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Joe1234567's avatar
Jun 01, 2021

Rax120 v2 constant random rebooting

I have the RAX120 v2 ever since purchase it has been constantly randomly rebooting. I have been through all of netgears troubleshooting guides with and without tech support. After no solution they finally sent a new one out. Had it fully set and it rrbooted within the first 30mins. I have fully checked with my isp and everything on my end and it's all good. I have tried a much cheaper router and it runs just fine. I've ran out of ideas and when you call netgear support you only get script readers right from the website

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  • plemans's avatar
    plemans
    Guru - Experienced User

    1. what modem/gateway is it connected to? 

    2. what firmware is on the router? (actual number)

    3. how do you know its rebooting? (details)

    4. how frequently is it rebooting?

    • Joe1234567's avatar
      Joe1234567
      Star
      It is connected to an isp provided arries modem.
      Rax120v2 is running 1.2.1.22 and have tried all previous versions
      We loose internet on all devises and all lights go out on the router then it comes back on with a blinking power light and continues to boot up normally. Somtimes it won't do it for hours sometimes it will reboot every 5 mins. I just read about turning the ax mode off so I'm giving that a try
      • plemans's avatar
        plemans
        Guru - Experienced User

        What actual arris modem is it? 

        Have you tried different power outlets? 

        Whenever the original and a replacement have the same issue it makes me check other factors. Maybe the outlet has a sketchy connection and the cheaper/old routers dont have the same power requirements or tolerate fluctuating power better. 

        If you go modem---->cheap/old router----->rax120 and then put the rax120 in access point mode (prevents double nat) does it stay stable?

         

        Again, just trying to check different things. 

  • If it helps, I found that when a Roku Express was connected to my RAX120, it would cause it to reboot every 15 or so minutes. As soon as the Roku was powered off and disconnected from the network, my RAX120 has been solid for days without issue.

  • I wanted to update this thread. Found out the kids had turned on a really old Amazon Fire Tablet. Each time it access the internet it causes the router to reboot. I threw the tablet in the garbage where it belongs and the router seems stable now for most of the day. 

    • It's not the devices, it's the router. And it's not just this router, Google random rebooting and you'll find this problem going back through multiple models with Netgear. Love how fast the router is along with great distance, but means nothing when the router reboots ever 30 minutes. Sometimes the router will stay on for 2 days and at other times it reboots 3 times in 15 minutes. The only thing going on the trash with be this router as soon as my new one gets here. Last Netgear product ever in this House. Also, I'll never recommend another Netgear product ever to anyone I consult with.
    • Xixx's avatar
      Xixx
      Guide

      It was nice while it lasted. With only 2 devices, a MacBook Pro and FireTV, the router is rebooting over and over tonight. This is frusterating for such an expensive router. 

      • I agree. It was very expensive and it's a piece of garbage. I've tried everything on this. Even extra cooling. Turned off armor, turned off traffic monitoring, I even turned off the LED lights on it. Turned off AX, turned off different bands, it's does nothing, it'll still reboot itself. Based on Google search, looks like this problem had been plaguing Netgear for quite some time across multiple models. Currently researching my next brand.
    • leebee1100's avatar
      leebee1100
      Aspirant

       

      WHAT?! Guess where that tablet you threw in the trash is gonna go? Likely directly into a municipal landfill not too far from you, crushed and obliterated. every day it rains, remember that the lead and lithium and cadmium coctail of heavy metals are seeping right back into the water table that you (and your family and/or children) depend on every single day. Lead is unsafe at ANY level. There's no safe concentration of lead (among the majority of heavy metals, I cant think of one that isn't catastrophic upon ingestion into the human body). Look up lead toxicity and if you have an intact moral compass, you might feel guilty for throwing that tabet where you thought "...it belongs..." Please people. It is pathetically easy and FREEEEEEE to recycle electronics. Ya know that store you bought your electronics from and where you keep going to buy electronics to this day? Next time you're on your way to buy a new iphone or go to a verizon store or best buy or apple store, take your bag of electronic sh*t that you didn't recklessly throw in the municipal garbage system to that store and tell them to recycle it. For example, at the apple store, they literally have to accept any (safe) e-waste and will figure out how to properly dispose of it for you. It's free. I dropped off two old android devices, a metric ton of faulty charging cables, a few external USB battery packs that stopped working, and even a friggin printer at the Apple Store recently. 

      Why do people think it is ok to throw a brick full of deadly heavy metals, including lead, straight into the trash can when their lazy ass could easily just take it with them next time they go to Best Buy or the Apple Store where they recover and RECYCLE those rare earth/deadly heavy metals. They're legit treated and processed like toxic waste because they are. You CANNOT throw away anything electronic, including cables and chargers, without being directly responsible for f*cking up the very water, soil, air, food ... etc that your children will depend on in the future just as much as you do now. thank you for your time. Sorry for the essay. Public service announcement

