vigor 2800G firmware upgrade query

[pawz]

hello folks, I came on here because I found another thread on this topic and router model, though very old, so thought you might be able to advise.

A friend has asked us to help. The situation is that she has been on wireless broadband, with the Vigor 2800G router and without any problems for some time, but recently her ISP, OneTel has decided she needs to migrate over to TalkTalk, the two being part of the same organisation now, and they sent her an ethernet modem and CD with which to do it. No good to her as she is wireless, so she got the details from the company as to how to configure her current router (Vigor), but didn't know how to get into the router, so called us in.

We put all the right configs into the router, got that confirmed, but still can't get on the net, as the router reckons it cannot find the server IP's, even though we know they are right. We phoned the techy call centre,and the lady on the other end of the phone says that everything is fine their end, and confirmed all the details entered into the router were right, so the only other option she could suggest is that the router needs to have a firmware upgrade.

Fine.

As we can't get on the net through the Vigor router, we can only download the firmware upgrade to our own computer at home and then transfer it to the laptop via a usb stick. Will the installation process allow us to initiate the install from the desktop?
I understand that I have to go for the .rst option, not the .all option, but I get the impression I need to be online via ethernet to complete the task, and as we are not able to get on line... ( our own setup here at home is cable, not dsl, so we can't attach the router to run it from home via our ISP....)

appreciate any words of wisdom

[peterb]

Yes. You are better off using the upgrade tool that comes with the router (and for choice use the one that matches the firmware you are replacing - the one that came on the CD ROM with teh router). The procedure is simple - start the upgrade client on the PC, and select the file you want to upload, then open the web page on the router and in maintenance cl;ick on the upgrade firmware, then on the PC start the transfer.

However, before you do that, have you tried doing a hard reset back to the factory defaults?

Which firmware is installed at the moment?

You shouldn't need to enter the DNS server address, they should be picked up by the router from the ISP, and it then acts as a DNS relay. That said, I had intermittent problems with that with the earlier firmware (2.5) but the upgrade to 2.8 has fixed it - well worth doing (and lots of new features too)

The rst file will wipe all configuration settings, so you will need to re-enter those. The .all file does not wipe the configuration.

I assume that you are using windows on the PC. If you are not, you will need to download a TFTP client.

Once you have flashed the router, download and install the latest version of the router tools.

[pawz]

Hello Peter, thank you for coming back.

I can't use the upgrade tool from the CD that came with the router 'cos the folk don't know where that is - or if they ever had it since someone else first installed the router for them.
I have downloaded the one from the Draytek page, RTSv37.

You say "Start the upgrade client on the PC"

Do you mean the Tool exe?

I shall select the .rst - I have a copy of the configs I have to put in for the new ISP.
Then I go to maintenance in the router setup and click on the upgrade firmware, and then click on the tool thing to start transfer, is that right?

I expect it will be clear enough when I do it.

Two other things concern me a bit;

In the read me notes that comes with the router tools, in 'known issues' it says, quote 'there is an interoperability issue if wireless security is mixed mode ( WEP or AWPA/WPA2-PSK) and clients baed (misprint?) on the Ralink RT2571 or RT2561 chipsets' end quote.

This doesn't mean much to me - I assume the chipset mentioned is in the router? - but I do have a WEP key active, and there is a choice of that or WPA, if I remember rightly, and by mixed mode, does it mean the wireless capability like B or G etc, which I have set it to, though I could set it to G only.

The other thing is that there is a note for those in PPPoA setup ( which is what we are in on the Draytek). It says 'be sure to select the correct modulation type to ensure quickest line synchronisation. For regular ADSL or ADSLMax, the setting is G.DMT'

can you offer any guidance on what that means please?

ps yes we did do a factory reset and the current firmware is 2.6.1.1_D794214 .OS is XP

[peterb]

There are some better written instructions on how to upgrade here

http://www.draytek.co.uk/support/kb_...h.html#reflash

if you haven't already found them! You should be OK with the upgrade tool - I don't think it has changed, but if the original disk has been lost, you don't really have much choice!

