Firmware/DNS Issue With Win8.1 - Technicolor TG589N

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Firmware/DNS Issue With Win8.1 - Technicolor TG589N

Wade

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#151169 16-Aug-2014 07:50

I have been experiencing intermittent issues connecting to websites since i upgraded my tablet to W8.1 only on my home network

After some googling and not surprisingly the answers were found on Geekzone so I think I have found the answer to my problem, it appears to be related to the Telecom supplied TG589vn modem and the fix for Geekzoners was either a temporary workaround or Telecom supplying replacement modems FOC, great solution.

Last night i spoke to Spark CS to resolve and after we got past the BS of it being a PC/MS issue I was given two options, manually enter 'workaround' settings everytime i use the device or pay for a replacement modem (which in Spark's defense was offered at a discounted cost of $74). Neither option sits well with me as modem is only ten months old and it transpires this issue appears to have been around for a similar period of time.

Am I able to have my modem replaced free of charge?

Wade

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#1110467 18-Aug-2014 13:44

Spark, anyone able to advise?

Ragnor

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#1110473 18-Aug-2014 13:55

Try tweeting them you're much more likely to get a reply than on a third party forum
https://twitter.com/sparknz

billgates

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#1110480 18-Aug-2014 14:06

I ended up using one of my spare WiFi 📶 modem/router I had lying around to fix this issue for good because there was no firmware fix for this.

Do whatever you want to do man.

Wade

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#1110526 18-Aug-2014 14:34

Ragnor: Try tweeting them you're much more likely to get a reply than on a third party forum
https://twitter.com/sparknz

Might be worth a try, tbh I would have expected a reply as the Spark team appear fairly active on this forum normally

Wade

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#1111115 19-Aug-2014 10:07

Have tweeted @SparkNZ who have suggested manually setting DNS as the solution :(

Ironically manually setting DNS allows me to properly use Lightbox beta, prior to this i could navigate lightbox website okay but any attempt to watch video resulted in a popup to install Silverlight (current version already installed) or just an eternal loading video message

Its all a bit disappointing really

Inphinity

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#1111127 19-Aug-2014 10:25

I'm surprised you've had no luck getting an upgraded modem out of them, a fair few people have been successful in doing so. Are you within any sort of contract with them? If not, perhaps they would offer you the new modem if you went on a 12 month contract or something. If so, perhaps they could offer you the new modem in order to ensure the service they provide is still usable with your equipment for the duration of the contract. That said, I'd be inclined to use an alternate modem entirely :)

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Wade

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#1111150 19-Aug-2014 10:40

Inphinity: I'm surprised you've had no luck getting an upgraded modem out of them, a fair few people have been successful in doing so. Are you within any sort of contract with them? If not, perhaps they would offer you the new modem if you went on a 12 month contract or something. If so, perhaps they could offer you the new modem in order to ensure the service they provide is still usable with your equipment for the duration of the contract. That said, I'd be inclined to use an alternate modem entirely :)

Modem was new ten months ago when we switched to VDSL as part of a Telecom promotion, I cannot recall if it was a 12 or 24mth term, 12mths springs to mind but i could be wrong

I too thought it would be as simple as requesting a new modem but the tables seem to have turned and I apparently need to pay for a replacement modem or put up with a workaround

Batwing

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#1111200 19-Aug-2014 11:52

Long time back Telecom told me they were working on a firmware update for this issue - instead it seems they switched to Huawei modems. Some people have successfully swapped their modems free of charge for the newer ones - you should definitely hold them to this. I have stuck with the workaround as dealing with Telecom was painful - they had selective amnesia regards to previous conversations.

Wade

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#1111875 20-Aug-2014 10:35

Anyone from Spark care to comment?

tigercorp

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#1111892 20-Aug-2014 11:21

I'm also interested in seeing an official position on this.
For most of the year I only had 1 Win 8 device so wasn't bothered but now there are 4 of them and 2 have to travel regularly and changing the dns constantly is becoming annoying.

Inphinity

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#1111895 20-Aug-2014 11:27

Must admit I've not noticed as much activity from the Telecom/Spark boys on here since the re-branding... am I just not seeing them?

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Wade

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#1111931 20-Aug-2014 11:53

I tweeted and received a DM asking if manually setting DNS worked of which i responded 'yes, but this doesn't actually solve the issue with the modem' and so far no further communication

I have always been impressed with Telecom's customer service levels and not just on GZ but it seems like the name is not the only thing that changed :P Maybe I am just not young and hip enough for Spark to want my custom?

Wade

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#1112688 21-Aug-2014 10:53

Wade: Spark, anyone able to advise?

Wade

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#1113257 22-Aug-2014 09:01

Thanks Spark, issue resolved, modem replaced