 2014, 09:39
We've been made aware that some customers are experiencing some problems when trying to access certain online services, this may be most noticeable when using streaming websites.

Posted on: Friday 11 April 2014, 10:59
This is an update to Tuesday's post regarding problems using or accessing some online service and streaming websites.

Customers should now see that the majority of online services and streaming websites are working correctly. We are still in contact with the remaining services and sites affected and they are working with us to resolve these problems.

...  and guess what Ive just managed to stream for an hour on the ipad.   Seems rather strange that whatever it was only affected iOS7 devices...  still not convinced at what the issue is here. 


---------
Update

It appears that I may have been caught up with a Nationwide issue that affected iOS with BBC iplayer, SkyGo & NowTV and it wasnt actually anything to do with the ZyXel.   
This problem has now been fixed for iPlayer which works perfectly fine again.

[idb]

Any further thoughts or observations you would care to share about this device?

I've been thinking about getting a combined device for a little while now, and have had a good experience with ZyXel stuff in the past, so I am seriously considering splashing out on one.

TIA

[kitz]

My overall opinion is I like it and Im definitely keeping it.  I still have a ticket open & iirc Im on my 5th firmware, but as it stands everything that I have reported to Zyxel has now been fixed.  If you do purchase one you will have to request the firmwares from ZyXel as I believe several of them havent been put out for public release yet.

TBH in between gutting the bedroom and hall and various electricians/fitters/joiners and doing all the hard graft myself I havent really had chance to explore it much more than Ive said in here, but I will summarise.

Plus points

• All in one modem/router/GbE switch/ wifi
• Increased my max headline sync by 3.5Mbps compared to the HG612
• SNRm is very stable
• Full access to the CLI
• WebGUI starts off looking nice and most functions are available to the EU direct from the GUI
• Seems to be lots of security options, groups, permissions, parental controls etc.
• Smart looking unit.  I have it on the desk but it can be wall mounted
• Broadcom chipset - these historically behave best on my line
• Wifi reaches a previous dead spot in the corner of my lounge, negating the need for the CAT5e which I had to lay
• ZyXel support have been very pro-active in any issues Ive raised
• First FTTC unit that ticked all the right boxes for me in the £100 range
• Full access to line stats inc QLN and Hlog etc
• Feature rich when it comes to other stuff such as USB, 3Gbackup, VoIP,  - although I havent tried them

Cons

• The Quickstart set up doesnt work for FTTC, so be prepared to set up a new interface yourself - this may be fixed in later FW versions
• The GUI isnt the most intuitive when it comes to advanced functions, so although it may not be a router for n00bs, it has plenty of things to play with for the more geeky user
• Whilst the wifi seems to do ok for distance, I do seem to be limited to a maximum speed of circa 30Mbps on my devices - perhaps something needs tweaking but I havent found the right setting yet
• The wi-fi is wireless n, so there are more advanced units out there if you want faster wifi speeds - unfortunately the price for those units was more than my budget though

Oh and another plus-point - it works with DSLstats, and may soon work with HG612modemstats

[idb]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. 

Although I'm nowhere near being an expert on configuring modems and routers I think I probably know enough to bumble through so I've decided to go ahead and order one (from the stuff-uk site that was mentioned earlier).  We shall see how it goes 

[Bald_Eagle1]

FWIW, I THINK the HG612 Modem Stats programs now work as intended with the ZyXel modem.

Kitz & I have been doing some debugging tests recently & she is (hopefully) about to test them on her live connection.


Some users have both DSLStats & HG612 Modem Stats running in tandem with each other because when combined, they provide real time visuals & stats along with really long term instant & ongoing monitoring stats & graphs.

All of which can be & are VERY useful when attempting to prove a line fault or other faults/bridged taps/crosstalk/REIN etc. to your ISP and BT OpenReach.

[kitz]

FWIW, I THINK the HG612 Modem Stats programs now work as intended with the ZyXel modem.

Yes its looking good so far and I have your email - thank you so very much for all the work you put into this.
Ive been sanding down plaster which is why I didnt respond earlier and I now look like Im covered in talc. Unfortunately I seem to be having some problem locating the correct version of Ronski's GUI to slot everything together.

In view of the fact I need to go get a shower (& long hair takes ages to dry)...  and I have to be up early tomorrow, Im not quite sure when I can report back on this, because its certainly not looking like it will be tonight now.   Perhaps tomorrow eve if I get chance.   

[Bald_Eagle1]

Im not quite sure when I can report back on this, because its certainly not looking like it will be tonight now.   Perhaps tomorrow eve if I get chance.

That's no problem, Kitz.

(especially as it seems that only you have one of these modems on a VDSL2 connection - at the moment).

[Ronski]

[Unfortunately I seem to be having some problem locating the correct version of Ronski's GUI to slot everything together.

Kitz, it should just be a case of checking for updates from the GUI, you will need to make sure you have receive beta updates selected on the GUI settings tab. You should then be offered the latest update when checking for updates.

[kitz]

Kitz, it should just be a case of checking for updates from the GUI, you will need to make sure you have receive beta updates selected on the GUI settings tab. You should then be offered the latest update when checking for updates.

