RAX120 V2 Constant Random Reboots

I do not want this thread and the issue to go away.

FURRYe38  what was the outcome of the investigation of the muniz_ri logs by NG? Please update us.

So far in this community it was established that:

1. changing power adapter stops the RAX120V2 from rebooting for prolonged periods of time - 30 days in my case, 18 days with beachmiles, but then reboots come back
2. changing the router default IP address seems to help by extending the interval between reboots. Is it true muniz_ri?
3. cooling the router by permanently enabling the Thermal Fan through debug settings and adding external cooling extends the interval between reboots
4. disabling 2.4GhHz WiFi WMM extends the intervals between reboots
5. The beta fiirmware provided by NG via DarrenM  does not seem to help. Do we know how many different versions there are?

In July 2021 mariosuper47 posted the following in the RAX120V2 random reboots thread of the time (now closed):

The RAX200 worked OK for the first few weeks with random reboots.   I tried many troubleshooting steps and then I ran out of my return windows.   Random reboots got worse!  Basically the router failed! Contacted Netgear which was absolutely no help.

My experience with RAX200 was remarkably similar to the initial poster on this thread. I tried everything and finally gave up and bought a new ASUS router.   I configured the ASUS and everything worked as represented.  I put the RAX200 in a box hoping for miracles, but not expecting one. 2 months later I viewed a video where some guy took apart his Netgear router and fixed some kind of random issue.   I did learn how Netgear puts devices together and how to take them apart.   So I decided to take a day and see what the RAX200 looked like inside since it had no value to me as it was.

I do not RECOMMEND anyone try this but I thought that I would SHARE my discovery!

I discovered that the Power Adapter plug that powered the router seemed outsized and that it did not seem to fully insert into the socket on the router mother board .  I also found the socket on the router mother board was not properly soldered and secured to the mother board (ie.  it moved around - up and down).   I could not fix the solder joints but I had the idea to put a non-conductive spacer between the MB and the socket module preventing it from moving up and down.  It took me several hours to get this done and get everything back together because I am very much an amateur.  Aftert this bit of "jury rigging", I found that the power plug would fully insert into the socket which wasn't possible before.

I decided to try the RAX200 in its former place of honor which had been taken over by an ASUS.    Wow!   It worked perfectly.   The power adapter plug fit fully into the socket and it have been running for 2 months without a reboot.  I have multi-gig internet and numerous peripherals that now work perfectly.   I realize that my amatuer fix may fail at some point but I feel quite satisfied that I have gotten something out of my $500 investment and that I can once again experience network excellence.

It seems to me that quality control at Netgear has not been up to its, heretofore, high standards.   Perhaps, my story of disappointment and discovery can lead to a return to quality control that has made Netgear's reputation what it is.

mariosuper47, could you please confirm that you described a problem with RAX200 and not RAX120? RAX200 does not appear to have the random reboot issue.

In Sep 2021 mkhanshaw  posted the following:

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 power port also prevents you from firmly inserting the male connector...and I could FEEL the heat around this area on mine.

...

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.

I concur that the power connector on my RAX120 is loose and does not appear to fully go in to the power socket. I imagine that when the router gets hot the connectivity may get lost just purely due to loss of electrical contact due to expansion of loose parts with heat.

FURRYe38has NG ever investigated the loose power socket issue? I can literally cause the router to reboot if I shake the cable from the power adapter.