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Nighthawk RAX80 No ethernet cable is plugged into the router internet port
Hi I purchased a Nighthawk RAX80 router and when trying to connect to internet im getting an error - 'no ethernet cable is plugged into the router internet port'. I've tried resetting & power cyc...
RobotBadGuy wrote:
In your experience would this suggest a network reboot as you mentioned?
There is no harm in doing that. For some strange reason, some people think that Netgear is misguided when it tells people how to set up a router and the correct order for doing things.
RobotBadGuy wrote:
Sorry I forgot to reply to one of your questions. I am seeing this error when going through the wizard on the netgear app & also through the browser. So it basically goes through the motions and then at the end says no cables attached.
Those dratted wizards are sent to baffle us all. Have you tried the section in the manual for the RAX80 Manually Set Up the Internet Connection.
That would let you provide the login details for your Internet service which should deal with this bit:
RobotBadGuy wrote:
So if I plug my router into the modem with ethernet, the internet/ethernet icon on the router does not light up.
From what I have read here, there is something about NBN ISPs. They seem to like making their own "tweaks" to the settings. There are so many ISPs playing around that it can be hard to work out what to do. This can frustrate Netear's automated setup processes.
There have been so many questions here about NBN that your ISP's name may have come up in the past. You could try plugging your ISP's name into the Netgear community.
Here's a good place to start looking for local expertise:
It seems to be frequented by knowledgeable people and is hopefully free of the condescending types who turn up here with the specific aim of belittling everyone else. Apologies for that.
RobotBadGuy wrote:
Hi I purchased a Nighthawk RAX80 router and when trying to connect to internet im getting an error - 'no ethernet cable is plugged into the router internet port'.
How are you doing this? Wifi with an app or wired into the router? Wired is best.
Where do you see this error?
RobotBadGuy wrote:
Definitely not my ethernet cable as I'm still able to connect using my previous netgear router
Is the RAX80 connected to a modem? If so, what modem?
Remember, when replacing one device in a network you have to go through things on the right order.
As this is a router, there is probably a modem sitting in front of it. You need to get the devices to forget any inherited settings. Among other things, that means rebooting the network.
Power cuts usually take out both the modem and the router on a network. When the power comes back on, they may start up in the wrong order, with the router starting before the modem is ready. That means that they get confused about which is in charge.
It may help to reboot the whole network in the right order.
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.
You might get more help, and find earlier questions and answers specific to your RAX80 device, in the appropriate section for your hardware. That's probably here:
Nighthawk Routers with WiFi 6 (AX) - NETGEAR Communities
I will ask the Netgear moderator to move your message.
In the meantime you could visit the support pages:
Support | NETGEAR
Feed in your model number and check the documentation for your hardware. Look at the label on the device for the model number.
You may have done this already. I can't tell from your message.
I mention it because Netgear stopped supplying printed manuals and CD versions some years ago and people sometimes miss the downloads.
Hi Michael, thanks for your reply.
Yes I'm connecting to a NBN fibre modem - so the nbn modem is in my garage and theres a ethernet port on my wall (connecting to the modem) where my computer is located - so its a wired connection. I have tried the power cut several times but no luck getting it working. I can actually connect to the new router now wirelessly, by connecting it to my old router - so i guess its basically acting as a range extender.
I dont know if the ethernet cable could be an issue - it works perfectly with my old router but perhaps somethings up with it. so ive ordered a new cable just in case
Hi Michael,
Sorry I forgot to reply to one of your questions. I am seeing this error when going through the wizard on the netgear app & also through the browser. So it basically goes through the motions and then at the end says no cables attached.
In summation it appears that the router can't connect directly to the modem (through direct wired connection) So if I plug my router into the modem with ethernet, the internet/ethernet icon on the router does not light up.
- The router ethernet port is working and I can use it as a range extender. (ethernet/internet icon lights up on router when connected to my old router)
In your experience would this suggest a network reboot as you mentioned?
> [...] I'm connecting to a NBN fibre modem [...]
Not a very detailed description. Maker? Model number?
