BT FTTC Homehub 5 Reboots

Hi all,

I had BT Infinity 2 installed at my new address on the 3rd Feb. The broadband and phone have been operational since, however, my order is still not completed, so I can't have caller ID, can't have BT Smarttalk, and BT Broadband support can't help me as my account shows no line on it.

I've escalated the lack of order completion several times and been told I will be called back tomorrow etc, but it never happens. I've basically given up on that until I get a bill.

The reason I need to talk to BT Support is that my line is horribly unstable. I started off with the full 79999/20000 sync, it's dropped to around 70 now as the Homehub 5 keeps rebooting itself.

Any known solution? Is it because BT don't think my line is installed? A faulty homehub? Something else?

See screenshot for how often it reboots...

Pic 1

Pic 2

I had the same problem. As I dumped BT Home Hub 5 because BT say you cannot disabled firmware checking auto every night, it's very bad as it will ruining your fibre exspecially DLM will be trigger. I can't believe that BT should known better as it should have left an option to turn this auto update OFF. So, I dumped it to go back to BT Openreach Modem HG612 unlocked with my own Netgear router.

Unfortunately the engineer wouldn't give me an openreach VDSL modem, so I can't try out another router.

I did try...

This is more than one reboot a night though, and surely it should only reboot if it finds a new firmware?

It's pretty stupid to check every night for firmware. BT are the worse ever to put that on BT Home Hub 5. Unbelieved. I don't mind at least one per every month or two but every nights is rather annoyed.

In reply to a post by nemeth782:

Unfortunately the engineer wouldn't give me an openreach VDSL modem, so I can't try out another router.

I did try...

This is more than one reboot a night though, and surely it should only reboot if it finds a new firmware?

You can purchase one from ebay around £20 for unlocked HG612 BT Openreach Modem but you still need a fibre support router thought.

Software checking for updates once a day should be nothing out of the ordinary

Why do you think a check that should be just a few hundred bytes long is such a bad thing?

Is the line unstable or is the Home Hub 5 unstable?

A router rebooting suggests something more wrong that a resync of the connection, which should not show up as a reboot.

It shouldn't rebooting itself after firmware check MrStaffron

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Is the line unstable or is the Home Hub 5 unstable?

A router rebooting suggests something more wrong that a resync of the connection, which should not show up as a reboot.

See here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/04/bt_home_hub_...

Who says it is rebooting after a firmware check?

The thing will only result in a reboot from firmware check if a new firmware is found, and there has only been one additional version as far as I'm aware.

I've found it problematic under certain circumstances. Needs some work on the firmware.

https://community.bt.com/t5/Other-Broadband-Queries/...

It also needs BT to sort out their remote management:

https://community.bt.com/t5/Other-Broadband-Queries/...

https://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Infinity-Speed-Connec...

Have a look at the event log and see if your issues match that.

Edited by deleted (Sun 16-Feb-14 22:03:53)

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Who says it is rebooting after a firmware check?

BT told me from community forum

So more evidence of a software bug rather than a line issue

If we ran news for every router we had seen with firmware issues, I'd have no fingers left.

I see nothing in the event log mentioning OpenRG so I don't think that's it.

The network is set up like this:

<internet>
|
|
<homehub>------->2.4 SSID
| |
| --->5 SSID
<powerline>
|
|
<powerline>
|
|
<Netgear R6300>------>2.4 SSID
| |
| ---->5 SSID
|
<TV, PS3, PC via ethernet>

So, if you are on the Wifi of the R6300 it looks like LAN traffic to the HH5.

It seems to reboot no matter if it is being used or not, but perhaps slightly more often under traffic?

Wish I had a VDSL modem to test it with. Might be able to find a Draytek 2850 at work...

And you believe them?

A reboot after a firmware upgrade makes sense, after every firmware check makes no sense. If it is happening it is a bug that would be pretty high up the fix list, just below any vulnerabilities

Router rebooting sounds like a hardware fault to me. Ask for a replacement.

BT say it not hardware issues. It's more likely caused by MK2 master socket to rebooting HH5 as they had test it on MK1 - no rebooting issues and also they test it HH5 with via router on WAN port (with MK2) no rebooting itself. They try again with HH5 alone with MK2 and still rebooting issues. BT are looking into this. Could be software bug or could be MK2 problem with HH5.

