[Snap] Snap hard-codes settings into new FritzBoxes now?

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › [Snap] Snap hard-codes settings into new FritzBoxes now?

f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
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#141085 28-Feb-2014 22:25

I have a Fritzbox from Snap. It has firmware 5.51 and I would like to downgrade to 5.22. However I have been unable to do so so far, I am following the instructions exactly. I get the message:

"The update failed.
The selected file contains a firmware version which is older than the one already in use."

When I searched this message, I came across this unresolved? thread on GZ with the exact same issues: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=66&topicid=139374

It's funny that even AVM doesn't know about the inability to downgrade (in that thread)

I have the exact same issues, even the "Your FRITZ!Box contains basic settings adjusted for your Internet service provider: Additional Information."

The Additional Information part is a dead link and won't tell me anything.

NOW, where it gets really weird is that i CANNOT factory reset the device. I have twice done a full factory reset, gone through all the warnings and it says it going, reboots, only to come back with basically only the time reset. All the account information, and the 'service provider settings' remain.

The reason I really need to do this is that port forwarding doesn't work for either FW or these weird settings reasons, basically the device crashes when I set these up (get weird Lua tracebacks about stuffed code, and it sends heaps of error reports). BUT I am completely unable to downgrade or reset to PROPER default clean state.

Snap, what are you doing?

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264 posts

Ultimate Geek

#996749 28-Feb-2014 22:58

The reason why you get all the info back after a factory reset is because the config is pushed out to your device by SNAP as soon as it comes back on line. The only way to stop that happening is take it off line and do a factory reset, but as soon as you go back on line it will auto configure itself.

f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
Inactive user

#996757 28-Feb-2014 23:08

cjmchch: The reason why you get all the info back after a factory reset is because the config is pushed out to your device by SNAP as soon as it comes back on line. The only way to stop that happening is take it off line and do a factory reset, but as soon as you go back on line it will auto configure itself.

It is offline, the DSL cable is out when I'm doing this, it's completely isolated from Snap.

I have done this procedure before in a FritzBox last year, and it reset to factory defaults fine (got a setup wizard when it rebooted, and it didn't have that message about service provider settings).

hio77

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Lizard Networks

#996765 28-Feb-2014 23:24

cant say i have ever had any issues flashing back to 5.21, are you using the recovery image?

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f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
Inactive user

#996774 28-Feb-2014 23:42

hio77: cant say i have ever had any issues flashing back to 5.21, are you using the recovery image?

Pretty sure I am, it has the same filename as the ones on the first page, but those links are dead. Do you have any idea about the inability to factory reset?

hio77

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#996778 28-Feb-2014 23:50

f3ar:
hio77: cant say i have ever had any issues flashing back to 5.21, are you using the recovery image?

Pretty sure I am, it has the same filename as the ones on the first page, but those links are dead. Do you have any idea about the inability to factory reset?

7390? here if so. i store all my image files on my Gdrive, so i know for certain, that image file works.

if your using the 7360/7340, i have files somewhere archived.

are you certain your on 5.22? if need be, you could try flashing to 5.22, then drop down to 5.21 from there (all offline to avoid auto-previsioning - this is something new to me though, i have never seen it happen on my fritz.)

#include <std_disclaimer>

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f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
Inactive user

#996779 1-Mar-2014 00:06

hio77:
f3ar:
hio77: cant say i have ever had any issues flashing back to 5.21, are you using the recovery image?

Pretty sure I am, it has the same filename as the ones on the first page, but those links are dead. Do you have any idea about the inability to factory reset?

7390? here if so. i store all my image files on my Gdrive, so i know for certain, that image file works.

if your using the 7360/7340, i have files somewhere archived.

are you certain your on 5.22? if need be, you could try flashing to 5.22, then drop down to 5.21 from there (all offline to avoid auto-previsioning - this is something new to me though, i have never seen it happen on my fritz.)

That file is exactly the same size, to the byte, as the one I have so I'm fairly sure they're the same (I'd try but I don't want to ruin my DLM1)

hio77

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#996780 1-Mar-2014 00:08

f3ar:
hio77:
f3ar:
hio77: cant say i have ever had any issues flashing back to 5.21, are you using the recovery image?

Pretty sure I am, it has the same filename as the ones on the first page, but those links are dead. Do you have any idea about the inability to factory reset?

7390? here if so. i store all my image files on my Gdrive, so i know for certain, that image file works.

if your using the 7360/7340, i have files somewhere archived.

are you certain your on 5.22? if need be, you could try flashing to 5.22, then drop down to 5.21 from there (all offline to avoid auto-previsioning - this is something new to me though, i have never seen it happen on my fritz.)

That file is exactly the same size, to the byte, as the one I have so I'm fairly sure they're the same (I'd try but I don't want to ruin my DLM1)

long as you do it in one spree, you will be good.

if your leave your fritz unplugged for awhile, DLM shouldnt count it as being unstable and thus, its not a strike against DLM-1 being unstable.

