Need A New Adsl Gateway

[urandom]

Hey! lomo! <deleted> is a wifi flashing tech, where can he be found (third request).

wifi flashing really means nothing and wifi flashing techs do not exist. you can flash your router's firmware and you really dont have to be a "tech" to do that. if your router supports an open firmware and you can follow instructions then you're the "wifi flashing tech"

[NanLaew]

Hey! lomo! <deleted> is a wifi flashing tech, where can he be found (third request).

wifi flashing really means nothing and wifi flashing techs do not exist. you can flash your router's firmware and you really dont have to be a "tech" to do that. if your router supports an open firmware and you can follow instructions then you're the "wifi flashing tech"

OK. I have already flashed the whole firmware a couple of times; different revisions with no improvement. loma reckons that the wifi part can be flashed separately and that's what I am after.

[Supernova]

Another vote for TP-LINK. Although relatively cheap compared to other brands, it's a solid performer on my long, unstable TOT line unlike the Billion and Zyxel units I've used. This is not to say that the other brands aren't "good", but I think it's more of a compatibility issue between DSLAM and router hardware. TP-LINK routers are equipped with a Broadcom chipset.

[lomatopo]

Hey! lomo! <deleted> is a wifi flashing tech, where can he be found (third request).

I have NO neighbours up here on the internet either.

You said you had a Linksys WAG54G which worked fine except that the WiFi stopped working. This is a known problem on this model (inlc v1, v2) and can often be repaired. I have two (2) units, among many, which had lost WiFi. I took them to a small PC repiar shop in Ram2. The problem was immediately recognized, I left the untis, cam back afterdinner and they were repaired (100 baht each), and continue to work fine. The technician mentioned flashing the WiFi chipset, not the router's firmware, but I did not press for details. I think you could ask in some local PC repair shops in your area to see if similar repairs can be made.

Regarding talking to your neighbors about both DSL service and equipment recommendations somepeople here seem to have taken offense. Talking to neighbors is really no different than asking ThaiVisa members for recommendations; its just a data point, to be factored in to your overall decision. In my limited experience I have found that the service can vary widely based on physical location and service provider, so talking with people in your immediate area can sometimes lead you to make a better decision. If you don't have neighbors then obviously this advice is useless. It seems like most issues here are connectivity related, so even if your neighbors don't know what a torrent is (my guess is that their kids do), they can tell you which service provider they have, what package (c'mon, there are no premium packages anymore) they have, what modem/router thay have and if the serrvice is generally acceptable. Typically the service provier choice is limited but often one has the True/TOT choice. Anyway, its just one source of information, perhaps more applicable to your real-world choice than any of us TV members recommending wwhatever unit we just bought? I try not to recommend specific units as any model can have issues and I'm not familiar with all the specific models ad their local performance.

Regarding specific chipsets, either DSL or WiFi, this used to be a big deal back in 1999 - 2001 in the early days of DSL when it was best to match the chipset in the customer's modem with the one in the DSLAM (essentially a concentrated number of modems) to insure optimum performance. And there were a limited number of chipsets available (back then): Alcatel, Infineon, STM, Connexant, Broadcom. Now there are a lot more chipset manufacturers, and interoperability is able to be tested and verified with more reliability. (Note: even though I particiapted in s DSLAM start-up which we then sold to a larger telecom equipment company I have been out of this market since 2004, so now only trouble-shoot installs.) Further, it is difficult to determine which chipset is used in the DSLAM to service your line, and equipment manufacturers change DSL chip suppliers, and your serving DSLAM could have one port card with Broadcom chips and and adjacent one with Lantiq, due to a port card addition or replacement. Huawei is a big DSLAM supplier here , and they recently talked about chipset ineroperability...

[shenzhen, China, 27 July 2010] Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, in partnership with major DSL chipset suppliers, including Broadcom Corporation, Lantiq and Ikanos, successfully completed the industry' s first ITU-T G.998.4-compliant DSL retransmission interoperability (IOP) test. The test proves that DSL retransmission technology is mature, with good IOP among chipsets from major DSL chipset suppliers.

The TP-Link unit definitely sounds interesting. I am looking forward to more people buying this unit, and to further reports on performance.

4. You'll have to tell us how a modem/gateway can be an issue with "dropped DNS" servers (you do know what a DNS server is and where it's located and positioned in the grand scheme of things?), or how the ADSL connection loses "connectivity" to the local gateway when the router is what defines the local gateway and is integral to the same box or connected via a patch cord.. even if it was, how would you know? The fact is, most home users don't own a signal analyzer and have no idea why their line is dropping. When you ask most who post on these forums they can't even tell you which front panel lights are doing what.

FWIW, the local gateway I am referring to is on the ISP side. Here is a partial log from a connectivity problem I have been trouble-shooting:

Dec 1 08:54:40 user notice dnsprobe[677]: Switching Back To Primary DNS server

Dec 1 08:56:46 user warn dnsprobe[677]: dns query failed

Dec 1 08:56:48 user warn dnsprobe[677]: dns query failed

Dec 1 08:56:50 user warn dnsprobe[677]: dns query failed

Dec 1 08:56:50 user notice dnsprobe[677]: Primary DNS server Is Down... Switching To Secondary DNS server

Dec 1 08:57:22 user warn dnsprobe[677]: dns query failed

Dec 1 08:57:24 user warn dnsprobe[677]: dns query failed

Dec 1 08:57:26 user warn dnsprobe[677]: dns query failed

Dec 1 08:57:56 daemon crit pppd[569]: Clear IP addresses. Connection DOWN.

Dec 1 08:57:56 daemon crit pppd[569]: Clear IP addresses. PPP connection DOWN.

[NanLaew]

I was down in KL and checked out a couple of stores in Low Yat Plaza (like Panthip but smaller) and one of the shops salesman was talking up the TP-LINK TD-W8960n Wireless N ADSL2+ Modem Router as the 'hot ticket' in Malaysia at the moment. Checked out another shop and they had them on special for 139 ringgits which is around 1330 baht or $45 bucks so looking at the Linksys WAG160N sitting next to it at well over twice the price, I bought one. I was planning a trip to Panthip on the way home but didn't reckon they would have a lower price if indeed it was now available so bit the bullet and bought it.

I will fire it up when I get home this weekend and post the experiences.

[NanLaew]

Got home late Sunday afternoon and fired up the existing Linksys which took the usual 10 minutes to get internet connectivity and worked online into the wee small hours without problems. However, I lost the internet connection late Monday morning so decided this would be a good test to see if the new TP-Link gets up and running faster.

Ran the setup from the CD which is their recommendation and the interface is flawless so had the laptop back on the 'net easily within 10 minutes. Jumped into the config and reset the DNS servers for OpenDNS, plugged the other 3 computers in and it all working fast.

Also set up secure WPA/WPA2 PSK wifi and the google phone connected fast as well. Gets a very usable -60dB signal out in the gazebo.

From all the modems and gadgets I have, this one definitely gets connected fastest. I was always worried that my line quality was poor when the ADSL was shared with the phone line and the 3BB tech had 'tweaked' their Huawei modem as it was the only hardware that could reliably connect. This new TP-Link didn't need any extra work so looks like a winner so far.