Whirlpool

Having joined iiNet and since my exchange is ADSL2+ enabled i going to upgrade my current netgear adsl router to DG834G wireless router.

has anyone had any experience with Netgear modems on adsl2+ or should i try a different brand eg Billion/Dlink

Thanks for any help

Have had very few problems with my DG-834 router. A couple of reboot issues, but generally stable.

Jackel of Nar writes...

Having joined iiNet and since my exchange is ADSL2+ enabled i going to upgrade my current netgear adsl router to DG834G wireless router.

only down side is iinet dont support it , so if ya get problems yer on yer own

concider the belkin as your upgrade as they do support it and its voip

While my DG834G has been fine (with the right firmware), I think you're probably better off getting one of the Belkins for VoIP compatibility because the DG834G lacks QOS...

I have a DG834G and I love it. Just don't use any of the really new firmware, or you will get connection instability.

I am running v2.10.9 and had uptimes of 1 week + on Box Hill Exhcange, getting about 9Mb/1Mb

Now I am in North Melbourne and there is no room on the dslam so I am back to 1.5Mb :(

But, it is great, so long as you have the right firware.

yup if it dont support qos , it aint worth diddly

may as well use 2 cans and a piece of string ;-P

peter morrow writes...

yup if it dont support qos , it aint worth diddly

may as well use 2 cans and a piece of string ;-P

This is a misleading statement.

A friend of mine has the DG834G and has NO QoS problems at all (also using a Linksys PAP2 ATA), even while downloading the iinet ftp test files at 800-900kbps.

He has, though, had trouble finding a firmware version that balances performance and reliability with this router.

Ive heard of people with the newest firmware for this modem having troubles.

try the .9 or .11 firmware and see how you go

v2.10.9 as well, with 1-2 weeks on average at 7000/1000.

v2.10.22 is terrible, avoid it!

thx for the info, do you know where i can download v2.10.9 firmware upgrade as netgear only have 10.22

Pablo writes...

This is a misleading statement.

A friend of mine has the DG834G and has NO QoS problems at all (also using a Linksys PAP2 ATA), even while downloading the iinet ftp test files at 800-900kbps.

He has, though, had trouble finding a firmware version that balances performance and reliability with this router.

there is nothing misleading about it

if you dont have a voip enabled router you will suffer from lag and stutter ect if downloading whilst using voip

your freind is ether real lucky or not telling the whole truth

peter morrow writes...

your freind is ether real lucky or not telling the whole truth

Actually, we did a test yesterday with a VOIP to VOIP conversation with my friend using the Netgear DG834G (no QoS) Router and me using the new Belkin wireless router. While talking over the VOIP connection we both started a download from the iinet ftp server, He was downloading at over 900kbps and I was downloading at over 800kbps. At no time was there any lag or stutter in the conversation. It was perfect at all times!

You have to remember that iinet control the QoS while downloading data. There isn't much they can do for uploads, but our test revealed what a good job they have done in this area.

Your comment WAS misleading!

Jackel of Nar writes...

thx for the info, do you know where i can download v2.10.9 firmware upgrade as netgear only have 10.22

www.longview.eclipse.co.uk/netgear

The v2.10.10 firmware seems to work well too.

yeah Stim, I have no problem with 2.10.9 or 2.10.10

New firmware out!

Version 3.01.25

kbserver.netgear.com/products/dg834gv2.asp

Version 3.01.25

The ADSL driver was updated to improve ADSL2+ performance, improve power cutback operation, add support for Cabinet Mode, and fix various DSLAM interoperability issues.
The firewall was updated to resolve various issues and improve performance.
Fixed a problem with UPnP which prevented certain applications from adding port mapping via UPnP.
Added New Zealand to Wireless Country Settings pulldown menu.
Fixed a problem where certain time zones were not restored from config file.
Fixed a problem where a Gateway to Gateway VPN tunnel would fail if DMZ used.
Fixed a problem where a LAN service could not be accessed via WAN IP.
Fixed a problem where "NETGEAR *Security Alert*" emails could be sent from the router when only Scheduled Emails have been configured and no "Send E-Mail alerts immediately" boxes were checked.
ADSL loss of sync events now recorded in log.

Awesome, I will be a guinea pig when i get home tonight.

retroneo writes...

New firmware out!

Version 3.01.25

Great news!

Anyone tried this version with iinet yet?

sabredog writes...

v2.10.9 as well, with 1-2 weeks on average at 7000/1000.

v2.10.22 is terrible, avoid it!

I'm using v2.10.22 and haven't had any problems with it. But having said that I'm not on a DSLAM yet so my 1500 speed may be a factor.

i've just upgraded my DG834G to 3.01.25

it synced up at 12288/1018 (using PPPoA). now lets see how stable it is.

i reckon this thread belongs in DSL hardware, not iiNet.

joe onemillion writes...

it synced up at 12288/1018

What speeds were you getting before? Any other significant changes?

Will be upgrading tonight.. just at work now.. not game to try a firmware upgrade over VPN.

MrInsane writes...

