Netgear DG834 emailing with wrong month!

[stduc]

I have a Netgear DG834 v1 modem/router that works just fine.

I have it email me its log on a daily basis.

Suddenly in July it started emailing me using the wrong month!
For example today, the email said
Date: Fri,28 Aug 2006 06:00:00 -0000 (GMT Daylight Time)


It has the correct date & time. Individual lines in the email noting events, have the correct timestamp. It simply insists that it is August. It has to be an internal look up table issue as the day is correct (for July) and the year is correct. It just writes in August and not July!!!!!

The Firmware Version is V3.01.25
The ADSL firmware version is 4.01.02.00

Both the latest available I believe.

I could treat it as a joke and of no importance except that if the look up table is incorrect what is going to happen next month and what will happen in December? Will the router crash because it will try to reference an entry in the look up table that does not exist and get an internal error?

I have contacted Netgear but beyond suggesting I re-boot the router (I have) they have nothing more to say.

So is anyone else experiencing this?
Does anyone have a solution?

 

[stduc]

Now it is August, it is emailing using September as the month!

 

[DaveKb9]

I have the same problem on a Netgear DG834G V2 (same firmware etc...). A more pressing concern than December is what will happen on 31st August since 31st September is a non-date.

I have trawled many forums now and although have found a few examples of this problem nobody appears to have a response - it might just be possible that it is a deliberate 'feature' to ensure that the log file is always top of our Inbox.

 

[stduc]

Same here and I am getting nowhere fast with Netgear Support.

My concern is what will happen on December 1.

Still, I am glad to hear I am not alone. I was beginning to wonder!

Have you contacted Netgear?

 

[DaveKb9]

No. Had immense problems when I first installed the router back in March, tried to get support from Netgear and found them to be of little help at all. Sorted all the problems I had myself in the end - can't find solution to this one though :-(

 

[stduc]

I've not had any issues with the router at all (up until now) Installed and connected within 5 minutes. It may help if you used their website to report your issue. Maybe if more than one person reported the problem they may give it a bit more attention.

The problem is this router is effectively obsolete now.

So far they have told me to install the latest update (I already had) Reboot it (I already had) revert to factory defaults (I already had). Two weeks ago they asked what happened at the end of July - so I told them. I haven't heard anything since.

 

[DaveKb9]

Now logged with Netgear - as you say, the more they get the issue the more inclined they may be to fix it. (BTW - my original issues were with fluctuating wireless strength even just 2 feet away from (various) laptop(s)!)

 

[stduc]

Interesting - Mine is the older non wireless model.

I draw two conclusions so far.

1. This is a software issue (seeing as we have different router models)

2. Not many people can bother with the logs.

 

[DaveKb9]

Had an unhelpful initial response from Netgear - since I already had latest firmware etc... replied accordingly and have now received:

8/13/2006 11:49:00 PM
Dear David,

Thank you for writing back my name is Kumar and I will be your support agent for this case.

After reviewing your information I see that this issue is much more extensive than I can assist you with here at L1. I am going to escalate your case to L2 for further review and response. Please allow them 24 hours to review and respond to you.

Once you have reviewed my response here, there is no aditional action needed from you in order to escalate. Do not answer yes or no to the question below. This email is for your information only. The L2 agent will update the case once it is received.

Again, I thank you for the opportunity to assist you and THANK YOU for choosing NETGEAR.

Regards
Kumar.
NETGEAR SUPPORT

Maybe something will happen.

 

[stduc]

Kumar must keep a copy of that response! LOL - That is exactly what I got. From him, word for word LOL.

I suspect next you will get another response asking you to return the box to default settings.

What I did was to save the configuration. Reset the box. Re-enter my login and email details and got it to send the log immediately. I checked the email (still the wrong month) so I reloaded my saved config.

I replied and told them the month was sill incorrect. I am sill awaiting a response!

