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Netgear R8000 AC3200 dropping device connections
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping that you can help me diagnose connection issues that may be related to our Netgear R8000 router. We have been having issues with connecting to the internet for a few months now. I have bothered out internet provider quite a bit and they have worked out a few kinks, but there may still be an issue with the router. I am suspecting an issue with the router as the internet connection light stays on on the router, but sometimes I can't access the internet on any of my devices connected to the 5 GHz Wifi. Speedtest says no internet connection on my devices in those instances, but the internet light on the router is white not red. Wifi still shows being connected on my computer, but when I went into the Nighthawk app last night, it showed 0 devices connected, then 8 devices connected a few seconds later.
Firmware is 1.0.484.
I'm not sure what tests to run or what to look for to identify where the issue is, whether it is with the router or the internet provider. I'm hoping the community can point me in the right direction.
Thank you!
11 Replies
Wireless and wired devices no connecting when this happens?
Does the Internet LED on the router turn AMBER when this happens?
How many devices are connected in total?
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.What channel configurations are currently set on the router?
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?Be sure to disable any MAC Address randomizers on phones and pads while at home:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/2220016/jump-to/first-unread-message
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/2220015/jump-to/first-unread-messageHas a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.
Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?Wireless and wired devices no connecting when this happens?
i currently don’t have any devices connected by wire. I can try that again.Does the Internet LED on the router turn AMBER when this happens?
No, it does not. It stays white.How many devices are connected in total?
16 including all smart devices in the house.
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
It was changed out yesterday, but I had an outage last night despite that. It says Switching Gigabit Power Supply on it, model #GP-J240-030G
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.
Until yesterday, I had a 3ft Cat 5E 24 gauge cable. It was replaced by the provider against a new CAT 6 cable.What channel configurations are currently set on the router?
I set it to 2.4 GHz channel 6, 5 GHz-1 to channel 44 and 5 GHz-2 to channel 149
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?We have a couple D-link ethernet over powerline adapters that we use as range extenders. A D-link router is in the shop, but signal strength from it is very low where the NG router sits. The neighbour is 50 meters away and I can hardly pick up his network.
Be sure to disable any MAC Address randomizers on phones and pads while at home:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/222...
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-...Will double check.
Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
yes.
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.done many times.
Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?no
AB2002 wrote:
We have been having issues with connecting to the internet for a few months now.
What are those issues?
I am suspecting an issue with the router as the internet connection light stays on on the router, but sometimes I can't access the internet on any of my devices connected to the 5 GHz Wifi.What symptoms do you see? What actually happens? Any error messages?
Firmware is 1.0.484.If you mean 1.0.4.84 there is a more recent hotfix:
- Re: Netgear R8000 AC3200 dropping device connections
@AB2002 wrote:
We have been having issues with connecting to the internet for a few months now.
What are those issues?
Connection to the internet is lost for seconds to a few minutes randomly throughout the day.
I am suspecting an issue with the router as the internet connection light stays on on the router, but sometimes I can't access the internet on any of my devices connected to the 5 GHz Wifi.What symptoms do you see? What actually happens? Any error messages?
Internet connection becomes unstable and then drops entirely. Internet indicator light stays on (does not turn amber). Wifi stays connected as far as I can tell. Only error message is that internet speed tests fail and I can’t connect to the internet.
Firmware is 1.0.484.
If you mean 1.0.4.84 there is a more recent hotfix:
R8000 Firmware Version 1.0.4.88 - NETGEAR Support
interesting as the Nighthawk app tells that the firmware is up to date.
AB2002 wrote:
interesting as the Nighthawk app tells that the firmware is up to date.
The on-board check – with a mobile app or the GUI – is not reliable. The best check is to compare the installed version with the support library.
In this case, the new firmware is a "hot fix". These don't always make it on to the update server, for reasons that I have never understood.
The new one is dates 06/03/2024. In Netgear speak this probably means last month – the unzipped file date confirms this. (In the real world it would be March this year.) It claims to be a security thing, but who knows what else is in there?
It can be a pain, but a reset is the first thing that Netgear is likely to suggest when you seek help. You can make is slightly less gruesome by creating a backup of the current configuration.
The general advice is not to restore that after an update, but if you find that the same problem persists even with the new firmware that would suggest that the issue is something else.
Screen grabs of key settings can also make it easier to reconfigure the router after a reset.
