still LIVEBOX

My Livebox still lives.

What’s a Livebox ?
It’s basically an ADSL modem, a router and a pretty web interface packed together in a plastic box. Many ISPs offer to lend their customers “their” “box”, which, depending on where you live and which connection you choose, also let you phone (for very cheap or even free) and watch TV. Those are called “triple-play boxes”.
The Livebox is the triple-play box of Orange, a major (and historically the oldest) Internet services provider in France.

Two weeks ago, after many powercuts due to my fight with the coffee machine in the kitchen, my Livebox lost her firmware. I was glad to be able to phone my ISP technical support, at half past midnight, so the extra money spent in this ISP services are worth, and get the information needed : how to flash the Livebox to put back the firmware. Of course the call was longer than expected, because the tech wanted to know the brand of my computer O_o and the operating system I ran. I tried to explain that OpenBSD was like Linux (please, readers, don’t hurt me for having said that) and, after waiting for some time, I finally got him explain me what was wrong and how I could fix it under Windows, the day after, at work.

First part ends here.

So I flashed the Livebox with the firmware I had on the ISP CD-ROM and brought it back home.

At first connection, the Livebox updated her firmware, then I hit the “update firmware” again, to be sure to get the latest one. Finally it was running the latest and orangish-coloured Web interface (as opposed to the previous gray, green, red and blue old one, when the company was named Wanadoo).

And since then, I could hardly use the IP phone : the service was either down or avalaible until I dial a number. So I called back the technical support, explained what happened and got an exchange number (the Livebox is their property, not mine, which is useful when it’s broken ).

I was worried, because there are two brands of Liveboxes : Inventel and Sagem ones. I have an Inventel, which are said to be more reliable, which I like much for the ease of use, the clean and understandable interface and so on.. the Sagem Liveboxes are the worst routers I’ve ever seen.

Ever.

I can tell because my mother has one, and guess who configured it ? You can’t change the Livebox IP address on the LAN, you have unuseful and weird menus… to be polite, I stop here. Just say it’s like WinDEV.

Second part ends here.

As I didn’t want to exchange my Inventel for a Sagem, I wait for a week, being able to phone from time to time, missed the opportunity to get the new one on Saturday.

It was worth waiting, the Livebox updated its firmware two nights ago, and now the IP phone works perfectly

Really, it’s a relief not to have to exchange it. i love my Inventel Livebox