NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
derekcannady
Dec 23, 2021Guide
RAX120 V2 Constant Random Reboots
The router reboots frequently sometimes every 30 minutes. I have noticed that the router reboots under heavy system load of +50% on the processor. The only way I have been able to drastically lessen the issue is by turning off 2.4 Ghz WMM services. Unfortunately my 2.4 Ghz devices pay the price for that with slower throughput. I can't even view some security camera streams any longer because the bandwidth is so poor.
I first purchased this router about a month ago and have already had the unit replaced by NG once but unfortunately the replacement does the same thing. I am within the time period to return the router. I'm hesitant to purchase the RAX200 because of the same issue. I may have to try another brand after 10 years of using NG. It doesn't look like Netgear has a solution for this either- I've spent plenty of time troubleshooting with the Level 2 support folks (they spent a lot of insinuating that the power outlet was the culprit, even after trying the router on several outlets and APC backups)).
- Installed beta firmware 1.2.3.33 on it and then turn fan on in debug.htm. Just check mark it , don’t click on apply.
And bought a cool pad from amazon $10 . 4 days in a row no restart and router works perfect.
Laptop Cooling Pad,ESGAMING Laptop Cooling Stand Laptop Cooler 10-15.6 Inch 2 USB Ports 2 Fans with Blue LEDs https://a.co/d/dXVVnxw
706 Replies
Sort By
Replies have been turned off for this discussion
Hi,
My router keeps randomly restarting. Network provider is doing fine - stable connection without any disturbances (I tested on different router while Nighthawk is going down. I also contacted the provider and they said there's been no problems on their side. I did turn off auto firmware updates but it did not help. I tried to browse logs but it only shows new logs from the boot up moment. My home network setup is super straightforward - minimal setup to make it work, did the Netgear app setup.
My setup is:
Nighthawk AX12 RAX120v2
Firmware V1.2.3.28
Router Mode
Router restarts few times a day, not more than 10.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated!
Thanks!One thing to add - I did work properly like 2 months ago. Updates were turned on and my patience can't handle the restarts anymore. I was thinking about downgrading firmware but I don't know to which version.
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?
Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? A complete pull of the power adapter for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch. Power OFF the ISP modem for 1 minute then back ON as well.
I did the factory reset, basic Netgear app setup and still the same. I live in a new apartment so there are few neighbours, I can detect 4 networks. I did power off and on many times for like 5 minutes and it still did not help. Again, my old router worth less than $50 had zero issues.
- jmcorraTutor
I've been encountering the same problem and in working with Netgear Tech support who have been very helpful, concluded that the router should be exchanged which has been in service for 6 weeks. Prior to the installation of this RAX120v2, I had for 6 years a Nighthawk R8000 which never rebooted on its own; hence, the setup and location (prior to current) is exactly the same with of-course the exception upgraded router to a Rax120v2. Netgear support tried the obvious things in their problem determination. Plug the router directly into a wall outlet eliminating an extension cord, they reinstalled the latest firmware V1.2.3.28, and when the problem of random rebooting continued, they had me perform a factory reset. None of the aforementioned corrected the problem which could occur in my case, once every 3-4 days or 2-3 times in a single day. Seemingly the only constant with the reboots, is a variable when considering current conditions, and elapsed time in-between the random reboots. Unfortunately when I inquired with Netgear Support, they informed me that this device does not log error codes, nor can any traces or traps be implemented which is surprising to me. This leaves open the question for all, (clients, and Tech Support) of determining what the root cause of this random rebooting of the RAX120v2 is. My exchange for the same device has been requested and if this solves the problem one could assume a hardware problem, and should it reoccur, it's likely an unidentified logical problem and I'll need to select a different model.
- jcassady88Aspirant
Good morning... Did your router replacement to another model resolve your issue? I am receiving the constant reboots and wonder if I just swap a new unit or go to another product such as Linksys or TP Link. Well, during this message, my router decides to reboot, once again. Pray for me!!!!!
What Firmware version is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?Is Smart Connect enabled?
What 2.4Ghz devices do you all have connected?
What channels are you using? Auto? Try Auto and 48 on 5Ghz. Or try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and 40 to 48 channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?
- Eric35GuideThe router can reboot because of heat as well...
Eather it's some settings 2.4ghz or heat issue.It's not a heat issue. It's a system load issue- the system load shoudl not be at 75% for any reason, ever.
- jrgerberInitiate
Same exact scenario here. I'm currently on RAX120 firmware 1.2.3.28. The reboots were so bad over the past three weeks that I assumed power was possibly causing the reboot and bought a UPS.
