DOVADO UMR - 3G USB router (For use with O2, Three & Vodafone)

breathn

The_Rev wrote: »

OK, so the software reset doesn't "power cycle" the dongle. But wouldn't a simple addition of a Relay on your PCB be a very nice solution to that problem? On reset energise the relay to break the NC connection to the +5V USB power. Hey presto, problem solved...

+1
I asked Dovado about that EXACT issue way back in the summer and they also told me to go read the FAQ.

There's a problem that could be solved with good engineering. I wish they would go that route.

The_Rev

Considering the USB port is ONLY used for 3G dongles, that's not really a valid argument. I'm at work now and am unable to access my network at home (again). The internet at home has been down since 23:20 last night and the reset the box is performing every 15 minutes for the last 10 hours has had no effect.

if (usb_device = 3g dongle) {
perform_power_cycle_of_usb_interface
}

So your willing to have a unit that "is NOT suitable for the purpose for which it was sold"

Why don't you include the timer switch in the box? Like Apple with their iPhone 4 covers, it looks like this is a necessary requirement for your faulty device.

Comeon guys, you know about this problem, just fix it, maybe you need hardware change which is fair enough and can't be fixed in this model. But just admit it and have it sorted for the 5GR box when its brought out.

DOVADO wrote: »

That's not in par with USB standards specifications. This setup exists in most laptop computers as well. USB ports are powered as long as power is coming into the laptop computer.

viperlogic

Hi Dovado

I have a 3GN (v4.3.3) and was wondering is it possible to hide the SSID?

Thanks

The_Rev

If you want that to make your network "secure", don't bother. It's pointless, if I want to find out your SSID it's easy. Just do a Google search for "obtain hidden SSID" and you'll find out all about it.

viperlogic

The_Rev wrote: »

If you want that to make your network "secure", don't bother. It's pointless, if I want to find out your SSID it's easy. Just do a Google search for "obtain hidden SSID" and you'll find out all about it.

I know it very easy to find hidden SSID's, sure i use netstumbler myself. I just want to hide it anyways

DOVADO

The_Rev wrote: »

But just admit it and have it sorted for the 5GR box when its brought out.

What exactly do you want us to admit? That not all USB modems are stable? This is out of our control as we do not make them.

We have seen a number of issues affect the stability of a USB modem, and this problem affects not only our routers, but routers and computers in general. We have seen on so many occasions a modem crash within a computer, and you have to replug the modem back into the PC as a reboot won't do the trick!

We have also noted on a few occassions an increase in stability occur just by improving several things; even though these things will not rid the problem entirely as at the end of the day, this problem is on the modem's chipset level; and nothing to do with the host device (router/computer):

- a change of firmware (visit the modem supplier's forum websites and you'll see the discussions on this topic there)

- an increase in radio reception (move the device to better spot or get a strong 3G antenna). Connection is highly unreliable when under 20% signal strength.

We are not coming up with any excuses to distance ourselves from the problem. We are very honest about these issues and they concern us, as we have pointed out these issues to various modem suppliers since 2005 (during the PCMCIA card modem era), and very little has happened. The issue however, is that of the 20 brands of modem suppliers we support on our modem list, most of them use the same chipset supplier.

DOVADO

viperlogic wrote: »

Hi Dovado

I have a 3GN (v4.3.3) and was wondering is it possible to hide the SSID?

Thanks

Yes, you can disable your SSID broadcast in the WLAN->WLAN PROPERTIES page within your router. Then Save and Restart.

Thanks

viperlogic

DOVADO wrote: »

Yes, you can disable your SSID broadcast in the WLAN->WLAN PROPERTIES page within your router. Then Save and Restart.

Thanks

Thank you for the prompt response

DOVADO

viperlogic wrote: »

Thank you for the prompt response

Sure thing. And by all means, employ a strong encryption key based on WPA2/AES if all your devices support it.

Cheers

The_Rev

Hi Dovado,

Of course USB modems aren't stable. That's why you need to reset them along with your own box when you perform a software reset.

You have come up with the clever solution of buying a timer switch to periodically power cycle the unit.

I suppose what I want you to admit is that whilst this is a quick fix in the short term, it's up to you to design this USB reset feature into your next generation of boxes. Ye are never going to get the 3g manufacturers to fix there problems as you have no control over that.

but you do have control over your own designs do you not.

DOVADO wrote: »

What exactly do you want us to admit? That not all USB modems are stable? This is out of our control as we do not make them.

We have seen a number of issues affect the stability of a USB modem, and this problem affects not only our routers, but routers and computers in general. We have seen on so many occasions a modem crash within a computer, and you have to replug the modem back into the PC as a reboot won't do the trick!

