SM50B (Freeware)

This (windows) tool reads out line data and error states from the famous SpeedModems 50B(+) and 200 (which are in fact CellPipe 19A-BX-AR modems with various firmwares). The software might work on other modems with Trendchip chipsets, I don't know. Please try it.

DSL as in ADSL or SDSL is very sensitive to line quality since most telephone lines are unshielded and therefore quite vulnerable to radio interference. Also, very long lines either outside or inside your house can affect the signal big time. I experienced a lot of these problems here (which caused the modem to sync at a rate way too slow and irregular disconnections from the internet). There were other tools which displayed SNR (signal noise ratio) over frequency and line attenuation on other modems. The model I had, however, wasn't supported. So one day I came up with this handy tool.

Troubleshooting

In most cases the tool cannot access the modem behind routers. On devices running Linux, like WRT54G(S) using a DD-WRT firmware these three command lines might help you though:

ifconfig br0:0 0.0.0.0
ifconfig `nvram get wan_ifname`:0 169.254.1.9
iptables -I POSTROUTING -t nat -o `nvram get wan_ifname` -d 169.254.1.0/8 -j MASQUERADE

And if it still doesn't work (or you're using another router), try this. You need a spare cable and two free LAN ports:

Windows 7

In Windows 7 it might be necessary to add an entry to the routing table. Otherwise packets are dropped. To do this, execute this command using Start / Run:

route -p ADD 169.254.0.0 MASK 255.255.0.0 169.254.1.9

Download

Version 1.4.1 • December, 18th 2007 • Download sm50b.zip • 337.40 KB