What speeds were you getting before? Any other significant changes?

it used to sync up fine at 12288/10xx before, but the connection stability was my biggest issue. i used to get 000's of disconnections every month and worked out that my average connection time was only about 2 hours

other significant changes -
i noticed a new Trend Micro antivirus and URL filtering feature. the page said something like "try it free for a year" so looks like it might be some new subscription based service netgear are offering in conjunction with Trend.

i'm sure there might be a few other differences, but some decent ADSL2+ stability would be the kicker for me.

joe onemillion writes...

i noticed a new Trend Micro antivirus and URL filtering feature

Sounds interesting... wouldn't use it myself but it's something different i guess.


i'm sure there might be a few other differences, but some decent ADSL2+ stability would be the kicker for me.

Sounds like they wrote a whole new modem code to fix the issues it had... so fingers crossed. Only on 1.5/256 myself but theres nothing wrong with planning for the future :)

I'm on 512k ATM and the 2.10.09 firmware has got the modem stable enough to keep connections for 7-30 days so I'm quite happy. Though, I'm game to see if this new firmware will allow for the same level of stability for when I move to a higher speed and new ISP. I'm getting a new modem anyway but will be having the DG834 as a spare.

Oh good, I RMA'd my Netgear on Tuesday and a new one came today, time to put v3.01.25 on it and see how it goes.

retroneo writes...

New firmware out!

Version 3.01.25

kbserver.netgear.com/products/dg834gv2.asp

Version 3.01.25

just got it now I will (like most ppl here) try it when I get home.

I installed the new version. Pretty funky new features :-)

I noticed that the attenuation my modem reports has dropped from 47 down to 44! Anyone else reporting the same?

Now that you mention it mine dropped 2dB as well.

PS. Fixed a problem where a LAN service could not be accessed via WAN IP.
This always drove me crazy.

matric writes...

the attenuation my modem reports has dropped

my downstream attentuation figure has reduced from 36 to 34
modem is running at 12288/1018 for over 6 hours now without losing sync yet

so looks like an improvement all right, so far so good

I have the DG834 (non wireless version).. running V2.10.22, with no probs at all.. Although, as with a previous poster, I am only on 1500.. About to do the upgrade, we'll see what happens, have written attenuation etc. down.. and will post all info here soon.. Hopefully..

Edit: My line attenuation dropped from 17dB to 14dB for downstream, all else remained the same..

So for people who are on ADSL2/2+ is the lower attenuation translating into faster connection speeds? Or am I wrong in thinking that attenuation correlates to connection speed???

i'm getting same speed as before, but i'm on the limit of what iiNet allows anyway so i couldn't go any faster (iiNet's ADSL2+ ports are capped at 12mbit atm)

FYI - for any iiNet subscribers who modem autodetects PPPoA instead of PPPoE, reduce the MTU on the WAN interface from 1500 to 1492 or you'll have problems browsing certain websites

i might try PPPoE next week after leaving PPPoA running for a while to get a feel for the stability on the new fw

I will wait a bit before trying this out, at least to next week when I come off shaping.

I average about 7000/1050 (on iinet dslam) using 2.10.10 FW.

sabredog writes...

at least to next week when I come off shaping.

out of curiosity - when iinet shape you, does your sync speed go down, or do you still see the high sync speed being reported but suffer from crap throughput?

matric writes...

I noticed that the attenuation my modem reports has dropped from 47 down to 44! Anyone else reporting the same?

Indeed on a TW port, went from 50db to 47db.

joe onemillion writes...

out of curiosity - when iinet shape you, does your sync speed go down, or do you still see the high sync speed being reported but suffer from crap throughput?

Same sync speed -- because
a) you only get shaped in the period you went over
b) Certain traffic is always full speed.

yep, same sync speed, but everything drops down to 64k

Just spoted something intresting via debug/telnet mode.

# cat avsar_modem_stats

AR7 DSL Modem Statistics:
--------------------------------
[DSL Modem Stats]
US Connection Rate: 256 DS Connection Rate: 1536
DS Line Attenuation: 47 DS Margin: 21
US Line Attenuation: 31 US Margin: 24
US Payload : 9063168 DS Payload: 114566832
US Superframe Cnt : 293379 DS Superframe Cnt: 293379
US Transmit Power : 0 DS Transmit Power: 0
LOS errors: 0 SEF errors: 0
Frame mode: 3 Max Frame mode: 0
Trained Path: 0 US Peak Cell Rate: 603
Trained Mode: 3 Selected Mode: 1
ATUC Vendor Code: 414C4342 ATUC Revision: 1
Hybrid Selected: 1 Trellis: 1
Showtime Count: 1 DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 6848
BitSwap: 1 US Max Attainable Bit Rate: n/a


DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 6848

I still think the web interface is lacking some options like selecting what mode to connect and other stats like the one above, still tho very happy with the 834v2.

