HI Everyone,
I had installed a new wireless + ADSL router on my MTNL Triband line. It was not working since i installed it the log kept saying "username or password failed" The same user name and password was working on my existing dlink adsl router and all settings were copied from there.
Finally i went to the local telephone exchange. One of the technicians saw my router and tested it with his user name and password and it works. Then he said that MTNL is using a mac-address lock on all exchanges running on Alcatel hardware. A new router will work only if the mac-address bound in the exchange is removed. He did that and it started working immediately. He told me that this is a security feature that is there so that you can not use the user name and password of any other MTNL user for your internet connection. In case the mac is changed, your net connection will stop working and you will have to complain and they will immediately identify who is using your connection.
I had called belkins (the router company) helpdesk and they didnt know why it was not working I called MTNL help desk (1504) and they didnt know why it was not working. They didnt even know that such a thing is there. I dont think most of the MTNL tech staff would be knowing as he had to tell someone in the control room on phone and guide him how to remove the existing mac address.
So, next time it may need you to go to the exchange and get it done. I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but i thought you guys may find this info useful sometime.
regards saswata
On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 1:40 PM, Saswata Banerjee & Associates < scrapo@saswatabanerjee.com> wrote:
I believe this is what hathway also does. What i dont understand is, why cant they use the caller id feature to detect the phone number which has the DSL and authenticate based on that.
On 29-Jun-2010, at 2:42 PM, Abhishek Daga wrote:
good question, my point above is that few people in MTNL even know of this. That is where the problem lies :( Also out of the 3 types of exchanges MTNL uses, only 1 has this feature.
Ofcourse i was pleasantly surprised to very curtous and helpful mtnl employees. But cant always guarantee that.
On Tuesday 29 June 2010 14:45:48 Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:
ifconfig hw ether xx:yy:zz:aa:bb:cc should set things right. atleast until the next modem boot.
From 8.5 lac connections with a 5 year wait to 2.5 lakh and dropping steadily. They cant be anything but pleasant. A plaint to the Duty officer about rude staff and the guy gets a dressing down pronto.
On Tuesday 29 June 2010 15:17:18 Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:
On 29-Jun-2010, at 3:11 PM, jtd wrote:
On Tuesday 29 June 2010 14:45:48 Saswata Banerjee & Associates
wrote:
You dont need that for every login, only for every reboot. Useful until MTNL sets things right. And why logout?
Ofcourse i was pleasantly surprised to very curtous and helpful mtnl employees. But cant always guarantee that.
There seems to be a sense of urgency these days, but not everyone in MTNL seems to have it. The higher ranked officials certainly seems more proactive, the lower ranked ones still seem to function in the same old complacent fashion.
I have found better results when you visit their office and personally meet the engineer in charge. I have found them to be generally very friendly and they delegate tasks immediately and the tasks get done faster.
Regards,
On 01-Jul-2010, at 11:30 AM, Vivek Varghese Cherian wrote:
Exactly what happened in my case. Only thing additional was that after the complain on 198, the engineer called my house and spoke to my mom, when she said she does not know about internet, he took my mobile number and called. Then he asked if i can get the router to the exchange and he will ensure it gets done.
On Thu, Jul 1, 2010 at 6:39 PM, Saswata Banerjee & Associates scrapo@saswatabanerjee.com wrote:
Only thing additional was that after the complain on 198, the engineer called my house and spoke to my mom, when she said she does not know about internet, he took my mobile number and called. Then he asked if i can get the router to the exchange and he will ensure it gets done.
One other thing that works very well for me - make friends with the lines man, not necessarily with money, who services your locality. He knows which buttons to press at the exchange to get things rectified.
-- Arun Khan
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Abhishek Daga -
Amol Hatwar -
Arun Khan -
jtd -
Saswata Banerjee & Associates -
Vivek Varghese Cherian