DLM-1 is lost normally after two reboots in one day.

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f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
Inactive user

#996789 1-Mar-2014 00:20

hio77:
f3ar:
hio77:
f3ar:
hio77: cant say i have ever had any issues flashing back to 5.21, are you using the recovery image?

Pretty sure I am, it has the same filename as the ones on the first page, but those links are dead. Do you have any idea about the inability to factory reset?

7390? here if so. i store all my image files on my Gdrive, so i know for certain, that image file works.

if your using the 7360/7340, i have files somewhere archived.

are you certain your on 5.22? if need be, you could try flashing to 5.22, then drop down to 5.21 from there (all offline to avoid auto-previsioning - this is something new to me though, i have never seen it happen on my fritz.)

That file is exactly the same size, to the byte, as the one I have so I'm fairly sure they're the same (I'd try but I don't want to ruin my DLM1)

long as you do it in one spree, you will be good.

if your leave your fritz unplugged for awhile, DLM shouldnt count it as being unstable and thus, its not a strike against DLM-1 being unstable.

DLM-1 is lost normally after two reboots in one day.

No good, get the same error about it being older. Based on that thread, I'm leaning towards Snap pulling something funny with the recently issued FritzBoxes. Especially with the weird stuff with the factory reset still having all the Snap stuff there.

hio77

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#996790 1-Mar-2014 00:27

quite possibly.. my fritz was replaced about 6 months ago, and it wasnt locked down, could have been changes since then though.

i would hope, snap wouldnt have purposefully locked things down like that, when they themselves, suggest 5.21 for VDSL.

im surprised you got one sent out with 5.22, which is locked down, how old is this fritz? recently they have been sending out 6.0 firmwares.. which are short of a turd, for vdsl.

now that i think about it though.. would be interesting to know if this is why certain people are having IPv6 issues, while others haven't, on the same firmwares.

havent looked too deeply into the exact configs.

your final option, could be to possibly "restore" a clean firmware, then from there downgrade i suppose.

the "your isp has made changes" banner, is nothing new. used to get it on my original 5.21 fritz (1.5 years ago)

#include <std_disclaimer>

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hio77

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#996791 1-Mar-2014 00:29

wait, i just reread your first post, your having issues port forwarding?

error?

short of if your doing something wrong, ild be pretty tempted to say your fritz could be naffed. 5.52 when i ran it, was silky smooth, side from CRC errors.

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f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
Inactive user

#996792 1-Mar-2014 00:31

It has 05.51 currently, I'm looking to go to 05.22. The other FritzBox I did this on also had 05.51 but didn't have any stuff like this. I suppose I could try that restore exe, which SHOULD restore a completely clean stock version of 05.51

It would be good to get some input from Snap as to whether they have actually started faffing with the boxes.

About the port forwarding, def not minconfiguration (how could you). It gave me a gnarly Lua (programming language) traceback about some code being naff, and then it sent a whole bunch of error/crash reports to AVM.

hio77

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#996793 1-Mar-2014 00:36

f3ar: It has 05.51 currently, I'm looking to go to 05.22. The other FritzBox I did this on also had 05.51 but didn't have any stuff like this. I suppose I could try that restore exe, which SHOULD restore a completely clean stock version of 05.51

It would be good to get some input from Snap as to whether they have actually started faffing with the boxes.

ild also love to hear what snap have been getting up to on them, i suspect i wont be told though.

will be another mystery for me to tinker with, nothing like breaking a few more config files until i can work it right?

just avoid internet contact if they are hammering your via TR 096, it cant exactly help - i personally would disable this functionality myself, i simply dont like the idea of waking up one day and being forced onto 6.342 that wont sync, or syncs at stupidly slow speeds.

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
Inactive user

#997201 1-Mar-2014 17:53

Bump: Does anyone else have any input on this, or experience with recently-issued boxes from Snap?

JayADee

2148 posts

Uber Geek

#997218 1-Mar-2014 18:52

Mine has 5.51, tried to downgrade to 5.22 in November and had the same problem. I posted in the VDSL thread about it.
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?topicid=105744&page_no=183
I used the downgrade image, didn't work. I didn't try the recovery image. Let me know if you get it working!

f3ar

9 posts

Wannabe Geek
Inactive user

#997707 2-Mar-2014 18:44

OK this is just getting ridiculous. This is what the AVM serious recovery has to say:

Right, let's lay down the facts.

1. Firmware downgrade has been hard-disabled. It is impossible to downgrade the firmware.

2. Snap has hard coded the initial settings into the device. A GUI factory reset doesn't do jack.

3. They have also locked out factory recovery of the device.

I'm going to have to have a strong worded discussion to Snap about this, as I have a box with a sub-par firmware, that stuffs up and crashes when you configure port forwarding that doesn't work, and is locked down.

Not happy.

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