Old Computer
Premium
join:2002-04-12
Europe
| reply to Bicephale
Re: Thomson SpeedTouch 5x6v6 FirmWare v6.2.H (v6.2.17.5)
This FirmWare really rocks. !
I had the 24h disconexion during night - Mandatory by my ISP in order to clean "phantom IP" - Then got a new IP and the speedtouch 546 is still rock solid at 4000 kbps as shown.
Yes, I have read the "de-brick" thread", but I do not have friends using same hardware. Most of them are closer from the RCO and they are using the proprietary equipment in order to get free VOIP and TV.
I use Voip myself with a Siemens C450 IP - DECT - connected to the St-546. I have no telephone number attached but I can call for free US and Canada land lines and mobiles. |
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Chucky7
@teksavvy.com
| reply to Bicephale
Now it's confirmed, FW 7.4.1.7 is amazing! Even after 2 days and 10 hours, my connection stats are very stable; constant SNR margin, no line reset or resynch, low CRC/HEC errors and all that on my very marginal line.Yeah! 
Just out of curiosity, for those of you who have good lines, do you see any improvements with this firmware?
Chuck |
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Angelo_
The Network Guy
Premium
join:2002-06-18 | i find it flakey.... but it is true about being stable..
fyi i was able to flasha bricked 516 today after an idea how the flash worked. |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
| Hi,
This thread of mine has been waiting for quite a very long time:
Thomson SpeedTouch 5x6 & 585 EJTAG "De-Brick" Access, Bicephale, 2007-Jul-2
Please, feel free to be my guest!
 |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
1 edit | reply to Chucky7
Hi,
I'm glad it works for you, it's not clear to me yet how
24 h error rate records can be collected to allow easy
long term evaluation but there's a couple utilities that
kept me busy lately; i foresee a steep learning curve
ahead!...I might have more comments in a few months...
|
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Chucky7
@teksavvy.com
| I guess I was just lucky when I first upgraded to 7.4.1.7 because now that my modem has finally rebooted (after 3 days, a record), it has started to resync every few hours 
Oh well... |
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maxfield
join:2007-09-01
Lasalle, QC
| Is it possible that not all Bell's COs or DSLAMs are equipped to handle the 7.x.x.x series firmware?
Because right now my ST516v6, as soon as it is flashed with 7.2.0.8 or 7.4.1.7, it refuses to sync with the DSLAM.
I managed to get 7.4.1.7 to sync with the DSLAM, but it took something like 5 minutes of DSL light blinking before getting a solid DSL LED light. My ST516v6 maintained the sync for about 30 mins before losing sync. Same thing happens for 7.2.0.8
As soon as I revert back to 6.2.29.0 (6.2.T), my ST516v6 sync solid. That is why I am guessing that not all Bell DSLAMs can handle the new firmware. Maybe you guys got lucky. |
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DKS
Damn Kidney Stones
Premium,ExMod 2002
join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON
clubs:
 ·Bell Sympatico
| said by maxfield  :Because right now my ST516v6, as soon as it is flashed with 7.2.0.8 or 7.4.1.7, it refuses to sync with the DSLAM. 7.2 and 7.4 do take longer to synch the first time. Not sure why.
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care. |
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maxfield
join:2007-09-01
Lasalle, QC
| I bet the 7.x.x.x series are radically different from the 6.2.x.x series, and not all CO hardware have been updated to handle the newer firmware. DKS, you were luckier than me. I can't get 7.x.x.x to work. That is why even though you mentioned in my other thread that the 6.2.T isn't that good, I am forced to use it. |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
| Hi MaxField,
The other guys were lucky, me i'm not so sure yet.
I noticed that your peer is Alcatel-based so there
should be no issue since you've got a BroadCom, in
theory. When i wanted to get a backup, three ISPs
with who i had dealt expressed favourable comments
relatively to the SpeedTouch but i believe none of
them ever cared to actually measure the SpeedTouch
in terms of field-performance in order to allow us
to make objective comparisons and even less buy it
after an informed decision: these "professionals"
expect the customer to acquire these devices based
on the SpeedTouch's "return rate" and that's it...
The ISP's confidence in this product is exagerated
and people working for mine consider that i'm just
an exception, despite all of my observations. You
and me we happen to be a statistical aberration!!!
