Over the last 6 months my Nighthawk AX1100 (RAX200) router has become very unstable. It tends to go offline about once a week now forcing me to reboot or power cycle my network. When I am home, this can be done without much issue, although it is annoying since nearly every aspect of my life needs online connections. The biggest problem is when I am away from home and no one can physically reboot or power cycle the system. This happened to me recently and as a result, I had no access to my NAS files or my security cameras. The error code was 981883 and I have no idea what that refers to. Anyone know? I bought the RAX200 (which was the top router at that time) for stability and now it seems my money is not well spent. How can I ensure the router NEVER goes down and if it does, how can I get it up and running when i'm away? Also, what does error code 981883 mean. Thank you!

Thank you for your reply and sorry for my late response, been a crazy week. The device with a .15 IP address is a weather station and has a sensor that has been a problem. I changed it out today so hopefully those errors will be less. I have had some signal problems with my ISP in the past, especially as it gets hot (the say their equipment is sensitive to extreme heat). I probably need to get them back for a check. I haven't done a factory reset of the modem or router since the last FW updates and that's been a long time. I probably should but resist owing to the time it takes to reconnect my 30+ devices. But given the instability issues, it looks necessary. Thanks for your feedback, if you have any other tips, please pass them on. As soon as I can get the ISP to check the signal quality, I'll go ahead and reset the router.

stanfrench wrote: The error code was 981883 and I have no idea what that refers to. Anyone know? Where do you see that error code? Netgear routers aren't in the habit of handing out error codes. Then the usual boilerplate questions to eliminate some of the more common issues that crop up here.What firmware version do you have on the device? A number is more useful than "the latest". There may be newer versions, or "hot fixes", that do not show up if you check for new firmware with an app or in the browser interface.If there is one it might also help if you told people the make and model number of the modem/gateway/ONT that connects this router to the Internet. Is it, by any chance, also a router, with a set of LAN ports on the back?I ask because a lot of people turn up here trying to put a router behind a modem that is also a router. That can complicate troubleshooting.

The error code "981883" was in the "logs" section of the router login webpage (http://192.168.1.1/start.htm->ADVANCED->Administration->logs. That log entry gave the date, error code and some other location data. The date was the same date as when the main failure occurred so knowing what the error code means might point in the direction of the cause. The firmware is V1.0.10.140_1.0.79. The Netgear RAX200 router connects to a Netgear CM1200 modem. It's a stand-alone modem, no router function built into it.

Can you please post the log line with this event error seen in the log here in your next post? Has this been working with the NAS and cameras with out any issues up to this point? Please post a copy and paste of the modems connection status and event log page.https://kb.netgear.com/30007/How-do-I-obtain-the-cable-connection-information-from-a-NETGEAR-cable-modem-modem-routerhttps://kb.netgear.com/30008/How-do-I-view-or-clear-the-event-logs-on-my-NETGEAR-cable-modem-or-modem-routerBe sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended. Please post a copy and paste of the modems connection status and event log page.https://kb.netgear.com/30007/How-do-I-obtain-the-cable-connection-information-from-a-NETGEAR-cable-modem-modem-routerhttps://kb.netgear.com/30008/How-do-I-view-or-clear-the-event-logs-on-my-NETGEAR-cable-modem-or-modem-router stanfrench wrote: The error code "981883" was in the "logs" section of the router login webpage (http://192.168.1.1/start.htm->ADVANCED->Administration->logs. That log entry gave the date, error code and some other location data. The date was the same date as when the main failure occurred so knowing what the error code means might point in the direction of the cause. The firmware is V1.0.10.140_1.0.79. The Netgear RAX200 router connects to a Netgear CM1200 modem. It's a stand-alone modem, no router function built into it.

Attached is a copy of my Modem Status and Event Log. Unfortunately the history back to when the event failure occured (June 26) gets wiped out, I was lucky enough to see the error code from my router when I first opened it after the failure. I'll also send a copy of my current Router Status and Event Log.

RAX200 Unstable; error code 981883

22 Replies

michaelkenward
Guru
Jul 21, 2024
stanfrench wrote:

The error code was 981883 and I have no idea what that refers to. Anyone know?

Where do you see that error code? Netgear routers aren't in the habit of handing out error codes.

Then the usual boilerplate questions to eliminate some of the more common issues that crop up here.

What firmware version do you have on the device?

A number is more useful than "the latest". There may be newer versions, or "hot fixes", that do not show up if you check for new firmware with an app or in the browser interface.

If there is one it might also help if you told people the make and model number of the modem/gateway/ONT that connects this router to the Internet. Is it, by any chance, also a router, with a set of LAN ports on the back?

I ask because a lot of people turn up here trying to put a router behind a modem that is also a router. That can complicate troubleshooting.
- stanfrench
  Luminary
  Jul 21, 2024
  The error code "981883" was in the "logs" section of the router login webpage (http://192.168.1.1/start.htm->ADVANCED->Administration->logs. That log entry gave the date, error code and some other location data. The date was the same date as when the main failure occurred so knowing what the error code means might point in the direction of the cause.
  
  The firmware is V1.0.10.140_1.0.79.
  
  The Netgear RAX200 router connects to a Netgear CM1200 modem. It's a stand-alone modem, no router function built into it.
  - FURRYe38
    Guru
    Jul 22, 2024
    Can you please post the log line with this event error seen in the log here in your next post?
    
    Has this been working with the NAS and cameras with out any issues up to this point?
    
    Please post a copy and paste of the modems connection status and event log page.
    https://kb.netgear.com/30007/How-do-I-obtain-the-cable-connection-information-from-a-NETGEAR-cable-modem-modem-router
    https://kb.netgear.com/30008/How-do-I-view-or-clear-the-event-logs-on-my-NETGEAR-cable-modem-or-modem-router
    
    Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.
    
    Please post a copy and paste of the modems connection status and event log page.
    https://kb.netgear.com/30007/How-do-I-obtain-the-cable-connection-information-from-a-NETGEAR-cable-modem-modem-router
    https://kb.netgear.com/30008/How-do-I-view-or-clear-the-event-logs-on-my-NETGEAR-cable-modem-or-modem-router
    
    stanfrench wrote:
    
    The error code "981883" was in the "logs" section of the router login webpage (http://192.168.1.1/start.htm->ADVANCED->Administration->logs. That log entry gave the date, error code and some other location data. The date was the same date as when the main failure occurred so knowing what the error code means might point in the direction of the cause.
    
    The firmware is V1.0.10.140_1.0.79.
    
    The Netgear RAX200 router connects to a Netgear CM1200 modem. It's a stand-alone modem, no router function built into it.
nileshkb
Aspirant
Jan 16, 2025
Did this ever get resolved?

I have the exact same issue for last 5 months
- stanfrench
  Luminary
  Jan 16, 2025
  The problem of the error code never did go away. Furthermore I was experiencing some other stability issues as well so finally decided to upgrade to the new RS700S which is much better (faster, simpler and more stable).

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RAX200 Unstable; error code 981883