That's gold... When I'm home from work I'll check that one out! I've been trying to guestimate what I could sync at haha

192.168.0.1/setup.cgi?todo=debug

telnet 192.168.0.1

#
# cat /proc/avalanche/avsar_modem_stats

AR7 DSL Modem Statistics:
--------------------------------
[DSL Modem Stats]
US Connection Rate: 1018 DS Connection Rate: 12288
DS Line Attenuation: 34 DS Margin: 9
US Line Attenuation: 22 US Margin: 8
US Payload : 4400880 DS Payload: 25038000
US Superframe Cnt : 1819815 DS Superframe Cnt: 1819815
US Transmit Power : 0 DS Transmit Power: 0
LOS errors: 0 SEF errors: 0
Frame mode: 0 Max Frame mode: 0
Trained Path: 0 US Peak Cell Rate: 2400
Trained Mode: 16 Selected Mode: 1
ATUC Vendor Code: 4244434D ATUC Revision: 2
Hybrid Selected: 1 Trellis: 1
Showtime Count: 1 DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 14216
BitSwap: 1 US Max Attainable Bit Rate: 1123000

interestingly enough my upstream line attenuation is reporting as 22 in the CLI and 11 in the GUI. wtf?

and i don't know what the story with the Upstream Max Attainable Bit Rate figure is. looks like there might be a few spurious zeroes in there...

Here are my stats.

# cat /proc/avalanche/avsar_modem_stats

AR7 DSL Modem Statistics:
--------------------------------
[DSL Modem Stats]
US Connection Rate: 1021 DS Connection Rate: 8455
DS Line Attenuation: 31 DS Margin: 9
US Line Attenuation: 19 US Margin: 9
US Payload : 85248 DS Payload: 108000
US Superframe Cnt : 11760 DS Superframe Cnt: 11760
US Transmit Power : 0 DS Transmit Power: 0
LOS errors: 0 SEF errors: 0
Frame mode: 0 Max Frame mode: 0
Trained Path: 0 US Peak Cell Rate: 2408
Trained Mode: 16 Selected Mode: 1
ATUC Vendor Code: 4244434D ATUC Revision: 2
Hybrid Selected: 1 Trellis: 1
Showtime Count: 1 DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 9708
BitSwap: 1 US Max Attainable Bit Rate: 1157000

joe onemillion writes...

and i don't know what the story with the Upstream Max Attainable Bit Rate figure is. looks like there might be a few spurious zeroes in there...

id say theres some bugs still in this firmware, mines reports as n/a?

joe onemillion writes...

interestingly enough my upstream line attenuation is reporting as 22 in the CLI and 11 in the GUI. wtf?


id say cli is more accurate on that fiqure.

Line Attenuation: DS 39 - US 12.5
Previous: DS 45 - US 24

Noise Margin: DS 21 - US 24
Previous: DS 22 - US 24

Goes down to line attenuation DS 33 - US 9.5 when i have a shorter phone cable :)

I've had two instances tonight where my ADSL sync has dropped out.

In both cases the second light on the modem has been off solid (not blinking orange) and the only way to recover sync is to power cycle. Disconnecting and reconnecting the ADSL cable had no effect.

Hopefully this is just teething problems, but it may indicate some inability or difficulty for the modem to re-acquire sync if it drops.

I've also updated to the latest firmware. I experienced two disconnections in the space of an hour with a slight drop in downstream speed (I was on 6600 or so before though), but it's been solid for the last 3 hours now. This is on an iiNet connection.

Connection Speed Down: 8960 kbps
Connection Speed Up: 1011 kbps
Line Attenuation Down: 36 db
Line Attenuation Up: 10.5 db
Noise Margin Down: 9 db
Noise Margin Up: 8 db

I watched the Trend Micro presentation for the new features in the router. If it does everything that they say it does (and by the looks it seems to be the case) then this could be kickass.

Essentially the router works with the Trend Micro Internet Security software and allows you a remote management console for your computers. The router runs an audit on all computers that have the software installed (virus scan, known Microsoft Security Holes, Spyware scan etc) and reports the results back to the router. It then compiles a report with the suggested action. By the looks, you can also execute the action from where you are sitting.

The software is also licensed on a network basis - IE one subscription covers all your computers.

This could save people alot of money and time... AND improve internet security just that little bit more.

Uh... what does that have to do with the new firmware for the DG834?

matric writes...

Uh... what does that have to do with the new firmware for the DG834?

indeed was wondering that myself.

R6ual writes...

I figure, I'f if ur getting 12000, why r we bitching about 'it's too slow'

what thread are you reading mate ? no-one in this thread is bitching about anything. we're discussing the new firmware for the Netgear DG834G, or at least i am???

How are you adsl2 folks finding the max attainable corresponds to what you actually get? Previously it was just a nonsense figure, now it actually seems to make some sense.

ooh my max ds is 19648. Would be fun to say though I have a 20mbit link to my home lol. Thats like several times as much as what some businesses have and I'm a home user! Its pretty crazy to think how far we've come in a few years. A few years ago on dialup I would of NEVER dreamed of a 20mbit to my home hehe. Yay for iiNet whenever they release it and yay for Netgear for bringing out a decent firmware to support this :D

Oh....Can someone help m,e.
Got the DG834G as well and finally got ADSL yesterday, but the Time in my modem page won't update and remains as 2002.

What to do?
Cheer

Login to the router, go to the Schedule, then make sure the tick for "Use this NTP Server" is on and enter a valid NTP server IP, I use 192.43.244.18 as my NTP server.

You also need to set your time zone as well.

The router is supposed to auto find the NTP server but in some cases it does not work and by manually forcing it to use one like that one above it fixes the problem.

My stats with 3.01.25. Connection stability is excellent so far. No dropouts for over 14hrs.

