Dead 2.4Ghz on HG659 and Spark won't play ball

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Dead 2.4Ghz on HG659 and Spark won't play ball

mobiusnz

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#215123 13-Jun-2017 10:54

Whats your feeling on this. I have a friend who have Fibre in CHCH. They got fibre at their last house and got the "free" HG659 modem from Spark - They recently moved house as they were building and have Fibre at the new address and took the modem/router with them. Its worked their for the last 2 months but now the 2.4Ghz wifi has stopped working. I went round thinking they'd turned it off or fiddled with settings but nothing I did got it back (Turn off and on the 2.4, change the SSID and PSK, factory reset) and the 5Ghz is perfect. The 2.4 either doesn't show at all or when it does it refuses to connect.

I then did a search and Google auto-completed from "hg659 2.4" to "hg659 2.4ghz stopped working" which told me it was a common fault - Sure enough there are post after post on this fault throughout Geekzone and Vodafone's forums.

She rang Spark who told her it had a 12 month warranty and its 16 months old so they would cover half and it would cost $100 which I think is complete crap - She's locked into a contract for Netflix and to me if you sign a 2 year contract for Broadband and phone line and the modem comes as part of that then Spark should honour their half of that contract providing a modem that works for that long.

There is a consumer guarantee's act that covers "acceptable lifespan" over warranty too. My friend is not terribly happy about it but she's not one to kick up a stink - She said she wasn't happy but the person on the phone said "the system won't let me order on for you for free" which is a cop out and she should talk to her supervisor.

I don't want her paying $100 for a device that is lukewarm quality at best anyway (They are useless for Port forwarding as they have a tendency to remote forwarding rules if the device you are forwarding to is switched off for a while) but it really pissed me off as she'll have to pay $170+gst at my wholesale buy to get something I'm happy will A) work and B) last. (Netcomm have a UFB capable router for $130+gst wholesale but I've never been impressed with Netcomms longterm reliability)

Because she's under contract she can't just jump ship and get a free modem from another provider - Anyone from Spark care to weigh in on this because its got me furthering my already strong tendency to tell clients not to go with Spark when they ask my advice (No SMTP Relay server, Port 25 opt out and many other gripes with the way Spark run an ISP).

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

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#1799193 13-Jun-2017 10:57

Go and buy something 'better'.

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As per the usual std disclaimer.. "All thoughts typed here are my own."

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mobiusnz

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Ultimate Geek

#1799200 13-Jun-2017 11:04

ZollyMonsta:

Go and buy something 'better'.

For me I'm 100% with you there - I never use the ISP device - I'm an Ethernet Router with two Unifi A/P's providing amazing coverage throughout the house (Get the full 100/100 over wifi almost anywhere - 80/60 in the spa in the backyard for Netflix) but

A) They have a small house they have built for retirement - An all in one provides adequate Wifi for them

B) They were told they were given a $200 device as part of a commitment and a $200 device should last longer than 15 months

C) If they didn't have a contract Spark would be gagging to give them a modem for customer retention but because they are locked in they are being treated like crap even though they have been very long term loyal Telecom/Spark customers.

D) They've just completed a stressful build (they were in nearly 2 years later than they should have due to dicey developers) and they don't need this crap or the expenditure

E) ISP's have the whole "free modem" model wrong in my opinion as if you are providing a home a broadband service then the router to provide that should be part and parcel of the service - A home user doesn't want to program their own device or pay someone to do it and Many providers are pretty unhelpful with support when customers are using an "unsupported device" - So you are treated second rate for service if you don't use their provided device but then they almost all provide second rate devices.

Someone needs to start an ISP who will fund a decent quality Ethernet Router and Wifi distribution system - Unifi can use cloud management so the provider could manage the router and the Wifi in the clients behalf and it would be decent gear that would last the life of the service.

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

ZollyMonsta

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#1799217 13-Jun-2017 11:29

I went for Ubiquiti myself. Loving it so far for its reliability.

That said, *sales pitch* I do have a Linksys E3000 router now available (listed a couple of days ago). It may be better? Loaded with DDWRT.

Check out my LPFM Radio Station at www.thecheese.co.nz - Now on iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Radio Garden

As per the usual std disclaimer.. "All thoughts typed here are my own."

mobiusnz

445 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1799220 13-Jun-2017 11:34

ZollyMonsta:

I went for Ubiquiti myself. Loving it so far for its reliability.

That said, *sales pitch* I do have a Linksys E3000 router now available (listed a couple of days ago). It may be better? Loaded with DDWRT.