Well, i haven't bought enough MoDems to be able to
evaluate a return rate but i know that in here the
SpeedTouch's DownStream Attenuation is gravitating
around 38 dB while the GNet, which it was meant to
replace, makes that more like 31 dB... DownStream
SNR Margin follows the same pattern, my SpeedTouch
wanders greatly between 13 and 16 dB on a good day
but it can go below 6 dB on occasions and it never
goes this bad with my old GNet. In conclusion: i
never needed to spend money for such a "BackUp" in
the 1st place! Anyway, i had higher figures while
using 'ZZQ2AA5334.bin' so i suggest to get a copy:
http://www.routerspt.com/ST546v6/RELEASE%205.3.3/
Euh... Or maybe it was v5.3.2.6 (i don't recall):
http://www.routerspt.com/ST546v6/RELEASE%205.3.2/
Oups! But isn't yours a SpeedTouch 516v6 instead:
http://www.routerspt.com/ST516V6/
In any case, i'd like to see your error count on a
daily basis and as a 24 h "Noise" curve but that's
still not possible as i write this and i expect no
"professionally" related assistance any time soon.
But as i wrote before, you shouldn't pay attention
to me because i'm only a statistical aberration...
Oh, and there's v5.0.14.0 which i prefered also... |
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maxfield
join:2007-09-01
Lasalle, QC
1 edit | Hi Bicephale,
In my other thread in the Bell Sympatico forum, I mentioned that the Speedstream 5200 E240 consistently outperforms the ST516v6 in uTorrent seeding uploads by 5-10 kB/s.
Someone mentioned that this is entirely possible due to different modem chipsets and different modem build with different amount of memory to handle NAT.
I have access to a GNet reseller so I could have bought the Siemens Speedstream 4201 with a TI chipset. I chose the ST516v6 because it seems to be the one most popular on this forum for Teksavvy subscribers for example.
Are you suggesting the the 5.3.x.x series firmware is better than the 6.2.x.x series?
My problem isn't with attenuation or SNR, both of my modems have no problem synching at 5056/800 or maintaining the sync for long periods of time. To me the Bell-issued Speedstream seems to have more raw upload speed in uTorrent than the ST516v6. But too bad, I will have to return the Speedstream back to Sympatico. C'est triste |
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DKS
Damn Kidney Stones
Premium,ExMod 2002
join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON
clubs:
·Bell Sympatico
| reply to maxfield
said by maxfield :I bet the 7.x.x.x series are radically different from the 6.2.x.x series, and not all CO hardware have been updated to handle the newer firmware. DKS, you were luckier than me. I can't get 7.x.x.x to work. That is why even though you mentioned in my other thread that the 6.2.T isn't that good, I am forced to use it. I doubt that it is anything to do with the CO. All are required to adhere to standards (G.DMT Annex A in this case).
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care. |
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Old Computer
Premium
join:2002-04-12
Europe
| said by DKS :said by maxfield :I bet the 7.x.x.x series are radically different from the 6.2.x.x series, and not all CO hardware have been updated to handle the newer firmware. DKS, you were luckier than me. I can't get 7.x.x.x to work. That is why even though you mentioned in my other thread that the 6.2.T isn't that good, I am forced to use it. I doubt that it is anything to do with the CO. All are required to adhere to standards (G.DMT Annex A in this case). A friend of mine is using the same FirmWare on a Lucent DSLAM. He also reported a better stability (SNR) and better Downstream. ADSL2+ for him.
After more than one week of use, I can confirm that there is a nice improvement. At least when using on a bad line.  |
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DKS
Damn Kidney Stones
Premium,ExMod 2002
join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON
clubs:
·Bell Sympatico
| said by Old Computer :said by DKS :said by maxfield :I bet the 7.x.x.x series are radically different from the 6.2.x.x series, and not all CO hardware have been updated to handle the newer firmware. DKS, you were luckier than me. I can't get 7.x.x.x to work. That is why even though you mentioned in my other thread that the 6.2.T isn't that good, I am forced to use it. I doubt that it is anything to do with the CO. All are required to adhere to standards (G.DMT Annex A in this case). A friend of mine is using the same FirmWare on a Lucent DSLAM. He also reported a better stability (SNR) and better Downstream. ADSL2+ for him. After more than one week of use, I can confirm that there is a nice improvement. At least when using on a bad line. There is a difference between "not connecting" and getting a better connection. DMT says I have an Alcatel card in the CO.
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care. |
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Happyrat
Google Is Your Best Friend
Premium
join:2002-07-01
Disneyland
| reply to Bicephale
Does this thread really have to be a sticky?
There's at least as much interest in the 2Wire Modem/Router and that thread manages to keep itself alive without cluttering up the forum with a sticky...
--
So... WHEN exactly does Hell freeze over anyway? »fuzzyrat.com |
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DKS
Damn Kidney Stones
Premium,ExMod 2002
join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON
clubs:
·Bell Sympatico
| said by Happyrat :Does this thread really have to be a sticky? There's at least as much interest in the 2Wire Modem/Router and that thread manages to keep itself alive without cluttering up the forum with a sticky... There is a 2Wire forum. There is nothing similar for the Speedtouch. And this is valuable info for ST users.
