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[kitz]

Yes it is Official:  I have just had the confirmation from Netgear.

The new firmware has been Released!

You get the new firmware from here: http://kbserver.netgear.com/release_notes/d103272.asp

The new firmware combines a new DSL code from Infineon which addressees the LOM (Loss of Margin) drops whereby the modem re-syncs when the SNR margin fluctuates. Zen have tested the new firmware at on DSL max lines prior to the release and Netgear have now released it to the public.

Thank you to all who have given feedback to either Zen or Netgear Directly.

Kindest Regards,

L.Goile

Please use this thread to pass on any observations about the updated firmware version.

[soms]

Just today I installed the new firmware on my DG834 v3.

Impressed so far, the router is presently holding sync with a noise margin varying as low as -1dB, something I had not noticed the router do previously. I will be interested to see if it drops out later this evening or if the new firmware will allow it to hang on all night.

[emgee]

Hi all,

I have this router and have been having a problem with extreme SNR drops in the evenings, leading to lower sync speeds than I should have.  My attenuation is 48db and current ip profile 3000. I often wake in the morning to find the router resynced to somewhere between 4300 and 4800, which holds through the day but, without fail, I am forced to reboot in the evening after the SNR drops to negative figures. At this time, anything above 3500kbps is unstable.
I was going to look for a Thompson Speedtouch as recommended by b4dger, but found this firmware upgrade last night and gave it a try.
I have RouterStats graphs from before and after the upgrade. Graph1 and Graph2 are from last night before the upgrade. You can see the crazy drop-off. The router did actually hang on to the connection but it became unusable. This is where I'd normally force a reboot to a lower sync. I then installed the new firmware and the improvement was immediately obvious. A much improved SNR and I've held on to a 4544 sync for 24 hours for the first time. Graph1b and Graph2b were captured this evening at the same times as the previous ones. There's still a drop-off but it's not extreme and is good enough keep things running smoothly. I will hopefully see my IP profile improving  in the coming days.

I hope this is of use. Now, I just wish I could find out what causes the drop in SNR in the first place.

Thanks to Kitz for the excellent info on this site and to b4dger as well, for detailing his efforts with the same problem.

[roseway]

Hi emgee and welcome. That's really good information which tends to support the claims made for the new firmware, so thanks for providing it.

I would say that the 'after' graphs don't look particularly unusual - it's quite common for the noise margin to fall in the evening, because there are numerous sources of interference which increase after dark. The 'before' graphs are unusual, and could well be the result of the known problem with the earlier firmware.

[Azzaka]

...  but found this firmware upgrade last night and gave it a try.
I have RouterStats graphs from before and after the upgrade. Graph1 and Graph2 are from last night before the upgrade. You can see the crazy drop-off. The router did actually hang on to the connection but it became unusable. This is where I'd normally force a reboot to a lower sync. I then installed the new firmware and the improvement was immediately obvious. A much improved SNR and I've held on to a 4544 sync for 24 hours for the first time. Graph1b and Graph2b were captured this evening at the same times as the previous ones...

I will be emailing Netgear again. It appears the new firmware has an issue with Authing. Twice in the last 48hrs, it has dropped and not picked it back up again. I am checking just in case its our side thats doing it.

Thats good news, and I appreciate the feedback emgee. As for my comment, i was wrong to blame the firmware. It appears the modem is hit by DoS attacks and subsequently kills the modem. We have since changed the username and its working extremely well. I have a second test line and this is working extremely well.

I think to say the least, that we can now rule out the AR7 chipset as a possible fault when the upgrade has been applied.

If you own or use the v3 and would like to provide feedback, please PM me and i will give you an email address to send to.

Leo Goile

[b4dger]

Hi emgee,
Thanks for your post.

Your connection looks much improved and the difference shows clearly in your graphs - looks like Netgear have made some improvements!
All they need to do is update their other AR7 firmwares now.

Hope things continue to work well for you - you should have much less IP Profile 'ping-pong' if things stay stable 

[kitz]

From the other thread

Thanks for confirming that Azzaka.

