Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?
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Quicktoy @ 30th Oct 01:58PM:
Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Hi there.
It has been a few years since I have posted, and that time has come where I think my SpeedTouch 516 modem is starting to die. (bought with the group purchase back in 07) It has begun to disconnect from the internet, and and the DSL light would just flash. If I shut it off and restarted it, it would be okay for a while. I have a cooling fan beside it right now, and that seems to be helping, but I figure I should begin looking for a replacement.
Being out of it technically for the past few years, I was just wondering what are you folks using modem wise now? I'm basically looking for something equivalent, nothing fancy.

Thanks,
Paul
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AkFubar @ 30th Oct 02:04PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Using an ST516 here. Working well and the price is right.
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dslrocker3 @ 30th Oct 02:04PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

If the Speedtouch 516 worked well on your line in terms of being a good a good match between it's Broadcom chipset and the DSLAM vendor, I would recommend the tp-link td-8841 (no "T" on the end of the model name).

TD-8841: virtually identical performance compared to the Speedtouch 516, no need to install older firmware to tweak in DMT software, no need to install older firmware to view proper line stats (RCO, attainable rates, bit loading graphs), line stats full accessible in HTML interface without the need to use third party software, priced better
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Hoser @ 30th Oct 03:11PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

FWIW, when my first 516v6 displayed the same behaviour, I RMA'd it (non-teksavvy-purchase) and the replacement has been flawless.
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InvalidError @ 30th Oct 03:46PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Quicktoy :

Being out of it technically for the past few years, I was just wondering what are you folks using modem wise now?

I'm guessing most of us are still using ST516.

Those little things do have some components that run awfully hot, definitely not ideal for long-term reliability. I started mounting mine vertically to maximize natural convection across both its top and bottom soon after buying it and noticing how hot it was getting. That alone appears to have lowered temperatures quite a bit so I am crossing fingers that it will be enough to make it last another 2-3 years without trouble.
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anon @ 1st Nov 02:58AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Same thing happened to me. It runs about two days at most then out of the blue loses synch. The modem does not try to re-synch. The error rate is zero and the SNR is always above 20 when it loses synch. Updating to the latest firmware did nothing to fix the hardware problem.
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Quicktoy @ 1st Nov 08:33PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Thanks for the replies.
I'll look into the tp-link td-8841
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bryanviper @ 3rd Nov 12:45AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Check out this post I made not to long ago.
»SpeedTouch 516 Cooling

I'm sure if you keep the fan on it, it will be fine. I have mine sitting over the big fan from my Antec 900 computer case. It does a very good job at keeping it cool
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 04:32PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Hi BryanViper!

:D

I was wondering lately: do you still have you old GNet BB0050?
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bryanviper @ 3rd Nov 04:55PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Bicephale :

Hi BryanViper!

:D

I was wondering lately: do you still have you old GNet BB0050?

I do have it, I use it as a door stop =)

more like a backup incase my speedtouch dies or something you know.
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 05:00PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

So, you never gave it a try after your wiring was fixed?

bryanviper @ 3rd Nov 05:04PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

well how it went was.

Modem could not handle over 3mbit on my line, bought the speedtouch 516 and was able to get 5mbit easy. Then I decided to run the dedicated line to my dsl modem since our lines were older and were not hooked up properly.

Since its been working pretty well I have had no reason to try it again.
--
Computer: Intel Quad Core, 2gb OCZ DDr3, EvGA 8800GTS 512mb, 2x Plextor Burners, Corsair 620psu, Antec 900Case, 5mb DSL from teksavvy

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Computer Repair/Upgrades In Toronto.
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 05:10PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Yeah, exactly what i'm saying: it was
never tried after your wiring got fixed.

There's a guy who could use a "door
stop" somewhere around Toronto so i
was wondering if you don't happen to
live nearby. The name is Oinktastic...

dslrocker3 @ 3rd Nov 05:13PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by bryanviper :

Since its been working pretty well I have had no reason to try it again.

Different modems do different things when conditions change. The Gnet modem may not have been good for your line in it's previous state but it's quite possilble that it could be better on your line now and it could possibly perform better now than your Speedtouch 516. With my line, I noticed a lot of funny stuff like that and I had to play musical modems every couple of weeks.
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 05:19PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

No, no, no!!! That GNet was a "door stop" so
now he could give it to Oinktastic if only they
happened to live in the same neighbourhood!

