I recently renewed my FIOS contract and the installer gave me the option to replace the G1100 with a Arris NVG468MQ. I declined and kept the G1100 because I might regret it without being able to test and compare in detail, and go back to the G1100 if desired.
For that reason, I now bought a Frontier branded new Arris NVG468MQ on ebay. The switch-over was pretty painless and I was able to do a side-by-side comparison.
Overall, the features are similar, the G1100 has an extra USB port (i.e. two, that probably nobody uses), but the Arris also has VOIP (that I don't use) and has an on/off switch. A power switch adds another mechanical point of failure and another dumb failure point ("hey frontier, everything is plugged it but it does not work" ... "did you notice the switch?" :D).
Power use: both use about 12W in normal use with both radios (2.4 and 5GHz) enabled. Tie! (the Arris phone connector (VOIP) is not used)
The UI is arranged similarly but there are differences. For example the port forwarding seems more functional on the G1100 because you can create more advanced ranges via objects. On the Arris you need to create multiple rules if there are multiple ports (e.g. my security system requires TCP/1025 and TCP/8000 forwarded to the same local IP. This requires two rules on the Arris, but only a single rule on the G1100.)
Logging is not that great on both. For example, the firewall log on the Arris is not configurable and only lists IPs, not even ports. I have not tried sending the logs to a syslog server to see if the are a little richer. All I want is to log incoming accepted connections to the forwarded ports but all I see is uninteresting noise with no useful information!
One major bummer is the fact that the Arris apparently does not implement a NAT loopback proxy. This means if I try to use my remote security app from the LAN side (i.e. connecting to the public IP via ddns) the connection fails.
On the G1100 this works perfectly! This is a major pain on the Arris and I hope that this will get fixed with a new firmware update.
I found a workaround! Lets' assume that the dynamic DNS name of my WAN IP is "abc.xyzddns.net". First, I changed the local domain on the router to xyzddns.net (advanced...DNS...domain name) and named my security DVR "abc" (main...find device...click...rename to new name), it will translate to the local IP address (after resetting all cached values in the OS, etc. might take a long time to take effect)
Before adjusting as described:
Ping abc.xyzddns.net will successfully ping the WAN IP but a connection to a forwarded port will not go to the DVR when the client is on the LAN. Broken!
After making that adjustment:
Ping abc.xyzddns.net will successfully ping the LAN IP of the security DVR. Since the IP address is now local when I am coming from the LAN, things work. Fixed!
Note that if the client is coming from the WAN side, none of this matters.
While this is a workable solution (and significantly more efficient because the traffic does not involve the router! :)), it requires a lot of guessing and jumping through flaming hoops on the configuration screens. It also does not work if more than one device needs forwarded ports.
I hope that Arris will implement NAT loopback in upcoming firmware. This is a must for any modern router!
Does anyone know if the Arris has additional configuration pages that are not exposed in the web UI, but can be reached by special URLs?
Disclaimer: These are my personal findings and there is always a chance that I made a mistake or misinterpreted results. Feel free to test for yourself if the Arris implements NAT loopback or not. My observations indicate that it does not. An official word from Arris would be nice.
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[FIOS] Comparing Arris NVG468MQ and FIOS-G1100
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[FIOS] My horrible experience and how I lost my FIOS service
My monthly Frontior FIOS bundle was costing me almost $200/month. This was for TV,Phone, and Internet. Since we watched very little TV, I started looking to go Internet only.
As "luck" would have it, about then (3 weeks ago), my set-top box went on the fritz and I could get no more TV. I could still watch what was recorded on the DVR, but "live" TV and new recordings was just a black screen - TV guide worked well, all shows were listed, they were just not watchable.
So I figured this was as good a time as any to pull the trigger.
I looked around and decided to port my phone number to Ooma. Since I only really wanted the phone to receive legacy calls, that meant after the cost of the refurb Ooma device from Amazon ($60), I'd essentially have free phone service.
I installed the Ooma device and initiated the porting procedure for my phone number. In the past, it was my experience that one had to port the number *before* cancelling service - I once lost a home phone number by doing it the other way.
After the Ooma port was successfully completed, I contacted Frontier to change my service to Internet-only. That was where my troubles started.