# cat /proc/avalanche/avsar_modem_stats

AR7 DSL Modem Statistics:
--------------------------------
[DSL Modem Stats]
US Connection Rate: 1018 DS Connection Rate: 12283
DS Line Attenuation: 18 DS Margin: 15
US Line Attenuation: 15 US Margin: 8
US Payload : 595524432 DS Payload: 18019934
US Superframe Cnt : 3004598 DS Superframe Cnt: 30045984
US Transmit Power : 0 DS Transmit Power: 0
LOS errors: 0 SEF errors: 0
Frame mode: 0 Max Frame mode: 0
Trained Path: 0 US Peak Cell Rate: 2400
Trained Mode: 16 Selected Mode: 1
ATUC Vendor Code: 4244434D ATUC Revision: 2
Hybrid Selected: 1 Trellis: 1
Showtime Count: 1 DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 20320
BitSwap: 1 US Max Attainable Bit Rate: 10950000

The new firmware appears not to be as goods as v2.10.22. I am on iiNet on the 12 Mbit plan.

On v2.10.22 I had the following:

Downstream connection 12,285 kbps
Upstream connection 1,021 kbps
Line Attenuation DS 14db US 6.5db
Noise Margin DS 14 db US 9db

On v3.01.25, I get the following

Downstream connection 12,283 kbps
Upstream connection 1,021 kbps
Line Attenuation DS 17db US 6.5db
Noise Margin DS 18 db US 9db

The difference is minimal and I don't think it was impacted my download speed. Will have to see how stable it is. The v2.10.22 firmware required me to reboot my router once every month. Hopefully this new firmware is more stable.

Hrrrm - you've got the same speed, and better noise margin. Seems to me that makes the newer firmware better.

arfster writes...

Hrrrm - you've got the same speed, and better noise margin. Seems to me that makes the newer firmware better.

However, its not very stable. I just had to reboot after 1 hour. I lost sync and it could not reconnect (the orange led was flashing solid on the modem). So I rebooted. I hope this issue is a once off. Otherwise, I will be reverting back to v2.10.22.

my stats

AR7 DSL Modem Statistics:
--------------------------------
[DSL Modem Stats]
US Connection Rate: 1018 DS Connection Rate: 8176
DS Line Attenuation: 35 DS Margin: 6
US Line Attenuation: 20 US Margin: 9
US Payload : 255936 DS Payload: 712560
US Superframe Cnt : 62714 DS Superframe Cnt: 62714
US Transmit Power : 0 DS Transmit Power: 0
LOS errors: 0 SEF errors: 0
Frame mode: 0 Max Frame mode: 0
Trained Path: 0 US Peak Cell Rate: 2400
Trained Mode: 16 Selected Mode: 1
ATUC Vendor Code: 4244434D ATUC Revision: 2
Hybrid Selected: 1 Trellis: 1
Showtime Count: 1 DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 9768
BitSwap: 1 US Max Attainable Bit Rate: 1081000

Line Attenuation down 2
Connection Rate down by 300kbps though

[DSL Modem Stats]
US Connection Rate: 1018 DS Connection Rate: 12283
DS Line Attenuation: 18 DS Margin: 15
US Line Attenuation: 15 US Margin: 8
US Payload : 595524432 DS Payload: 18019934
US Superframe Cnt : 3004598 DS Superframe Cnt: 30045984
US Transmit Power : 0 DS Transmit Power: 0
LOS errors: 0 SEF errors: 0
Frame mode: 0 Max Frame mode: 0
Trained Path: 0 US Peak Cell Rate: 2400
Trained Mode: 16 Selected Mode: 1
ATUC Vendor Code: 4244434D ATUC Revision: 2
Hybrid Selected: 1 Trellis: 1
Showtime Count: 1 DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 20320
BitSwap: 1 US Max Attainable Bit Rate: 10950000

Sorry this might be a stupid question but how do you get all this info as I would like to check mine??

nando19 writes...

Sorry this might be a stupid question but how do you get all this info as I would like to check mine??

Enable the Telnet server on the device by clicking this link: 192.168.0.1/setup.cgi?todo=debug
Then start a Telnet client in Command Prompt - telnet 192.168.0.1

Then type cat /proc/avalanche/avsar_modem_stats

I am on a 512K ADSL1 service

In my case, v3 firmware now reports a max bitrate of 11200, whereas official and third party builds of v2 always reported 24 something. This is probably due to newer TI v4 modem code that is present in this release.

ATUC Vendor Code: 4244434D ATUC Revision: 2

DS Max Attainable Bit Rate: 11200

Also, the 'Block Sites' page and the new Trend Micro pages - Security Service and Parents controls are mutually exclusive.

If the Trend Micro feature is enabled (both pages are linked), the block sites feature is disabled both by access and function. The newly added Parental Controls page does not have a feature to block sites by keyword.

If you use the block sites feature (I use it to block jamster and several other sites) do not enable the Trend Micro features.

I have been using the exovii custom firmware previous to the release of v3 and it will be interesting to see how/if the author modifies or removes the Trend Micro feature from his release.

3 disconnections in 4 hours with the new firmware :(
back to V2.10.10 where I got 220 hours straight before trying the new firmware

0 disconnections in ~30 hours so far. Looking good.