I've got it installed on my DG834Gv3, and it's coping surprisingly well with my currently very noisy line.

[kitz]

Quote by lodge from the other thread.

Anyone else out there with a v3 on a long line could also try this - then when we hear how they got on and see the SNRM RouterStats graph we'll know if Netgear have 'fixed' things!

Well, I am on a long line and downloaded this 'upgrade' 24 hours ago and it hasn't made a jot of difference. In fact, I have had more drops than usual. I had been deferring buying a new router waiting for this to come out, but i think I will be visiting Ebay or similar soon.   

[MikeS]

The 'before' graphs are unusual, and could well be the result of the known problem with the earlier firmware.

The before graphs are typical of those I was experiencing on my line when using AR7 chipset routers (D Link and SAR) which suggests to me that it is an AR7 associated issue. For me the wild margin swings went away when I switched to a Speedtouch. It's good that Netgear addressed this issue, but it doesn't look as if there are any firmware updates for my AR7 routers in the pipeline.

Now, I just wish I could find out what causes the drop in SNR in the first place.

As Roseway said I think you are now seeing a 'normal' evening drop in SN margin with the new firmware.  Don't think there is a lot you can do about that, but at least your IP profile should stabilise and maybe your target SN margin will be reduced in time. 

 

[emgee]

Update:

Just to confirm, connection is very stable and my IP profile has gone up.

[roseway]

Excellent! Thanks for letting us know.

[soms]

My connection didn't hold the night it was getting -1dB to 2dB ds noise margin but I wasn't to surprised by that.

Has held steady sync since with a line rate better than the other routers I have used, so overall for the plain DG834 version the new firmware seems fine.

[rwm32]

Hi folks,

I've not had such a positive experience with the new .37 firmware.  I've delayed posting for a few days so that I had the chance to spend my evenings crawling round clutching my old AM tranny, re-routing cables, re-siting power bricks, replacing filters, and putting in a properly-shielded modem cable.  The upshot is that the environment is much more favourable than it was when I had the old firmware running.

Sadly, things aren't really any better with the DG834v3. Stability until sometime between 5 and 6pm, then huge fluctuations in SN margin: 7dB to 0dB and everywhere in between in the space of 10 mins. And at 0dB for anything other than split seconds, the DG834v3 drops the line and re-trains.

However, with my nice shiny new Thomson TG585v7 (Speedtouch successor) - stability. It drops by 2-3dB between 5 and 8pm, then it's steady +/-0.5dB.  (Incidentally, a big 'thank you' to b4dger for finding the right modem first...)

Downside to the TG585v7 (user interface apart) is that it will drop/re-train if the SN margin stays at 5dB or below for more than a few minutes, as far as I can put things together from the RouterStats log. So the Netgear holds sync at lower SN margin but even with the .37 firmware can't hold the SN margin stable enough to make that a virtue.

[Background: I'm c.2km from the exchange, suburban, so a mix of underground and poles. Line attenuation d/s around 36dB.  Both modems will sync at 8064 (that's with interleaving, which is odd...), but I get extremely high CRC error rates at that speed.  I'm aiming for stability at around 7300kbps (enough to keep my 6500 BRAS profile, anyway).]

[roseway]

Thanks for that information (and welcome to the forum )

Despite what some over-enthusiastic people have suggested, I think it's inevitable that not everyone will find this particular combination best for them. In my case, when I had a temporary line fault the DG834G with the new firmware seemed to give me the best result, but now the fault has cleared I'm back with the ST576 which was always the best for me before.

[Azzaka]

Thanks for that information (and welcome to the forum )

Despite what some over-enthusiastic people have suggested, I think it's inevitable that not everyone will find this particular combination best for them. In my case, when I had a temporary line fault the DG834G with the new firmware seemed to give me the best result, but now the fault has cleared I'm back with the ST576 which was always the best for me before.

I do agree with Roseway, the new firmware will not fix all issues and think in your case rwm32 the chipset is still pushing the line and hence you are seeing the drops. If you have found a modem that works then use it, and I personally appreciate the feedback.