First guy (Ryan) said that the port canceled my service, so they would have to give me a new service. No problem, I don't care one way or the other. Went through credit check, etc. and then he said there was an "issue" and he'd have to call me back.
Two days later I called again and spoke to a helpful lady (Tacia). Went through the same process again (This was the Friday preceding the Labor Day weekend). New service. Credit check again. Problem, would have to escalate to supervisor. Will call back. She at least left a callback number and extension and I got a case number from her. She did call back, telling me there was a manual process involved that had to be escalated. Since it was getting late and she would not be back in office until Tuesday after Labor day, she promised a call-back from another associate on Saturday.
Got the call on Saturday, just to report "no progress", but that the process was ongoing.
Nothing further.
Yesterday (Tuesday Sept. 5th) I tried calling Tacia again. Left voicemail with callback numbers and asking about progress. No callback. This morning I woke up to no Internet. Called Tacia again, left more voicemail (all polite, I may add) called a few hours later, still voicemail and no callback, so I followed the suggestion on her voicemail to call the main Frontier number, on the odd chance she's out of the office.
Got in touch with Lisa, explained my predicament. Lisa claimed to be unable to find any record of any previous interactions with them, but offered to go ahead and just start the process over. She indicated that the termination of my previous service may now make it easier and so that would be the best thing to do. I accede and we start again with yet another (now the 3rd) credit check, and all the details. Then the same thing - a long hold-up. She asked me to hold on, since she was on a long delay on an internal call. 30 minutes later she said she would call back once she had news. She had no account number or case number, but provided her phone/extension.
A few hours ago she called back with the devastating news that Frontier cannot provide me with Internet service in my area unless I had a phone number to port in. They won't provide FIOS internet without a phone number and they don't issue phone numbers in my area. So that's it. No more FIOS Internet.
If anyone has some advice, I'd gladly hear it.
Edited to fix numerous typos. Sorry.
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[TV] TV Everywhere
All of a sudden when using TV Everywhere on my PC, I can no longer view the Golf Channel?
Anyone else noticing this?
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If... net Neutrality dissppears
Hey Frontier if net neutrality goes away after the court battles you can kiss my tired rump goodbye, you bankrupt piece of horse dung.
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FIOS Regional Sports Fee
I signed up recently for the Ultimate Package in Texas and I thought the package included all regional sports channels and fees. My bills reflect an additional Regional Sports Fee of $5.89. Is that a normal charge for Frontier? Thanks!
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[FIOS] Frontier pricing for FIOS internet and TV plans
Does anyone have a link to the Frontier FIOS internet and TV pricing plans for existing customers. Looked around on the website but could not find a standard price list. Have multiple discounts expiring at the end of the month and want to reevaluate my options. I have tried twice to discuss this with CS without much luck.
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Cut Frontier TV service, kept internet, slow speed
I live in a suburb of Dallas and had Verizon FIOS for years before they were bought out by Frontier. The transition was mostly smooth and I had no problems except the monthly charge kept creeping up (I wasnt under contract) so I called and cancelled TV service. I was paying $165 for 50/50 fiber optic internet and a basic cable channel package while renting 4 STB's
The "customer service" interaction was interesting. The CS rep barely spoke English which made it kinda tough. She said that they would drop the television service and that they would bill me $50 for the 50/50. I told her that was too much. She put me on hold for a long time and came back with an offer of 75/75 for $54.99 for 2 years. I told her that would be fine. Its funny because she was telling me that there is no fiber service in my neighborhood, she claimed its "all copper" there. I know for a fact that is not correct. They will say anything, anything.
They were prompt about cutting TV service but the speed increase, not so much.
What is involved in increasing speed? I cant imagine its much of a process. I checked my speed with speedofme and Im not even getting the 50/50 I used to pay for much less the 75/75.
Is there any way to get them to follow through on what we agreed to?
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Router questions
I started out with Verizon fios and was happy with my service. After the change over to frontier, not happy at all. I don't really have many options for fast internet in my area. My modem/router has been needing to be restarted on a daily basis, so I'm sure it needs to be replaced. I really don't want to deal with frontier customer service any more than I have to. Is there a easy way that I can replace it on my own so I don't have to give frontier any more money for a new one? I currently have Verizon ultraline 3 router/modem.
