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Forum Discussion
JonesT
Dec 28, 2022Aspirant
RAX80 cutting speed by half after adding a CAX30
Hello community, recently I have added a CAX30 cable router so i could send internet to all the rooms in the house. Before that, i use to have a cable modem that was not able to automatically switch...
- Jan 05, 2023
JonesT wrote:As per your recommendation I left the CAX30 in gateway mode and change the RAX80 to AP mode, unfortunately I lost internet connection from the RAX80, I joined again the network and re-introduced passwords but it was saying connected without internet. I did a reset to the CAX30 and the RAX 80 did not recover internet again (like none of my devices could connect to that network). In the nighthawk app I was able to see both devices, the RAX80 with limited options (as suggested when moved to AP mode) and I was able to do a device internet test that came back even lower ~100Mbps. But still neither my phone or computer had internet access. I followed the netgear documentation to the process so I am not sure if I am missing anything?
To regain internet access to all my devices, I had to do a factory reset on the RAX80 and its back to normal again
With the CAX30 in gateway mode and nothing connected to the Ethernet ports, after booting does the internet indicator illuminate? If not, that has to be resolved first.
Is the RAX80 in router mode or access point mode? What do you mean by normal?
When you make and save changes to these devices, you have to power them down (pull the power cord) wait a minute and then start up your network in sequence. Generally from the outside in and allow plenty of time for each device to boot and stabilize before starting the next.
Kitsap
Jan 03, 2023Master
There are a couple of layout/configuration questions you need to answer before you decide on the modes of operation. These are dependent on how far apart physically the CAX30 and RAX80 are located.
How far apart will the two devices be located?
Do you want Wi-Fi signals to transmit from both devices?
Do you want the Ethernet ports to be active on both devices?
If the CAX30 is configured in modem only mode, there will be no W-Fi transmitted from the device and the only Ethernet port that will be active is the one you use to connect to your RAX80.
If the CAX30 is configured in gateway mode, it will have Wi-Fi and the Ethernet ports will be active. This uses your CAX30 as the router for your network.
With the CAX30 in gateway mode, your RAX80 should be configured in Access Point mode. The RAX80 will transmit Wi-Fi and the Ethernet ports will be active. However, some of the functions of your RAX80 will be disabled. See here: https://kb.netgear.com/000061927/What-is-the-difference-between-router-mode-and-AP-mode
Be sure and review the links at the bottom of the article for more details.
- JonesTJan 04, 2023Aspirant
Thanks a lot Kitsap some of those questions I had, please see my responses below with additional feedback.
- How far apart will the two devices be located? those are ~15 ft away from each other. My previous setup was having a cable modem that fed directly my RAX80, however this was limiting the wired service to all my other locations. The CAX30 was the addition to my setup as it would work as a router. The CAX30 is located in a central location where all the cables run to all the rooms in the house. What I am doing right now is connecting one of the CAX30 LAN ports to a switch and from the switch to all other rooms and a second CAX LAN port to the RAX80.
Do you want Wi-Fi signals to transmit from both devices? not necessarily, as the CAX30 is the new addition, all my devices are WiFi connected to the RAX80. If I change that, I will have to setup all the devices to the CAX30 (just being lazy here)
Do you want the Ethernet ports to be active on both devices? Yes, as I said, i need the LAN ports in the CAX30 to feed a switch and pass internet to all my rooms as well as the ports in the RAX80 to feed my wired devices in the living room
Hopefully this helps to clarify what I am trying to do, from your great explanation below, I see that modem mode in the CAX30 is not really an option for me. The question I have is, if I setup the RAX80 in AP mode and lose some of the functions, would those still be available in the CAX30?
- KitsapJan 04, 2023Master
Very good. The picture is much clearer now. In particular your switch and Ethernet routing.
Configure your CAX30 as a gateway. Configure the CAX30 Wi-Fi (SSID and passwords) before you manually turn off the radios with the external button. This way if you need independent Wi-Fi in a hurry for some reason, press one button and you have it.
Configure your RAX80 as an access point. The features that are no longer functional at the RAX80 are part of the routing function that is disabled and are being handled by the router in the CAX30. The features should all be available in the CAX30.
With the RAX80 configured as an access point, your Ethernet throughput capacity should be the same as you have at the CAX30.
- JonesTJan 04, 2023Aspirant
As per your recommendation I left the CAX30 in gateway mode and change the RAX80 to AP mode, unfortunately I lost internet connection from the RAX80, I joined again the network and re-introduced passwords but it was saying connected without internet. I did a reset to the CAX30 and the RAX 80 did not recover internet again (like none of my devices could connect to that network). In the nighthawk app I was able to see both devices, the RAX80 with limited options (as suggested when moved to AP mode) and I was able to do a device internet test that came back even lower ~100Mbps. But still neither my phone or computer had internet access. I followed the netgear documentation to the process so I am not sure if I am missing anything?
To regain internet access to all my devices, I had to do a factory reset on the RAX80 and its back to normal again