> [...] Definitely not my ethernet cable as I'm still able to connect
> using my previous netgear routerNot a very detailed description of that device, or how it's
configured.> [...] I've read it could be a faulty ethernet port - if this were the
> case is it repairable?Sure, the port could be bad, but that's not the only possible cause
of a dark "Internet" indicator. A LAN Ethernet port-status LED lights
when there's a good physical link; the "Internet" LED needs more. Any
WAN misconfiguration (bad PPPoE credentials, bad VLAN parameters, ...)
could keep the "Internet" LED dark. Repair is typically impractical,
but actual hardware problems are rare.
Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation. Get the User Manual (at least). Read. Look for the
LED descriptions.Note that "NBN" means little more than "Australia", and, by itself,
provides no actual information about how a router should be configured.
Your (unspecified) actual ISP might provide more details. As might
inspection of your (unspecified) "my previous netgear router", which, I
hear, works as expected.> [...] 'no ethernet cable is plugged into the router internet port'
> [...]I've never touched an RAX80, so I know nothing, and Netgear router
firmware is seldom defect-free, but I'd expect that message to mean what
it says. If, however, it's just shadowing the "Internet" LED, then it
could be just as easily misinterpreted.
One more realistic test would be to put the (unspecified) "my
previous netgear router" back into place, configure the RAX80 as a
wireless access point ("Set up the router as a WiFi access point" in the
RAX80 User Manual), and see if _that_ works. If so, then move the
(unspecified) "my previous netgear router" close to the (unspecified) "a
NBN fibre modem", and use the long cable to connect the (unspecified)
"my previous netgear router" LAN port to the RAX80-as-WAP WAN/Internet
port. If _that_ works, then I'd conclude that the RAX80 WAN/Internet
port and the long cable are both ok.
> Remember, when replacing one device in a network you have to go
> through things on the right order.This is largely baseless folklore. Especially inapplicable when the
router is connected to an ONT which has negligible start delay. If that
sort of care were actually required to start these gizmos, then I'd
expect there to be a large market for home-network power sequencers.
Ever seen one?But, if you have time to kill, ...
Hi antinode thanks for your reply.
my (unspecified) "a NBN fibre modem" is unknown - its a NBN provided connection box and power supply - acts as the modem
my (unspecified) "my previous netgear router" - is a Netgear R6300 wifi router
The setup is basically this - NBN connection box is in the garage, wire from NBN box to Ethernet Point 'A' on the wall. Ethernet point 'A' is wired to another Ethernet Point 'B' inside my house. I connect my R6300 to Ethernet Point 'B'.
Yes I've done that test that you mentioned - which leads me to believe that the ports & cables are working. So right now my R6300 is wired to the modem (ethernet point B) & the RAX80 router is connected to the R6300 using a long wire. I can wirelessly connect to the RAX80 successfully (or hardwire connection from my pc to the RAX80)
So it seems to fall over when I directly connect my RAX80 to the modem - it doesnt detect the ethernet for some reason? The LAN Ethernet port light on my RAX80 does NOT light up at all.
RobotBadGuy wrote:
In your experience would this suggest a network reboot as you mentioned?
There is no harm in doing that. For some strange reason, some people think that Netgear is misguided when it tells people how to set up a router and the correct order for doing things.
RobotBadGuy wrote:
Sorry I forgot to reply to one of your questions. I am seeing this error when going through the wizard on the netgear app & also through the browser. So it basically goes through the motions and then at the end says no cables attached.
Those dratted wizards are sent to baffle us all. Have you tried the section in the manual for the RAX80 Manually Set Up the Internet Connection.
That would let you provide the login details for your Internet service which should deal with this bit:
RobotBadGuy wrote:
So if I plug my router into the modem with ethernet, the internet/ethernet icon on the router does not light up.
From what I have read here, there is something about NBN ISPs. They seem to like making their own "tweaks" to the settings. There are so many ISPs playing around that it can be hard to work out what to do. This can frustrate Netear's automated setup processes.
There have been so many questions here about NBN that your ISP's name may have come up in the past. You could try plugging your ISP's name into the Netgear community.
Here's a good place to start looking for local expertise:
It seems to be frequented by knowledgeable people and is hopefully free of the condescending types who turn up here with the specific aim of belittling everyone else. Apologies for that.