Not that I had a disconnection problem anyway.

biny boi writes...

3 disconnections in 4 hours with the new firmware

Almost reminds me of the 2.10.22 firmware *sighs* - I had to revert back to 2.10.09 as well. Disconnections wouldn't last very long but they dropped me out from MSN several times in the space of a few hours.

I'm kinda disappointed really.

Well, looks like a disappointment to me as well. After what must have been 20 hours of connection goodness, it just dropped out 5 minutes ago for no reason. This is in addition to the 2 dropouts within an hour beforehand. A friend with the same router also upgraded to the new firmware and experienced far more dropouts than I.

It's better than 2.10.22, but not good enough. Back to 2.10.10.

Why doesn't Netgear ever update the DG834GT firmware :\ Granted I had over 800 hours uptime before I reset it, but there are a few niggling issues that they could fix.

peter morrow writes...

yup if it dont support qos , it aint worth diddly

may as well use 2 cans and a piece of string ;-P

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

I use been my DG834G for two years and lack of QoS has never been an issue.

I'm on vanilla ADSL so I'm still running an older firmware and have no real need to upgrade it yet.

looks like ill be staying at 2.10.09, it gives lower sync but i get connections of over 500hrs.

My connection on the new firmware, is up to 38hours now.. not a single drop out since installation.. BUT saying that I was on 2.10.22 before that and never had any dropouts either..

solved.

so far has been worse than 2.10.22 but I'm still playing around with it which takes time.

I did the upgrade to the new firmware last night and still evaluating if it is any better than 2.xx.xx firmware - I had to go back to 1.10.10 firmware to keep the connection stable.

I also noticed on a tracert that the Netgear router now has it's own domain host name - www.routerlogin.com - in addition to it's IP 192.168.0.1.

Regards,

Wrexy...

So it does... But what if someone actually registers the domain routerlogin.com and you actually want to visit that website?... Just did a whois... It's registered to Netgear LOL

Mine has come down since I upgraded to the new firmware this morning.

ADSL Link.................... Downstream.................. Upstream
Connection Speed.......... 1536 kbps................... 256 kbps
Line Attenuation.............. 23 db............................ 3.5 db
Noise Margin................... 31 db.............................. 25 db

My experience has been a lot better than with 2.10.22. I haven't had the extreme number of disconnections I used to get with it but it does seem a little less stabe than 1.10.10

too unstable for me, gone back to 2.10.10 since that at least lasts a couple of days before a d/c.

same seems this new firmware is snot even in bridge mode ! 2.10.10 is still the best for me with iinet adsl2+ (using bridge mode). thats 2 TI based modem/routers that suck! WAG54Gv2 and dg834, will NEVER be buying another TI based router again, it's not the firmware it's the chipset.

Chris

hotrat writes...

it's not the firmware it's the chipset.

Until you've tried the D-Link DSL-G604T, Netcomm NB5, and Zyxel Prestige 660/2602s you can't really make that claim...

The WAG54Gv2 problems also seem to be entirely different than the DG834G's problem, they aren't necessarily chipset related.

oops i forgot i tried an NB5 too...

i can make that claim and i am. YA LIKE THAT !

zehoo writes...

so far has been worse than 2.10.22

I'm havin problems too, loads of dropouts, goin back to 2.10.22.

peter morrow writes...

yup if it dont support qos , it aint worth diddly

may as well use 2 cans and a piece of string ;-P

What a silly statement. I have a DG834G with a SPA3000 and it operates faultlessly.

QoS is really only 'maditory' if you have a limited upload speed/download spped. ii DSLAMed customers with nearly 1Mbs upload speeds should have no issues.

Best I've managed so far is 12 hours without a disconnection. Several disconnections within 1 hour of each other. How frustrating. I need several of the bug fixes that 3.01.25 provides, but also need the stability of 2.10.09.

I wish you could update the modem and router firmware seperately.

Is this instability issue mainly with iiNet customers?

Phil writes...

Is this instability issue mainly with iiNet customers?

I dont think its so much iiNet related. Its more due to the higher ADSL2+ speeds that iiNet offer.

I don't think people on Telstra DSLAM ports who sync at 1500 or less suffer from these connection stability issues.

I am on iiNet on a Telstra dslam at 1500/256k and I have only had 1 disconnect in the 82 hr's since I upgraded the firmware.
Currently I have been connected for 60 hr's, and the connection has not been idle the entire time as I have been running bittorrent, grabit, VIOP or gaming.

The disconnect was not the routers fault as a few users in my area all lost Adsl totally for a few mins, not just a ISP issue it was as though the Dslams were turned off or not active on the line as there was no ADSL at all detected on the modem a few others in my area also that had the same problem.

So far this firmware seems ok but I was hoping that QOS would have been included.
So now I am really thinking of getting one of the iiNet VIOP belkin routers, as I have to spend around $100 for a VIOP ATA and I can get the belkin VIOP 4 port router for $139 from iiNet.
I have one of these routers here now for my parents business new iiNet account, I am going to test it and see how it goes compared to the Netgear and if it looks good the Netgear will be going to the shelf as a spare / lend out modem.

