[plug] Unattended reset of ADSL modem

[Bernd Felsche]

Steve Boak <sboak at westnet.com.au> wrote:

>I have a problem down here in the sticks of Nannup that 'something'
>locks up my ADSL modem (iConnectAccess 624) occasionally.
>'Occasionally' is around a couple of months, but the last two times
>have been when I was away from home and unable to reach the power
>switch to reset it, so losing access to all my server facilities
>for a few days.

>I suspect it's not my modem at fault, but something happening at
>the local exchange the drops the line, but what ever the cause it
>seems to require at least a soft reset of the modem to recover.

>My question is, how is this sort of problem handled in the
>commercial world where this type of downtime would be intolerable?
>I've thought of scripting an automatic reset through the modem
>control web page, or reinstating a dialup modem to get limited
>access, but what do other people do?

Not too sure about your modem but others can have custom firmware
(non-factory) installed with a watchdog facility. A harware hack to
one of the usually available GPIO ports inside the modem could even
toggle a relay for a hard reset. Lots of modems use Linux on
ARM/MIPS nowadays so openWRT or similar could be an option.

The other option may be a remote-disconnect initiated via a
management page at your ISP. iiNet have that in their Toolbox. It
seems to reset the connection at the exchange -- which might be
enough to get you out of the poo.
-- 
/"\ Bernd Felsche - Innovative Reckoning, Perth, Western Australia
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