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RAX80 regularly disconnects devices, then they reconnect
I recently “upgraded” from an R8000 thinking I would have better connectivity and faster speeds. Since purchasing the RAX80 I continually have devices drop their connection at random, then they reco...
My experience with this problem is slightly different. In my case, the RAX80 simply slows a specific (random) system's connection down to a crawl. Rebooting the system dows nothing to fix this. The only fix I've found so far is to reboot the router and problem is gone.
Tech support has suggested changing the MTU setting to 1468. (Advanced>setup>Wan Setup) So far, I haven't noticed any improvement from this.
So they made another suggestion I haven't had the opportunity to check out yet. Here it is:
">>click on advanced on the top of the page
>>Then Select Advanced Setup
>>under Advanced Setup click on Advanced Wireless setting
under Wireless Advanced Settings (2.4GHz b/g/n) under Fragmentation Length (256-2346): changed the number 2346 to 2300
for CTS/RTS Threshold (1-2347): change the number from 2347 to 2301
do the same for Wireless Advanced Settings (5GHz a/n/ac)
Hit apply.
After this please observe the connection at least six hours."Perhaps this is worth a try. I have some other problems with this box. If they can't resolve them, I'g going to ask NetGear to buy the RAX80 back or replace it with something that is stable enough to actually work correctly. - My own optinion is that they shouldn't be messing with public domain code to run this box, generally, this has too many glitches and security issues. - You'd think they could afford to have professionals writing the firmware for these systems.
yeah fully agree, I tried many rounds and found channel 60 is stable. it is stable for certain period, then suddenly freeze again. I guess once you select DFS channel, when there is a jam from nearby, or even slightest disturbence, it causes this router to go loop and hang then disconnect all its connections, it just not very solid , it should lock into the frequency more tightly.
another stupid thing about this router is , when you make some changes, then reboot, then all the sudden the max will drop 1/2, until you on the QoS and off again. the firmware is just very buggy.
and btw, any Netgear people reading all these **bleep**? or just let us BS all the way and delete the thread later?
Dragonpak,
I have these results running my 5 GHz on channel 44, which is not DFS, if I'm not mistaken. In that setting, my Wi-Fi monitor shows no other signals on that channel with plenty of room on either side. It also show 0% interference there. I also had the setting at the factory default channel and got pleanty of interference because several neighbors are crowding onto that channel.
Regarding, the ***Bleep*** removal of very critical stuff, I have heard of at least one case of that happening. And, wouldn't you know; it was being critical9f the RAX80 specs.
BTW: Originally, the purchase decision for the RAX80 was my mistake. (Caveat Emptor, y'know.) The fundamental thing I overlooked was believing all of the excellent reviews on the Netgear product page and reading several very favorable on-line review/comparisons from the 'expert' review websites. - After buying the RAX80, I went back and started seeing much less favorable owner reviews on reseller product pages.
It is possible that most of the owners giving the box good reviews haven't gone much further than configuring it through the mobile app. Maybe ignorance really can be bliss...
It's pretty clear that Netgear has produced a lemon and they don't want to back down.
Also, after seeing the history, I suspect that the real problem isn't the firmware, but something in the hardware design or its related microcode.
Presently, I have several Netgear Gigabit 'Pro' hubs on my fully CAT 6 network, and have owned several of their earlier Wi-Fi routers. Up 'til now, these have all been great. After this RAX80 debacle, I doubt I will ever buy a Netgear product again. Obviously, their standards have come way down.
I tried incorperating everyones suggestions and most of them, unfortuntaley, made the router perform worse than before. Turning off smart connect did help but (only slightly) not enough for me to keep the router. I've been messing with this thing for months and it's the end of the line for me. Luckily, the AmpliFi Alien Router just came in stock today so I will be switching over to that. Good luck to those who are sticking with this terrible product!
I was about to order an Alien yesterday also when saw back in stock but after doing some research saw they have not added DFS channel support... the Alien only has two channels for 5GHz so people are getting even slower speeds sometimes since cannot move to unused frequencies yet. Also the WiFi 6 chip on Alien does not allow to change channel yet so stuck on channel it comes with.... gonna wait since seems all these new AX routers aren't ready yet.
mafo5000 wrote:I tried incorperating everyones suggestions and most of them, unfortuntaley, made the router perform worse than before. Turning off smart connect did help but (only slightly) not enough for me to keep the router. I've been messing with this thing for months and it's the end of the line for me. Luckily, the AmpliFi Alien Router just came in stock today so I will be switching over to that. Good luck to those who are sticking with this terrible product!