  • Set up new RAX120 (V2) on 06 Sep.  Noticed internet down for a minutes multiple times - originally throught it was the service provider.  The next day, 07 Sep, I kept getting knocked off of the internet and out of business calls where I was presenting.  I checked the router and it was rebooting.  When it happened again within the hour, I saw that it was the router rebooting again.  This went on most of the day.  I called support in the evening and they asked a million questions about what equipment I had on the network?  This should not matter.  I replaced a very old router with this new expensive one, and the old one never rebooted or had issues - with all the same equipment on the network.  They had me change a few settings and I hung up.  Now it's a new day - 09 Sep.  Sure enough, while presenting to a customer during a videoconference, I lost the connection.  It was the router rebooting again.  4 meetings in a row and dropped in all 4 meetings when the router rebooted.  Luckily, it does come back on within 3 to 5 minutes and I can get back to work, but this is SUPER frustrating.  I am already thinking I need to change brands.  I bought this because I am a huge Bitdefender fan and Netgear Armor is provided by Bitdefender. I thought it would be great to get an awesome new router to future-proof me for a while while also adding the security suite to the mix.  Netgear's Nighthawk app also keep crashing on my phone.  This is painful.  I may have to start looking for a new brand and figure something else out entirely.  I am seeing this issue all over, so Netgear must know about it.  

  • So, when I first set up my RAX120, I did get some rebooting.  What was common each time was I was doing something in either the app or the extender app at the time of the reboot.  The logs were useless as they restart after each reboot.  My first thought was the app was causing it to work harder and it overheated, so I put a fan on it.  While setting up the fan, I decided to reseat all of the connections in the back of the router.  I noticed that the power connector had a really small "extra" space it could be pushed in, that I did not do the first time.  I pushed the power connecter in as far as it would go this time until the little "extra" space clicked.  Since doing this, I have not had a single random reboot.  For the 5ghz Wifi, I also turned off the protected space broadcast channels and left it in UNI1 space (channel 46).  So, it could have been that, the fan, or the power connecter reseating.  But, since, I have not had a single issue with it.

     

     

    • mkhanshaw's avatar
      mkhanshaw
      Initiate

      Alright - With the help of these posts and my experience - I think I see the problem (literally see it).

       

      So my rebooting started happening whenever additional load (anything over nominal compute) was happening...aka streaming (Video calls, Netflix vs Roku, etc). The additional load was creating heat. That, combined with a loosely mounted power port for the ac adapter appears to be the cause of the reboot. The loose powerport also prevents you from firmly inserting the male connector...and I could FEEL the heat around this area on mine.

       

      Load/Temp triggers the safety reboot.

       

      Although I did not take the time to disassemble my Router in an attempt to fix with a soldering iron (because my intent was just to return to amazon and be done), I DID relocate the router to a cold tile floor, add fan to conduct heat away from it...and what do you know....kept connection. 

       

      All that said - Netgear: You lost a lifetime customer. I loved my AC1900 and the ones before it, but now, I cannot trust your quality control. Shame too because it seemed like a nice unit...even had a cool look!

       

      If anyone cares, I moved to an ASUS AX6000 (RT-AX89X) dual band (dual band because thats really all I need, but wanted hella good range and strength) and the thing has been working flawlessly now

      • CylonRaiderOne's avatar
        CylonRaiderOne
        Initiate

        So, after posting my previous post that I had conquered the random rebooting, the RAX120 decided to puke on me again.  So, it went back to the store for a refund.  I wanted to like this router.  I mean, it looks like Kylo Ren is routing my packets... great looking design but ultimately had way too many issues for me to keep it running.  I replaced it with an ASUS AX11000 ROG router.  Should you pursue a similar interest, you will notice a build quality in ASUS routers that Netgear just doesnt seem to have.

         

        In a similar vein, I did decided to keep my Nighthawk EAX80 range extender.  That worked handsomely, and, synced right up with the ASUS router as well (SSIDS the same).  That is a great unit.  

  • In my latest call, support admitted the ongoing issues with AX120 rebooting. They recommended I return it and buy a RAX80 instead - they said they're not having any issues with RAX80. 

  • Same.  Tried two routers with different ISPs.  Tried downgarding firmware.  I noticed the DoS logs so I disabled that in the WAN settings.  Nothing has worked.  

    • jrgebbie's avatar
      jrgebbie
      Tutor
      Disable wmm on 2.4ghz, you'll find it under qos in a different tab.
      • beachmiles's avatar
        beachmiles
        Apprentice
        Disabling wmm on the 2.4ghz In the advanced setup tab under quality of service seems to have helped me quite a bit. The router has been up 12 hours straight where before it wouldn't last an hour. Hopefully this is a real fix until Netgear hopefully patches this major bug.
  • Disabling WMM on the 2.4 band did the trick. The speed dropped instantly but at least is stable. Support from Netgear was useless. They didn’t even know this was a big issue with this router and it seems like others too. I do have 15 days still with Amazon to return the router so I will do that. Already got an Asus router.
  • Retired_Member's avatar
    Retired_Member

    jus about done with this router.  Consistently reboots randomly several times a week and, sometimes, several times a day.  It doesn’t look like there are any solution and Netgear offered only a couple of options then gave up.  I’ve also tried most if not all of the suggestions proposed here. Unless some one has come up with something recently, looks like I’ll be shopping for a new router. 

    • FURRYe38's avatar
      FURRYe38
      Guru - Experienced User

      Did you try disabling WMM on the 2.4Ghz radio on the router. Others have reported that disabling WMM on the 2.4Ghz radio has tempoarily solved this until a FW fix comes from NG. 

      • Retired_Member's avatar
        Retired_Member

        Thank you for the suggestion.  Unfortunately, its been disabled for quite some tiome and the behavior of the router has been the same.  Going router shopping today.

         

        Thanks again..