The ADSL binary blob in the most recent 'kmod-ltq-adsl-ar9-fw-a' appears to be a bit touchy with respect to sync stability. My ARX168 router (BT hh3a) will currently lose sync at least once every 6 hours, since installing CC.

I found what appears to be a version string:

$ strings ltq-dsl-fw-a-ar9.bin | grep '^@(#)'
@(#)4.4.4.0.0.1

I have blobs which I extracted from two vendor supplied firmwares for ARX168 based routers, with higher version numbers, namely:

Netgear DGN3500:

    Firmware: DGN3500-V1.1.00.37_1.00.37NA.img
    Blob: 4.5.0.C.0.1

BT Homehub 3a:

    Firmware: HUB3A_4.7.5.1.83.8.57_prod.rms
    Blob: 4.4.7.B.0.1

I can probably find the latest BT version by looking in their GPLed OpenRG sources, but what is the definitive version? What was the original source of 4.4.4.0.0.1?

ZyXEL P-661HNU-F3.

    Firmware: ftp://ftp.zyxel.com/P-661HNU-F3/firmwar … Q.3)C0.zip
    Blob: 4.4.6.3.0.2

I have had the same problems since moving a Netgear DGN3500 to Openwrt.

After similar research to you, many others having the same problem, I have discovered the following:

The firmware file is not allowed to be distributed anymore, so I think we are stuck with 4.4.4.0.0.1. I am not a developer, but perhaps the source of it is the Netgear GPL src packages for the DGN3500 - http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2649.

For what it's worth, the DSL firmware is the same in both the North American package and the Worldwide, so it's common.

What I find really interesting is that the firmware you extracted from the DGN3500-V1.1.00.37_1.00.37NA.img file is much newer than that included in the DGN3500_V1.1.00.37_V1.1.00.37NA_src.zip source file.

I will look at doing the same, but have found that having updated the firmware to 04.05.04.09.01.01.bin, a somewhat older version, as per the instructions here:

https://dev.openwrt.org/ticket/18105

I have not had any more trouble.

Regards,

Richard

(Last edited by richs on 29 Sep 2015, 06:16)

I unpacked the DGN3500-V1.1.00.37_1.00.37NA.img file you mentioned above and the firmware contained in it is named "ModemHWE.090109.4.4.1.1.0.1.bin", which is the same as that shipped in the GPL source package and included in Openwrt DGN3500 distributions.

I'm not sure what the number your strings command is showing, (all the above produce @(#)4.5.0.C.0.1).

The firmware I have installed, as above, dsl_ar9_firmware_adsl_a-04.05.04.09.01.01.bin, which fixes the disconnections, shows @(#)4.5.4.9.1.1.

Regards

I agree that the DGN3500 blob file name does not seem to agree with (what I'm assuming is) the version string, however it does with the other vendor supplied blobs:

BT:
AR9_447B01.bin contains "@(#)4.4.7.B.0.1"

ZyXEL:
dsl_ar9_firmware_adsl_b-04.04.06.03.00.02.bin contains "@(#)4.4.6.3.0.2"

so that seems like a build/packaging snafu by Netgear.

Using BT's version seemed prudent in my situation (BT CPE, BT owned DSLAM, non-BT ISP), which I have been doing for a couple of weeks. My experience with 4.4.7.B.0.1 is that sync stability has been much improved, however sync rate reduced noticeably (22000ish to 20.389 Mb/s).

The Buffalo WBMR-HP-G300H firmware may be the source of "@(#)4.5.4.9.1.1", but I wasn't able to dismantle that one using binwalk etc.