Edited by adslmax (Mon 17-Feb-14 13:45:41)

Easy enough for the end-user to test, remove the faceplate i.e. http://www.coolwebhome.co.uk/faceplate/

Remember the filtering is actually on the PSTN side, given the right connector you can happily run a phone from the VDSL2 socket on the Mk1 or Mk2 or any other faceplate filter.

As for it not being a hardware issue, they are contradicting themselves, since the MK2 is definitely hardware is it not? Me thinks people are clutching at straws with sample sizes of 1

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Me thinks people are clutching at straws with sample sizes of 1

What about the low pass filter in the MK2 faceplate having a nasty effect on the phase of some of the VDSL signals - remember the filter is also across the feed through connections. The phase change causes massive errors to be seen on the modem's front end, the processor gets overwhelmed and has to reboot!

Extremely unlikely - just another straw for them to clutch at.

So far with my BTO Modem HG612 with Netgear DGND3700v2 router, no rebooting itself, stable for 1 day and 10 hours so far. The only issue is BT Home Hub 5 rebooting itself mean, it not my line socket (MK2 fitted by engineer) at all. I think it more likely BT Home Hub 5 software issues on it.

Edited by adslmax (Mon 17-Feb-14 15:16:27)

Or could just be the MK2 has a sub-par component/joint on it.

The filter can mess up the VDSL2 side, but then easy enough to test.

Just an update - Tonight I connected up a Draytek 2850n I had laying around in place of the HH5.

Stats pasted below, lost 10meg I'm assuming because of DLM and all the reboots. Can anyone see anything obviously wrong? Is interleaving enabled?

Will this all go back to normal if it stays stable?

VDSL
Link Status Showtime
Firmware Version 1414c3
Basic Status Upstream Downstream Unit
VDSL Profile 17a
Actual Data Rate 19999 69240 Kb/s
SNR 102 63 0.1dB
Advance Status Upstream Downstream Unit
Actual delay 8 7 ms
Actual INP 40 30 0.1 symbols
Actual INP 40 30 0.1 symbols
15M CV 2856 97 counter
1Day CV 2856 97 counter
15M FEC 653839 2008120 counter
1Day FEC 653839 2008120 counter
Total FEC 653839 2008120 counter
Previous Data Rate 19999 69956 Kbps
Attainable Rate 31144 69240 Kbps
Electrical Length 90 90 0.1 dB
SNR Margin 101 101 (US0,--) 0.1 dB
SNR Margin 103 62 (US1,DS1) 0.1 dB
SNR Margin 102 62 (US2,DS2) 0.1 dB
SNR Margin N/A 64 (US3,DS3) 0.1 dB
SNR Margin N/A N/A (US4,DS4) 0.1 dB
15M Elapsed time 629 629 secs
15M FECS 3206 487 counter
15M ES 2003 13 counter
15M SES 0 2 counter
15M LOSS 0 0 counter
15M UAS 231739 71 counter
1Day Elapsed time 629 629 secs
1Day FECS 3206 487 counter
1Day ES 2003 13 counter
1Day SES 0 2 counter
1Day LOSS 0 0 counter
1Day UAS 231739 71 counter
Total FECS 3206 487 counter
Total ES 2003 13 counter
Total SES 0 2 counter
Total LOSS 0 0 counter
Total UAS 231739 71 counter

This is interleaving

Actual delay 8 7 ms
Actual INP 40 30 0.1 symbols
Actual INP 40 30 0.1 symbols

Total FECS 3206 487 counter

Edited by deleted (Tue 18-Feb-14 20:28:58)

Thanks,

Does that imply an interleaving depth of 40 up 30 down?

Will it go down if my line stays stable? (what does FTTC start at?)

Hopefully we'll stay stable now. If it does, I may order a hg612 from ebay to test with the HH5.

Well, it's 4 and 3 as it says 0.1 symbols. DLM is off to start off with so there's no interleaving - depth of 1. DLM will change it if the line is stable and may turn Interleaving off.

In reply to a post by nemeth782:

lost 10meg I'm assuming because of DLM and all the reboots.

I doubt it, mine was on and off like a brides nighty the other week and nothing changed and then once that was sorted out my HH5 was rebooting maybe 5 or 6 times a day for no reason i could fathom so i did a full reset of the HH5 and now it seems to reboot around every 10 days.

