Another Superhub release soon?
 

Anyone seen this:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09...iling_punters/

Says another firmware release is being tested - not sure by whom though?

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

That would be this test http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...ad/m-p/1455178

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

"The modem/router combi networking box supplied to VM punters has repeatedly been flagged up as crappy"

Well that's colourful...

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I love it. It is nice to see another site hitting the nail on the head.

"Virgin Media STILL :) working on fix for SuperHub"

"Complaints have continued to trickle into Vulture Central about the kit's inability, among other things, to offer stable wireless connections"

"It's certainly the case that the word SuperHub is synonymous with Fail"

Flipping brilliant

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Which sounds catchier, SuperFail or FailHub?

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Tsk tsk.

The Register has form for highlighting Superhub woes.

I absolutely loved this quote...

So given VM haven't released the firmware source to allow third party versions to be used instead of the now admittedly faulty VM firmware just what difference does it make whether the errors are caused by firmware or hardware. I'll be interested just how firmware can improve the two postage stamp sized PCB internal antennas too.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

i like SuperFail because it provides an indication as to the severity and scale of rubbishness


and the joke is that when I had an arguement with customer relations last November when I upgraded to 100mbit and they took my vmng300 away the person I spoke to told me I shouldn't want it back because although the shub was rubbish before, the most recent fw release (r29) was the bees knees and fixed all the issues so I should be wantting a shub. Funny how they are still at it a year later.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

You do realise Carl will be here with the case for the Defence soon ...... ;)

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

How about we call it Superhub? This is, after all, a help forum and if people are googling for help with the hub, they will probably use Superhub as a search term rather than SuperFail or FailHub.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

How about we're discussing an article that calls the Superhub synonymous with Fail?

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Fail hub?

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

got this email tonight
We wanted to let you know that we've been busy improving your Super Hub. So you might notice your WiFi working better around the house. Don't worry you won't need to do anything, just use the service as normal. Here are also a few things you can do to give your broadband a bit of a boost and get the most out of your superfast speed.



1 Give your signal the all-clear
Clear some space around your Super Hub to remove any obstacles between your devices. Furniture, your TV, even fish tanks can block your signal. So give your hub at least a metre of clear space for a better connection.

2 Switch channel to speed up.
Wireless stuff at home or next door's network could cause interference. Try changing the channel on your router to a less busy one. To see how, race over to our website for more info.

3 Go from Wireless to Wired.
Wireless is great for every day use, but it's never going to be as quick as a wired connection. So when you need maximum speed, try using an Ethernet cable to connect your computer. You would have been given this at time of your install.


4 Reboot for a boost.
Switching off your computer and Super Hub and restarting them after 60 seconds could be all your new speeds need for a little extra acceleration.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

You can discuss that without changing the name.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

2 Switch channel to speed up.
Wireless stuff at home or next door's network could cause interference. Try changing the channel on your router to a less busy one. To see how, race over to our website for more info.

I love this :)
"Race over to our website", unless you're (dis)connected wirelessly to the Superhub.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

There would be no way to make a 3rd party version. As far as I know, any firmware code release would either compromise the security of BPI+ that is being used to prevent cloning, or barr it from the network due to lack of appropriate security credentials.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I didn't change the name

I was proposing humorous names for the entire fiasco that led to where we are now, not the device itself.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Precisely so to separate the hardware from the firmware as the "VM spokesperson" is reported to have done is misleading BS to go with the rest of the BS we get from VM about this miserable apology for a hub.