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care. |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
| reply to maxfield
Hi,
I never heard of an objective test-bench meant for
the evaluation of Thomson's numerous FirmWares, no
comparisons have been made based on numbers that i
know of or at least i don't recall seeing one over
here. We only have a few subjective appreciations
at hand and i feel lucky when a user even cares to
share that. Considering one may wonder if Thomson
themselves know what their FirmWares do other than
to disable 3rd-party utilities, it seems to me you
won't find an explanation to the UpLoad speed loss
easily but i suggest you this: maybe if both your
MoDems were used in the "dumb" mode then you'd get
a better idea how they compare exactly unless your
intent is to evaluate the units as MoDems/Routers,
specifically. Now, lets say you do want just that
then i'm not sure which part inside the SpeedTouch
must be tested nor do i know how you'll proceed...
My point is that we don't have a clear picture but
here's a reply to the initial question: no, in my
opinion Bell wouldn't spoil some of it's resources
only to tantalize 3rd-party customers through some
marginal bandwidth throttling. At best, i suppose
Bell is willing to seek the best "value-for-money"
compromize when it comes to CPE devices and they'd
possibly do whatever they can to keep it exclusive
(by branding its FirmWare, for example); how does
Bell evaluate value remains unknown to me, though.
I'm confident Bell has laboratory facilities where
distance, cross-talk, noise, etc. can be simulated
easily and i'm now as confident that the 3rd-party
ISPs ain't got the means to implement that kind of
resource. I may be mistaking but chances are Bell
chose to provide their customers with some Siemens
devices because of items like the SNR Margin, etc.
while their 3rd-party partners sell the SpeedTouch
based on "return rates". For customers like us it
appears there's little choice but to try out every
single FirmWare which Thomson has released lately:
v5:
5.3.2.6
5.3.3.4
5.4.0.14
v6:
6.1.0.5
6.1.9.6
6.2.15.5
6.2.16.3
6.2.17.5
6.2.29.2
v7:
7.2.0.8
7.4.1.7
Be patient enough and then you'll see v8 coming!!!
Anyway, as DKS points out, it's one thing to get a
connection, it's not the same to be satisfied with
it. That's where your SNR Margin figures and 24 h
Error Rate (aka "Noise") curve come to play: with
litle SNR and too many errors the bets are open...
Addendum
I guess that HappyRat may value his 2Wire for this
reason but what can i say? My title said Thomson,
not 2Wire, euh... and no, i didn't have the power
to decide as to weither or not this thread must be
a sticky one, by the way!!! What about this one?:
The customer's own wiring, Bicephale, 2007-Jun-13
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Happyrat
Google Is Your Best Friend
Premium
join:2002-07-01
Disneyland
| reply to DKS
said by DKS :said by Happyrat :Does this thread really have to be a sticky? There's at least as much interest in the 2Wire Modem/Router and that thread manages to keep itself alive without cluttering up the forum with a sticky... There is a 2Wire forum. There is nothing similar for the Speedtouch. And this is valuable info for ST users. All the same, this is the Canadian Broadband Forum, not the Thompson Speedtouch Forum. If you really feel you need permanent representation petition Justin to create one instead of posting your daily firmware fixes as a sticky in here... |
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Bicephale
join:2005-09-24
| Hi HappyRat,
As far as i'm concerned the 2Wire is no option but
to users in Ontario, more specifically in Toronto;
perhaps you're the one who should try to petition.
In any case, you would be well advised to stick to
the topic which happens to be about FirmWares over
here. Be constructive or avoid to be obstructive;
constructiveness must be why the status of my post
was changed to "sticky" so i suggest you try that:
it would please me to see the same for your 2Wire. |
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maxfield
join:2007-09-01
Lasalle, QC
1 edit | Hi Bicephale,
I use both my Bell Speedstream and my ST516v6 in "dumb" bridge mode. I let my Linksys WRT54GL with Tomato firmware handle the PPPoE connection.
But regardless of this, I tried both with or without my Linksys router ie, meaning using the modems directly in their Routed mode. The Bell Speedstream consistently outperforms my ST516v6 in uTorrent seeding upload speed by 5 to 10 kB/s. Curiously enough, they perform identically in ordinary speed tests like Speakeasy, Mountain Cable or Cogeco.
As for the firmware issue, 7.x.x.x series has a lot of difficulties for me to sync. 7.4.1.7 managed to sync but only after 5 minutes of the DSL light blinking before going solid green. I lost connection within 30 mins. I managed to grab a DMT screenshot though.
Downgrading back to 6.2.29.0 (6.2.T) I get sync very quickly and solid green all the time. I don't think my ST516v6 is defective though. That is why I think the DSLAM isn't ready for the new firmware, despite that fact that it is Alcatel equipment on the CO's side.
As you can see, firmware 7.4.1.7 didn't give me too much improvement for me. It knocked 1 dB off the upstream attenuation compared to 6.2.29.0. |
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