2011-03-10

Comtrend a dead duck

We'll get something on the company status pages, but it looks like router manufacturers really do have no clue.

Comtrend had managed to get a router to us that did IPv6 and did not cost the earth. It sort of worked, and had minor niggles. We got ten and shipped them, and people are using them.

But turns out that not only will it be months before they fix these more minor niggles, but they cannot even fix more serious issues we have found.

The show stopped right now is that if the PPP link drops for any reason then the router reconnects with no IPv6!

We'll be taking them off the price list.

Thanks to those that are using them and thanks for the feedback. We'll get new s/w when it comes out anyway. They may be useful in the future.

What is a shame is they could be in there before the rest of the manufacturers. Not a big name in the UK, and could have got some real kudos from this.

What can I say?!

9 comments:

  1. Classic example of why not to use closed-source equipment.

    Surely it must be possible to get OpenWRT running on something? And then because you'll have the source code, you should be able to *fix* any issues you find.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have to admit being quite annoyed with both you guys and comtrend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Us as well - sorry. We have said everything we have found as we found it. We were somewhat misled I have to say. We are disappointed that this has happened.

    What could we have done differently?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I gave up on the standard comtrend software as being a joke the same day I got it, TBH. And if they're going to take months (seriously? The dhcpv6 requiring /48 fix for example is a 4 line patch..) then they clearly don't really want to sell any routers in the UK.

    I've been working on an alternaive firmware but have been hitting major issues with their ADSL driver.. for which we have no source of course. It's totally flaky*, and debugging binary on an embedded device is a complete arse... Thought I'd be running off it by now...

    * Basically it won't start unless something undocumented is done first. If you don't do this undocumented thing, it oopses the kernel.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We were expecting them to be a bit more responsive. Some things (like the /48) would could have lived with for weeks maybe months, but things like losing all routing for IPv6 on a PPP restart is just stupid. You would expect that to be a priority fix, but it seems not.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @revk not sure.

    I did appreciate that this was to some degree "beta" hardware and problems were to be expected, but "they suck, we give up" is worse than I'd expected, although also does seem to be appropriate seeing as they do!

    I posted the comment above before I saw you would accept returns, which made me happier with things.

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  7. Buffalo have switched to using a form of DD-WRT on their kit, but it still won't do IPv6. Shame.

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  8. Bah.. ok good call If they don't work. I presume my pre order will be cancelled and won't turn up unexpectedly in 6 months when you get some.. I had been hoping to get one as my modem, router, WiFi is dying and I meed a new one. Are the any modems with WiFi that can run ipv6 with alternate firmware? And if so what's best? Or do I just get something cheap and wait?

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  9. And thanks for the "told you so" emails.

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