 

[DaveKb9]

I presume that Jacquelin was your first responder? Guessing that whoever comes after Kumar will be Larry (or some other L***) - maybe we should insist on talking to Zak or Zabrina. ;-)

 

[DaveKb9]

Something weird happened today that casts some light on a possible solution (once Netgear get in touch with me). Unusually I checked my emails using the Yahoo portal rather than opening Thunderbird straightaway as usual. Sitting there in my Inbox was my daily Netgear report with the right date. Once it had downloaded to Thunderbird's Inbox though it was timeshifted a month. Now this suggests that there is either:

1 some weird email formatting going on that Yahoo and Thunderbird interpret differently or
2 the Netgear (or ZoneAlarm) firewall is doing something on the way in or
3 that Thunderbird may be the culprit.

Have you the capacity to do a similar test?

 

[stduc]

Curioser & Curioser.

I use Eudora as my emailer - so it's not Thunderbird

I don't have a Yahoo account - but I have a hotmail one. So I sent the current logfile to me. Changed the email address to my hotmail one and sent the log again.

Hotmail reported

Sent : 01 September 2000 21:29:15
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 16 Aug 2006 21:29:37.0114 (UTC) FILETIME=[13091BA0:01C6C17B]
Wed, 2006-08-16 22:28:28 - Send E-mail Success!


I have no idea what to make of that! But sure looks like a formatting issue somewhere along the line. The one line in the logfile shows the router has the correct date & time as that is the time I sent the logfile to my usual account.

Eudora reported

Date: Wed,16 Sep 2006 21:29:34 -0000 (GMT Daylight Time)
Delivery-date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:29:56 +0100


I'm lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DaveKb9]

Mmm, as you say curiouser and curiouser. No response from Netgear L2 yet so have jogged them with a Customer Service whinge as follows:

Case # 3610604
Problem Customer Service
Cause Agent Callback - L2 - + 48 to get response
Status Open
Notes
8/17/2006 8:32:00 AM
Hi - I''ve had no contact yet. Have been collaborating with another affected user and have similar router setup, completely different software environment and have found some interesting things that only L2 can help with I suspect. Can check out our findings at

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1260072

 

[DaveKb9]

Have heard from L2 - they have asked me to downgrade my firmware to V3.01.25 which I have now done but problem remains. I have now logged the failure to resolve with the notes:

{i}I have downgraded firmware as requested but problem still exists. I do not know what firmware my router had when purchased I'm afraid.

It might be useful to you to know that I have found a fellow sufferer of this problem at

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1260072&page=1

... and although we both have slightly different DG834 models and local software environments the symptoms are identical. What we have discovered is that the date only changes on the email as it comes back throgh the router i.e. if we check it on Yahoo! or Hotmail (respectively him and me) the date appears correct; when we download to Eudora/Thunderbird (respectively again) however, the date goes wrong. The only common element is the DG834 either using an obscure date format outbound or intercepting as part of its firewall duties inbound.

Any more thoughts?[/i]

I await further response in eager anticpation.

 

[stduc]

I got this reply from Netgear today.

"Please downgrade the firmware to 2.10.22.
We would like to know if you are experiencing the same problem with the older firmware."


I'm sure I had connectivity issues with that release. But I guess I have no choice but to try it - but not until I have some spare time & energy.

 

[DaveKb9]

I've had no more replies but I do recall having problems with my Wireless on the original firmware so I truly hope they don't ask me to retrograde further.

 

[stduc]

I finally got around to it. I downgraded to v 2 10 22 and sent the logfile home & to hotmail - absolutely no change! Still one month ahead - or - 01 Sept 2 hours behind on hotmail!

I have replied to netgear to that effect and await their response.

BTW I re-applied v 3 01 25 again as soon as I saw the emails were the same. I suggest you do the same if you haven't already!

I have come to the conclusion that there is probably nothing to worry about and this issue is just a nuisance. Firmware v 3 01 25 has definitely been the most stable for me with no other issues (so far!) Now wait - it will read this as it passes through and give me hell from now on LOL.

Superstitious - who me LOL

 

[DaveKb9]

Thanks for update. I trust you had fingers and wires crossed as you sent the message.

I too have heard nothing more from Netgear, and, frankly, have no high expectations at all that I will

 

[stduc]

Now December has arrived the date field on the emails is blank. Naturally nowt from Netgear.