Saving the config file shgould be OK - but there is a (small) risk that if it is corrupted, reloading it might again prevent the router from operating properly. However in that case a full reset top factory defaults will clear it.

You MUST do the upgrade via hard wired link - not over the wireless link.

I think the misprint should be 'based' and refers to the chipset in the wireless adaptor in the PC. If that is an issue, don't use mixed mode.

Different 'flavours of ADSL have different modulation protocols. If your are on plain ADSL, then G.DMT is the one to use. If you are on a higher speed link (ADSL+) then you should choose multimode. It may take longer to sync, but when it does you can check the modulation type in the online status page (bottom line - under mode) and change the setting in the set up page. It means that the router will be quicker to sync of the connection drops for any reason.

[pawz]

thank you Peter, I shall save your reply and refer to it tomorrow. i shall put the config in afresh as I have all the details to hand. I think this is adsl2 - but I will check that out tomorrow. I had found that guide and I have printed it off. Yes, we will do it via ethernet . If the mixed mode refers to the B and G wireless types, I will set it to G. No idea what the chip is on the adaptor. Guess I will puzzle it all out tomorrow. Will come back on here to let you know how it went

[pawz]

Hello again. The upgrade went ok and it now has the 2.8 upgrade in place - but the problem is still there.
The problem seems to be in the WAN settings area - as you would expect.

All of the configuration details are in place in the router setup as required by TalkTalk, and with those being correct we OUGHT to be able to connect to the net, but it is not happening.
I have tried multimode, but switched back to G.DMT as that IS what is required.
I have disabled security ( for now), and set it to wireless G only.
In the status screen on the router setup, all is green except for Link ( is that on the status page?) which is stated to be disconnected and is in red). However, in the WAN settings all the info is in red except for a line down the bottom. The Tx and Rx are red, as you would expect, the IP is blank, as you would expect, since no connection to the outside world has yet been made. PPPoA is also in red BUT the line of writing in green down the bottom of that page is describing a changing state which, for one moment, says PPP ( Sending Message) and then, second or so later, after a progress bar has run its length,says PPP (shutting down). It goes on doing this.
It seems to me that that is a clue to the problem, but I do not know how to interpret it. Can you help please?

We swapped the router for TalkTalks ethernet and got on with no problems at all, so the trouble has to lie within the Draytek router. Wireless connection is essential in that household and the folk are getting very anxious, so any suggestions will be very much appreciated.

[peterb]

At the online status (below Quick start Wizard) can you confirm what is showing red and what is showing green?

If state is indicating showtime, then the router is syncing with the ADSL line OK.

If anything in WAN status is showing red, then the problem lies with the settings to connect to talk talk.

It does sound as if the router is syncing, but failing to authenticate with talk talk.

In internet access under PPPoA/PPPoE settimgs

Multi PVC channel can be left at one (not relevant)
VPI should be 0
VPC should be 38
Encapsulating type should be VC MUX
Protocol should be PPPoA


ISP name can be left blank
user name should be that provided by talk talk
Password (case sensitive) should be that provided by talk
Authentication should be PAP or CHAP
Tick always on
Select dynamic IP
Select default MaC

The router should then connect.

The only possible reasons are if Talk Talk use different VCI VPI numbers or if they look at the Mac address of the router. If the VPI/VCI settings are correct, then you could set the MAC address of the router to the same as the modem they have supplied.

Again these setting have to be supplied via a cable connection - we can worry about wireless when we get the basics done!

[pawz]

Peter, the router does show SHOWTIME. Please read on though.This MIGHT be relevant.

I have just made a discovery. The DNS numbers we were given by a techy over the phone, and which are on the CD, are not the same as the ones published as the correct ones on TalkTalks website.

