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Forum Discussion
rax120_rax80
Mar 09, 2020Apprentice
RAX120 Router Random Disconnects
Hey everyone, I know that I'm not the only one with problems on the Nighthawk WiFi 6 devices, but thought I'd post my most recent headache. My hardware consists of a Motorola MB8600 DOCS 3.1 modem w/...
rax120_rax80
Mar 09, 2020Apprentice
The router stayed up all night for about 8 hours and then the same symptoms occured once I logged into my laptop and started checking emails for about 5 minutes. I attempted to login to the RAX120 and it would not accept my username and password... I attemtped a number of times and I was not fat fingering, because I was pasting the password from my PW database. I logged into the RAX80 just fine without any issue. Nonetheless, I just reset my router back to factory and the issue still occured after it came online with a default config. WTH?!?!? Is my modem hosed and causing me the problem? The logs in the modem have nothing telling and only a couple status messages. Possibly it's a coincidence and I wasn't being patient. Eitherway, I reapplied my RAX120 config from a backup and the connections are up again.
Anyone out there have any ideas? Are these Nighthawks trash like the community has been evangalizing over the past year? Or am I just a fool? Even though I've managed numerous other network devices from Cisco, Brocade, Linksys, TP-Link, Apple, and even Extreme Networks without ever seeing an issue like this...
Christian_R
Mar 09, 2020NETGEAR Employee Retired
Hello rax120_rax80,
Welcome to the community! Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed report of your experience. We are currently running a beta firmware for the RAX120 that may help resolve your issues. Please let me know if you'd like access to the beta firmware.
Best,
Christian
- rax120_rax80Mar 09, 2020Apprentice
Sure. I have nothing to loose. My network stability is already lacking. :-D
Please provide access to beta firmware for both the RAX120 and the RAX80, since I operate both devices.
- LordlokiMar 10, 2020Tutor
Hi Christian,
Could I get access to the beta firmware? I just loaded .118 and it caused my router to completely die on me. It randomly reset its settings to the default SSID, etc. and took nearly an hour of resetting over and over again before I could finally get it cleared out and re-setup with the new.
As an aside, two things that are missing that are super frustrating for such an expensive router:
* more DDNS provider support (or, alteratively, just custom settings for DDNS - it's not that hard); and
* more VPN provider support (or, alternatively custom settings - again, not that hard to use standard protocols to connect to VPN).
Any thoughts? I bought this thing expecting the firmware to mature, but it doesn't really seem to be getting better. If anything, less stable. I took the update today hoping it would make it improved, and ended up losing more than an hour of my life.
Best,
lordloki
- rax120_rax80Mar 11, 2020Apprentice
Christian_R can we get some help here? The same issue occurs with code .114, .115, and .118. The RAX120 fails to respond to DNS queries. Setting DNS manually to external servers is a no go on many IOT devices. This is a terribly crippling bug and the inability to schedule/script resets leaves the user base of this $400 router handicapped.
- rax120_rax80Mar 12, 2020Apprentice
Well, after three failures in 2 hours I decided to roll back to code .108. I don't recall that code being tempermental in the tail end of last year, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. One thing I did notice is the CPU overhead is much less than when running on code .115. Coincidence? Maybe... Regardless, I'm tempted to do a factory reset again and restore as well, but I'll wait to see if this one fails in the next day.
On another note, while I was waiting for additional failures today I did a little digging that may be helpful as a work around to community. I enabled telnet (Really Netgear??? Not SSH?) by logging into the switch via http://IP_Address/debug.htm. After experiancing a DNS failure, I reset the daemon /etc/init.d/dnsmasq. Viola. The DNS requests/pings to hosts replied again. If code .108 doesn't stop the pain and bleedind, I'll throw a reset in crontab for this until Netgear can debug their buggy code. Or I'll just upgrade again to some true bordline enterprise class gear.
- TerryPhMar 12, 2020VirtuosoI'm thinking of getting back to fw .108.
I was running on this one for a while without DNS connection problem until about 4 days ago,after automatic update fw .114 loaded into my router. Since then, loss of internet connection, noticing DNS lookup problem from router. Same with fw .108 hotfix.
Unless better stable fw hotfix comes out resolving DNS issue, I would want to stay with fw .108, proven to have less problems
- TerryPhMar 12, 2020VirtuosoCan you send the link to your beta fw. My RAX 120 lost internet connection just few hours after upgrading to .118 beta hotfix. Problems with internet connection started with automatic fw update to .124 and lately with hotfix .118.
- TerryPhMar 12, 2020VirtuosoTypo error .114 instead of. 124
- Hazeleyez97Mar 23, 2020AspirantI just purchased this and all of a sudden it randomly disconnects and only connects some devices and not the others. Then it will work for awhile once i reboot it then it will do it again extremely frustrating for the cost of this router. You say there is a update firmware beta to fix this problem? If not im returning before my 30 days are up.
- NewfiedroolMar 23, 2020Virtuoso
Hazeleyez97 wrote:
I just purchased this and all of a sudden it randomly disconnects and only connects some devices and not the others. Then it will work for awhile once i reboot it then it will do it again extremely frustrating for the cost of this router. You say there is a update firmware beta to fix this problem? If not im returning before my 30 days are up.https://www.netgear.com/support/product/RAX120.aspx#download
there is a hot fix here, update via your web UI after downloading it. Afterwards reset the router using the rear pin hole method and setup as new. Do not use a saved config.
once you have done this monitor the router and remember to check your internet setting is set to always on.
- mac21jMar 24, 2020Aspirant
I have the same symtoms, opened a tkt 42474491 and am sitting on hold. I'd like the Beta Firmware to try it out. As a workaround I've set DNS server settings to Google DNS Manually on My PC's, iPhones and Kids School chromebooks. to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 and everything works. if a network device is pointing to the router it can not get out to the internet. Our Alexa Devices work but I have a hunch they don't use DNS.
- mac21jMar 24, 2020Aspirant
Actually forgot to mention this occured on both 1.0.1.114 and 1.0.1.118 Firmware