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Author Topic: Upgrading / replacing / reflashing firmware in ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A modem  (Read 1788 times)

Weaver

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When I load new firmware using the ZyXEL web UI of my ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A modem, quite often the upgrade process simply fails. There’s a long delay with a rotating symbol to enjoy, I give it a minute or two and then try to guess what to do next. I can try hitting refresh in the browser, and then I often get back to the modem login page, I log back in and then go back to the firmware upgrade page I was at before, hoping to see the version name string or the bin filename. At that point the modem either shows me the old version name or shows the ‘rebooting - wait’ modal alert box. So basically I have no idea what’s going on and no clue as to whether the flash replacement will simply fail and leave me with the old firmware.

Do you see these same problems? What do you do? Is there a rock-solid, reliable procedure that I should be using to do firmware upgrades that succeed first time?
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burakkucat

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The following procedure always works for me:
  • Take the VMG1312-B10A out of service. Disconnect it from the incoming pair. Disconnect all connections to the LAN ports.
  • With an Ethernet cable, link any one of the four LAN ports to a computer upon which the new firmware image resides.
  • Log into the GUI using the supervisor account.
  • From the "Maintenance" option select "Upgrade Firmware".
  • Left-click on the "Browse" button and select the new firmware image.
  • Left-click on the "Upload" button.
  • Go away from the computer and VMG1312-B10A. Leave them in peace. Do not watch. Find something else to do.
  • Having finished the something else (e.g. drinking a mug of tea, playing with a kitteh) power-cycle the VMG1312-B10A.
  • Log into the GUI using the supervisor account.
  • From the "Connection Status" option, left-click on the "> Status" button at the far right of the viewing pane.
  • Look under the "Device Information" heading for the "Firmware Version" line.
  • Smile (enigmatically) and redeploy the VMG1312-B10A in service mode.
:)
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meritez

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Is new firmware available?
My b10a will not save username and password in the pppoe field, only lets me set bridge mode.
Suggests that there is a bad batch of ROM chips out there.
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Weaver

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I flashed one of mine today with the latest custom Johnson firmware. A very minor UI tweak for me compared with the latest published at the usual johnson website: https://github.com/johnson442/custom-zyxel-firmware/releases but my new release isn’t saved up there yet.
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burakkucat

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Is new firmware available?

Not to my knowledge.

Quote
My b10a will not save username and password in the pppoe field, only lets me set bridge mode.

Is it a pure, vanilla, ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A or is it ISP branded?
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meritez

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Is it a pure, vanilla, ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A or is it ISP branded?

Pure vanilla
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burakkucat

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Pure vanilla

Hmm . . . Your VMG1312-B10A is behaving in a very strange way.
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meritez

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Hmm . . . Your VMG1312-B10A is behaving in a very strange way.

It's been like that since it was retrieved from a customer's site.
It's got the official charger, so the only thing I can see is some kind of corruption of the flash memory.
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Weaver

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£20 on ebay now.
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Weaver

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@Burakkucat - is it essential to power-cycle the modem, or is there a way of remotely rebooting it? (Since I cannot easily get to the modem without wobbling from my bed to the office across the way.)
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burakkucat

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My reply, above, detailed a method that has always worked for me. (Could you enlist the help of one of the cats?)
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tubaman

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It's been like that since it was retrieved from a customer's site.
It's got the official charger, so the only thing I can see is some kind of corruption of the flash memory.

Have you tried a hard reset as per this thread - https://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=20731
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