The "mesh" / Wireless uplink is pretty flaky on the unifi gear but once I got round to dragging a 40m network cable up walls and through the crawl spaces so they are both wired its been an absolute rock - I ended up getting the Unifi Router too - The reports are "pretty" but not really that useful but yeah - I reboot it when it needs a firmware update - Otherwise its on for months on end.

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

robjg63

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#1799231 13-Jun-2017 11:57

Topic seems to have become a sales pitch for Ubiquiti products....

The question was 'should spark replace a modem that has failed at 18 months old'?

I would expect support for 2 years at least - thats pretty common.

TP-Link claim a limited 3 year warranty for example.

I did find this though on the Spark site:

https://www.spark.co.nz/help/internet-data/equipment/huawei/hg659-gateway/

Click on the features tab and note "

24 Month Replacement Warranty"

You should be pushing that I think....

The comment in the original post "She said she wasn't happy but the person on the phone said "the system won't let me order on for you for free" which is a cop out and she should talk to her supervisor." makes it appear the person on the phone doesnt understand its a warranty issue.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

mobiusnz

445 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1799236 13-Jun-2017 12:05

robjg63:

Topic seems to have become a sales pitch for Ubiquiti products....

The question was 'should spark replace a modem that has failed at 18 months old'?

I would expect support for 2 years at least - thats pretty common.

TP-Link claim a limited 3 year warranty for example.

I did find this though on the Spark site:

https://www.spark.co.nz/help/internet-data/equipment/huawei/hg659-gateway/

Click on the features tab and note "

24 Month Replacement Warranty"
You should be pushing that I think....

The comment in the original post "She said she wasn't happy but the person on the phone said "the system won't let me order on for you for free" which is a cop out and she should talk to her supervisor." makes it appear the person on the phone doesnt understand its a warranty issue.

Apparently they Had a 1 year, now its a 2 year - I think there is a newer revision so its probably the HG659B that has a 2 year warranty. But essentially I think irrespective of the devices normal sales warranty if they give it as part of a 2 year commitment then they should meet their half of that.

Sorry for the Ubiquiti hijack - Just expressing that I agree - Vendor gear is crap but we shouldn't just swallow that and throw theoretical $200 value we were given away!

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

Wheelbarrow01

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#1799249 13-Jun-2017 12:19

All Spark's HG659's are the "B" model - we've never sold anything else, and if our website says it's a 24 month warranty, then it is indeed a 24 month warranty. I suspect the rep who was spoken to on the phone just got the warranty period wrong. An honest mistake perhaps, or just a training issue.

Anyway, I am happy to put this right. Send me the details (Spark account number, contact number for you and the actual customer) and I will arrange a warranty replacement (at no cost of course).

If I can locate the details of who gave you the wrong info, I will also try to get some coaching for them

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

hio77

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#1799258 13-Jun-2017 12:27

As per @wheelbarrow01's post i suspect there is some confusion here.

DM i'ver of us with details and we will look into this.

Just to pickup on the point of the search results, this is a fault isolated to the Vodafone firmware for the HG659 not sparks HG659b.

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mobiusnz

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Ultimate Geek

#1799261 13-Jun-2017 12:29

Wheelbarrow01:

All Spark's HG659's are the "B" model - we've never sold anything else, and if our website says it's a 24 month warranty, then it is indeed a 24 month warranty. I suspect the rep who was spoken to on the phone just got the warranty period wrong. An honest mistake perhaps, or just a training issue.

Anyway, I am happy to put this right. Send me the details (Spark account number, contact number for you and the actual customer) and I will arrange a warranty replacement (at no cost of course).

If I can locate the details of who gave you the wrong info, I will also try to get some coaching for them

I figured Sparks response was likely to be better than the result she got on the phone - Its a catch 22 for you, you need a massive team for a call center and 95% of the calls to your helpdesk probably are user error - Pretty fustrating when we are the 5% and have to wait on hold and then wade through the first level tech support to convince them to escalate to someone useful which is why I figured I'd start here - Posted yesterday after I found a global problem on the Vodafone network and got a response from their team here in under 7 minutes - I would have been on hold longer than that.

I'll get their details and PM you - Don't know the account number and she's at work.

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

mobiusnz

445 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1799262 13-Jun-2017 12:32

hio77:

As per @wheelbarrow01's post i suspect there is some confusion here.

DM i'ver of us with details and we will look into this.

Just to pickup on the point of the search results, this is a fault isolated to the Vodafone firmware for the HG659 not sparks HG659b.

Thats interesting - I wonder if the devices horrible handling of NAT forwarding is limited to their firmware too - Their response when I queried the issue was "All we do is give you an internet connection - Thats working - NAT forwarding is unsupported" which was a bit crap too as thats been a function of these devices for many many years and there are numerous valid reasons to port forward even in a home environment.

