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Zen advises customers not to buy certain routers

According to reports, Zen has advised its customers not to buy certain router models due to the ADSL chip they use.

The report from The Register states that broadband provider Zen has found a problem with the Texas Instruments AR7.

The ADSL chip is used in routers by Netgear and Linksys, including models such as the popular Netgear DG834G, which is often included free from ISPs with their broadband service.

Some Zen customers have reported repeated disconnections and found that the router they used was a common factor.  In many cases, a BT engineer would be called out to do a line test but find no fault with the line.

Phil Long, a technical support manager at Zen, said: “The evidence is saying there’s something about these chips that causes intermittency.”

The “fault” manifests itself on lines that have a variable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Fluctuating SNR can be caused by submerged wires, interference from electrical equipment, and myriad other factors on Britain’s aged copper phone network.” he concluded.

Michael Seidl, a member of the team that designed the AR7 at Texas Instruments, insists that the chip is mature and reliable, but admits that the repeated disconnections could be due to the old copper-based network, particularly the last mile from the telephone exchange to user’s homes.
BT issued a statement saying it is unaware of any problems with the AR7-based routers.

Concerned customers who own one of these routers and experience frequent dropouts could try using an alternative modem or router to see if it resolves the issue.

Related links

• ISP blows the whistle on router chip ‘fault’ (The Register)