Equipment Support > Hardware By Brand > 2Wire > Do HomePortal Modems Just Blow?

Do HomePortal Modems Just Blow?

OfficePortal 1800HW - 6 Days Log

HomePortal 1800HG - 30 Min. Log

Post the contents of the DSL Diagnostics.

Go to »gateway.2wire.net/management
click on DSL Diagnostics (HG model will have this)
Copy and past the info here (in text it will be easier to read than a screenshot)

Noise Comp. Tones: 49 Suspicious - impulse noise detected

This means you have a large amount of EMI either at your residence or between you and the DSLAM.

Move the homeportal three feet (3') from any device with its own power supply or a magnet e.g. computer, printer, monitor, fax machine, subwoofer, speakers, TURN DIMMER SWITCHES OFF.

Make sure you are using the cord that came with the homeportal (15' cable)

That you have impulse noise on 49 out of 256 tones is very signficant especially since you will not load all tones.

You may also request an Interelaved profile which should help.

reply to Thaler
Impulse Noise Comp. Tones: 49 Suspicious - impulse noise detected

Well, just because when SBC Tested your line before, does not mean your line is in the same state now. The modem is detecting noise at the frequencies its trying to use for your data. Your line can be affected by all the other lines in the cables it runs in, and that changes over time. Is one modem better/worse then another? Hard to say. Best you can hope for is either see if you can have telco find the noise or find a modem that works with what you have.
-Riss
--
I have a plan so cunning you can pin a tail on it and call it a weasel!

That was the same error I had with the HomePortal 1000Sw series...yet the OfficePortals don't seem to have any problem with my line. I have yet to put it in replacement, but I'll post the logs from the OfficePortal.

Er...small question, what log on the OfficePortal 1800HW would help you out here? The links are a bit different.

Same info needed. If you do not have it as a link contact support@2wire.com give them the serial number of the 1800hw. Software version 3.5.11 will have the DSL Diagnostics.

It is unlikely to change depending on which unit you are using. It is a condition external to those devices that is being measured.

Make sure you check INC tones before switch units so you have a baseline for comparison.

Well, I mailed 2wire for a firmware update, yet nothing got published to my machine. Guess I'll write them back again.

Currently, it's running 3.5.5.

If you want to expedite things go to the UI »gateway.2wire.net and click Registration Info.

Fill it out with whatever information you want.

This will force it to check for an update when you are done.

Nope...still says that no updates are avaliable for my 3.5.5 machine.

reply to Thaler
Okay, just installed manually the 3.5.11 update. (BTW, if anyone needs the files/instructions to do so, I got the files!) Now, here's my DSL Line Statistics from my OfficePortal.

General Information
DSL Line: 1
Uncancelled Echo: -16.4 dB Ok
VCXO Frequency Offset: 15.3 ppm Ok
Rx/Tx Sync Scaling: 1.54/0.47 Ok
Rx Gain: 19.4 dB Ok
Impulse Noise Comp. Tones: 0 Ok

Currently you are showing 0 impulse tones.

That you show zero now and had shown 49 previously means little since impulse noise by definition is transient.

What change did you make other than swapping out the two?

Did you relocate the homeportal away from EMI sources?

Oh, and I haven't done anything to the setup of the routers physically. Literally just swapped placement with them.

reply to Thaler
3.5 firmware should be on any newer 2Wire cd, like the one that would have come with the 1800HG.

You could also find 3.5.15 (i think) on the BellSouth website (mentioned in several threads) or just email to 2wire for the file.

As for the impulse noise coming and going, as Xdsl mentioned, that's part of the problem with that error, is it comes and goes... you could talk to SBC, as they can track issues on your lines over time, and that might help get to the bottom of the problem...

Well, the problem is, I'm using DSLExtreme, a 3rd party vendor of SBC's lines. I dunno where exactly to start looking for support on this one.

I'll have to dig out the 2wire HomePortal 1800HG file somewhere outta the depths of my workspace though, and check that out about the 3.5.5 firmware.

For line issues like that, the ball is still in SBC's court. My brother just got an unbundled DSL line to his house in San Diego, and his ISP is a company his friend runs...

basically, ASI (the physical-connection division of SBC) takes the local loop going from the CO/RT to the NID and puts the DSL signal there (ie, connect to DSLAM)... then the DSLAM and backend routes the ATM traffic thru some high-powered fiber to your ISP's racks in a SBC Co-Lo, or possibly where SBC ATM traffic merges out to other providers in someone else's Co-Lo... (more or less)

Anyways, SBC is still responsible for the physical line, and for the ATM connection between you and their equipement (DSLAM/Redback)... then it becomes traffic between SBC and the ISP... you might check with some of the guys at the SBC Direct fourm, they could tell you more accurately one way or the other...

Also, the 1800hg isn't going to run with anything less than 3.7.1... a homeportal can only use a certain 'low' software build, depending on when it was designed (and designed with whatever sw version). i think it was 1.0 software for 'classic' units (100/1000), then 3.3.0 for newer units like the 1100, 1000sw/1800sw, and 3.5 for HW units, and 3.7 for HG units...

LOL, the 3.5.5 wasn't for my HomePortal 1800HG, it was for my OfficePortal 1800HW that was working fine before the 3.5.11 update. Just got the 3.5.5 recovery file, so I still have the option to downgrade to resolve my problem. I'm going to keep up the 3.5.11 for diagnostic purposes though, while I try and rout out this noise problem.

As to where to begin, I might link this post to the folks at the DSLExtreme forum, and ask them where I should begin for troubleshooting help.

The one question I have though, is why the higher firmware tripped up on the noise though? The OfficePortal 1800HW running 3.5.5 ran fine, the OfficePortal 1800HW running 3.5.11 ran into problems, and the HomePortal 1800HG running 3.7.3 went abso-friggin'-lutely nuts. Heck, even my SBC-shipped modem ran w/o problems before. If it was something hard-wire related, shouldn't it be an equal distribution of problems nomatter what hardware I used to connect?