Everyone knows a "door step" is no good as a
backup... Not even if it could provide a couple
more dBs, which Oinktastic needs desperately!

bryanviper @ 3rd Nov 05:37PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Bicephale :

No, no, no!!! That GNet was a "door stop" so
now he could give it to Oinktastic if only they
happened to live in the same neighbourhood!

Everyone knows a "door step" is no good as a
backup... Not even if it could provide a couple
more dBs, which Oinktastic needs desperately!

well If he lives in the same area as me I dont have a problem letting him try it out but I rather not give it away just because its a good backup incase my speedtouch dies, then I can use the gnet until my replacement comes in.

But then again i dont know who this person is either lol
--
Computer: Intel Quad Core, 2gb OCZ DDr3, EvGA 8800GTS 512mb, 2x Plextor Burners, Corsair 620psu, Antec 900Case, 5mb DSL from teksavvy

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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 05:51PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

I know you wrote about living on the west side
of Toronto, if he didn't read this by now i can
submit that sugestion and see what he thinks.

A temporary borrow may be instructive enough
but i'm not certain what model you've got: it's
either a BB0050 or a BB0060 (A or B), euh...

Thank you for even considering that posibility,
on his behalf!
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Oinktastic @ 3rd Nov 05:52PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Ha! Bicephale... you're a modem pimp! :p
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 05:53PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Oh boy! I've been caught!!! Red-handed!...

dslrocker3 @ 3rd Nov 05:59PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Oinktastic :

Ha! Bicephale... you're a modem pimp! :p

Don't believe anyone who tells you any one particular brand or model of modem is always superior to another on all line conditions. Even if a certain model is heralded as line saving miracle, it can end up being complete crap on your line (just look at the 896/800 sync rates on my old line with Speedtouch 516 and tp-link td-8841 modems but sync rates that were at least 1Mbps higher with speedstream and 2wire modems). there's just no such thing as a perfect modem. I find that the crazier the line is, the larger the differences between modems appear to be.
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 06:13PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Now that i'm officially declared the MoDem pimp around here
there's something i've witnessed for a long time which i just
need to share with you, especially you Oinktastic: my GNet
BB0060B consistently displays an SNR Margin which is higher
by about two dBs compared to my other units... It was true
when i lived in Louiseville and remained true after i moved to
Quebec city. Considering that i observed the noise level was
inferior when the SNR Margin was higher i'm thinking that an
additional two dB could be of great value to you, Oinktastic!

dslrocker3 @ 3rd Nov 06:19PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

while we are trying to recommened a new modem for Quicktoy, I'll add that I noticed a noise margin that was a good 2 to 3dB higher with my 2wire 2700HG-B than my speedstream 4200 and a good 4dB higher than my TD-8841 or Speedtouch 516 at one point. When line conditions fluctuated, the 2wire 2700HG-B would suddenly become the worst modem, probably because of the way that it handled the problems that were occuring on the line. Then with a change of wiring to an ikns rdslam, this all changed again and the speedtouch 516 or td-8841's (or something else with broadcom chipets) were my only real choices for best performance.

Quicktoy, we can't give a concrete answer because we don't know what each modem will do on your line. sometimes it's just best to borrow a few different models form friends or buy from places that will allow you to return the item if you don't like it. Tha way, you'l be able to compare and find the best match for your line.
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 06:37PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Indeed, previsions are difficult to make with line parameters
varying from one customer to the next but look what i found:

»whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=DSLAM_speeds

Guess what, their Billion Bipac 7500G Annex A/M (GlobeSpan/
Virata) looks pretty much like my GNet in a similar situation...

And if one can't find a Billion in local stores then lets search
for clones or siblings:

»broadband.nildram.net/business-b···list.xls

So, in absence of a MoDem exchange program - an idea i liked
very much - there's still the option to make educated guesses
based on tabloïds as that from WhirlPool...

bryanviper @ 3rd Nov 06:39PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

I have the 50 version of the gnet modem.

& Yes I am on the west side of Toronto :)
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 06:40PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Hummm...

Can you tell if that's a GlobeSpan/Virata/Conexant chipset?...

bryanviper @ 3rd Nov 06:42PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Bicephale :

Hummm...

