Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
wherestheanykey
Enthusiast - Level 3

Apparently, my router recently updated its firmware (v1.03.00.08) and lost a lot of features in the process.

I used to have submenus for port forwarding and DMZ Host, but they seem to have vanished with the recent update. UPnP has also disappeared.  I may be missing more features, but these are the most obvious/prominent ones.  

What gives, Verizon? 

Could someone at least give me the active_page number, so I can navigate to it via URL?  I really don't want to have to modify my router to allow me to downgrade my firmware and re-enable features that have always come standard.

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
prisaz
Legend

If you have a hardware revision A router and it is acting strangely, and you have had it for more that two years. I would contact tech support tell them your issues that the router just keeps locking up and you are missing menus. They should send one next day with no charge. Being it is Rev. A and probably obsolete being the older revision, you may not even need to send the origional back. I had an Actiontec router replaced for issues with it locking up and stange items happening with port forwarding. I was sent a new router no questions asked. I believe you have gone above and beyond what is required of a customer. But that is me.

First router Rev. A would not work with remote DVR regardles of what firmware or software was used. I sent this one back.

Second router Rev. C had issues mentioned above, which I believe stem from a larger firmware file and smaller nat table. Power cycle or reset sometimes would fix the lockups, but then all my Verison read only port forwards would be gone. They told me not to bother sending the rev C back. So I imagine there were ISSUES.

Third router is Action tech Rev. D all works fine now.

I never was issued a Westell. It depends on your location as to what you get.

I have had FiOS since 7/2007. I believe TV was offered a bit later in our area.

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
prisaz
Legend

You May see if you can downgrade it. I have seen in the past where Actiontec automatic updates would upgrade to a bad version and break things. I can say the Westell 1.03 is newer than the 1.02 shown from the link below. The updates came from the Vendor site. I would say turn off automatic updates and only get the latest supported firmware from Verizon, which may be one revision behind and works. Now if the menu to load new firmware is gone. Than we have an issue. Or if you load the wrong firmware you can brick your router. Downgrading your firmware may be your only choice. I always keep a backup of the settings in my current firmware revision, so if I do get into trouble I can reload the previous configuration.

http://my.verizon.com/micro/fiosrouters/

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
wherestheanykey
Enthusiast - Level 3

What you described is my backup plan, but it's going to take a lot of work to do (that I shouldn't have to do).

The firmware doesn't normally allow downgrades, so I'm going to have to enable telnet on the router and do it manually, while having it offline long enough to disable cwmp and remote upgrades.

To do this, you simply go to Advanced > Configuration file and find the following line: 

  (telnets
    (disabled(1))
  )

 And change "disabled" to 0.  From telnet, a lot can be done.  It even provides access to shell via a stripped down version of BusyBox.  

But, again, this is more time and effort than I'd like to invest for something Verizon broke.

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
wherestheanykey
Enthusiast - Level 3

After a ton of digging around, I found the correct active pages for the three vital features I was missing.  

If anyone else experiences a similar issue, here are the URLs you can use to access these features:

UPnP - http://192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=900

DMZ Host -  http://192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=9013

Port Forwarding - http://192.168.1.1/index.cgi?active_page=9009

Still, I hope Verizon rolls out a proper firmware update to make these pages permanently visible.

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
wherestheanykey
Enthusiast - Level 3

Update: Even after finding the configuration pages I needed and attempting to downgrade my firmware, both DMZ and port forwarding remain broken.  I cannot remotely access my home server  — an absolutely vital asset in my daily routine.

This is unacceptable, Verizon.

Does anyone know how I can resolve this in a timely manner?

Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
smith6612
Community Leader
Community Leader

Tried resetting the FiOS router back to factory defaults to see if that gets the bugs out of it? Otherwise...

Do you have another router sitting around? Quite honestly if it's that vital to you, I would get rid of the FiOS router as your primary since apparently every time they push a firmware upgrade they screw those things up. If you ask Verizon to switch the ONT to Ethernet that will let you use your own router, and from there you can hang the Westell off of your own router to work as an access point/Ethernet switch/MoCa networking device. Granted, if you don't have the right tools around it might just be quicker to have Verizon overnight another router to you while you fix the 9100EM you currently have. It's a shame, but what can you do.

