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Forum Discussion
Nighthawk routers unable to connect to FiOS Internet
We use Verizon FiOS for our business Internet and have static IP addresses. Our current router is the R6700. We want to upgrade to a newer router.
Short story is after trying TWO different Netgear Nighthawk models (RAX45 from Costco and RAX48 from Best Buy) and speaking to two different FiOS agents, NEITHER router will connect to the Internet. For simplicity sake, we only have the RAX48 in our possesion now and any troubleshooting would be for that model. We returned the RAX45 as we thought there was a hardware failure.
We have done anything that we can think of and includes the following:
- Yes, the ethernet cable that comes from the outside is plugged directly into the yellow Internet port and NOT the LAN ports. Yes, it is secured in the plug, and it is not loose. No, there is no "cable modem" involved since FiOS does not require a modem like the cable company uses. Yes, we use ethernet instead of coaxial to hook up to our router.
- We have static IP addresses so we know our information has to be manually entered. I am 1000% sure our settings are being typed in right for original IP address, subnet mask, gateway IP, and two DNS servers (I've tried a combination of Verizon, Cloudflare, and Google DNS servers). Yes, I triple checked everything with Verizon. No, the whole DCHP thing does not apply with static IP.
- Both routers exhibited the same behavior: The admin page for Internet did not show any connection. Under the "status" the static info I typed in didn't show. It was all 0.0.0.0. Yes, I went back into the Internet setup and all the settings were still there. The Internet activity light would show a solid white and never blink once. The computer plugged into one of the LAN ports to configure the router would show activity since there was data going back and forth. Wifi was never used to set the routers up.
- Verizon was able to see our current R6700 router just fine. We also tested the ethernet cable being plugged directly into a computer. That worked without issues as well. When the RAX48 was plugged in they could not see it or establish a connection after resetting our location's configuration remotely.
- Both RAX45 and 48 models were updated with the latest firmware as I thought there was an issue with the current one out of the box. (I downloaded each prior to taking the R6700 offline). For the RAX48 the version I installed was V1.0.2.72 2.0.45.
- I was able to run the router in AP mode when I set my R6700 back up and plugged the RAX48 into it. Only at that point did it have the ability to make an Internet connection. No, we do not want to run this router in AP mode as this was only a test to see if anything else would work.
In short, I am not sure what else to do. Verizon doesn't have any other advice since it's not an issue with their hardware. This is also the second router with the same exact issue. I'm looking for any additional feedback before I have to go with another option.
(FYI: When you make a new post, I don't even have the option to select the RAX48 under the "Model" label or below the post subject. What's with that, Netgear?)
8 Replies
For the ONT, are you using one of the Alcatel-Lucent 7342 style ONTs from Verizon?
If so, try using the same WAN port MAC address as the R6700 router and see if it allows you to connect. if it does, then it means that your model is also having one of the annoying behaviors where if you swap to a different router, it refuses to allow you to connect to the internet unless you use the same MAC address unless you literally power the ONT off for a few minutes.
I am unsure if their other models experience this, but I know a few users who experienced it after they moved from older BPON units to the GPON ones where a number of years ago, was the Alcatel-Lucent units.
I am not positive, but I can check when I am back at the location. I do specifically remember the box that is inside the location has a bunch of batteries in the box for power outages. I asked the agents if I should unplug the box we use. Both agents said it wasn't necessary because the one we use could be reset on their end (their words, not mine).
Both Verizon agents claimed that the MAC address did not matter to them. I do remember entering the MAC address of the R6700 into the RAX45 (the one I returned) and it did not make any difference. I can try it with the RAX48 when I am back.
Razor512 The ONT on the outside of our building appears to be an Alcatel-Lucent O-821 M-E. I am 95% certain this was the original hardware installed back in the early 2010s when FiOS was first available for our location. I did a quick Google search on this model and saw some hits from dslreports about other FiOS customers getting this replaced for one reason or another, but nothing specifically said with my exact issue (or at least from what I could understand). I saw some users comment about Ethernet 1 and Ethernet 2 ports on the A-L hardware. The cable is only plugged into Ethernet 1 on our box. I don't know if this makes a difference.
So from what I understand, this specific ONT must not like newer routers?
One possibility is that the Gigabit Ethernet link is not coming up between the ONT and the router. for a test, try adding a low cost non-managed GbE in the data path.
The other possibility is that the routers don't like static addressses configured on the WAN/Internet port. In my experience, the ISP do assign the fixed IP address by DHCP anyway.
