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Forum Discussion
Anyone else still having problems with FW 1.0.3.4?
I'm going to be brief. I can't be the only one who purchased an RAX80 Router, and then after a certain time, had it fail due to the recent upgrade. Then when you try and reach customer support, they set it up to be impossible to reach. Free support for up to 90 days, but you have a full year warranty on your product, BUT you can't reach them when your router takes a dump. And to reach them, you need to PAY for their support ($90).
Sadly. this was my second router ($400) that failed after 4 months. The other router's power supply died after one year and 3 months ($250). After $650 dollars NetGear wants me to spend more money?
Please. I did my due diligence. I reset the router to base. I've updated the firmware. I checked with my ISP to ensure no surges occured. I invested (before I purchased the router) a very expensive surge protector/batter backup. I reset the modem. Did I mention, I reset the router - like a lot! So Netgear. Step up. Because if there are others out there with the same grievances, there might be a ground swell of support for a reprimand. Oh. and for those that are fedup with netgear. I purchased a different router from a competitor (mesh system). So much better. Easy to setup. And I'm pulling approx. 800 Mbps on my WIFI. My hardwire is pulling 950 down - and it happens when my family is on their devices. No deadspots either.
9 Replies
Thanks for sharing.
What stands out in your post for me.
Netgear wanting to charge you $90 dollars during your warranty period to diagnose a problem.
This is a poor business practice and not something anyone should tolerate. If your router is out of warranty it's understadable. You are the second person I've seen a post from this week who has complained about the charge to diagnose during their warranty period.
Sorry you had bad luck. I understand this has soured you on the brand.
Agree with shadowsports that its a bit rubbish that support is only 90 days. Only real issue is comparing a mesh network from another company to this. its kind of an apples to oranges comparison. The RAX80 is a draft ax (wifi 6) device that is using standards that aren't even finalized. Firmware is still a work in progress because of this. Yes, the update caused issues and if you go through the support page you can request a replacment. So I do feel for you there. However, the mesh setup is multiple devices (better coverage and speed) on a mature technology (wireless ac) with mature firmware. Most (not all) of the bugs have been ironed out of the AC devices. Its the downfall of buying the latest/greatest wireless devices when you buy draft ax devices.
I'm on some of the other forums and a lot of the companies are having issues with their AX devices. Its not just isolated to Netgear. So again, I understand it sucks when your super expensive router fails from an update and its even worse when support wants to charge you to get help fixing it. I'd just go through the replacement/exchange process and skip the diagnositic.
Good reply and thanks for the comments. I just want Netgear to know that their silence and lack of effort to help (without a cost to me) pushed me away from their brand - for a very long, if not permenant, time period. This is my last attempt to get their attention that might spur someone to say.. 'hey, you have a point, let's fix this".
The latest firmware version for the RAX80 is 1.0.1.58 but I had several issues arise with this version that I went back to 1.0.1.56. Flawless so far!!!
How did you obtain 1.0.3.4? This would be a much newer version that what is currently available for download from Netgear in the USA.
ThisSucks wrote:
Free support for up to 90 days, but you have a full year warranty on your product, BUT you can't reach them when your router takes a dump. And to reach them, you need to PAY for their support ($90).
Where did you read that? The bit about being asked to pay for support may be a scam.
If you called a number that you found with a web search, that almost certainly had nothing to do with Netgear.
Netgear itself does not provide paid for support. It farms that out to GearHead Technical Support.
Web searches can deliver results that scream "Netgear support" at the top but that turn out to be anything but. Using them can be dangerous, for your network and your bank balance.
As a new buyer you can initiate a support call through MyNetgear.
If you login to mynetgear, can you see your router there?
If so, that is where to ask for support.
You have to buy a netgear service contract for Phone, Chat or Email support after 90 days.
From the RAX80 product page.
Complimentary Support
NETGEAR provides complimentary technical support for NETGEAR products for 90 days from the original date of purchase.
Though after posting the above I did find that you can still request a warrenty replacement without a service contract via MyNetgear.
That's right. Netgear farms their support out, hence the cost.
