NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Rodney007xx
Nov 07, 2021Aspirant
Sudden loss of WiFi, what is Bernie?
I have recently purchased a Nighthawk AX4200 modem. I had run the setup wizard and the internet/Wifi was works fine.
Then for no reason at all, after 2 weeks the wifi drops off, and the connection is replaced by a new connection SSID called "BernieAx50" WiFi connection. According to google this is a common fault and "Bernie" Is a manufacturers name of WiFi connection.
So.. I factory reset and do everything again, internet working fine... 2 days later - THE SAME!!.. wifi gone and replaced by this stupid BERNIE connection and my one is gone.
Can anyone convince me that this modem is worth keeping? What is this problem about??
How to stop it happening?
And yes, firmware is up todate ! Please help..
Then for no reason at all, after 2 weeks the wifi drops off, and the connection is replaced by a new connection SSID called "BernieAx50" WiFi connection. According to google this is a common fault and "Bernie" Is a manufacturers name of WiFi connection.
So.. I factory reset and do everything again, internet working fine... 2 days later - THE SAME!!.. wifi gone and replaced by this stupid BERNIE connection and my one is gone.
Can anyone convince me that this modem is worth keeping? What is this problem about??
How to stop it happening?
And yes, firmware is up todate ! Please help..
Hello Los
Make sure you are on the latest firmware as a fix was released for this issue.
Thanks
DarrenM
28 Replies
Sort By
Rodney007xx wrote:
I have recently purchased a Nighthawk AX4200 modem.What hardware are we talking about here?
The RAX40|Nighthawk AX4 4-Stream WiFi Router listed in your footer is a router not a modem. And AX4200 is not a Netgear model. (It is a wifi speed indicator.)
Rodney007xx wrote:
Then for no reason at all, after 2 weeks the wifi drops off, and the connection is replaced by a new connection SSID called "BernieAx50" WiFi connection.What else is on your network? A modem of some sort? If so, what is it?
- Rodney007xxAspirantHi,
Sorry about that.. this is what I have:
NETGEAR NightHawk AX4200 AX5 5-Stream WiFi 6 Router (RAX43)What modem/gateway is it connected to?
have you been able to log into the router and check what its ssid/password is when this happens?
Just to confirm if it is your device changing or not?
Have you changed the ssid/password as well as the gui password to the device?
What actual modem/router do you have? AX4200 is a speed and the RAX40 you put in your signature isn't a modem.
Are you leaving your wifi network open?
Are you changing your login info to the router?
Just curious as "Bernie" isn't a standard naming so I'm wondering if someone is getting access to your setup and changing the ssid/password.
plemans wrote:Just curious as "Bernie" isn't a standard naming so I'm wondering if someone is getting access to your setup and changing the ssid/password.
Or it could be a completely different wifi SSID from somewhere else. The neighbours?
- juliegingerAspirant
Not the neighbors! I have this exact same issue and live in a remote area where there are no other routers within range. How could So many people have their SSID's all renamed "Bernie_"" it Has to be a firmware flaw.
- Rodney007xxAspirantHi,
The modem is setup for my parents house. There is no other house nearby.. and "Bernie" has full bars WiFi signal. So ita coming from the modem, and after the second time I left the "NETGEAR18" SSID in place...thats gone and replaced by Bernie.
I googled it an others have also experienced this problem. Apparently "Bernie" is a Netgear Wifi SSID from the factory??I've had numerous modems/routers and not a single one of them have had bernie as a name. The standard name is netgear with some numbers afterwards.
And it could be next door and show full bars. Without actually logging into the router to check its ssid, its tough to prove its coming from yours unless you compare mac addresses with a wifi scanner.
and you still didn't say what your modem is or if you've changed the routers ssid/password and the login password to ensure no one one else is logging into it.
- juliegingerAspirant
I have a RAX50 and have been having this problem on and off since I purchased it, like I had it maybe 5 days then this started intermittently. The router randomly renames itself Bernie_RAX50 and that is not the default name of my device. I do have my router very locked down as far as security for both primary and guest network with nothing left open. I have to do a factory reset and rebuild my network each time. This is the most garbage POS I have ever encountered and a MAJOR FLAW which Must be in the firmware or there wouldnt be so many people with the same exact problem where it resets to the same SSID name. I have seen many people across the world comment this issue now (found under a Google search). Were I not a IT Sys Admin for over 20 years, and just a novice home user I would be at my wits end! HORRIBLE of Netgear, HORRIBLE!!!!! Such an expensive device which has inherenent flaws out of the box.
- Rodney007xxAspirant
Yes its very fustrating, lukcily the support through the app is good and instant, however the worrying issue is most staff/workers at NETGEAR have no idea what the fault is even when they ask supervisors. It took me 3 attempts on the chat support for someone to guide me through changing some settings, even then it was "lets try this" its been 2 weeks and has not happened so fingers crossed.
Another mod above said he has a firmware patch to fix the issue.
I saved all the chat transcripts as if the issue arrises again I am 100% taking it back for a refund.
I am happy to share the chat dialog with the instructions of how we fixed mine if that helps?