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Second FiOS Outage in a Week
http://downdetector.com/status/frontier
http://downdetector.com/status/frontier/forest-grove
Outage Map
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888 vs app
What is the diff between Chan 888 and the Netflix app in my TV?
I ask because I was watching 888 and the streaming rate varied from 0.11Mbps/240 and 4.43Mbps/1080 in a cycling pattern. Needless to say the picture was garbage at 0.11Mbps.
When using the app (same movie) it was a steady 4.43Mbps.
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[FIOS] ONT - No power to BBU
Ok so my BBU only powers on for about 5 minutes when I press down the Emergency Battery button for like 5 seconds. When I plug it in the PSU lights come on but the BBU Status lights never come on. Does it sound like the cable going from PSU to BBU is bad? I have a tech coming Tuesday but just wondering if anyone has run into this and if the fix is rather easy?
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Does anyone still have multi-room DVR that actually works?
Mine has been busted for like going on 6 months and it seems like every time I call in to tech support to fix it, it gets broken again on the next update or something (Like an ONT replacement which I just had) and it takes like 2 full days of tech support calls for them to fix it. I also used to remember back in the day when Verizon first introduced it, I could share every DVR among each other and now I can only share 1...
I should really start looking into TiVO... Quantum setup, no thanks, not enough storage...
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FTTH in Danbury, CT area?
I've been asked to post here about a short meeting with a Frontier tech who was hanging some cable in front of my house. There were two trucks and they were unspooling and hanging some moderately large cable going down the street.
When I asked him what they were putting in he said we would have "Fiber To The Home" soon! I thought that sounded pretty nice! I'm on Comcast now but fiber would be a big draw for me.
Here is a pic of the loop on the pole outside my house. The gray box is the Comcast cable, the loop below that is the new Frontier cable.
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[DSL] DSL1 and 2 suddenly RED
Hello,
Long time lurker on the forums. I've had Frontier DSL at my home in Rural MN for a few years now because of a lack of any other viable alternative (I don't consider $130/mo 3mb wireless as viable.) Previously I had a tech out for intermittent service issues who stated that the area was oversold and I would experience the issues until it was upgraded.
Just yesterday without any provocation I lost my internet connection. When checking the modem I show that both DSL1 and DSL2 are solid red. DSL2 generally has never shown me any activity so it struck me as odd that it was on now. I power cycled the modem and after the power boot cycle both DSL lights blinked steady green then went to solid red again. I tried removing the line conditioner and rebooted to the same effect. I tried another phone cable and power cycled. Same effect. I tried another phone jack. Same thing.
As a last ditch effort I pressed the pinhole reset for 20 seconds until modem reset. Same thing. I then contacted tech support via chat. After about 20 minutes of gathering data on my account the rep had me unplug it so she could do some things on her end. Plugged back in and get the same thing. Scheduled a service visit for 6 days later as the soonest they had available.
Everything we do in my house runs through the internet. 3 computers, 2 tablets, 2 phones, WiiU, Smart TV and Roku. As an added bonus my Cell Phone was at the "data usage warning" and after a few minutes tethered to my pc for some google searching it went over cap and got throttled to 1mb/s. Roomate has 1Gb remaining on hers (Wireless router on the fritz causing intermittent data usage.)
My question is, does anyone have any ideas on what it means to have both DSL1 and 2 solid red when traditionally in the past DSL2 has never had any activity? Modem model is Actiontec F2250 and while my connection had been unsteady for years it has only gone out entirely once before due to poor internal wiring. Even then it was only a single Red light on DSL1. The chat rep was not very forthcoming on details and waiting 6 days for a tech to come spend 15 minutes on something simple would frustrate me to no end.
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[FIOS] Coming back to FiOS, want to keep MOCA connection
Hi everyone!
We left Frontier about a year ago and are thinking of coming back. I have a question, however. For 8 years we were set up with MOCA, with the FiOS "modem" in our study bridged to our own router. This is where all our other network equipment (router, switch, home automation controller, printer, scanner, headless workstations, home file server, NAS, MOCA bridge to the rest of the house, etc.) is as well. We were on the 75/75 and had no issues with a MOCA setup.
