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[Weaver]

when I update the firmware or push a new config file into the modem it’s behaviour seems very evil because I never can tell when it is finished. If the admin interface’s IP address changes as a result of the particular contents of the config taking effect, what are you supposed to do as the user? You don’t know when to reconfigure your end’s IP address to be in a compatible range according to the netmask you made up for compatibility; the TCP connection that http(s) is working on dies too, because the destination IP address and then the source address (hopefully, but when) changes for TCP.

What do you do? How do you get through this nightmare?
Even just the firmware updating thing seems to be a total pain, endless waiting, never knowing when it has taken effect; Maybe just a matter of the whole thing losing the plot in regard to the http/https connection or some ropey JavaScript at the browser end perhaps. It’s a matter of knowing what’s going on and when, and when the thing is rebooting.

It’s not quite so bad when you’ve only got one modem to do, but I have a mountain of them that all need firmware and config pushing into them.
It’s horrible anyway, even just doing the firmware alone, but the admin IP addresses I set in their config files are all individual, distinct, according to which ‘slot’ they will live in, as I have four modems and unfortunately the way I’ve set up the addressing for their admin interfaces is that they have distinct varying admin i/f IP addresses, which are 192.168.n.1 where n is the ‘slot’ =1,2,3,4, so I have to defer that until I know which slot each is going to go into.

I’m starting to once again question the use of RFC1918 addresses that I chose, because it means that it make it more difficult for Andrews and Arnold to telnet/ssh in and look at things remotely; for that they really need a ‘proper’ global routable address. If really desperate I suppose I could give them ssh access to a machine such as my raspberry pi and let them work from that for a while. It hasn’t arisen yet and it’s pretty unlikely. I made an account on my Firebrick for AA support staff to use, and the firebrick has some diagnostic tools in it but for some things you need a real computer to run tools from.

[mrk26]

It's totally pain if you do this while modem is connected to your network. I did one of these connected to laptop through lan cable, and from this what I remember it does indicate when process start and when ends. Also I had file already in my laptop so was just a matter to upload to modem. It could be issue if your modem downloading fw from servers as will not start programing until download is completed. I know maybe is not solution but best way do them one by one individually with cable connected only.

P. S
I hope you mean zyxel VMG1312-B10A, if not ignore my post.

[tubaman]

I think the issue is that these are consumer devices and made with the assumption that it'll be sat in front of the user during the update. As it does a full reboot following the update there is no way it can keep hold of any TCP connections at that point. My experience with my VMG8924-B10A is that the user config doesn't change the vast majority of the time.
 

[Weaver]

Really they need some kind of post-boot posted job schedule (posting means deferring a procedure call till later, a bit like setting a timer but instead triggered to run as soon as it can be) which includes temporarily setting the network config so they can keep talking to the user so that way they can remake the TCP connection. Also need to prompt user as to when to change IP address range, exactly when.

[burakkucat]

Subject line now adjusted to reflect the correct ZyXEL device, thanks to mrk26's observation.

[Alex Atkin UK]

Honestly this has been one of my bug bears, especially with Windows.  Even if using DHCP, if you change the IP range, unplugging and plugging back in the ethernet cable doesn't seem to always trigger a DHCP refresh.  Changing the IP manually more often that not seems to refuse to take.