Suspecting this could be a software bug in the latest firmware or worse a security bug someone is remotely exploiting I did an internet search to see if anyone else is having the same issue. From what I'm reading, in December 2021 they had 16 severe security issues fixed in the latest firmware. Of course those 16 are known vulnerabilities. With that many known just last month in December, statistically this suggests there are many unknown.
My first thought is the same. What other routers (and companies) are out there where I don't have to deal with my router interrupting watching movies and so on due to security exploits?
The problem is it's too easy for hardware manufacturers to grab any old license free Linux distro, stick it into a box and call it a router, and not care or need to have OS and security experts within the company maintaining the OS. Make a flashy looking device and suckers like myself will buy it.
- beachmilesApprenticeThanks for the idea, disabling the 2.4ghz wmm definitely helped reduce the random reboot I could easily cause by having a 2.4ghz client attempt to do a long 4gb download from Microsoft. I tried like 5 times and always it would cause the router to reset like a minute into the download. I disabled the wmm and it downloaded fine the first time.
I did a full system reset, disabled smart connect, forced 2.4ghz in 20mhz mode on channel 1 with no luck before disabling wmm.
It's crazy that this high end fairly new wifi 6 router would have this kind of terrible stability.- AwesomeSeaMonkyInitiate
I bought this router in November where it auto reboots 2 to 3 times a month. Ive tried searching online for answers but all everyone talks about is updating the firmeware or that there might be power, cable or heat issues. What a load of bull. There is nothing wrong with the power, cable or heat and firmware updates have made no difference to the issue. Why don't Netgear own up that their router has problems and they need to invest in a fix.
I had an Asus router for years which never rebooted by itself, then I decided to upgrade for a beefier unit and moved to Netgear. Now I'm stuck with these rebooting issues and bad advice for a fix.
I will be getting rid of my Netgear and purchasing a Asus again... that's the best fix out there. Too many posts online about Netgear rebooting with no good help, so do yourself a favour and change to another brand.
I've been dealing with this issue non-stop since December 2021 and I think I've figured this out. The router has a processosr that apparently is very sensitive to any change in voltage. Any fluctuation will make it reboot so this can be caused by router features, but it is mostly caused by power fluctuations that can be caused when you plug your router into a UPS that houses other devices. If you are having this problem, try puging the router directly into the wall, on a spower strip by itself or on a UPS by itself. I tried this and my router has never again had this proble. I realize this is still a flaw on Netgears part but at least I can use the router withut issues.
- beachmilesApprenticeAre you able to leave the wmm 2.4ghz enabled and still not get the random reboots??
Update: The router didn't reboot for almost 3 days, and then out of nowhwere it rebooted twice in about an hour. Now it's been stable for 14 hours without a reboot. I have 32 connected devices with a mix of 2.4 ghz and 5ghz, wireless and wired, and the only change I made was connecting directly into the wall socket. This definitely did not fix the problem, but it has reduced the frequency of reboots significantly, even with 2.4ghz running. I opened a ticket with Netgear support and we are in on going discussions over next steps. They have offered to replace the router if we don't reach a permanent and acceptable solution.
- oscarkkTutor
In my case the router runs stable for a month without rebooting, but whenever I play videos on fire tv stick 4k max with plex, the router reboots on average every 20 minutes. Tested the same situation many times. But on apple tv 4k with plex to play video or movies did not encounter this situation.
- DarrenMSr. NETGEAR Moderator
You may want to factory reset the router and see if that resolves the issue. The firmware update could of caused the issue. You can also backup your routers settings if needed before factory resetting the router. https://kb.netgear.com/24231/How-do-I-back-up-the-router-configuration-settings-on-my-Nighthawk-router
Just curious if you have tried the Beta FW thats being offered?
derekcannady wrote:
The router reboots frequently sometimes every 30 minutes. I have noticed that the router reboots under heavy system load of +50% on the processor. The only way I have been able to drastically lessen the issue is by turning off 2.4 Ghz WMM services. Unfortunately my 2.4 Ghz devices pay the price for that with slower throughput. I can't even view some security camera streams any longer because the bandwidth is so poor.
I first purchased this router about a month ago and have already had the unit replaced by NG once but unfortunately the replacement does the same thing. I am within the time period to return the router. I'm hesitant to purchase the RAX200 because of the same issue. I may have to try another brand after 10 years of using NG. It doesn't look like Netgear has a solution for this either- I've spent plenty of time troubleshooting with the Level 2 support folks (they spent a lot of insinuating that the power outlet was the culprit, even after trying the router on several outlets and APC backups)).
