I'm not sure for 100% but it seems to me that telnet service is blocked on this router.

It is, I've just had an email back from TP-Link to confirm. I'm hoping they will change it back to the way the previous models work (specifically the TD-W8960N) as I use it for automated diagnostics on my phone line.

In my opinion this is SOHO router and telnet service isn't needed for normal users.

Mine is a Small Home Office, but I guess I'm not a 'normal' user :-)

Telnet is a very useful and well known feature, common to most SOHO modems with Broadcom chips. It's also
the main reason I stayed with TP-Link and bought the W8968 to replace my trusted but aging W8960N (which
recently survived a lightning strike that took out my ADSL port).

Although I wrote my own software to use the telnet interface, I'm certainly not the only one using it. There's other
software like this DSLstats http://www.s446074245.websitehome.co.uk/index.html using telnet as well.

I'm pretty sure you'd agree that no-one expects useful features to be removed when they buy a newer device?

I doubt that TP-Link will make any changes to their firmware just because I'm not happy, and they probably won't
notice that I won't be buying any more of their modems unless this is fixed. I've already bought a replacement in
case it isn't - a D-Link DSL2970U, also a SOHO device but it isn't crippled like the W8968.

This post is from the 24th of June 2014
http://forum.tp-link.com/showthread.php?76656-TP-Link-TD-W8960N-problem-with-telnetting

It seems that the TD-W8960N modem also had this fault in an earlier firmware version. Obviously it
doesn't have the problem now, because I'm using it. Maybe the fix wasn't applied to the W8968 firmware?

My W8960N Firmware Version: 1.4.0 Build 111108 Rel.40398n, Hardware Version: TD-W8960N v3 0x00000002

Steve

I doubt that TP-Link will make any changes to their firmware just because I'm not happy, and they probably won't
notice that I won't be buying any more of their modems unless this is fixed. I've already bought a replacement in
case it isn't - a D-Link DSL2970U, also a SOHO device but it isn't crippled like the W8968.

Sorry I'm not from TP-Link staff and I can't do anything with this.

jimasek wrote

Sorry I'm not from TP-Link staff and I can't do anything with this.

Aah, thought you must be with over 2000 posts!

No worries, I'm still in conversation with TP-Link by email, and my comments here are searchable if they are of help to anyone else.

Steve

On the polish forum I have over 26000 posts - http://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/uzytkownik503396.html

It gets worse...

In an email from TP-Link support:

"I have double confirmed with our senior engineers and according to them, the TD-W8968 was designed in this way, after 5 times telnet login, no matter login successfully or not, it will be locked."

So, not being able to use telnet for automated testing, I decided to use SNMP instead as the TD-W8968 supports it. Or at least TP-Link's website says it does, and it is available in the setup menu. It is even enabled by default.

Unfortunately it doesn't work either!!!

Steves-MacBook-Pro:~ steve$ snmpwalk -c public -v1 192.168.1.1
SNMPv2-MIB::sysDescr.0 = STRING: 1.0.5 Build 150504 Rel.57027
SNMPv2-MIB::sysObjectID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.16972
DISMAN-EVENT-MIB::sysUpTimeInstance = Timeticks: (58000400) 6 days, 17:06:44.00
SNMPv2-MIB::sysContact.0 = STRING: Steve
SNMPv2-MIB::sysName.0 = STRING: TP-LINK
SNMPv2-MIB::sysLocation.0 = STRING: Nannup
SNMPv2-MIB::sysServices.0 = INTEGER: 72
SNMPv2-MIB::sysORLastChange.0 = Timeticks: (58000400) 6 days, 17:06:44.00
SNMPv2-MIB::sysORID.1 = OID: SNMPv2-MIB::snmpMIB
SNMPv2-MIB::sysORDescr.1 = STRING: The MIB module for SNMPv2 entities
SNMPv2-MIB::sysORUpTime.1 = Timeticks: (0) 0:00:00.00
IF-MIB::ifNumber.0 = INTEGER: 9
IF-MIB::ifIndex.1 = INTEGER: 1
IF-MIB::ifIndex.2 = INTEGER: 2
Timeout: No Response from 192.168.1.1


So is this a bug, or is the SNMP service deliberately crippled too?

I think you should log in the management IP, set up all figures and reset it again. If it still not works, you should contact supporter for help.