Xjn,
My new router is not made by Netgear, but it is a tri-band ax router. It not only has good coverage, but it automatically finds the best channel. I've used a signal analyzer in every room of my 3200 sq. foot home, and also in the farthest away bay of my three car garage.
I live in a neighborhood where there has been a constant escallation of signal warfare from neighboring homes. The powerful signal cuts way down on the interference, which is another major factor in getting good throughput. - Another great plus is that this is a single router, but it is also a mesh-based product that means I could easily extend it, if I ever need to.
When I built the house, I had it wired for CAT 6, but there are now so many categories of household devices that rely on Wi-Fi, and I have lots of them.
So far, I've had no problem with this new Wi-Fi network hardware since I installed it. I'm just enjoying the heck out of it.
Netgear builds a lot of good stuff. Unfortunately, the RAX80 is a real flop.
- Witch router is it?
Have you tried different channels? That is the #1 thing that has made a difference. I try to move to a new channel for at least two weeks to see how it performs over time and then moved on to the next one. The 4th channel was the right one, so it took a couple of months, but since I have moved to channel 104, it has worked great.
The only ways channels make a difference is if there are too many others using that channel in your vicinity. Having a good Wi-Fi analyzer, make it easier to find one that his not being used by others close by. There is a problem with the higher channels, too. some of them overlap with frequencies being used by radar. Using those channels is always a crapshoot, unless you live in an area where radar interference is not likely.
- For me, changing Wi-Fi channels are also irrelevant.
Any Wi-Fi router should be able to negotiate which channel to use automatically.
Even my free non-branded internet provider router is capable to do this on both 2.4 & 5G channels.
A $500 top end router from Netgear should be able to do this no problem. With some persistence I was able to persuade Netgear to let me return the RAX80 for a refund. It took an unbelievable amount of time, hours spent on the phone with their tech support, calling them out on twitter when their initial support in another country just "closed the case" unsolved, etc. I first contacted them in October/November about the persistent issues with the router and finally got a refund check in hand only just last week. Well I learned my lesson to buy from somewhere that has a longer than 14 day return policy next time, OR to be sure and put the product through it's paces the first week and return anything that isn't performing or locking up all the time.
So the router I ended up going with was a previous gen model also from Netgear: Nighthawk AC2300 from Best Buy. So far it has been rock-solid and has never had any downtime as opposed to the near daily (or more) manual resets required with the RAX80. And it's an upgrade from the N600 router. I was highly skeptical about this recommendation and made sure to set it up day 1 and have not had a glitch/lockup or any need to reset it and it's been running for over a month since I sent in the old one. For me, stability is far more important than "speed" or having the latest, especially when the latest is garbage. It's unfortunate that most online reviews of products like the RAX80 just regurgitate feature-sets and don't really put products through their paces.
Kingjahrome,
I finally got my reseller go take my RAX80 back, thanks...
This is only my opinion, but I suspect that the RAX80's problems are mainly in the hardware. Netgear may continue to try and resolve the problems in firmware, but I strongly suspect they will need to revise the circuitry before it will fully function as specified.
Yes, hardware could be a possibility as well. Someone has a bug. Could be in DSP's, FPGA's, firmware, or drivers. They have to acknowledge they have an issue at all which they never have really. The reply I got after they sent it to their engineering was "we cannot reproduce the issue, send him a refund." They have my broken unit now, if they can't figure it out they aren't trying hard enough! :-D I suppose I should let it go now. Fortunate you could get the reseller to refund too.
PDWhite wrote:Kingjahrome,
I finally got my reseller go take my RAX80 back, thanks...
This is only my opinion, but I suspect that the RAX80's problems are mainly in the hardware. Netgear may continue to try and resolve the problems in firmware, but I strongly suspect they will need to revise the circuitry before it will fully function as specified.
New firmware relased,1.0.2.76. Has anyone tried it? I'm in fear I will waste another couple of hours of my life I won't get back digging out my brick only to find false promise.
- I flashed it but given the current situation with the entire household at home I can't take the risk of bad reliability to test it right now.
However from some other threads the LAN disconnect issues are definitely still present & from the general release notes I don't see anything which would fix any of the WiFi or QoS problems. - Yea I’ve seen the same thing. It’s somewhat concerning that Netgear would bother to issue an update and not address one of the main issues with this router. Many of the other issues can be considered minor to the operation of this unit, but for complete LAN disconnection issue, that basically make this an unusable product. I shake my head in disbelief every time I think Netgear has made an attempt to make this right. It just goes to show this company has lost any competency we might expect.