Thanks for your assistance. As stated I did expect more from Spark on this and didn't want to battle on the phone for hours so good to see you've met expectations.

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

hio77

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#1799276 13-Jun-2017 12:53

mobiusnz:

Thats interesting - I wonder if the devices horrible handling of NAT forwarding is limited to their firmware too - Their response when I queried the issue was "All we do is give you an internet connection - Thats working - NAT forwarding is unsupported" which was a bit crap too as thats been a function of these devices for many many years and there are numerous valid reasons to port forward even in a home environment.

Thanks for your assistance. As stated I did expect more from Spark on this and didn't want to battle on the phone for hours so good to see you've met expectations.

There is a chance you may get me on the phones every once in awhile.

unsupported is, this is something agents are not trained to support. Port forwarding you will get the details from our spark site. Past that it is up to you to configure correctly.

Although i dont run a hg659b at home, in my testing their nat performance is great.

bad experiences are very much an individual basis.

as for points earlier on SMTP.

now that SMX transfer is done, we can do SMTP relaying again, third party verification needs to be requested through faults currently to do this.

Port 25 unblocks can be requested, most providers do this. for fibre this change can take seconds.

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mobiusnz

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#1799278 13-Jun-2017 12:57

hio77:

There is a chance you may get me on the phones every once in awhile.

bad experiences are very much an individual basis.

as for points earlier on SMTP.

now that SMX transfer is done, we can do SMTP relaying again, third party verification needs to be requested through faults currently to do this.

Port 25 unblocks can be requested, most providers do this. for fibre this change can take seconds.

I'm with you on the individual issue - Sometimes its easier to say "Oh wait, I've solved it" - Hang up and call back ;)

I'm aware of the unblock and have had good experience in recent times with it - Originally it was a little hit and miss where we'd be told it was done but it wouldn't work and we'd have to request it again.

Didn't know that you can do SMTP Relaying now - That main purpose is the ability to scan to email from Copiers via SMTP - There are usually workarounds (Like using the service managing the email) but at times it can be problematic - Are you saying that in theory a site could go back to relaying all outbound email via SMX if they are a Spark business customer - There could be uses for this as I've been pretty impressed with SMX's model over the years.

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

hio77

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#1799311 13-Jun-2017 13:23

mobiusnz:

hio77:

There is a chance you may get me on the phones every once in awhile.

bad experiences are very much an individual basis.

as for points earlier on SMTP.

now that SMX transfer is done, we can do SMTP relaying again, third party verification needs to be requested through faults currently to do this.

Port 25 unblocks can be requested, most providers do this. for fibre this change can take seconds.

I'm with you on the individual issue - Sometimes its easier to say "Oh wait, I've solved it" - Hang up and call back ;)

I'm aware of the unblock and have had good experience in recent times with it - Originally it was a little hit and miss where we'd be told it was done but it wouldn't work and we'd have to request it again.

Didn't know that you can do SMTP Relaying now - That main purpose is the ability to scan to email from Copiers via SMTP - There are usually workarounds (Like using the service managing the email) but at times it can be problematic - Are you saying that in theory a site could go back to relaying all outbound email via SMX if they are a Spark business customer - There could be uses for this as I've been pretty impressed with SMX's model over the years.

You may use the send.xtra.co.nz SMTP as a relay.

the conditions to activate this is; You must have a xtra email address (which every customer is welcome to sign up for)

You must request verification is added - Currently there is no System in the webmail to do this, Process takes about 24 hours to be manually done however and is easily requested.

There was a period in the migration where we could not support this as it was very much in limbo and breaking occasionally, now that everything is moved though; Rock solid. Although i still advise alternative options are better (eg SSL direct to your provider where possible) i do understand some older equipment will not support this however.

Simply logic for this advice being, One less thing to fail in the system :)

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nathan

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#1799321 13-Jun-2017 13:32

this will get any retailers attention

1)ask to escalate to a manager

2)stop paying the bill

3)threaten to take the provider to the disputes tribunal for not fulfilling their legal obligations under the CGA.

cbrpilot

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#1799325 13-Jun-2017 13:38

mobiusnz:

I'm aware of the unblock and have had good experience in recent times with it - Originally it was a little hit and miss where we'd be told it was done but it wouldn't work and we'd have to request it again.

Just an FYI, we did have a defect with this feature that impacted some circuits which resulted in the on/off toggle not working every time. That has been long fixed now, and it should work very well now. Let me know if this is not your experience from now on.

Thanks.

My views are my own, and may not necessarily represent those of my employer.

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