SAGEMCOM FAST 5364 TALKTALK ROUTER - Hardware Failure

[steve1234]

I have a SAGEMCOM FAST 5364 TALKTALK ROUTER - Wireless Hub with VDSL2/ADSL2 Modem for fibre, which has died.HARDWARE version: FAST5364 3.00
FIRMWARE version = SG4K10002816t

It stopped working at 5.50am BST, the network went down and the LED was permanently flashing AMBER. There was no LAN routing and no WiFi connections, hence no internet connection could be seen even if it was there.

Unfortunately, all my security systems, monitors, CCTV, Gate Access, all of which uses LAN/WiFi routing, are lost and so it is serious for me. I did the usual power of, leave, power on sequence and did all of the tests which I know from past issue with that model.

I tried telephoning TalkTalk support on all the numbers I have numerous times today and each time after going through all the automated details, received a message saying they were closed (why don't they say that at the beginning).

I connected my mobile phone as a WiFi hotspot to allow my PC to connect to the TT service site, a line test was done and it informed me to check the internal system, which I duly did, as this happened in exactly the same way last year, which turned out to be the same, ie a hardware failure. Note that the router in on a shelf alone and is cold in a well ventilated area and has not overheated.

The is nothing wrong with the line, the router does not route LAN nor radiate any WiFi signals, which it should do even if just the line was at fault, which it isn't.

It is a simple hardware fault, or was it being auto updated during the night by TT and the update failed?

Because of the urgency, I had to pay to get a company to come out (Sunday) to get my network working. They installed a BT Fibre Modem and a DLINK DIR-842 router, which is working fine. The also check the TT router and said it was a hardware failure, which conclusively shows that the TalkTalk router has died.

I have again tried to contact TalkTalk to urgently get a replacement but they are not there.  I tried, on-line chat and that was not working - are they cutting back?

Does anyone know how to get a message through to them to order a replacement. I have been with TalkTalk since the very beginning and found them fine, but this episode has caused me some concerns - not because ot the failure as these things happen, but the difficulting in getting through to leave a message (to a comms company). Is there a better ISP, with better support 24/7?

Thanks for looking
Steve

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

This has been fed back to our devices manager and our Product testing team however no new firmware is ready as yet, but new firmware is in development.

Karl.

[steve1234]

Hello @Karl-TalkTalk,

I was wondering if there had been any progress on locating the problem when trying to enter the Port Forwarding rule and if there was another firmware update in the pipeline.

Thanks

Steve

[steve1234]

Hello Karl

Understood about not knowing which version is going to be sent out.  If a V4.00 should happen to drop on your desk could you please purloin it for me!

Thanks

Steve

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

We have no control over which version of router is sent out.

Karl.

[steve1234]

Hello Keith,

Yes I said that our hardware versions were different in message 19 and was hoping my replacement was going to be version 4.00 and not 3.00 to alleviate the problem 

Karl, is there any chance of getting the same version 4 as Keith and do a swapout? I hope so.

Thanks

Steve

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

We can certainly feed this back.

Karl.

[KeithFrench]

I don't think that this is the firmware V136 or the GUI version, I am running V136 with GUI 5.6.1 and I can enter any port forwarding rules I want. However, the real difference between our two Sagemcoms was the hardware revision, I am on FAST5364 4.00, whereas I think that @steve1234 is on FAST5364 3.00.

Either way, I think V136 needs checking on both hardware revisions, as I have certainly seen other customers having similar issues to Steve with V136. @Karl-TalkTalk please can you ask the Products team about it?

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi Steve,

No Problem 🙂

Karl 

[steve1234]

Hello Karl

Thanks for quickly downdating/updating the router. YES, the Port Forwarding can now be entered OK! The problem was in the firmware all along. To recap:

The replacement router/s were supplied with the latest firmware and GUI, which was:

FIRMWARE version SG4K100136)

GUI version 5.6.1

Unfortunately that latest firmware has an error and it would not allow manual entry of Port Forwarding (as reported in my posts).

You have now stepped back the firmware and GUI to an earlier version:

FIRMWARE version: SG4K100028929t

GUI version: 3.7.9

This previous firmware and GUI now allows manual entry of Port Forwarding.  Once you have located the software fault, can you please let me know and do another update.

Thanks again
Steve

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

I've updated the router, so you can now retest.

There are no known issues with this firmware that we are aware of.

Thanks  

Karl. 

[steve1234]

Hello Karl

I have just paused my online PCB design so can you please start the update as soon as you can and I will check back in a short while.  Once on-line again, I will test out the Port Forwarding and report back to you.

Are there any known issues that would be useful to be aware of and to avoid for the time being?

Thanks, Steve

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

We can drop down the firmware one level, to one that was implemented to resolve a couple of issues that we are looking into.