Cheers, I wasnt aware of that as I was doing a fresh install (Not put it back on since I formatted my drive etc), so I will know for future.  BE kindly forwarded me a copy so Im going to try that later

[rob]

Ive just done some quick wi-fi tests.  hmmm  not sure if I need to tweak some settings as I dont seem to be able to get much more than 38Mbps.   The ipad isnt ideal to test with anyhow as even with my previous router the speeds werent that great anyhow heres the results.  I need to borrow a laptop really.  I did 3 in each loacation and show the average.

Sorry for digging up a slightly older post, but these WiFi speeds might actually not be too bad depending on the devices you're using.

The advertised speeds of WiFi are maximum theoretical link speeds and you'll never achieve those as throughput speeds, ever.  Also keep in mind that like powerline, WiFi is half duplex (i.e. each radio can transmit or receive, not both simultaneously).  Whilst it is possible to achieve a throughput of over half the link speed in one direction, the speeds are always going to be closer to the halfway point than the full link speed.

Also, starting in 802.11n, you can use multiple spatial streams (and 40MHz channels) to increase the data rates further but for each spatial stream you need a dedicated antenna at each end so you'll always be limited to the worst device.  WiFi access points that claim up to 300Mbps can only achieve this link speed using 2 spatial streams, 40MHz channels and short guard intervals (400ns instead of 800ns).  If your iPad only has a single internal WiFi antenna then you're only ever going to be able to achieve a maximum link speed of 150Mbps (40MHz channel) or 72Mbps (20MHz channel).  If you don't enable short GI this then drops further to 135 or 65Mbps.

Enabling 40MHz channels may also make things worse if you have other wireless networks nearby as it increases the chance of interference (and is therefore not recommended expect in very quiet spaces).  For example, when I tested 20MHz vs 40MHz on my access point in a fairly crowded air space (I can usually see 25+ wireless networks), the bandwidth speed dropped from 30-40Mbps to 20-25Mbps (my laptop which was used for the test only has a single antenna and can't do short GI in 20MHz mode so my maximum link speed is limited to 65Mbps).

The speeds you quote seem to mirror those that I've seen when one side is running with a 65/72Mbps link speed, suggesting that your iPad may well be limited to this.  Most phones and tablets only have a single antenna so it doesn't matter what you connect to you'll never get more than 65/72Mbps from them.

[kitz]

Hi rob.

Thank you very much for your input and informative post. Its most apprecaited.

Yes the settings are at 40MHz and I have tried tweaking a few things, but only made it worse.
This is what the Zyxel says about the connection to the ipad

Code: [Select]

Connection Type: 802.11n
Connection Rate: 65 Mbps
Link quality: 100%
A speedtest next to the router has just given me 37.4/18.3 Mbps. I think you may be correct with regards to the ipad.  I had a feeling it may be something like this due to the fact speeds dont seem to decrease the further away from the router.  Its only when on a different floor, and through a couple of walls and as far away in the house that I can get from the router that I start to see a real degradation of the speeds..  suggesting that 38Mbps is tops Im going to get on the ipad/ mobile phone.

For comparison, the following is the results at 20MHz

Code: [Select]

Connection Type: 802.11n
Connection Rate: 65 Mbps
Link quality: 100%
Speedtest 35/18.3 Mbps.

I usually see anything up to a dozen other networks at most. 

If you don't enable short GI this then drops further to 135 or 65Mbps.

OK after looking through all the GUI settings, I came across this page (see cap below)
Note the Preamble setting = "long" by default.
Consulting the user manual tells me this

Choices are Long or Short.  This field is configurable only when you set 802.11 to 802.11b

As a test I just changed it to 802.11b/g Mixed and set the preamble to Short..  and got some pretty abysmal speedtests & regained the deadspot in the corner of the lounge. 
So its back at 802.11b/g/n..... and rather strangely because I didnt change anything else other than mode and preamble...  Im now getting very consistent 41Mbps   Which is the best speed its given so far.

[idb]

If you do purchase one you will have to request the firmwares from ZyXel as I believe several of them havent been put out for public release yet.

As I half expected - I emailed support and politely asked if they could let me have copies of the updated firmware that I had heard about but which wasn't available on their web site yet.  They responded (very quickly I must say) but only with a link to the existing firmware (dated 3/9/13) page   

I think I'll just wait until I get the device (hopefully tomorrow) and then query any problems with them - hopefully resulting in a solution that involves them sending me the new firmware!

[kitz]

I can let you have them.  I'll PM you in a mo.
I was told they must be installed incrementally as one of the updated firmwares wont work unless you do one of the others first - possibly why they dont put it up for public consumption.


Until I get around to doing a proper page, the config information you need to set up a new interface is here. Hopefully you should just be able to copy my settings.  In the early FWs I deleted all the default interfaces and created a brand new one, but it is possible now just to simply edit the existing VDSL one.

I recommend you DONT use firefox to set up anything.   It doesnt seem to save any of the changes you make.   Ive just been caught out by this myself when playing with the wireless settings, even though I knew     Use chrome which works and will give you less grief when you hit 'save'