Boostland writes...

as I have to spend around $100 for a VIOP ATA and I can get the belkin VIOP 4 port router for $139 from iiNet.

when you put it like that its a no brainer isnt it?
for an extra 40 bucks you're getting an ADSL2 router with firewall/4 port switch/PSTN fallback/QoS.
sounds like pretty good value..

Given the platform stats of this piece of hardware I wouldn't be surpsied it QoS was on the cards.

StArSkY writes...

I have a DG834G and I love it. Just don't use any of the really new firmware, or you will get connection instability.

Just another example of Netgear being probably the worst available product on the market.

wrexy writes...

I also noticed on a tracert that the Netgear router now has it's own domain host name - www.routerlogin.com - in addition to it's IP 192.168.0.1.

That's quite cool, finally no lookup timeouts for the first hop in traceroutes.
# cat /etc/hosts
192.168.0.1 www.routerlogin.com
192.168.0.1 routerlogin.com
192.168.0.1 www.routerlogin.net
192.168.0.1 routerlogin.net

And netgear registered both of those. This is usefull for everyone, it means anyone with a gateway/router with address 192.168.0.1 can use that name.

John Simmons writes...

Given the platform stats of this piece of hardware I wouldn't be surpsied it QoS was on the cards.

The chipset supports it.

www.linux-mips.org/wiki/AR7

The Linux kernel supports it
Login to a telnet session on your DG834, then type tc

www.rns-nis.co.yu/~mps/linux-tc.html

As you can see they have put in some of the things needed for QOS but have not finished the job.

There is some modded firmware for it but they have not done QOS afaik, they have WOL and Loopback working.

FIRST BLAH

3.01.25 gives me a strange and annoying problem (I have 2 netgear DG834g units and both do it). If i lose connection (or manually disconnect via Router Status / Connection Status), it will NOT automatically reconnect regardless of the 'Connect as Required' setting. It simply sits at 'LCP down' or just blank. However, a router reboot gets initial connection without a problem (as does clicking 'Connect'), making me think that MANY of you having to reset your DG834 router are in fact having an issue with auto-reconnect.

I have NOT noticed this issue with previous firmwares but then I wasn't looking for it.

Could someone else with DG834(g) please try this? Manually disconnect and then launch IE or something that SHOULD trigger an auto-reconnect....even the routers inbuilt Ping Test to an external IP doesn't force reconnection.

SECOND BLAH
With regard to iiNet dropping out (and $*@# not reconnecting as per above fault), I found that Netgear have a PDF online saying that iiNet recommend the following settings, which seem to be stable for me so far:

pppoe
username@iinet.net.au (not just username)
LLC 8/35
1492 MTU size

THIRD BLAH
Most annoying that it doesn't reconnect, as connections WILL naturally drop from time to time. I foolishly fitted one to a client who wants 24/7 exchange access for 5 users; what brand would other support-persons recommend without spending oodles (SPI, Wi-Fi, ADSL modem/router with VPN endpoints)?

Investigations writes...

Could someone else with DG834(g) please try this?

Same problem with the DG834's I have installed. Wont reconnect if the line drops.

what brand would other support-persons recommend without spending oodles (SPI, Wi-Fi, ADSL modem/router with VPN endpoints)?

Try the Speedtouch series.. very reliable and good VPN support, attach it to a good wireless access point (linksys etc) and you're set.

Netgear is rubbish. I've not owned/used/seen one single piece of their hardware that has operated properly without problems.

Investigations writes...

I have NOT noticed this issue with previous firmwares but then I wasn't looking for it.

I was running the DG834G on the 2.10.xx firmwares for over a year and never once had to reset the modem to reacquire sync. I had lots of disconnections, but sync always recovered without intervention.

Since upgrading to 3.01.25 on Friday, in the first 24 hours I had three instances where the router lost sync and did not recover it. When sync is lost I expect the second light to be flashing orange, showing that the modem is attempting to acquire sync. However, the light was just off, and I had to power cycle the modem to reacquire sync.

That said, this hasn't happened since Saturday now. I've also noticed that my sync is down to 9314 from 12285 now. Current connection time is over 21 hours which is some kind of a record for me with the DG834G.

With the 2.10.x firmwares I could use something like 2.10.09 or 2.10.10 and get higher connection stability at a lower sync speed. It looks to me like they've just ported this into 3.01.25, but also introduced an intermittent bug where sync is lost and router needs to be power cycled to recover it.

100 hours uptime without a problem and still going strong

sims writes...

100 hours uptime

sync speed ?

joe onemillion writes...

With the 2.10.x firmwares I could use something like 2.10.09 or 2.10.10 and get higher connection stability at a lower sync speed

Thanks for your reply. How did you find the last official firmware, 2.10.22 ? I notice that the two you refer to were betas....

Prior to 3.01.25 we lost connection maybe once a week. After bug hunting today (Melb bloody Cup Day) it if offline again within 5 hours :-(

Investigations writes...

How did you find the last official firmware, 2.10.22 ?

12285 sync, but with loads of disconnects. unstable imo, and unsuitable for running voip with an ATA due to the high possibility of a resync happening during a phone call.

I second that - total rubbish.

