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Sky Sagem 2504n ADSL Wireless Router: Unlock and Info

Hi!


Next up is another router provided by the ISP Sky (UK) having the model number 2504n (not to be confused with the 2504)! It is from Sagem (Sagemcom) and as with the 2504, it can be 'unlocked' thanks to a custom firmware image for use with other ISPs. As a side note, there was also a 2304n provided by Sky but it doesn't seem to have any unlocked firmware available (can be used as a simple WAP by disabling DHCP and firewall).


Some images from around the web:



And here are some I took of the one I 'salvaged':







As per specs, this router uses the BCM6362 chipset where the bcm6362 is quite an advanced chipset making an unlock quite alluring! The only downside seems to be the single band wireless n (upto 144Mbps) but that is good enough for use with the 'internet' side of things!

Coming to the unlock: (To continue reading, please click on 'Read More')



- We need to collect some info first (Optional)! This is used to restore the username and password as stored in the router for the original customer:




- It's a good idea to save the info on Router Status page as well as the Wireless Settings page


- The custom firmware image has been kindly provided by pH-Mb: http://ph-mb.com/


- The firmware image and guide are here: http://ph-mb.com/products/2504n-firmware



- It is a good idea to use Static IPs when uploading firmware (a stable OS and browser unlike the preview ones I am using ... is also a good idea)! Be sure to restore back to 'Automatic' once the router has been configured!






Success!

- After reboot, this page comes up when you go to 192.168.0.1:


- Enter the values previously saved:



- And after the reboot, this is what we get. Note the extra menu items on top!


- Finally, the Sagem's original interface is accessible allowing us to configure the router according to our own needs


I tried it for my ISP PTCL here in Pakistan with excellent results:




















In addition, the builtin Sky Router Tool Lite provides useful graphs and tweaking options:


- A nice bit-loading graph that you can zoom into as well (a good line would have smooth inverted u shaped graph ... depending upon power scheme ... without gaps as gaps indicate noise at that tone/frequency):


 - With the Target SNR Margin, you can achieve stability (as stability is the main concern here with PTCL's landline services) by increasing the Margin at cost of some speed!


- You may donate to the developer of this firmware if you like it!



Overall, it's a very good replacement for any 'official' router/modem provided by PTCL currently and I would be happy to use one! Although I haven't tested the SmartTV offering from PTCL on it (yet), I believe that with such a strong chipset, it's going to also outperform the 'official' routers in this regard!
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Comments

  1. Daksh Sharma20 June 2015 at 18:48

    thanks man it helped a lot...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown30 December 2016 at 17:29

    Hi tried it well but after upload of the desired screen showing Pi, password and MAC address does not appeared.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown30 December 2016 at 17:30

    Plz suggest solution

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ahmedfarazch31 December 2016 at 19:49

      Hello!

      - Try clearing cache of browser or use Ctrl + F5 for the page 192.168.0.1
      - If the router interface is accessible then there is a shortcut on it to reconfigure the details
      - The 'original' details are needed to restore the login details for the user on Sky ... so one may ignore it if using the router on another ISP


      Regards,
      Ahmed

      Delete
  4. ViY19 November 2018 at 02:22

    Ran the flash successfully with the custom firmware and can access the Sagem web admin as well.

    But even after entering the new configuration of my ISP in India, the DSL doesn't connect and only throws up an 'Access Denied' status.

    Whereas, I had flashed another Sagem SKY modem (F@ST 2404) a couple of yrs back in a similar fashion and the same configuration that runs fine with it today, is not quite doing so with this 2504n.

    Wondering what the problem is - any pointers??

    Note: On the first page that comes on logging into the modem where the link to the Web Admin is listed, it still shows the 'Region' as "Europe" and I get no options coming up in the drop-down to that field (the drop-down is dead). I'm suspecting that maybe the flash has not fully broken the hardcoded settings?

    Any help is greatly appreciated. Please advice.

    PS: I'm not a techie, so would appreciate laymen language here :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. ahmedfarazch20 November 2018 at 01:02

    Hello!


    I would suggest the following:
    - Reset the router to factory defaults from Sagem's interface
    - Configure it again for the connection ... can delete all other connections if any exist
    - See if the error occurs again in the System Log

    From your comment, you seem to be getting an "Access Denied" error ... usually this means Authentication Failure ... might need to ask ISP for credentials again ... what type of connection you have to set up?

    As far as the region showing up as Europe for the wireless section is concerned, it shouldn't matter for internet connectivity. It relates to the availability of channels for wireless transmission as these vary from region to region like there are channels 1 to 11 available in the US while EU allows channels 1 through 13 (for 2.4 GHz band that WiFi n devices use). The country/region can usually be changed accordingly, but, I would have to confirm the availability of this option for this particular router. In any case, the WiFi channel can be manually set (which is usually the preferred option regardless).


    Regards,
    Ahmed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ViY20 November 2018 at 16:08

      Hey Ahmed,

      Thanks a bunch for the early response. Extra gratitude from here on your being so patient and informative :)

      Your suspicion was correct, the issue was with the credentials I was using itself. The ISP confirmed the correct ones and it's all working fine now.

      Could I ask though if there are any settings from the Sagem Web Admin that I can tweak to maximize on speed and stability?

      (during configuration I'd just left all settings to default)

      BR

      ViY

      Delete
    2. ViY23 November 2018 at 11:22

      Kool... Thanks for the great tips Ahmed. I guess I'll play around and see what happens :)

      Thanks a bunch!

      ViY

      Delete
    3. ahmedfarazch24 November 2018 at 09:21

      Hello Again!

      You are most welcome! Good to hear that it's working for you.

      As far as tweaking options is concerned, the built-in Sky Router Tool Lite can be used to configure SNR Margins. Line stats are most important in this case:
      - snr margin at the current sync rate ... used to gauge potential for sync speed upgrade ... the higher it is, the more the line can reach the maximum attainable rates for the ADSL Modulation scheme used ... though as noise varies over time, the snr margin of at least 6dBs is suggested for stability
      - the ADSL Modulation scheme being currently used ... like for stability, G.DMT might be better for connections upto 8Mbps
      - Interleaving enabled by ISP on the line adds latency but is more stable whereas FastPath (also called Gamer's Profile) reduces latency but can cause higher error rates ... though this can't usually be set from your side

      So, in order to get a speedier connection on this router, one can try lowering SNR Target Margins by using the above-mentioned tool and by trying to get the ISP to switch off Interleaving. On the other hand, if stability is needed, one can try increasing the margins instead perhaps also trying different modulation schemes.

      Note: The 2504n router uses an advanced chipset by Broadcom where these have a reputation for working better on noisy lines especially if there is a Broadcom DSLAM on the ISP side as well.

      Hope this helps!

      Regards,
      Ahmed

      Delete
    4. ahmedfarazch24 November 2018 at 09:24

      Hi!

      A good resource for understanding the above mentioned terms is available at: https://kitz.co.uk/adsl/linestats.htm

      Regards,
      Ahmed

      Delete
  6. omar dib7 November 2020 at 00:47

    Hello Ahmed
    I have a problem, When I complete the update, And when I get into http://192.168.0.1:8324/sky_nosetup.html, the page remains blank, showing nothing.
    Pls help :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ahmedfarazch14 November 2020 at 16:55

      Hello!


      One thing to try would be to first reset the router using the reset button and then verify if the computer gets an IP address or not. If not successful, setting a static IP can be tried.

      Please do note that the original (sky) user settings are needed for using the router with Sky for that particular user account and are not needed if another ISP is being used.

      Regards,
      Ahmed

      Delete

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