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R6250 Router dropping Internet access since V1.0.4.26_10.1.23 firmware update
29 Replies
For the life of me I could not type a m,essage body in the original post - but I can in a reply? Weird.
Anyway - since Firmware Update V1.0.4.26_10.1.23 I have had all sorts of hell with the router dropping Internet Access. I even read up some threads here about it which seemed to be inconclusive, but recommended both doing a factory reset & re-entering all configuration data (done) and reporting back here whether that fixed the issue or not (doing it) and also starting a new thread to avoid confusion. Well, I don't know if it will avoid confusion, but this is a new thread!
Restoring to "Factory Settings" and then re-inputting ALL of my settings - including reserved IP addresses and so on and so forth took a lot of effort and initially looked promising, but in the long run proved to be inaffective. My Android devices, my Windows 10 devices, hell anything I attach agrees that the WiFi is working, the wired networking is working, but DNS... ahh, therein lies the rub. Something about DNS is not happy which causes these devices to loose access to the rest of the world.
I have a teenage son. As a result I'm using the Parental Controls aspect of this router to try and reduce the number of dodgy sites he can reach. I have found that the only way to make my R2650 with V1.0.4.26_10.1.23 firmware stable is to turn off the forced DNS servers that are a requirement for the Parentl Controls to work and use the network/ISP-supplied DNS servers instead. That makes the router route, although at reduced security.
I have just (re?)discovered that having had no cause to contact Netgear for support within the first 90 days of the product - before their Firmware Update messed the product up - I apparently have no support from them unless there is a hardware fault.
Especially considering the fact that their firmware caused the problem, I am somewhat less than impressed. I've used and recommened NetGear for more years than I can remember, but I think it's about time I broadened my horizons. I can't return it as havign a hardware fault since the fault is in the firmware, and I can't even help Netgear identify and fix a problem with their firmware because they are not listening!
Annoying.
My apologies everyone - this problem is NOT solved.
I noticed that a drive connected to the router via USB was not working, so I unplugged it and pligged it back in again - and the "disconnected from the internet, reboot router" symptoms returned.
A few minutes after rebooting the connection is lost again. Unplug the drive and reboot and it's still working 24 hours later.
I give up.
Same issue here. Ever since upgrading to this firmware my 2.4Ghz network will gradually start getting slow/intermittent, and eventually quit servicing traffic. 5Ghz operates fine the entire time. I don't use any guest networks or parental controls.
A reboot fixes the issue for a period of time, anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. I've done the reload factory settings trick, no help there.
Netgear, help please!
The biggest problem seems to be how intermittent it is - it's not like we can demonstrate the problem by copying one file. With a "time to death" varying from 30 minutes to 3 days, each test can take... well, several days just to be sure of the result!
It seems to me that Netgear have a serious problem with their latest firmware across models - I say this because I gave up with the R6250 and bought an R8000. The idea being that I hoped a brand spanking new device of "higher grade" would be more likely to work - but if it failed I could return it for a full refund. Hitting any company with refunds is where it hurts most.
Part of the R8000 process is to complete any firmware update very early on. Long story short, the R8000 failed within 24 hours of firmware update and will be going back. This is despite the fact that for various reasons I cannot test 24/7.
I am currently testing my R6250 with the previous firmware. When I can, I am hammering a NAS to try and force it to fail. I can't run this 24/7 - I have my own things to do - but I am trying. I expect a call back from Netgear Support early next week.
I cannot guarantee that I will "stick the course" - I have work to do and it's not Netgear R&D, but I am doing my best to work with Netgear and move this problem forward. I'll update if I give up and buy a router from another vendor (I am done with spending money on Netgear product if they can't fix the R6250).
Cliff
I had a blu-ray player that needed a software update that I didn’t already designate an IP for on my network (I only have the number of IPs open on my network for each device that would need a connection, and I designate a specific IP for each device and its MAC Address. This reduces the chance for a network intrusion from other nearby devices - no open ports, no unwelcome devices). I went to open a port, and noticed a firmware update was available for my Netgear router, so I went ahead with the update.
Like so many have already reported, we began having connectivity issues. I did a quick search, and found several topics in the community discussing this issue since updating to the current firmware. I’m surprised that some of these topics start as far back as May. It’s September, and still no patch? Crazy.
Based on what I read, I figured the firmware was conflicting with the OpenDNS parental controls (which I do use). Rather than rolling back to a previous firmware, I went ahead and switched my DNS settings to Google’s Public DNS:
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
Connectivity came back up, and I have not had an issue since. I’m no longer going through the OpenDNS servers though, so the parental controls I have established with my OpenDNS account are no longer active. Not a huge deal - it was just nice to have that extra level of protection on my network. If I want that back (and whatever causes the conflict with OpenDNS parental controls in the firmware hasn’t been resolved) I may look into Disney Circle. At least my network is up-and-running again.
- What version do I need to go back to for this router to work? I tried v1.0.4.20 but it won’t accept the OpenDNS settings.
Hi. Sorry for the delay in my response.
I am using V1.0.4.20_10.1.20 with the OpenDNS settings - but I did reset to "factory settings" and set it all up from scratch, including electing for "Parental Controls" rather than setting up just the DNS servers etc.
Have you reset to factory settings first? Have you tried disabling then re-enabling parental controls?
Cheers,
Cliff
