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LAN ports no longer communicate with network switches, but communicate with PCs just fine
A strange issue started occurring for me last night at exactly 4am ET. My AX1800 router suddenly lost the ability to connect wired devices to the internet through a network switch. My wifi never dropped or had any sort of hiccup as far as I could tell. The issue is isolated to wired connections, but only if those connections go through a switch(as in, if I bypass the switch and connect my PC directly to the router via a LAN cable, it works fine). Naturally, I thought my switch went bad. So, I replaced it. But, that didn't solve or have any effect on the issue.
While troubleshooting the issue, I found that my router had a firmware update available today. So, I installed it. But, that didn't solve or have any effect on the issue.
If I go into the router's admin page, all devices connected through the switch show up as connected devices, so the router can see them. But, none of them can connect to the internet. They all tell me they have IP configuration issues. As I mentioned before though, removing the switch from the equation immediately solves these issues.
As a hail mary, I also tried switching to a different LAN port on the router and also tried running a new LAN cable from the router to the switch. But, neither of these things solved the issue or had any effect.
Any other ideas of things I could try?
3 Replies
willko86 wrote:
The issue is isolated to wired connections, but only if those connections go through a switch(as in, if I bypass the switch and connect my PC directly to the router via a LAN cable, it works fine). Naturally, I thought my switch went bad. So, I replaced it. But, that didn't solve or have any effect on the issue.
As you say, odd.
I assume that the switch is in an appropriate place, after the router. And what sort of switch is it? "Dumb" or managed?
You say that the router had a firmware update available. Was this through the automated on-line process, which can get things wrong, or the more reliable check of the support pages for your device.
What firmware version do you have on the RAX10 device? (There is no such thing as an AX1800 model, that's just a wifi speed label applied to many different devices.)
RAX10 Firmware Version 1.0.14.134 | Answer | NETGEAR Support
It might also help if you told people what the modem is in front of this router, if there is one. The make and model number could be useful. Is it, by any chance, also a router, with a set of LAN ports on the back?
The reason for asking is that a lot of people turn up here trying to put a router behind a modem that is also a router. That can complicate troubleshooting.Have you also been through the usual network reboot cycle?
As this is a router, there is probably a modem sitting in front of it. You need to get the devices to forget any inherited settings. Among other things, that means rebooting the network.
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:- Turn off and unplug modem.
- Turn off router and computers.
- Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
- Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
- Turn on computers and rest of network.
Finally, one recommended move if there are problems after a firmware update is a "factory reset" of the router.
How do I perform a factory reset on my NETGEAR router? | Answer | NETGEAR Support
Thank you for the response.
The modem does also double as a router(has multiple LAN ports on the back, broadcasts its own wifi). The modem is the one provided by my ISP, Comcast/Xfinity. It's the one they provide with their X1 service. I can get the specific model if you think it would be helpful.
You are correct that the network switch is after the router. But, I'm not sure if it is "dumb" or "managed". I've never had to configure anything with it. It's just plug and play. That applies to both the original switch I was using when this problem arose(A Linksys SE2800) and the one I just replaced it with, an old Netgear GS608 I had lying around that I use for Xbox LAN parties.
When I found the firmware update after this issue started, I installed it, which brought my router's firmware up to version V1.0.14.134.
I have also power cycled the entire home network. My usual process is to unplug everything(modem, router, switch). Then, after waiting a few minutes, I plug in the modem and wait for it to fully start back up and its status light returns to normal. Then, I plug in the router and wait for it to fully start back up and all of its status lights return to normal. Then, I plug the switch back in which usually finishes its startup process in just a matter of seconds. Usually, that is enough and I don't need to restart any PCs or anything connected. But, this time around, I did go ahead and reboot the PC as well. But, still, all devices trying to communicate through the switch report IP configuration issues. The router is set to act as a DHCP server, which means I believe it should be assigning IP addresses to the things connected to it. And, when I look at the connected devices in the router's configuration screen, it displays IP addresses for everything connected through the network switch.
If there aren't any suggestions I could try through the router's configuration screen, I guess I'll resort to giving it a factory reset.
willko86 wrote:
The modem does also double as a router(has multiple LAN ports on the back, broadcasts its own wifi). The modem is the one provided by my ISP, Comcast/Xfinity. It's the one they provide with their X1 service. I can get the specific model if you think it would be helpful.
That could well be the source of your difficulties. You have added a RAX10 router to your modem/router.
Two routers on your network can cause headaches. For example, you can end up with local address problems. Among other things, the other router can misdirect addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.
This explains some of the other drawbacks.
What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR SupportHere is what Netgear says about fixing it.
How to fix issues with Double NAT | Answer | NETGEAR Support
The easiest option could be to put the modem/router into modem only (bridge) mode and then to use the second device as the router. Sometimes it is easier to put the second router into AP mode. But that has its own drawbacks:
Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support
The router is set to act as a DHCP server, which means I believe it should be assigning IP addresses to the things connected to it. And, when I look at the connected devices in the router's configuration screen, it displays IP addresses for everything connected through the network switch.Yes, but you have another router in there that also wants to manage things. Hence the recommendation that you disable that.
willko86 wrote:
If there aren't any suggestions I could try through the router's configuration screen, I guess I'll resort to giving it a factory reset.
A reset won't solve the basic problem.
Not knowing which modem/router you own, it isn't possible to say how easy it would be, of even if it is possible, to put into into modem only (bridge) mode. Some are easier to change than others and even have a built in "bridge mode" option.
An easy way to investigate is to do a web search on the model number and "bridge mode".