My only hope is using the 2.10.10 firmware that provides better stability at lower sync speeds (2.8Mbps on an iiNET ADSL 2+ DSLAM, whereas with the new firmware I get 6Mbps connection speeds). This can keep the sync for days.

However with this firmware, you can't access LAN services (ie services you have portmapped on the router (eg ftp) to internal pcs on your local network). They seem to have fixed this in the latest firmware. Anyone got any ideas on how to overcome this - as I am starting to wonder what the point of firewall rules are - if you cannot connect from a WAN to a local service on your LAN.

chunku writes...

However with this firmware, you can't access LAN services (ie services you have portmapped on the router (eg ftp) to internal pcs on your local network). They seem to have fixed this in the latest firmware.

Really? - I have always managed to always allocate my laptop the same IP address and then forward services/ports 20,21 to it and run an FTP server using cereberus successfully. My friends have no difficulties connecting using filezilla once I give them my external IP address.

I use firmware v2.10.09 though...

reiki writes...

And netgear registered both of those. This is usefull for everyone, it means anyone with a gateway/router with address 192.168.0.1 can use that name.

Actually anyone running a dg834 with 3.01.35 can use it... not just those with 192.168.0.1 :)

Have changed my default range here and routerlogin.net works fine.

I'm only on 1.5m (with iiNet) and after an initial disconnection after ~16 hours my connection has been perfect. I also notice they have cleaned up the logs a bit.. i got alot of false positive DOS attacks from using emule... they seem to have fixed this so alot less junk to wade through for those router log junkies :P

I have a slightly different issue with this firmware as dropouts have not been a problem to date.

I just upgraded to v3.01.25 as we have changed ISPs and DSLAMS with it, from ADSL to ADSL2

Surprise, surprise, from TPG to iiNet

But a number of web pages will not load on any of our connected PCs and laptops. Some always do, some always don't.

Have played with settings (especially MTU) on one PC and on the router with no luck

Current settings are:

Firmware
----------
Version V3.01.25

Basic Settings
---------------
Encapsulation: Have tried both PPPoA and PPPoE
DNS Have tried "Get Automatically from ISP" and specifying a primary DNS
NAT: Emabled

ADSL Settings
----------------
Multiplexing Method LLC-Based
VPI 8
VCI 35

WAN Setup
------------
(Yes) Connect Automatically, as Required
(No) Disable Port Scan and DOS Protection
(No) Default DMZ Server ...
(No) Respond to Ping on Internet WAN Port
MTU Size (in bytes) Have tried 1500 and 1492

Other
------
ADSL Firmware Version 4.01.02.00
Modem Status Connected
DownStream Connection Speed 8580 kbps
UpStream Connection Speed 953 kbps

Any ideas thanks?

Simtre writes...

Any ideas thanks?

when i ran the initial setup on 3.01.25 my router autonegotiated pppoa with a 1500 mtu on the wan port.

i had problems browsing several websites.

i am now using VC BASED / PPPoE / 1492 with no browsing problems whatsoever.

i notice you are using LLC BASED rather than VC BASED. can you try the combination of my three settings above and see if that helps.

Investigations writes...

If i lose connection (or manually disconnect via Router Status / Connection Status), it will NOT automatically reconnect regardless of the 'Connect as Required' setting. It simply sits at 'LCP down' or just blank.

OMG OMG, My after-midnight self has figured it out. I tried all available firmwares back to 1.05 and they all had the same problem of no auto-reconnect, BUT then i tried:

- set BASIC SETTINGS / IDLE TIMEOUT (i used max of 99)

And then instead of LCP going 'down', it goes into 'waiting for data' state. It seems that the 'go-to-sleep' setting also sets the 'wake-on-demand' variable! OMG OMG!

Now I will put that change in the routers we depend upon 24/7 and see if 3.01.25 is worth sticking with. I have already noticed it goes offline more often, but if it will reconnect now then it shouldn't matter too much. I really needed the new 'fix' to let you address your external IP from within your LAN.

One more time.... O M G !!! :-)

From my modem -

"Idle Timeout
An idle Internet connection will be terminated after this time period.

If this value is zero (0), then the connection will be "kept alive" by re-connecting immediately whenever the connection is lost."

Mine is set to 0. Are you saying that by changing 0 to 99 you dont get the "hard" disconnect anymore that requires a reboot to resolve?

If this is the case , I wonder if the NTP packets from the router itself to time-d.netgear.com are enough to keep the connection permanently active, even if there is no activity from PC's on the internal LAN?

This new firmware really, really, REALLY SUCKS!

Logged In Logged Out Time Online

2 Nov 08:47 2 Nov 09:05 0:18
2 Nov 08:26 2 Nov 08:46 0:20
2 Nov 04:15 2 Nov 08:23 4:09
1 Nov 20:42 2 Nov 04:13 7:31
1 Nov 18:08 1 Nov 20:41 2:34
1 Nov 14:55 1 Nov 18:05 3:11
1 Nov 13:29 1 Nov 14:54 1:25
1 Nov 13:06 1 Nov 13:28 0:22
1 Nov 12:51 1 Nov 13:02 0:12
1 Nov 12:02 1 Nov 12:26 0:25
1 Nov 10:02 1 Nov 11:12 1:10
1 Nov 08:38 1 Nov 10:00 1:22
1 Nov 08:27 1 Nov 08:36 0:10
1 Nov 07:46 1 Nov 08:25 0:39
31 Oct 19:48 1 Nov 07:43 11:55

New firmware working fine here.