In order to get internet + "Ultimate Ultimate TV", at the most cost-effective pricing, I appear to have to choose the "FiOS 150M/150M Internet + FiOS Ultimate Ultimate TV" package. I've heard Frontier wants(needs?) anything at that speed to change to ONT->ethernet->modem. However, to keep from having to re-do our entire networking setup, will the tech who comes out typically agree my request to leave it at MOCA? We're perfectly fine with the "best effort" to 150 (~75-100 at MOCA limits) that we can get.
There is no physical way in our house to get ethernet from the ONT to our study. Relocating the primary equipment would require re-doing a lot of set up, and drilling new holes in the side of the house.
Thanks for any advice,
Billy
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[TV] December Ongoing Channel Negotiations
The December Ongoing Channel Negotiations have been posted at https://frontier.com/channels/current-negotiation
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Frontier is misdirecting Netflix requests?
In October, some of my devices began having trouble playing certain episodes on Netflix. Example: episode 3 of a show won't play. 1, 2, and 4 play fine. If I switch devices, it plays. I figured it was an issue with Netflix that would self-resolve. (I'd go back days later and that specific episode still won't play on certain devices.)
In the last two weeks, our living room device (AppleTV A1625 released in 2015) stopped play anything from Netflix at all. The guide works, it shows which episodes have been played and even knows if an episode hasn't been finished. Won't play any video. Annoying as this is the main device we watch on, the one we like the best.
So, what to do? It works on our laptop and desktop, which have lots of troubleshooting options. The TV/tablet devices are struggling, they have few troubleshooting options. I haven't tried to find a resolution for this as I knew it would be a beast. Netflix would say call the devices maker, the device maker would say call my ISP... endless circle.
So I try connecting my AppleTV to my AT&T wifi hotspot on my phone. It works.
Smells like a ISP issue to me.
Contact support
So I was on the phone from 10:30am to 1:30pm today, basically in hell. I called Netflix first, as I figured their troubleshooting would be limited (uninstall the app and reinstall, did that work? Ok that's all I got) and that if other people were experiencing this issue, they might be tracking it. All they said was to 'call apple'.
Apple next. We try everything, I even factory reset the thing. No avail. Rep says next step is to call my ISP and stay on the phone so they can't send me back in a runaround. Great.
We get on the phone with a Frontier tech support person who basically resets my internet, resets my router, and says nothing else can be done. I could pay $12.99/mo for some form of advanced tech support...
Apple rep steps in and says no, I'll escalate to my next level tech support, which doesn't charge.
(After we hang up with Frontier, Apple rep says that is a low blow, ridiculous they want to sell me on that.)
So I get escalated at Apple. He reads through the other's notes then asks me to go to a laptop/desktop and try a [traceroute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traceroute). Basically, you type in where you want to go, it gets the address, then tries to go there and records every server it hits on the way. If it hits a * that's either bad (it can't go that way and has to find another way) or it hit something like a restricted access or government server (happens, it has to find another way).
I don't want to copy/paste the results here, but I can censor them so you get the point. If I type in google.com I get:
traceroute: Warning: google.com has multiple addresses; using 74.125.30.138
traceroute to google.com (74.125.30.138), 64 hops max, 72 byte packets
1 gateway ~~censored~~
2 ~~censored~~
3 ~~censored~~
4 ~~censored~~ .dlls.tx.frontiernet.net (~~censored~~) 10.176 ms 9.331 ms 10.071 ms
5 ~~censored~~ .dlls.tx.frontiernet.net (~~censored~~) 9.883 ms 10.602 ms 10.274 ms
6 ~~censored~~
7 ~~censored~~
8 ~~censored~~
9 ~~censored~~
10 ~~censored~~
11 * * *
12 of-in-f138.1e100.net (74.125.30.138) 20.613 ms 18.111 ms 17.804 ms
12 steps, we have Google. Huzzah!