Well since I have nothing but time sitting at home on a "Stay at home" order, I decided today to dust off the rax80 and download the new firmware (1.0.2.76). First problem, as discussed prior, when the last firmware was released, it could only be obtained by using the nighthawk app, this one was just the opposite. The app said no update available, yet the update is available online for download. This is exactly opposite of the last update scenario. Another blunder by Netgear. So having now downloaded and istalled the update and getting things tweaked in, it is now operational. Didn't do anything special except replicate the settings I use on my R8500. Everything seems pretty stable, running 30+ devices. I now have a little over 12 hours uptime so we shall see if things are still connected in the morning. I'm running about 500-650 Mbps wireless speed on both my IPad and iPhone, which is a tad faster than I was with my R8500. Rechecked after 12 hours, and still holding true. I will report tomorrow if we are still connected. Somehow as in past scenarios, that is usually the failing point of this router.
Cheers, and stay well all. I will update tomorrow.
- nice write up thanks.. my rax80-nas has been running fairly well over the last few months with the exception of a reset needed about once a week or two? More and less. It depends.
Wishing all the best - Cant be running that well is it needs a reset..
My ISP non branded router never needed a reset in 3 years & the Netgear EX8000 I'm using in place of the RAX80 hasn't needed a reset either.
I won't accept a daily or weekly reset on a device which cost $300 when one for less than $100 works fine. Well my test run of the 1.0.2.76 firmware was once again a BIG "F"! Router didn't make it 24 hours without loss of internet on all my Wi-Fi devices. Past firmware problems exhibited dropout on both LAN and Wi-Fi devices, but only Wi-Fi this time. Ran very well for about 24 hrs then completely unresponsive. I could also not log into the web GUI from a wireless device. The Wi-Fi signal was still present but basically dead. So once again I will box this thing up and put it away for another time when Netgear gets it right. If only I could say what I really wanted to say directly to those responsible for the creation of this crap they call a router. Well not going to throw any more time of my life away on this, so good riddance and hope everyone stays well.
loggin out
The newest firmware isn't working for me either. Many, many, many disconnnects throughout the day which result in having to unplug the router and then plugging it back in. Netgear exchanged my first faulty router only to exchange it with another faulty router.
Some of the other things I discovered with the new firmware update (1.0.2.76). First if you try and run a Speedtest in the nighthawk app, it doesn't work and locks up the router GUI. If you try and go to the QOS page in the router GUI, and run a Speedtest, it will fail. The usb network storage will show up on your network for a short time, and then dissappear off the network. You have to reboot in order to get it back. On my R8500, I have many devices switched off in the Nighthawk App switches, so they dont have web access, but only local acces. When doing this same thing with the rax80, it kills the devices completely from the network both internal and external. The only plus with the firmware, was Wi-Fi network speed was much improved. I was hitting around 550-650 Mbps consistently.
Hi my current version is
Firmware Version V1.0.1.70_1.0.30
When I check for updates, it says is the latest.
I started noticing random disconnects a few days ago. If there was a new firmware update I would like to go back to previous one.
I checked the netgear product downloads page for the RAX80 router and I see the "Current version" however I do not see the "Previous Versions" link as it shows for other products.
Can anyone advise how to downgrade to previous version please- Not for nothing buddy but do you have 38+ devices connected? IR and RF remotes running scenes? Do you have four AC and AX devices running on Wi-Fi? Do you even have AX? No you don’t. So start a new thread with your 3 year old equipment no one cares about. If I wanted mediocre stability I’d go buy that e800 off ebay for cheap. We’re not even talking about range extenders anyways! My range extenders work fine too, cool!
You’re in the wrong thread . ✌🏼
bostony126 wrote:
Not for nothing buddy but do you have 38+ devices connected? IR and RF remotes running scenes? Do you have four AC and AX devices running on Wi-Fi? Do you even have AX? No you don’t. So start a new thread with your 3 year old equipment no one cares about. If I wanted mediocre stability I’d go buy that e800 off ebay for cheap. We’re not even talking about range extenders anyways! My range extenders work fine too, cool!
You’re in the wrong thread . ✌🏼Who's the "Buddy"?
there is new firmware on their webise, the "check for new firmware" is comlete broken.
RAX80-V1.0.2.76_1.0.35
Giving this a try, this thing had been terrible latley, was using V1.0.1.70_1.0.30 this before updating, we'll see how it goes I guess.
I installed
RAX80-V1.0.2.76_1.0.35 over a week ago. Still having to reset my router 5 times per day.
I gave up. (and, I don't give up easily.) I returned mine. The replacement (any replacement) is a great improvement. I strongly suspect (and, this is my opinion) that there is no way to fix the problems with upgrading the firmware. I believe that the problem is in the hardware or embedded microcode and that there is nothing that can be done without re-engineering the hardware. It there was, the problems would have been caught and fixed by now.