Can you tell if that's a GlobeSpan/Virata/Conexant chipset?...

no idea not at home right now.

But i'll guess and say Conexant just because that name sounds more familiar.
--
Computer: Intel Quad Core, 2gb OCZ DDr3, EvGA 8800GTS 512mb, 2x Plextor Burners, Corsair 620psu, Antec 900Case, 5mb DSL from teksavvy

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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 06:43PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

If the CLI says "Viking" or "Vulcan" i guess that's plausible.

Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 07:56PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Oups! It seems the BB0050 and the BB0060B are nothing alike:

»Re: Strange sync problem

That makes it a lot easier for me to understand how a BB0050
could end up being used as a "door stop"...

bryanviper @ 3rd Nov 11:13PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Bicephale :

If the CLI says "Viking" or "Vulcan" i guess that's plausible.

Any way I can find that out without plugging it in?

I had pictures of it i wonder if i can find them....
--
Computer: Intel Quad Core, 2gb OCZ DDr3, EvGA 8800GTS 512mb, 2x Plextor Burners, Corsair 620psu, Antec 900Case, 5mb DSL from teksavvy

»www.MaximumRepair.ca
Computer Repair/Upgrades In Toronto.
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anon @ 4th Nov 01:41AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Conexant is junk guys, their is a reason why their DSL division was sold off to Ikanos. Their ADSL2+ chipsets never supported G.992.5 Amendment 3, so they can't support INP=2 above 7.6mbit, where as I can run INP=2 > 20mbit on BCM 63x8 based cpe. Their VDSL chipsets are even worse, just ask AT&T or read the Uverse forums. Most dslam and cpe vendors stopped using them and switched to Broadcom; which is essentially defacto in the industry now.

Bell is slowly replacing their Stinger CR with garbage Ikanos based LIM's with ALU 7330 dslams with the EVLT-K line card. This line card uses a bleeding edge Broadcom VDSL2 chipset, supporting all legacy modes (including ADSL2+), in addition to ATM and PTM pair bonding. You will get substantially better impulse noise protection (with far lower latency) if you use Broadcom based CPE on the dslams.

If you happen to get 2db better SNR on this Conexant modem, that is great, but do you actually get less CV errors? I'm willing to bet you are only get better SNR as the modem isn't properly implementing power back off.
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Bicephale @ 3rd Nov 11:57PM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

We never went that far but there's still the
serial port if you have the adapter cable!...

;)
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 12:08AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Oups!

Let me guess: No RS-232 adapter cable for
a GNet BB0050!

bryanviper @ 4th Nov 12:10AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Bicephale :

Oups!

Let me guess: No RS-232 adapter cable with a GNet BB0050!

i had the serial cable may still have one somewhere.

anyways cracked her open (after blowing the dust off), removed the little heatsink i put on the main chip and it says....

Virata
Helium 210
vc2220-PBC 03
0237 Korea
CkC37006
ARM tm

Does that help? :D
--
Computer: Intel Quad Core, 2gb OCZ DDr3, EvGA 8800GTS 512mb, 2x Plextor Burners, Corsair 620psu, Antec 900Case, 5mb DSL from teksavvy

»www.MaximumRepair.ca
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 12:25AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Oh! Yes, of course it does help!!! That's a completely
different product compared to the BB0060B! Thanks, i
wanted to know about this for a long time...

:o
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bryanviper @ 4th Nov 12:27AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

lol well there you go :P
your welcome
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 12:29AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

One last thing, was it a BB0050, BB0050-A, etc?

...with a terminating letter, i mean?...

bryanviper @ 4th Nov 12:31AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

On the bottom of the modem it says...

Model: BB0050
REG.NO.: 3218A-EA705

some other junk about interference.. bla bla...

Made in Taiwan....
Mac Addr...
S/N...
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 12:33AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

I was hoping for a Conexant-based device. It seems
i won't be able to even suggest a trial session to our
friend Oinktastic, in the end!...

But thanks again!