FWIW i am using a MKII filter.

I don't trust HH5 myself. I lost my faith on it. I am now ongoing stable for 4 days, 6 hours and 13 minutes using my own BTO modem with my Netgear Fibre Router. All seem ok.

http://postimg.org/image/v7h5lzqzt/

What Netgear fibre router?

I presume you actually mean a netgear with a distinctly copper based Ethernet WAN port. You've been around the block long enough to know the right naming by now

Netgear DGND3700v2 (Grey Wan port lable say Fibre / Cable) that port connected to BTOpenreach Modem.

I wish Netgear do have VDSL modem inbuilt router, maybe one day!

In reply to a post by adslmax:

I don't trust HH5 myself. I lost my faith on it. I am now ongoing stable for 4 days, 6 hours and 13 minutes using my own BTO modem with my Netgear Fibre Router. All seem ok.

http://postimg.org/image/v7h5lzqzt/

Most of the problems people are having all seem to stem from when BT pushed this:

Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.173.1.6

So fingers crossed the next firmware will sort out the current odd problems which do seem pretty common and do seem to have BT flummoxed.

Overall i think the HH5 performs really well but they could do with sorting this out, like i said mine seems much better after factory resetting it and then setting the SSIDs, network keys etc. up manually and not from a config file, 10 days between reboots now.

The next software version could be even worse. I don't trust BT HH5 myself. Don't want to go to bed every nights worrying about HH5 rebooting itself and then my FTTC DLM kicked in and losing all sync rate speed. No thanks, too risky.

Below you can see my BT Openreach Modem with my own Netgear DGND3700v2 remain stable over 5 days now with no disconnection.

http://postimg.org/image/iygf3yo89/

TBB Monitors from 16th to 21st Feb: http://postimg.org/image/rcq9pkf7p/
TBB Monitors Live: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/ping/share/978c464247e...

Edited by adslmax (Fri 21-Feb-14 14:40:29)

In reply to a post by adslmax:

The next software version could be even worse. I don't trust BT HH5 myself. Don't want to go to bed every nights worrying about HH5 rebooting itself and then my FTTC DLM kicked in and losing all sync rate speed. No thanks, too risky.

I doubt it, the HH3b and HH4 on fibre have been just about bomb proof, there is no reason to think BT will mess this up even more, its known problem and they will be working on it.

You must have had a terrible connection for the DLM to kick in, over the course of 2 and a half years my connection has been subject to all sorts of shenanigans and its still the same its always has been. We had a series of rapid powercuts once, so maybe the router was on and off 10 or 15 times within a couple of hours and still the DLM still didnt kick in. One reboot a night isnt going to cock anything up.

I tell a lie about my connection, maybe i am interleaved now, i used to get pings between 5ms and 10ms but now they are always between 15ms and 20ms.

DLM on my Infinity connection is a royal PITA, since day one. No amount of controlled switching off for long periods or leaving the kit alone seems to do anything. When I have to reboot it knocks another meg or so off my speed and increases the interleaving depth by another few hundred
Should say this is on a sub 300 meter line.

Edited by Rockh (Fri 21-Feb-14 17:36:09)

In reply to a post by Alnath:

You must have had a terrible connection for the DLM to kick in,

Since my FTTC went live 8 days ago, lucky me, my DLM haven't kicked in yet.

In reply to a post by adslmax:

Below you can see my BT Openreach Modem with my own Netgear DGND3700v2 remain stable over 5 days now with no disconnection.

http://postimg.org/image/iygf3yo89/

TBB Monitors from 16th to 21st Feb: http://postimg.org/image/rcq9pkf7p/
TBB Monitors Live: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/ping/share/978c464247e...

Hi,

I have just bought myself a Netgear DGND3700v2 router and I want to configure it to use an unlocked HG612 VDSL modem.

I wanted to know what you did on your Netgear router to configure it to work with your HG612 modem.

I have looked online at Netgear's website and have found instructions and a screenshot for their example and just wanted to know if their settings are the same as yours.

Screenshot below:
http://support1.gearguy.com/useruploads/images/peter...

Thanks.

That page is all wrong.

Internet connection does require a Login
Need to supply username and password
Use the Routers default MAC address

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

That page is all wrong.

Internet connection does require a Login
Need to supply username and password
Use the Routers default MAC address

yes it correct as mrstaffron is right