Take this for another instance...
Now by itself it's not bad advice even though a little impractical for many - especially any epileptics who might be driven into fits by the gaudy light display - but it doesn't explain why countless people have reported a direct swap with a proper router without changing position or anything else can improve range considerably and stop all those annoying WiFi disconnections many report. On that particular front I can only assume incomptibilites as I have an IP cam operating on WiFi to my hub and that works just fine.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Buuuuut, rather than VM do it themselves which they have proven they are incapable of doing (I am being serious), why not get the pro's in on contract from the manufacturer to write the fw for them with guidance and supervision and then they can do all the testing and make sure all the kinks have been ironed out and it works? With all the bad publicity VM have had, the time they waste on the phone with customers and the money they have spent sending shubs out like confetti, surely it would be worth the extra £££ to just get it done properly from the get go with maybe one or two patches along the way and get it sorted from day 1

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I have a sneaky suspicion that it is Netgear people who do maintain the firmware on behalf of VM. That's based on snippets Mark Wilkins has posted on the VM community board when discussing firmware changes and when new versions will be released.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Yup, as far as I know it is.

Same as the TiVo updates are written by TiVo.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

That's a damn shame. You would have thought Netgear would have gone out of their to make it work 100% given that they have got a captive audience; it is an excellent marketing opportunity.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

no corrupt downloads on my vmng300. :)

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

No corrupt downloads on my SuperHub in router mode either

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Nor mine come to that but as VM are working on a fix we must presume it does with some set ups. I rarely use WiFi and have the SPI firewall turned off for instance both services which have caused problems in the past. I don't use UPnP either as I've had a router then went belly up with it on (VM have no monopoly on iffy firmware).

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

No corrupt downloads on my BT Home Hub 3...

Then again a router corrupting data is a pretty serious problem, probably one of the most serious I can think of. Far worse than this whole wireless shenanigans.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Thay have already released R36T2 for testing to the 'corrupt downloaders' group.

I really am lost for words as to this whole debacle, I wonder what the shareholders are thinking, if they even know or care ..... :rolleyes:

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Yes I'm aware of that but past experience suggests it will take several goes before they get it right... and then a few more to fix whatever new bug has been caused by the fix. So I prefer "working on" to "have issued a fix for".

---------- Post added at 17:55 ---------- Previous post was at 17:54 ----------

It may be more stable but it's hardly any more advanced in the feaures department. Of course you do have the option of using a different VDSL modem/router.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I'm currently alright with my Shub, but I have no illusions. It is very clear that the Shub is superior to very few, if any, similar boxes that are currently on sale with the spec to handle 120meg broadband.

This being obviously the case (even for the most accepting Shub owners like me), it is rather misleading for us to tell people searching for help that the Shub is 'super' in any way. Not a nice thing to do to new forum visitors. Better that they don't find our posts than become misinformed.

Rather than 'Superhub', the logical and more truthful tag of 'Subhub' (or 'Sub' for short) would both sound nicer (some lovely alliteration there that I think we can all enjoy) and be a more logically accurate equivalent to the misleading 'Superhub' name that isn't really right to use. It is also not attempting to insult in any way, which 'Superfail' and the like do, it just adds honesty and accuracy to VM's own chosen naming convention. Not something VM would disagree with as a goal I'm sure. The Subhub does the job, just barely, but it is the basic 'freebe' option as VM must agree and users who need better will upgrade to something else.

It's fair enough really, so long as we are all honest and don't lead people to think the Sub is somehow better or even equivalent to other 120meg speced kit when we all know full well that it isn't. You get what you pay for, and there is no shame in admitting that.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

There are enough people calling it Superhub for a search to find any thread on the subject. So I doubt your motive for your suggestion (sometimes a mod decision) has anything to do with Googling.

A new gateway is desperately required. I'll draw everyone's attention to this piece of disinformation from VM talking to The Register:

I can't quote it verbatim for copyright reasons but the VM spokesman said in relation to people going out to buy a router that this was a decision for those people because the problem was with the SH firmware not the hardware!

Jeez! How much more insensitive to customer misery of the current SH can VM be? And VM's statement ignores the fact that the wireless hardware is too weak to meet their advertised claims. So it is the hardware too.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

You can doubt my motives as much as you want. I know them, and I know what I posted was correct.

The spokesman is right. It is the customer's decision if they want to buy a router. However, that does not remove VM's obligation to ensure that this combined router/modem (that they are forcing on any customer who decides to upgrade) works. Regardless of whether the firmware or hardware is at fault.

