Can ISPs restart FTTC connections?

Can ISPs restart VDSL connections, much like a user can do with a modem-router?

It depends what you mean.

At the basic level they hsve no direct control of the connection between your modem and the modem in the FTTC cabinet. Only Openreach have that. However there are ways an ISP can get Openreach to cause a re-sync but this is not routine.

At the higher level, your ability to access the internet is generally via a PPP session established between your router, (not the modem component), and one of the ISP's routers. That is obviously under their direct control, just as your modem/router is under yours.

Then of course some ISPs have forms of remote control of your modem/router if it is one they have supplied to you. Allowing them to install later versions of its firmware and software, and re-sync it.

An intrusive GEA test should cause the sync to drop.

Thanks for the replies. I have a router at a remote unoccupied location which I rebooted. Unfortunately it has not reestablished the connection and I would like to get it going again. I was just wondering if there was anything that the ISP could do.

I used to use one of these http://www.technotrend.co.uk/pages/ss_products/phone...

I also installed one of these http://www.adelos.co.uk/electrical-accessories/433-m... to reboot the router regularly so that if it failed to connect it would get another go after a few hours.

Thank you. Speaking to the ISP it appears that the router has establised a DSL connection but has not logged in. The ISP mentioned something about Zen so maybe the router has used some old default configuration, it is a 2nd hand Zyxel VMG8924-B10A, which is a router that Zen do supply!

Have you ever tried connecting two routers, but only having one powered up?

If it is an ex-Zen device, it may well have been set up to auto-configure. You can reconfigure it with your own settings, but it may revert - particularly if you do a reset-to-defaults on it.

I have an ex-Zen router, and it could quite happily connect using its ex-owner's account! The key to this is the device's serial number, and it would be a good idea to ask Zen to remove it from their auto-configure database. I explained the situation and they did that for me with no problems.

John

No I've not tried that

I am using the router with Vodafone. I don't think there was a reboot option in the menus, but I found a reboot command in the CLI so I decided to use that. The last thing I saw was 'reseting' so I was not then surprised when the connection did not restart.

Since then I bought another VMG8924-B10A on ebay to use as an 'AC' wireless access point where I am now. I loaded it with the configuration for the Vodafone one, and then used the CLI reboot command, nothing changed and there is a reboot option in the menus. That made me think that there might be a way to get the remote Vodafone one going by calling them. The person I spoke to was quite helpful but when he mentioned Zen, it dawned on me that I might be onto a loser. I will find out more when I visit the remote site in about a months time.

I am hoping that I can overwrite the Zen settings in the router.

To overwrite the settings on a ZyXEL router you need to clear ROM-D to get rid of the Zen stuff. Also the supervisor login has the option to do this and also enable menu items such as the reboot menu item and remote management.

Kitz has an unlocking forum where you can ask how to get the supervisor password and clear ROM-D for the 8924.