Now THAT would make a difference I would assume - but if the first set they gave us were wrong ( 62.24.199.13/23) how could it be that the ethernet got on without trouble via the talktalk modem?

The set on the webpage is 62.24.128.17/18. If anyone else here has TalkTalk, I would be pleased to know which DNS addresses they have....

[pawz]

Peter, all the config settings you have listed are in place. The VCI and VPI numbers are 0 and 38, which is what they require. If the DNS isn't it, then I must get the MAC address from the ethernet router and use it in place of the default MAC address which is current now on the Vigor - is that right? I shall be going back there tomorrow I expect (sigh) and will try that if the DNS isn't the problem. Thanks

[peterb]

You shouldn't need to enter DNS settings - the router normally gets those from the ISP when it connects.

Were the rest of the settings on the Status page showing green - if they aren't it is an authentication failure which is nothing to do with DNS!

In particular under wan status, all the enries should be gree - mode should be PPPoA - therre should be an IP address shown. There should also be a DNS address shown.

Under LAN - General Set up on the right hand side Primary and secondary DNS should be blank. You only need to complete ythose if the router doesn't pick them up automatically as part of the authentication process to talk talk (or if you want to use a different (public) DNS server.

[pawz]

OK - but why does TalkTalk require them to be in place then?
I shall try leaving them blank.
No the entries in the WAN status are red - except for the changing message down the bottom. There is no IP shown - I can't recall now if there was a DNS, but I think not else I would have taken a note of its numbers.

I can't recall what was in the LAN status - I was working principally with the quick setup and WAN status, however, the only DNS I put in were those TalkTalk indicated from phone contact and from CD. I shall make it blank next time.
I guess I will have to try these things tomorrow. It HAS to be to do with connecting with TalkTalk doesn't it, as the Router is Green for SHOWTIME.
Thank you for your continued support Peter. I will get back to you.

[peterb]

The Green to showtime showsd that there is a physical connection between the router and the exchange equipment. The WAN staus (PPP connection is the logical connection to talk talk's servers. It is that connection process that identifies you as a talk talk customer and allocates the IP address to your router and the DNS server IP addresses. If the WAN status is green, with an IP address shown, then the connection to talk talk is OK and the router should get the DNS server addresses at that time.

[pawz]

That is helpful Peter. How does that tie in with the message in green at the bottom of the WAN status, which said that the PPP was sending and then that the PPP was shutting down? I guess it wasn't finding TalkTalk and if it can't find the ISP, the DNS addresses don't come back. There was no IP address in the WAN status just red dashes. No packets sent or received (Tx Rx). PPPoA was in red.

Will leaving the DNS boxes blank sort this? Everything else is happy and green I think - except it said 'disconnected' next to Link in one of the status windows, and that too was in red.

ps the authentication is CHAP

[pawz]

peter, on the draytek troubleshooting flowchart it seems to indicate that the problem lies in -
DSL settings ISP(SNR /UK2)

Is that three possible sources of the problem or two?

Signal to Noise - would the ethernet modem have got through if that was the problem?

What does /UK2 mean - don't get that bit at all, and what are DSL settings I wonder...

[peterb]

Leaving the DNS boxes blank won't sort it - DNS addresses are allocated AFTER authentication with talk talk.

When you say the authentication is CHAP, is that what the router is set to, or is that what talk talk requires?

I'm not sure if the router can be set to CHAP only (I can't find that setting anywhere - I suspect it doesn't exist!) but under Internet Access - PPPoA/PPPoE setup, on the right hand side, set PPP authentication to PAP or CHAP (Choices are PAP only or PAP or CHAP)

[pawz]

both... I think it only had CHAP in the box; I did not have to enter it, t'was already there. What do you think about the flowchart thing? (See above) Ah, the DSL settings are all the config entered and microfilters in place I understand.
Peter, I think I have occupied too much of your evening and ought to say thank you and not ask any more questions - but please may you just tell me what the UK2 thing means?