We have also noted on a few occassions an increase in stability occur just by improving several things; even though these things will not rid the problem entirely as at the end of the day, this problem is on the modem's chipset level; and nothing to do with the host device (router/computer):

- a change of firmware (visit the modem supplier's forum websites and you'll see the discussions on this topic there)

- an increase in radio reception (move the device to better spot or get a strong 3G antenna). Connection is highly unreliable when under 20% signal strength.

We are not coming up with any excuses to distance ourselves from the problem. We are very honest about these issues and they concern us, as we have pointed out these issues to various modem suppliers since 2005 (during the PCMCIA card modem era), and very little has happened. The issue however, is that of the 20 brands of modem suppliers we support on our modem list, most of them use the same chipset supplier.

DOVADO

The_Rev wrote: »

I suppose what I want you to admit is that whilst this is a quick fix in the short term, it's up to you to design this USB reset feature into your next generation of boxes.

This is something we are examining as we move forward in our coming hardware versions. We strive to set new records at all times, including that of stability/uptime. The interesting point to note is that most people do not have this problem at all. We have sold tens of thousands of routers in the past year alone, and the amount of reports coming in regarding this problem are relatively few. We realized that even certain 3G radio networks statistically provide smoother symbiosis with the USB modem than others do. Again, it can be a zillion different things that could go wrong, but I agree with you in saying that once there's a way to regulate the USB port (even if it means deviating from the industrial USB specifications), then that would hopefully to do the trick. Right now these things aren't in place due to cost (not just component cost, btw) and availability.

Thank you for voicing yourself on this matter, and please know that you are not the first person to take this up, and that we are very candid about this matter.

I hope you have continued confidence in our brand, and that you polish up your 4GR or 3GN as we shall (hopefully) soon release a major 5.0 firmware upgrade before Christmas. As always, features will be announced during the launch, and not sooner.

Thanks again

The_Rev

Thanks Dovado,
That's all I wanted to hear! and I will purchase from you again.

rob180

Hi Dovado
I've an Umr router and a HuaWei E122 modem from 3. All was working fine until about a week ago when i couldn't sign into PSN or load any pages from the Internet from my PS3. My notebook shows that it has an "excellent" signal strength from the router but it to won't load any Internet sites. I have resetted the router twice and still the problem persist but when i use the modem directly to the notebook i have no problem surfing the net. I have rang 3 tech support about my problem but since i can access the net with the modem alone and iam using a 3rd party router they basically can't help me. So can you shed some light on my problem. The router has the latest firmware
Thanks in advance Rob

The_Rev

Sounds more like a network issue here.

Can you login to your routers IP address as normal? What is the status of the 3g connection showing when you login to the router?

Have you powered off/on the router.

Can you "ping" 209.85.135.99 (googles IP address) from your computers command line?

There's a multitude of questions to ask here, you need to narrow it down a little i'm afraid.

rob180

Hi Rev
Yes i have power off the router and i can log on to the router IP address and the signal strength is at 51%(3G) The PS3 is detecting the router and even ask me to download the latest updates 3.55 but after 15sec a connection error message appears and say it not a DNS error. My iPhone and iPad shows full WiFi signal but again fails to load web contents.

rob180

At work the moment but will try to ping googles IP address when i get home.
Thanks Rev appreciate it

The_Rev

What are the LAN Settings (IP address and Subnet) of your router.

What is the tcpip settings of your computer at home.
(Type IPCONFIG in a command line to retrieve this).

Also ~50% isn't great anyway for a good internet connection using 3g,
you should really re-position the 3g dongle (you can use a usb cable to extend and re-position the dongle relative to your router).

rob180

Can't remember the LAN setting at the moment but will post it up when i get home. I wonder if the repeater has anything to do with this, iam clutching at straws now

rob180

Here's the info:
IP Adress: 192.168.0.176
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router : 192.168.0.1
DNS. : 192.168.0.1
Hope this help

rob180

Got it working again now , i just change the APN to 3Ireland.ie from 3Ireland.net. But i definitely done this before and got me nowhere.. strange?

-Corkie-

Anyone using the 4gr. I was thinking about one but after reading the thread they seem to give trouble..

rob180

Oh sh**e it's not working again. Changed APN to 3ireland.ie and worked for awhile,i could serve the net but can't play online. Now nothing seems to work now.:mad:

Commsoft

rob180 wrote: »

Oh sh**e it's not working again. Changed APN to 3ireland.ie and worked for awhile,i could serve the net but can't play online. Now nothing seems to work now.:mad:

Hi Rob

The best APN for 3 usually is 3internet - 3ireland.ie might work, but mightn't be best for gaming. I've never heard of 3ireland.net as an APN.