I installed the beta last week and so far the router hasn't dropped, but will report back if it does.
👍
Thanks for letting us know.
Be sure to save off a back up configuration to file for safe keeping. Saves time if a reset is needed.
https://kb.netgear.com/24231/How-do-I-back-up-the-router-configuration-settings-on-my-Nighthawk-router
Kidhack wrote:
I installed the beta last week and so far the router hasn't dropped, but will report back if it does.
- Rax120 has rebooted 3 times after firmware 1.2.3.33-0315. First reboot happened in 3days without any change settings.Second reboot happened in less 24 hours. And after rebooting the router couldn’t back to work just a power led light stays(router will come back to work when I press the power button and turn on) Third reboot: Then I disabled 2.4G WMM the router rebooted after about 4 days but it at least could restart regularly.
Well that was too bad...
• Reset to factory defaults
• Installed the beta update
Router is still randomly going dark – lights are on, but wifi / ethernet devices no longer see it on the network.
I am seeing the same random reboots, every few days.
I have a Netgear RAX120v2 running firmware version 1.2.3.28 connected to a Netgear CM2050V, both less than 20 days old.
The RAX120v2 and CM2050V are both connected to a APC UPS BR1500MS2, which is a sinewave, AVR UPS. These are the only devices connected to the UPS. That said, I don't believe that power fluctuations can be blamed for the reboots.
The device has WMM enabled for both 2.4 and 5 GHz. To quote Netgear's KB on WMM, "WMM is a subset of the IEEE 802.11e standard." I should not have to disable it to get rid of the reboots, and according to others in this thread, that doesn't solve the problem either.This on top of the inability to disable WPS and other annoyances made me consider replacing it with another brand.
If you have the option to return the RAX and find a different RAX, I would recommend do this. This issue is known to NG and seems like it's taking longer than expected for NG to resolve this. No idea when it will be. So you might want to avoid this model and find something different.
nestorsamelo wrote:
I am seeing the same random reboots, every few days.
I have a Netgear RAX120v2 running firmware version 1.2.3.28 connected to a Netgear CM2050V, both less than 20 days old.
The RAX120v2 and CM2050V are both connected to a APC UPS BR1500MS2, which is a sinewave, AVR UPS. These are the only devices connected to the UPS. That said, I don't believe that power fluctuations can be blamed for the reboots.
The device has WMM enabled for both 2.4 and 5 GHz. To quote Netgear's KB on WMM, "WMM is a subset of the IEEE 802.11e standard." I should not have to disable it to get rid of the reboots, and according to others in this thread, that doesn't solve the problem either.This on top of the inability to disable WPS and other annoyances made me consider replacing it with another brand.
FURRYe38 , thank you for your recommendation.
What I like about this model is its Qualcomm CPU, which it more likely to be supported by OpenWRT, hopefully in a not so distant future.I am debating myself what to do. Endure the reboots and wait for a solution. If I am just surfing the net, fine, if I am in a conference call, not so fine. Or go to another brand/model.
- SkippyNLGuide
Hi Support/ Netgear / Fellow user,
Before this update (this update/ latest version V1.2.3.28) I experienced random reboots of the router, clearing all logs and having to restart for about 5 minutes.
When the last update came out (V1.2.3.28), I experienced no issues until about 3 weeks.
After that, I seem to experience the problem when (certain) data-transfer is done.
I noticed it when:
I uploaded a file of +/- 3gb and
Friends coming over / devices connecting to the router + watching YouTube on TV
It seems to be that's a build-in safe-the-hardware protocol for whatever reason but, i agree with some posters that it seems to occur when the router is more busy, therefor maybe a caching error/ overload, memory error/ overload or CPU error/ overload. And / or could it be storage related?
Not trying to 'teach you a lesson' so to speak, it's just really annoying and it wasn't the cheapest router out there. That combined with some urgency for a stable connection is a real necessity at times.
Best regards,
Skipp
- tr4sh80ApprenticeYes, been having this reboot issue since purchasing this very expensive router. I work from home so you can imagine how annoying it is when I'm constantly being disconnected during zoom calls etc. Netgear needs to resolve this soon. There is no excuse for them not to fix this issue on such an expensive supposedly powerful router.
- MeroseTutor
Same here. Constant random reboots since purchasing about 3 week ago. My previous R8000P never did this.