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Forum Discussion
Firmware updated EX8000 keeps dropping Internet
Hi all,
I have read about multiple issued relating to the R8000 but I seem to be experiencing a similar issue with your EX8000 mesh range extender.I regularly experience an issue (perhaps once ...
burneyfalls wrote:
As a follow-on to my comments earlier, my EX-8000 extender has maintained solid performance for about 4 days now. I suspect the dropped internet has been associated with a dropped backhaul connection (between the router and the extender). I have not had dropped connections between the extender and extender clients. When the backhaul drops I lose internet, but not connection. The backhaul drops and the extender-to-client connection is still good but has no internet.
Like I said in my previous comments, the backhaul wifi channel is determined by the router. My router is a dual-band AC1900 router. I have set the router wifi radios on fixed channels that have minimal useage. I used the wifi analyzer app tool to see that. The channels I chose were CH 6 for 2.4Ghz and CH 161 for 5Ghz.
You should be aware that if the router is set in AUTO for wifi channel selection and the router changes channel on its own for whatever reason, you'll probably see a 14 minute internet dropout for the 5Ghz backhaul connection between the router and the extender. The client connection to the extender will stay up so you're seeing connection but no internet. Similar things happen for the 2.4Ghz channel change, but the backhaul outtage is much shorter during the time the extender is trying to figure out what channel the router changed to.
The 14 minute 5Ghz backhaul "outtage" while the extender matches up to a change in the router's 5Ghz wifi channel is way too long. NetGear should look into this.
As I said earlier, go into your router and change the 5Ghz wifi channel and watch what happens to your extender and for how long. When the 5Ghz backhaul is interrupted, the 2nd LED light on extender (indicates MAX Throughput capability via 5Ghz backhaul) will go out.
One last thing, a wifi router changes its 2.4Ghz wifi channel often if the the 2.4Ghz channel selection is in AUTO and it detects interference. As I write this I just checked what happens when I force a router 2.4Ghz channel change. You'd think it would only affect the 2.4Ghz backhaul to the extender, but the 5Ghz backhaul should stay up, right?
Wrong! When I manually changed the router's 2.4Ghz wifi channel, the 5Ghz extender-router backhaul drops out for 14 minutes!
Again, put your router's wifi radios on fixed channels if you have the EX8000 connected to it.
burneyfalls, I been testing your setup and it doesn't work. What firmware you on? I have the latest and its worse then the last 4 firmwares. I used to have at least one device connect at all times when all the others couldn't. I will revert back one version and try it out again.
I am using the .186 FW, which is currently the latest.
I have no problem connecting to the extender and my family has numerous smartphones, rokus, laptops, etc. that connect to it via wifi, and I have a couple clients hardwired via ETH RJ-45 connection.
I have the extender configured in SMARTConnect mode and have tested this for switching among router and extender wifi networks depending on client location. Roaming around the property results in seamless wifi connection switching.
I am on day 6 of solid performance since putting the router wifi on channels 6 &161.