So try 3internet as the APN and see how that goes.

Regards

Gerry, Commsoft Ltd

rob180

Hi Gerry
3ireland.net was my typo, i meant to type 3internet. I find it strange that all was working fine(using APN 3internet) for the first couple of weeks and then all this grief.Change APN to 3ireland.ie cos 3internet won't load any pages at all. 3ireland.ie will let me go online but not play online(keep signing me out of PSN). It's defo a 3's issue here,i just hate calling their tech support . Thanks anyway Gerry

Commsoft

rob180 wrote: »

Hi Gerry
3ireland.net was my typo, i meant to type 3internet. I find it strange that all was working fine(using APN 3internet) for the first couple of weeks and then all this grief.Change APN to 3ireland.ie cos 3internet won't load any pages at all. 3ireland.ie will let me go online but not play online(keep signing me out of PSN). It's defo a 3's issue here,i just hate calling their tech support . Thanks anyway Gerry

Hi Rob180

If it's the case that the modem + standard PC software will connect successfully using the 3internet APN, but modem + UMR doesn't, you should raise a support ticket with Dovado at

http://www.dovado.com/SupportForm.html

for some help in trouble-shooting the connection issue. If neither scenario is working with the 3internet APN, then it's a 3 issue as you say.

Regards

Gerry, Commsoft Ltd

rob180

Hi Gerry
Contacted 3 about my issues and apparently they are having problems with APN 3internet for alot of 3 users and hopefully all normal service will resume in the next few days.

jonseyblub

Hi
I've used the umr router for the last year using an o2 modem and have not had any problems. Three have recently moved into my area and their speeds are much better than o2's so as a result I'm changing over. Is it much hassle to do this i.e. Is it just a matter of changing some settings or do I need to start the whole installation all over again.

As well as that I want to purchase a network hard drive. From reading the forums I know that I can't plug it directly into the router but if I plug it into my mac will it be recognised on my dovado network.

Thanks

Commsoft

jonseyblub wrote: »

Hi
I've used the umr router for the last year using an o2 modem and have not had any problems. Three have recently moved into my area and their speeds are much better than o2's so as a result I'm changing over. Is it much hassle to do this i.e. Is it just a matter of changing some settings or do I need to start the whole installation all over again.

As well as that I want to purchase a network hard drive. From reading the forums I know that I can't plug it directly into the router but if I plug it into my mac will it be recognised on my dovado network.

Thanks

Hi Jonseyblub

You just need to change the Access Point Name (APN) which is found on

MODEM -> MODEM SETTINGS

when you login into the Dovado configuration interface http://192.168.0.1

Change the APN to 3internet, Save settings and restart the router.

If you purchase a Network Attached Storage (NAS) with an ethernet port, you can connect it to one of your UMR LAN ports. If you are thinking of purchasing an external hard drive with a USB connection, you will have to attach it to your Mac and share it on the network from there. That will work also.

Firmware development has now come to a halt on the UMR, but it is worth pointing out that the next release of firmware (currently beta) for the Dovado 4GR supports attaching USB disk drives to the router and sharing via SMB and FTP services.

Regards

Gerry, Commsoft Ltd

jonseyblub

Gerry,
Thanks a million for the quick response. Can you confirm that the NAS drive will work out of the router. The reason i ask is that I've just seen quotes earlier in this thread that it doesnt support them. I'm not at all technical so I may be misunderstanding what they are saying.

Regards,

Ger

Commsoft wrote: »

If you purchase a Network Attached Storage (NAS) with an ethernet port, you can connect it to one of your UMR LAN ports. If you are thinking of purchasing an external hard drive with a USB connection, you will have to attach it to your Mac and share it on the network from there. That will work also.

Firmware development has now come to a halt on the UMR, but it is worth pointing out that the next release of firmware (currently beta) for the Dovado 4GR supports attaching USB disk drives to the router and sharing via SMB and FTP services.

Regards

Gerry, Commsoft Ltd

Commsoft

jonseyblub wrote: »

Gerry,
Thanks a million for the quick response. Can you confirm that the NAS drive will work out of the router. The reason i ask is that I've just seen quotes earlier in this thread that it doesnt support them. I'm not at all technical so I may be misunderstanding what they are saying.

Regards,

Ger

Hi Ger

I had a search through this thread - were you talking about this post?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58510320&highlight=Storage#post58510320

Here watty is discussing USB drives. An ethernet-based NAS will work fine with the UMR.

Post a link or make/model of the NAS you have in mind to be sure.

Regards

Gerry, Commsoft Ltd