Another radius log request

[#1]

Well it was as I suspected it would be, a complete waste of the engineers time. He found nothing so there was nothing he could do.

It was suggested that I tried a replacement router but as the Draytek 2952 is commercial grade I declined and only as a last resort. Having said that I did swap the modems over to see if the issue went with it; time will tell.

[#2]

According to my syslog I have recorded 119 outages on this line since 17:00 on the 26th so can I get a radius log that covers the same period to see if what I have matches what you have please.

[#3]

Hi @Mook,

I'm sorry to hear that the drops have continued. I've included a RADIUS graph between the 26th and today below.

There definitely looks to be an issue at present - how would you like to proceed from here?

[#4]

Oh there is something wrong alright @TheMightyAJ but what and where is another matter. I think it makes sense for me to leave the modems swapped for the moment and see how this fairs over the weekend and grep the logs on Monday. Subject to what's found will help decide how to move forward with this.

[#5]

Okay @Mook, not to worry, just let us know how you wish to proceed after the weekend and we'll be more than happy to help out wherever we can.

[#6]

 As you'll be aware the engineer's been and gone having done an L&S on the line. However, I can see from my syslog that the issue remains so how long should I / we give this before it's escalated?

[#7]

Hi @Mook

Ah I'm really sorry to see your connection's still dropping after the lift and shift. I've booked another engineer visit and I've escalated this with our suppliers helpdesk to request a senior multi-skilled engineer goes out next. 

I've updated the appointment details onto the ticket 219115935. I hope this is OK.

[#8]

@Gandalf - We'll if my syslog's to believed the connection has failed 10 times in the two hours it's been back in service. 

So what now?

[#9 · Accepted solution]

@Mook

Looks like you've spoken with us and we believe there's an incompatibility between the Lantiq chipset in your modem and vectoring software in the Huawei cabinet. I can see we've given you some credit towards a different type of modem router which may likely cover the cost entirely depending on which one you go for.

I know you've got concerns whether this is actually the cause but I think it's a good next step to try before we potentially call out Openreach again and arrange another engineer visit.

[#10]

@Gandalf - This still doesn't explain why one line faults and the other doesn't when they are using the same brand of modem.

Also, if it were an issue with the one modem then the fault would have transferred to the other line when they were swapped after the engineer's visit.

Can you provide a brand / model that you know to be compatible please as I couldn't find stand alone modems anywhere.

[#11]

@Mook  You seem to have a tricky problem on your lines. You would assume that both modems would behave in the same way if it was down to vectoring being enabled but this does not appear to be the case. If one line is working OK with no drops, it doesn't make a lot of sense if it only affects one line.

As for a replacement modem, my stock answer is the old but reliable Huawei HG612 3B as supplied by Openreach back in the day of managed FTTC installations. I have used one of these for years on ADSL and FTTC services. A firmware upgrade can unlock the device so that full line stats are available. Some say they are old and likely to fail and do not work as well as devices with later chipset versions but I have had no problems. Available on a well known auction site at a reasonable price.

I can quite understand the OR engineer blaming the router as a standard response, did he/she comprehend that you were load balancing two lines with separate modems?

Just a final thought, I expect the modems are running the same firmware, I have a vague memory that there are versions with or without vectoring support. Not really that familiar with the Vigor130 except that the GUI stats have never made much sense to me with upload/download and near/far  headings which I believe are mixed up for some parameters.

[#12]

You're right @RealAleMadrid it is very odd and equally frustrating and I am of the same thinking that if the issue as described is to blame then both lines should show symptoms.

I've no objection to buying replacement(s) but as Vigor 166s are rarer than hens teeth I'd need to get an alternative in the meantime. I've no faith in that particular auction site and I'lll go out of my way to avoid it.

The OR Engineer quite rightly pointed the finger of suspicion at the router after all all of his tests told him there was nothing wrong. I see on the DrayTek site that there's an alternative firmware I can't see why it's an alternative but it might be worth a try.