Syncing at 10830 kbps uptime of 102 hours so far (iinet).

2.10.10 sync slightly higher (~500 kbps) but no real difference.

Simtre writes...

But a number of web pages will not load on any of our connected PCs and laptops. Some always do, some always don't.

Had the same issue yesterday. A router reboot and browser restart fixed it. Visiting via http to any site at one point was impossible. To one site I could ping and I could ftp and i could ssh and telnet but no http. Weird, couldnt figure it out.

joe onemillion writes...

Are you saying that by changing 0 to 99 you dont get the "hard" disconnect anymore that requires a reboot to resolve?

Yes. The factory default of '0' timeout also disabled the auto-reconnect. Once I put ANY amount other than '0' it will auto-reconnect (tested and proven on 2 units).

I am sooo happy to have finally found this amazingly poor implementation of 'timeout' over ALL available firmware versions!

Other than this amazingly poor issue, I like the DG834's for cost and features. What I don't appreciate is the fact that no-one is going to reimburse me for the approx 8 hours I spent troubleshooting to find the issue, and I am not inclined to bill my client as they will say "you recommended Netgear, not us".

******
EDIT

As of 8pm EST it went offline again, reason unknown. Tomorrow I am picking up a Billion 7402G to replace the Netgripe, as it is in a similar feature/price range.

Anyone got a Billion or can relate experiences with that brand/model? Thanks.

joe onemillion writes...

i notice you are using LLC BASED rather than VC BASED. can you try the combination of my three settings above and see if that helps.

Thanks Joe, but I had already tried that. iiNet say LLC, so that's why I set it that way, but ...

Anyway, no matter what I cannot get into sites such as Webjet with v3.01.25. For sure I can call up the home page, but press the "Enter" button ... nothing.

I have regressed to v1.05 .00 and v2.10.22 and both seem reasonable (if at a somewhat slower connection speed) and I can now access those elusive sites.

ONE QUESTION ...

Everyone is mentioning "dropouts" but I don't see any connects/disconnects in my log. Yet I often see my router's ADSL light flashing yellow, which I assume is a re-connect.

What am I missing? Is this logged somewhere else?

Simtre writes...

Everyone is mentioning "dropouts" but I don't see any connects/disconnects in my log. Yet I often see my router's ADSL light flashing yellow, which I assume is a re-connect.

You should be able to see a very short WAN uptime in connection status after you see the lights flash orange.

As a matter of interest, and I'm not sure if this is related because it is most likely a conincidence but since the upgrade I can't download the latest skype using IE, the save dialog is shown but the connection gets instantly reset. The download works fine with FF. It's a bit far fetched but its either a skype.com problem or a router problem, all PCs on LAN are exhibiting the behaviour.

EDIT: Never mind I figured it out. Somewhoe while playing with the router I enabled the Trend Parental controls and the Trend Security Service (didn't register so it was "disabled by license control" but after disabling all is good again. Who woulda thunk it.

Investigations writes...

Yes. The factory default of '0' timeout also disabled the auto-reconnect.

I have the "Idle Timeout (In Minutes)" set to 0 and in the "WAN Setup" section "Connect Automatically, as Required" is enabled.

I have never had any issues on any firmware with this DG834 or several others, they will always reconnect if there is a drop out of any kind.

As of 8pm EST it went offline again, reason unknown.

Have you tried PPPOA VC-Mux, as there is / was some bugs with the iiSlams and PPPOE.
If your on a Telstra Dslam PPPOA is the best to use.

Tomorrow I am picking up a Billion 7402G to replace the Netgripe, as it is in a similar feature/price range.

Read this about the problems that the billon users are having at this time.

forum-replies.cfm?t=398001

I am trialing the iiNet Belkin VIOP router now if they are stable I might be replacing quite a few modems / routers with these units.

I have had one going on since yesterday on my business connection, and have been hammering it with bittorrent to see how it goes. So far it has been connected since I powered it up.

The QOS works very good, I was uploading full speed on bittorrent and was able to download full speed from the iiNet ftp ADSL test, as I set bittorrent to the lowest priority and put WWW and FTP as the 2nd highest.

Boostland writes...

Have you tried PPPOA VC-Mux, as there is / was some bugs with the iiSlams and PPPOE.
If your on a Telstra Dslam PPPOA is the best to use.

Our exchange has recently been upgraded by iiNet (as per their status page) as is due to go ADSL2 live in a few weeks. We had some outages during their hardware install.

Does PPPOA and VC MUX still work best under these circumstances?

Further question: Does anyone know if you can set Port Forwarding for LT2P *AND* have an IPsec endpoint running on a DG834g? I suspect that it makes the router lockup sometimes....

Investigations writes...

Does PPPOA and VC MUX still work best under these circumstances?

forum-replies.cfm?t=405149

Read that thread and the one that is dealing with the PPPOE bug.

forum-replies.cfm?t=411221

A lot of users with DG834's had to connect with PPPOA, as PPPOE would not connect at all or was unstable.

My experience was that 3.01.25 gave slightly longer uptime