If I try to do Netflix.com, I get this:
traceroute: Warning: netflix.com has multiple addresses; using 34.192.135.222
traceroute to netflix.com (34.192.135.222), 64 hops max, 72 byte packets
1 gateway ~~censored~~
2 ~~censored~~
3 ~~censored~~
4 ~~censored~~ .dlls.tx.frontiernet.net (~~censored~~) 10.993 ms 11.334 ms 9.732 ms
5 ~~censored~~ .dlls.tx.frontiernet.net (~~censored~~) 9.941 ms 11.910 ms 9.507 ms
6 ~~censored~~ .ear3.dallas1.level3.net (~~censored~~) 757.985 ms 306.638 ms
7 ~~censored~~
8 * * *
9 * * *
10 * * *
11 72.21.222.249 (72.21.222.249) 47.524 ms 45.985 ms 44.739 ms
12 * * *
13 * * *
14 * * *
15 * * *
16 54.239.111.43 (54.239.111.43) 49.988 ms 45.434 ms 45.634 ms
17 * * *
18 72.21.220.13 (72.21.220.13) 46.826 ms 45.469 ms 44.693 ms
19 * * *
20 * * *
21 * * *
22 * * *
... just keep repeating that last line. It's on 64 now since I tried again for this writeup and no result. :(
I think somewhere in that chain it's serving up Netflix content (either throttled or to 'be more efficient’ or some BS), but it's not doing a very good job and doesn't work with all devices. Also, if it's not working it should 'give up' and send me directly to Netflix instead of whatever misdirected purgatory I'm getting.
However, I can't get past level 1 tech support with Frontier. They're sending me a newer router (we have a Frontier rental as we were doing dusty construction when we moved in, was just getting around to getting our own.) I don't expect it to resolve the issue, just going to wait for it to arrive and call again. 3 hours is enough, I surrender for today.
Any ideas about what I can do, other than fire Frontier? I can switch to Spectrum, a different evil as we had reliability issues with them at an old address.
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[FIOS] What are you paying for FiOS internet only?
I've been seeing lower prices for internet on Frontier's website so I'm just curious what you are currently paying for internet only?
I'm on 100/100 in Southern California and paying $64.99 with no contract. I've been a customer since the Verizon days... I know I currently have some sort of discount applied to my bill but it also seems like they may have lowered prices since then? I thought I saw somewhere 150/150 for $50/mo (https://go.frontier.com/fios/internet)? Is anyone else getting this as a "non-new customer"?
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3ft Remote Control IR extender - does it work, any reviews on it
The remote(s) on for my DVR is very sluggish, i have replaced it with others, and it's the same, so maybe it's not the remote.
I have my Quantum DVR in a TV cabinet, it has glass on the front. I'm not that far from the TV, maybe 7ft, but maybe if the IR sensor is not behind glass it will improve remote control response.
Would this 3ft remote control IR extender help? Anyone have any experience with it?
https://www.verizon.com/home/accessories/remote-control-ir-extender-3ft/
Looking for remote control IR extender on google gives me other options, anyone have any model specific recommendations, or am i better off getting a 3rd party remote for the DVR.
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[DSL] Netgear 2200D Keeps Dropping Connection in Bridged Mode
Hey guys,
So for the past 6 months or so, I've been fighting with Frontier over the stability of my connection. I've been monitoring it externally using uptimerobot.com and internally using Nagios. I was getting a huge amount of latency and packet loss. My connection was a 12 MB DSL line coming in to a NEtgear D2200D dsl router that was configured in bridged mode to a PFSense hardware firewall that I was terminating the PPOE connection on.
Support had me change my PPOE username to the new connect.frontier.com method, which didn't do anything, they sent me a replacement D2200D which didnt improve anything. I disabled gateway pinger in pfsense, but the connection was really unstable, with the internet going offline for periods of 30 to 45 seconds several times an hour.
I finally decided that maybe the PFsense firewall was the problem, and let me try switching it out. I set up an ASUS 68W running AsusMerlin in the same bridged setup. Generally same uptime and packet loss. So finally, I bit the bullet, put the Netgear D2200D out of Bridge mode and had it terminate the connection, so that now the ASUS is double NAT'ed behind the Netgear. Low and behold, my connection has been pretty rock solid for the last 72 hours.
I can live with this as there isnt a lot of gaming or high amount of traffic that will cause me a huge problem, but the D2200D cannot update my DynDNS settings (its configured, just NEVER updates the FQDN) and source IP firewall rules obviously wont work because of the double NAT.
Any suggestions?
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