Trouble with Google Home Speakers on a Nighthawk AX12 RAX 120

Question

I live in an old, brick house, which makes setting up a decent WiFi network reeeeally tough.
I recently purchased an AX12 RAX120 as it is widely regarded as having amazing range.
Everything works relatively well... apart from when I try and listen to music on a Google Home speaker.

When listening to music (from Spotify or BBC Radio) the signal cuts out intermittently, producing a terribly frustrating choppiness.
This becomes worse if I'm streaming on multiple speakers, as they all start to drop in and out at random intervals.
The speakers don't get amazing signal strength... about -75dBm... but it should still be enough to stream music.

Is there anything I can set in my configuration to make streaming smoother?

Thanks,
Dan

plemans · Answer

that hiltron is a modem/router combo device and can put you in a double nat. Some smart home devices struggle with a double nat.&nbsp;
A double nat happens when you cascade more than 1 router. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NATFixes? There’s 3 options but only use 1. 1. Put the modem/gateway in modem only/pass through mode. This disables its routing functions. 2. Leave the modem/gateway in router mode but put the Netgears IP address into its DMZ. This forwards the data to the netgear. You can either leave the modem/gateway’s wireless enabled or disabled. Just make sure its using a different wifi channel to prevent interference3. Put the Netgear into access point mode. This disables its routing functions. Wifi/ethernet still works but it does disable some features. https://kb.netgear.com/26765/Which-features-are-disabled-on-my-NETGEAR-router-when-it-is-set-to-AP-Mode

plemans · Answer

What modem/gateway is it connected to?&nbsp;
What firmware is on it?&nbsp;
have you tried changing the wifi channels?&nbsp;
&nbsp;

dt1000 · Answer

Thanks for the response! ❤️Here is the info you seek...Modem:&nbsp;&nbsp;Hitron CGNV4 RouterFirmware:&nbsp;V1.2.3.28Wi-fi Channels: I disabled auto-switching and looked at all the channels active in the area, then selected empty ones with space either side. Currently on 9 for 2.4GHz&nbsp; and 48 for 5GHz.

dt1000 · Answer

Thanks!So...Option 1I looked at my modem's settings and there is no option to change its mode, as I have a Virgin Business account with static IPs, which apparently disables this functionality. So no dice there.Option 2I checked the DMZ settings on the modem and it is pointing to my first external static IP, which has the same MAC address as my router, so I am assuming that is already done? Does that sound about right?Option 3If I tried that, given that it looks like Option 2 is already active, would it break anything? Is it worth a go? I am using port forwarding on the router for home automation, so this would essentially disable that for me. 😞Thanks,Dan

plemans · Answer

unsure about the settings in the modem as you'd need to contact your isp about them. but if you put the netgear in access point mode, it leaves the hilton controlling the forwarding

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Trouble with Google Home Speakers on a Nighthawk AX12 RAX 120

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