Having said that, I'd rather have two devices that do their assigned jobs well, rather than one that does both but to a mediocre level.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

The spokesman is quite wrong. The customer sees no distinction between firmware & hardware when the latter depends wholly on the former. And my point about the poor wireless hardware (which causes range problems) is entirely correct and in flat contradiction to the spokesman's statement.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I fixed it for them.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

And both are supplied by VM and the customer has no control over either.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

nice one dude, I see you are turning to the dark side :)

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I was making the point that whether the software or hardware is at fault is almost irrelevant. The fact is that Virgin Media supplied the equipment. Regardless of where the fault is, it's their responsibility to fix it. TBH, even the problem is caused by the customer, they should be looking at ways to minimise it.

When I said the spokesman was right, I was referring purely to it being the customer's decision on whether to buy his or her own router.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Yeah - but read the implication behind what the spokesman said. He drew the distinction between firmware and hardware in justifying his remarks bout user decisions.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I've always believed that.

I've posted several times in the past that I wished VM (or NTL as it was in my area) offered a greater range of hardware (e.g. more different STBs, Cable Modems, combi cable modems/routers etc), I even said I would be happy to pay extra for a facility such as Tivo (which we now have, but it wasn't an option at the time). I don't like the idea of one-size-fits-all in terms of hardware (even Apple offer a fair amount of customisation when buying hardware), but I can understand the logistical problems involved in carrying a lot of different product lines.

Going a little off topic, if you look back through my previous posts (especially my earlier ones) you'll find I can be quite a vocal critic of VM when they foul up.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...1464524#M33626

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

It's not just logistics (supply) of different hardware solutions but perceived differences too.

Imagine this forum filled with messages that

"ACME modem with THINGUMY router is the best"
"No, ACME modem with ACME router is the way to go"
"You don't know anything, ACME modem is only a level 2a device, THINGUMY modems are at level 4 and capable of level 5"
"VM swapped our ACME stuff out for THINGUMY and things are much better/worse"

and so on ad-infinitum.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

just had a email from Virgin so i assume its this topic upgrade. But No thanks am staying with my D-link Router which does the job the SHUB Is useless.
------------
Hello Tony

We wanted to let you know that we've been busy improving your Super Hub. So you might notice your WiFi working better around the house. Don't worry you won't need to do anything, just use the service as normal. Here are also a few things you can do to give your broadband a bit of a boost and get the most out of your superfast speed.
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2012/09/27.jpg

To get the full lowdown, just zip over to our website and have a quick look at our top tips video.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

They missed out step 5 and step 6

5. Buy a proper router and use the superhub in modem mode.

And if all else fails.........

6. Migrate to an ISP that has a clue. :D

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

I love it:

"Improvements related to issues that cause the Super Hub to reboot"

So they arent saying they have fixed, they are hoping that whatever they have done is going to reduce the frequency the shub reboots. LMAO.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Superhub is useless, rubbish and fail! I am off to BT FTTC. Bye virgin media!

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Again? You must pay more in cancellation fees than you do for actual broadband services.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

That says it all. What a wonderful update we've done, your life will no longer be a misery like it was before. But don't forget to reboot the thing and your computer (which then takes 20 minutes to reboot).

Who in VM cruddingly thinks of the gollox?

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Actually, I was assuming that was to make sure the SuperHub got R36 as I don't think they've done a forced reboot firmware deployment for it, rather than something it was saying you need to do regularly

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Fair enough, Ben. But it is as badly worded as the SH is a useless fail except in modem mode. Why can't they thinks these ambiguiteis through? That sentence comes following a string of things you should do once you've got R36. So "reboot the hub" can easily be interpreted as BAU advice.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

No cancellation fee! But they did come and take the superhub away (tech guy)

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Were VM that glad to see the back of you? :D

Surprised they bothered since they dish them out like sweets.

Re: Another Superhub release soon?
 

Anyone offering good odds on how long it will be before we see posts on how the grass wasn't greener?

I have my suspicions that the grass is super green and contemplating a PM if the price is right.