Billion UK Forum

Folks,

I purchased a Billion 7800DXL last week for use on my current (slow) ADSL connection and in around 8 months or so, with Fibre. Set it up last night and all appears OK. Getting 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, working great. In fact, it seems very solid, much better than my BT homehub 3. A few queries;

1. I note that my firmware is actually 2.32a, I can't find this anywhere on the Billion website so I'm wondering what it is, especially when they state 2.31 as being the latest version released in May.

2. The router stats show that I could potentially get 3.1MB, yet my sync speed/downstream is 2685mbps. I am wondering how to up this, does it re-sync automatically or would I have to restart the router in the early hours say, to achieve a higher rate that it could hang on to?

It is all on default settings at the moment but any tips in how to increase my speed would be appreciated, not at the cost of stability though

Thanks.


Scott

Hi Scott,

I posted this:

lazydog wrote:I too am having terrible wireless issues. My box came with firmware version 2.32a! and yet I read the following in another post posted a couple of weeks ago:

billion_fan wrote:

tim_hamblin wrote:Hi,

I know the latest firmware for the UK 7800 new devices is 2.31.RC4.3 (well at least for the 7800DX(L), etc)...

I notice on the Australian Whirlpool forum http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-re ... ?t=2116550 and AU Billion website there is now 2.23.a

Any ideas when we'll be getting the updated firmware over here?

TIA

There are reported issues with this firmware, as this is the case, we want to release a newer firmware once these issues are resolved. (you can check the release notes for this firmware, found here http://au.billion.com/downloads/release ... s2.32a.pdf you will see at the top in red "There may still be some WLAN IOT issues. Billion are currently following this up with Broadcom" so we don't want to release this firmware as AU customers have also reported wifi issues)

So... my question is, if this firmware has known bugs/issues, WHY do I have it on my box??


you might also want to know why you have 2.32a if there are issues with it!

I'm going to raise a formal support ticket tonight when I get home.


Steve

Thanks Steve.

I have to say, my system has only been up 1 day but so far, the wireless connectivity and performance has been excellent. The devices I connect wirelessly with are;

2.4GHz - Blackberry playbook and 9300, Dell laptop, HP Laptop, Humax Freeview, Wii, PS3
5GHz - Samsung Galaxy S3

scwilson wrote:Folks,

1. I note that my firmware is actually 2.32a, I can't find this anywhere on the Billion website so I'm wondering what it is, especially when they state 2.31 as being the latest version released in May.

The firmware is available from the Australia Billion website from the 7800DXL product page. In the UK it always seems to take a little longer for firmware to arrive even though typically we get the identical firmware, this may be a good or bad thing depending on your own perspective, i.e. let the Australians BETA test first In the UK I suspect they will skip 2.32a completely as it has wireless issues.

2. The router stats show that I could potentially get 3.1MB, yet my sync speed/downstream is 2685mbps. I am wondering how to up this, does it re-sync automatically or would I have to restart the router in the early hours say, to achieve a higher rate that it could hang on to?

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the maximum, it is only a guide, a sort of absolute best case type estimate which is often out of reach. Also it depends on your SNR margin settings the ISP has applied. You may be able to get faster by over-riding these settings. If you re-sync or restart the router, then immediately post your SNR Margin (up and down) perhaps we can come up with some over-riding numbers to try.

It is all on default settings at the moment but any tips in how to increase my speed would be appreciated, not at the cost of stability though

Default ADSL settings are usually fine, the general, often which can be applied to most things in life, is no gain without pain. If you tweak for faster speeds it is often at the cost of stability.

Regards

Phil

Hi

lazydog wrote: So... my question is, if this firmware has known bugs/issues, WHY do I have it on my box??

you might also want to know why you have 2.32a if there are issues with it!

I'm going to raise a formal support ticket tonight when I get home.

Steve

Well a lot of products these days that are able to be upgraded on site usually have bugs. Manufacturers with the knowledge they can fix things later in the owners home do less testing as they want to get the sales going ASAP and hope they can fix the issues quickly later on. This applies to set-top Freeview boxes, PVRs, DVD Players, Blu-ray Players, TVs, MP3 players, Smart phones, Computers, even some washing machines... the list is endless.

If the device is very broken, you would be able to return the product as faulty, you wouldn't have to wait for the attempts of the manufacturer to try and fix it with firmware.

For Billion and Wi-Fi issues do you see this logo on the box?



You don't, which means Billion has skipped certification probably to save money, which means interoperability testing is going to be less than it would otherwise be, and we as customers see issues.

Just because Billion charge premium prices doesn't necessarily mean they are better routers or better made. The hardware is bog standard Broadcom based in a cheap plastic box, nothing special, and the reason they charge more and get away with it is because people want all the extra settings and options that are stripped away on other cheaper consumer routers, but without having to spend a fortune on more commercial kit.

I suspect the reason the new models come with 2.31 is because this includes a new bootloader, making updates from 2.31 easier for the inevitable firmware updates we will see to get things working well.

Billion will sort it out, might just take a while. Part of the extra cost goes in to support and you do get to speak with people connected to Billion who will feed back issues and get them fixed. Try getting Netgear to fix something, or look around their forums and see the level of support they get

If anyone wants the best compatibility between Wi-Fi devices, always get products that show they are Wi-Fi certified. While not guaranteed to be issue free even then, it is much more likely things will just work. This is the whole reason for the Wi-Fi certification process, something Billion might want to try for their next models.

Regards

Phil

Thanks for all the replies. As stated, I am running 2.32a and it's been up now for 4 days, no issues at all, very pleased with performance on my DLAN and wifi. Was just curious about the firmware version. I'll leave at default settings for a month or two I think then might try to tweak a bit.

One reason to buy Billion is that their support & reactivity to issues is typically far better than most other suppliers.

I've a new Asus router as well as my 7800N & there's virtually no support available from Asus to resolve some IPTV issues but the help I got from Billion was prompt & spot on.

Plus I think the warranty is longer.