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RAX43 5Ghz network unstable
*Router is actually RAX43 but for some reason that wasn't an option.
I can't seem to get a stable connection to a 5Ghz network on my PC that lasts longer than 5 seconds. I recently switched ISPs and upgrade to gigabit wifi, but the Eero router they provided capped out at 500mb/s over wifi, and since most of my devices connect through wifi I decided I should upgrade to something that could deliver the speeds I'm paying for.
After a lot of trouble getting it up and running in the first place (vLan ID issue, cause all New Zealand ISPs apparently do this) I started tinkering with security settings, changed the SSID and passwords, tested out Smart Connect etc, I realised that while the connection was stable enough on 2.4Ghz, the 5Ghz connect would drop almost as soon as it connected. I could load webpages at full speed only for the next load to completely drop and be unable to reconnect at all, which basically removes Smart Connect or anything 5Ghz related as options. I've done some digging and I saw a few posts from 2019 about certain Nighthawk router firmwares having issues with 5Ghz, surely that isn't still an issue with current Nighthawks? I noticed the issue out of the box (I believe this was 1.0.2x) but I also updated to 1.0.5 and it still happens. This seems pretty appalling for a product from one of the biggest networking brands in the world.
This has genuinely been one of the most aggrevating tech experiences of my life. I haven't even had this router for a full day and already I'm thinking I should return it and avoid anything Netgear related for the foreseeable future.
Update for anyone reading this in the future: After troubleshooting and talking to Netgear support, we determined it was faulty and I returned the router and replaced it, I haven't had any issues with the new one since then. So if you're having a similar issue to me, you might need a replacement unit.
8 Replies
What are you using as a modem, if there is one, to connect to the Internet?
the Eero router they provided capped out at 500mb/s over wifi, and since most of my devices connect through wifi I decided I should upgrade to something that could deliver the speeds I'm paying for.
How many of your wifi devices are actually capable of speeds faster than 500 Mbps? Most aren't.
- The modem is a Huawei ONT, wired into the house as a part of the NZ Government's Fibre rollout.
As for speeds over 500mb/s, my PC, work laptop and iPad all support WIFI 6. I did manage to see the full speed of my connection on my PC during testing, but the instability of 5ghz makes that useless.
Mars92 wrote:
The modem is a Huawei ONT, wired into the house as a part of the NZ Government's Fibre rollout.That doesn't telll us what it is. Just the brand name. The question was intended to find out if the Internet came through something that is also a router. That isn't common, but isn't unknown and complicates network management.
Hey there, not sure if this will help but my suggestion is to first check that the device you are using (phone, tablet, laptop etc) supports the 5Ghz WiFi. For instance most Apple products do after a certain model but can't comment on my else. Next, turn off all the Smart Connect, bandwidth control and anything else fancy to do with 5Ghz and just try to connect one device. You can see if that is working by looking at Connected Devices.
From my experience the 5Ghz on the RAX43 is very stable. I think the trickery that Netgear adds like the automagic switching and so on doesn't assist but often causes more problems than it solves.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Twitchrot
Update for anyone reading this in the future: After troubleshooting and talking to Netgear support, we determined it was faulty and I returned the router and replaced it, I haven't had any issues with the new one since then. So if you're having a similar issue to me, you might need a replacement unit.
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
Enjoy. 📡