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
wherestheanykey
Enthusiast - Level 3

@Smith6612 wrote:

Do you have another router sitting around? Quite honestly if it's that vital to you, I would get rid of the FiOS router as your primary since apparently every time they push a firmware upgrade they screw those things up. If you ask Verizon to switch the ONT to Ethernet that will let you use your own router.


What do you mean "if it's that vital to me"?  

It's a feature I had — a feature inherent in every consumer-grade router — that I no longer have.  And it's entirely because they rolled out an update that seems to have deliberately removed features.  

I've even gone above and beyond what should be asked of me as a consumer and have tried to correct their mistake.  As I mentioned before, the router doesn't allow you to downgrade your firmware normally.  I had to find a backdoor in order to even attempt it and still, the settings are non-existant. 

So, to be frank, no one has a right to weigh merits here. 

As far as using another router or switching to ethernet are concerned, neither are acceptable and even if they were, they wouldn't be viable.  The update removed the ability to turn the router into a bridge.  Ethernet would be nice, but I don't have the time to do it myself and I'm not going to pay out of pocket for outdoor-grade STP CAT6 (my house doesn't have an attic or a crawl space).  Moreover, after the sloppy job the technician did routing the coax, I don't think I'd trust them with ethernet.  Finally, I still need MOCA for my STBs, so I'd rather just let one router handle everything (like it has for the past two years I've had FIOS).

Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

@wherestheanykey wrote:

Apparently, my router recently updated its firmware (v1.03.00.08) and lost a lot of features in the process.

I used to have submenus for port forwarding and DMZ Host, but they seem to have vanished with the recent update. UPnP has also disappeared.  I may be missing more features, but these are the most obvious/prominent ones.  

What gives, Verizon? 

Could someone at least give me the active_page number, so I can navigate to it via URL?  I really don't want to have to modify my router to allow me to downgrade my firmware and re-enable features that have always come standard.



Hmm, my 9100EM is on v 1.03.00.08 and has always been at that version since I got it 2 years ago.  I believe that version is the only version that is out there.  What version do you think you had previously?

What does your firewall settings General page look like now? especially the left hand tab list.

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
wherestheanykey
Enthusiast - Level 3

@viafax999 wrote:


Hmm, my 9100EM is on v 1.03.00.08 and has always been at that version since I got it 2 years ago.  I believe that version is the only version that is out there.  What version do you think you had previously?

What does your firewall settings General page look like now? especially the left hand tab list.


I don't "think" I had a previous firmware version, I know I've had two:

The router started at 1.02.00.03 and shortly thereafter, firmware version 1.02.00.04 rolled out and it was on that version up until recently.  1.03.00.08 didn't come out until recently.  And it was only when my router power-cycled that I lost these features.  They were there before and now they've been removed remotely.

Here's Proof.   I'm fairly certain your device's label will say something similar.

Now, as far as the router's security page is concerned, I linked to two screenshots in my very first post that display the sidebar perfectly...

Here's another one for your convenience.

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Re: Where have all my router's features gone? (Westell 9100EM)
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

Firmware version 1.03.00.08 has been out since at least July 2010

See this thread poster jnmarshall - http://businessforums.verizon.net/t5/FiOS-TV-Technical-Assistance/Firmware-upgrade-for-Westell-Ultra...

My router shows that it was shipped as firmware 1.02.00.04 however it was manuf 05/09 and I received it 11/09 and I'm pretty certain that after installation it was showing 1.03.00.08

Of coure my 9100EM is a Rev B while yours is a Rev A, did you perhaps try to apply firmware 1.03.00.08 to a Rev A router that maybe doesn't support that version of firmware?

Whatever, at this point if I were you I would contact VZ support and tell them your router is faulty and that you would like a replacement that has all the features available the way they are meant to be without having to resort to using convoluted workarounds.

I power cycled my router as it had not been power cycled for a couple of months.  It still shows 1.03.00.08 and all the menu functions are still operative.

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