:D
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bryanviper @ 4th Nov 12:35AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Bicephale :

I was hoping for a Conexant-based device. It seems
i won't be able to suggest evena trial session to our
friend Oinktastic, in the end!...

ah ok..

well sorry this is all I have....
& my Speed Touch 516... but you cant have that.. MINE! :p
--
Computer: Intel Quad Core, 2gb OCZ DDr3, EvGA 8800GTS 512mb, 2x Plextor Burners, Corsair 620psu, Antec 900Case, 5mb DSL from teksavvy

»www.MaximumRepair.ca
Computer Repair/Upgrades In Toronto.
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 12:37AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

That's all right, i have a few of my own to play with!

;)
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bryanviper @ 4th Nov 12:38AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by Bicephale :

That's all right, i have a few of my own to play with!

;)

But what are you trying to do exactly. If this person lives close I could always go and test the line, get a DMT picture if it helps?
--
Computer: Intel Quad Core, 2gb OCZ DDr3, EvGA 8800GTS 512mb, 2x Plextor Burners, Corsair 620psu, Antec 900Case, 5mb DSL from teksavvy

»www.MaximumRepair.ca
Computer Repair/Upgrades In Toronto.
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 01:02AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

This post explained it a bit:

»Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

;)
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 01:04AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Honestly, i doubt you'd gain 2+ dB compared to a
BroadCom-based product. He already has an AR7-
based unit (SS4200) and despite its hybrid circuit
that doesn't help it seems... The unit would need
to be a clone/sibling of the GNet BB0060B which i
have or something like the Billion i've mentioned...
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 02:07AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

This is what i have:

From the ground up!, Bicephale, 2009-Apr-11

From the ground up!, Bicephale, 2009-Sep-23

From the ground up!, Bicephale, 2009-Oct-13

I wouldn't mind to see what you have.

anon @ 4th Nov 04:05AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

My graph would be a lot less interesting, I only have two CV errors in the last two days, so it would look pretty boring. I get fairly large impulse noise events in my condo, as unfortunately the CAT5 cabling for my ADSL line shares the cable riser with AC power.

My line runs @ 15.5mbit with INP=4 (10ms downstream interleaving) and only a 5 db SNR margin. If I run my line with INP=2, I can get around 20mbit, but then get several hundred coding violations in each 15 minute interval.
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Quicktoy @ 4th Nov 09:02AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

said by dslrocker3 :

Quicktoy, we can't give a concrete answer because we don't know what each modem will do on your line. sometimes it's just best to borrow a few different models form friends or buy from places that will allow you to return the item if you don't like it. Tha way, you'l be able to compare and find the best match for your line.

Thanks for the honesty. I'm still trying to get wiring issues sorted out, so I wont be able to do any testing until Bell does the changeover.
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Bicephale @ 4th Nov 09:55AM:
Re: Speedtouch 516 dying. Replacement modem?

Most of the DSL customers aren't familiar with concepts
such as Impulse Noise Protection (INP) and for a pretty
good reason: that's DSLAM vocabulary and i discovered
such features are not accessible to us earlier this week
after i asked questions about "Low Depth Interleave":

»Re: Risk my 6 Meg Profile for FASTPATH?

That's great if you happen to have such control on your
DSLAM to make BroadCom-based CPE units shine when
compared to other brands/models and there's nothing i'd
like more than to see how Thomson's ST5x6/585 perform
in terms of Code Violation errors when operated on such
optimized phone-line as yours (AT&T USA, right?)!

Most unfortunately, the DSL customers who must deal with
noisy/spooky phone-lines like QuickToy (the guy who has
initiated this very thread), Oinktastic, myself and others...
Well, we can't even use the information you provided so
that takes us back to two topics: clean up the wiring,
select a CPE device which optimizes the SNR Margin and
noise performance if possible.

I acknowledge the fact that ISPs have complained about a
production issue encountered by GNet/GenTek relatively to
their products but my personal experience is different. I've
acquired my GNet BB0060B at the end of summer 2005 and
it didn't give me a reason to qualify whole trademarks with
a vocabulary made of words such as "junk" and "garbage".

What i did observe consistently was that my GNet BB0060B
and even my GBB2060-Xi were both quite stable compared
to my Thomson STs (i have three of those) and they buy me
an extra 2+ dB of SNR Margin while the CRC Error Rate would
drop - again, compared to my ST5x6 units, as you can see.

As a result, i find it appropriate to suggest this solution to
those who don't have access to the DSLAM settings and/or
who are unsuccessful with their wiring work...