This would knock you off line for about 10 minutes as we push this to the router, just let us know when to go ahead.

Thanks  

Karl. 

[steve1234]

Hello Debbie,

Yes, thank you, that is a very good idea to try a different firmware.  Will it be a later or earlier version firmware?

Could you please give me an indication of when you would update it, during today or during the night, so that I do my can work around it.

Would it be easier for TT and you, for me to simply download the new firmware file and manually update the firmware using the maintenance section?  Please let me know.

Again, thanks

Steve

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Steve

Would you like me to try a different firmware version?

[steve1234]

Hello Debbie, Keith, Ferguson and Skynet and all who have been helping,

I received the replacement 13-5-22 (thanks Debbie) and today have gone through the setup slowly and carefully.

Unfortunately, there is definitely a fault in the software, which is 100% repeatable. I will list each step with a comment to try to pin down the fault. Please note that the lists I did in Messages 11, 15 and 20 still apply and the fault (Port Forwarding) is exactly the same. This is the setup I did today, 15-5-22:

1. New router received 13-5-22, I did not done any resets and I first connected the LAN only. I did not connect the WAN VDSL cable so as not to 'annoy' the exchange if I had to repeatedly reboot the router as this can be connected at the very end of the process.

Device Label Info
version FAST 5364-3.T8
s/n on unit: N7200784N016047
Mac on unit: 48:D2:4F:51:E2:7E
Model on unit: 253734241

Router Control Panel Info:
HARDWARE version: FAST5364 3.00
FIRMWARE version = SG4K100136 (same as previous)
GUI version: 5.6.1 (same as previous)

2. I left the router IP as supplied at default 192.168.1.1, did not change a thing and went immediately to Port Forwarding. I entered a rule for CCTV, ext IP blank, set an internal IP address on the default as supplied range 192.168.1.x (where I tried x as any value between 2 and 250), set internal and external ports with various port values, eg 80, 8000, 1234, etc.

Not one value would be accepted and the red warning error message flashed up every time, as I showed in my Message 15 attachments.

I could not get a Port Forwarding rule entered.

3. I then changed the router's IP to my normal network 192.168.0.1, with DCHP range .2 to .200.

Saved and after the timeout rebooted by powering the router down then up again so as to allow the connected PCs and device to refresh their DCHP connections.

4. I logged back into the router on its new address, now 192.168.0.1, and again went to try to enter a Port Forwarding rule, exactly as above, except the internal IP address has to now be in the range 192.168.0.[2..254]. Not one setting was accepted. Each time I got the red error message as per my Message 15.

-- end of Port Forwarding problem

The following is something which is a problem, but can be address OK by going to a different setting, but I mention it as it seems an odd minor issue.

1. If you click on 'See Wi-Fi settings' on the Dashboard you are taken to the standard window, which is at

http://192.168.0.1/2.0/gui/#/simple/wifi

It just shows a simple setting whereby you can Enable/disable WiFi, change the network name and change the WiFi password.

However, whatever you do there affects and changes both the 2.4 and 5G WiFi networks together, whereas previous GUIs had 2 sections at that place to allow changing them independently.

I noticed this on the last router and commented on it in my previous Message 11 item 5.

2. On my last router (same firmware and GUI as this one) after I did a very long reset, and went to the above WiFi setting, the screen was slightly different. It then showed separate settings for the 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi, as per the previous GUI. I do not understand why a reset from that as factory supplied, should alter this setting prompt.

-- end of WiFi SSID

Out of the box, with no resets, nothing at all entered or altered and just immediately trying to enter a Port Forwarding rule does not work.

If you can think of anything I can try and enter, please let me know. In the meantime, could I please hold on to the last router for a short while and not return it immediately as would normally be the case, just in case you spot something and do a remote update or ask me to enter something which inadvertently stops this one from working. I would then have an immediate fallback to keep going.

Again, thanks for looking and helping,

Steve

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Steve

Thank you 🙂

Debbie

[steve1234]

Crickey, that was quick, thanks Debbie.

I will log off now and report back once set up, Steve

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Steve

The Sagemcom hub is on its way, please allow 24-48hrs for this to arrive.

Let us know how you get on.

Thanks

Debbie

[steve1234]

Hello Debbie

It is probably a good idea to send out a replacement unit as there is a small possibility it will be on the later hardware v4 like Keith's.

I will not reset or alter mine and will return it as it is, which may give your tech dept a chance to locate the actual fault, which sounds as though it is affecting a few others.

Thanks for looking in to it.

Steve

[KeithFrench]

Hi @ferguson 

There are no guidelines published, although from V130 it started to force at least one uppercase letter. I have no idea on special characters or length.

However, if the password was previously a mixture of lower case & numbers, then upgrading to this version will keep the old password. You cannot change it to all uppercase plus numbers & that includes the default password that the router ships with.