Nighthawk m6 pro(MR 6500) keeps restarting (stuck in a boot loop)

[LilReAsoN]

So as the title implies, yesterday my Nighthawk m6 pro has been stuck in a boot loop. if i remove the sim card it will work, but when it is in, it will not work. I went to the ATT store and we replaced the sim, because it seemed like that could be the issue. it did indeed fix it, for like 10 minutes. It then got progressively worse to the point where it was before. I use FirstNet. Any insight would be nice. Also when it does finally boot, it is extremely laggy and seems to crash.

[mrforrest]

I had the same issue today... Was in the phone with an awesome customer service representative and we spent almost an hour and after trying everything that we possibly could, we ended up having to do a replacement modem. The lady told me that was about the 20th netgear modem they (just at her specific call center) had issues with in the last couple of days. A few they were able to push a software update on but most would never accept the update. Hopefully yours is still in warranty.

[JDavis40]

I am having the same issue over the past two days. I researched the issue and found this post. I have First Net and my one year warranty went out last month.

I took the SIM card out and my Nighthawk seems to boot.

Can anyone explain why this is happening? I refuse to buy another one, especially no fault of mine own and with it being a year and a month old.

[JDavis40]

Also, I would like to note, I work an hour away from my home and the nighthawk works fine but as soon as I come home it goes into boot loop. Seems very odd. It’s done this three days in a row. When I am home and take out the SIM card it boots properly. Seems like a provider issue to me. Just trying to connect the dots.

[LilReAsoN]

So a small update, I tried turning it on after a day. It worked right away and seems to be going strong. I'll update everyone after a few hours to see if it sticks. To see if you guys can reproduce it, hold the power button and plug in the device at the same time. It should say "downloading update". I did this when I went to bed. In the morning it still said it, do I unplugged it and plugged it back in. And it seems to work now.

[mrforrest]

I also tried mine again this morning... I had read where someone had tried booting thiers without the SIM card, So I gave that a try. It booted fine. I reinstalled the SIM and it booted fine again. I left it to go to work and will see if it is working still when I get home from work today.

[JDavis40]

I am going to go by AT&T at lunch today to get a new sim card and probably vocalize my displeasure. I hope the new SIM card will do the trick. 

I wonder if Netgear is aware of this issue? is there anyone that we can tag to help? I am new to this forum and not tech savvy. 

[JT240Z]

Here we go again with another issue with the MR6500.  I don't think they'll ever get it right.  Issues like this have turned me off from ever getting a Netgear MR series hotspot.  I think Inseego is the way to go now with their M3000/M3100 Pro series.  They seem to have far less issues at less than 1/2 the price.  Way to go Netgear.

[JDavis40]

And then they want to charge you $139 customer support plan to fix an issue they created. Netgear has lost me!!

[JT240Z]

I don't understand how such a reputable company is destroying their reputation.  These issues with the M6 Pro have been going on for quite some time now with dubious fixes.

[LilReAsoN]

I wanted to update this forum. The issue seems to be fixed. I have not ran into an issue since then. Let's hope it sticks.

[JDavis40]

What did you do to correct the issue ?

[LilReAsoN]

Turn it off. Hold the power button while plugging it in. It should said, "downloading update" . For me I left it on overnight. That being said, I legit don't know what was wrong.

[mrforrest]

I did that as well and it never downloaded... That and it just shut itself off still... They are sending me a new one... Should have it tomorrow

[Blanca_O]

Hi, All, 

We are aware of the issue and we are working on a resolution. We will report back with an update as soon as possible. 

Regards,
Blanca
Community Team

[mrforrest]

Are you going to help the ones out of warranty? I have one that this happened to which made me have to buy a new one...

[thratch]

I, too, am having the issue where my MR6110 is doing the same thing.  Went to the AT&T store earlier today and tried a new FirstNet SIM which appeared to fix the issue.  Worked for hours while I was out running errands.  As soon as I got home and it hit my home tower it went into the same old boot loop.  Works fine without the SIM, which is useless.

FirstNet phone support was less than helpful.  I was told to just reset the device using the pinhole reset switch and if I had further issues call Netgear for a replacement.  Which goes against what the store rep told me, which was to contact AT&T warranty service.  

My unit has been flawless since I've bought it January of this year and then a firmware update dropped early in the morning a few days ago.  Now it is showing firmware NTGX65_12.01.16.00 and advises that it is up to date.  Hopefully something is figured out soon.

[JT240Z]

Seems like this is not only a MR6500 issue but also an issue with all of the M6 Netgear/AT&T branded devices.  Anyone know if the non-AT&T M6 devices are exhibiting such behavior?

[franky007]

In any case, I appreciate your getting in touch. mynorthsidehr

[JDavis40]

FirstNet warrantied my device and the new one seems to be working fine for now.

[sjbender]

Just wanted to add a couple cents to the thread...

I had issues with my 6500/firstnet earlier in the year where it would lock up under heavy use. When I tried to reboot the unit via software it would just turn off and not back on.

I then updated the firmware in jan and added an external wireless router. One or both of these things corrected all of the issues I was having. Just updated the firmware again to the most recent ntgx65_12.01.16.00 and have not had any issues.

[LilReAsoN]

While that might of been an issue, this is a different one where it will turn on but then reboot. Also most people already updated and still encountering it. Now that being said, no one clarified about using an external router. I am the OP and I can say I also use an external router and had it updated. The issue still happened. On that version as well. It has been working for me the past few days, but I'm not sure how it got fixed.

[mrforrest]

Has anyone had any experience with hooking up a mesh network (signal extender) to the M6?

[LilReAsoN]

I hooked it up to a ubiquiti dream machine and it works fine.

[schumaku]

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@LilReAsoN wrote:
I hooked it up to a ubiquiti dream machine and it works fine.

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This is deploying an Ethernet connection with a 1GbE or 2.5 GbE where the Dream Machine does connect to the MR6500 making it a DHCP Internet connection. Industry standard networking, no Dinky Toys style extenders of any style I guess.

Key settings from wally brain

Key settings are for the M1 to the M6 Pro. .

• Settings IP Passthrough: ON
• DHCP: Disabled
• Ethernet Standby: Disabled