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Forum Discussion
Router slowing down browsing
I've got a Netgear R8000 router with the latest firmware (installed .80 last night). The problem I'm asking for help with existed prior to the firmware update.
Configuration: I've got a Nokia 5G21-12W-A modem through my ISP which is T Mobile Home Internet. The two are "tethered" via ethernet cable and my other devices connect to the Netgear router wirelessly. One of those (wirelessly connected) devices is my iMac computer.
My problem, and that I hope someone can help me fix, is that when browsing the internet, there are many times when the Netgear router slows browsing WAY down! For example, it can take two minutes to load msn dot com...and sometimes not at all because I'll eventually get a "No Internet connection found" message on my browser after it gets tired of waiting). Yet, I can run speedtest that are routinely over 100 down, and 10 up, including during these episodes.
I've isolated the problem to the rouger, because when I direct connect to the modem, bypassing the router, my pages all load quick as usual. Switch back to wirelessly connecting to the router, and the problem is right back.
I do have access to the router settings via an IP address. But I don't know what to do with it, in terms of whether to change channels, or what to do. And prior to my service contract ending with support, they did have me make some changes about five months ago, that have remained (my problems started months after those changes were made though). I say this only to communicate that the default router settings are no longer that).
Any thoughts/ideas on what might be happening? And more so, how to correct it?
Thank you.
9 Replies
VJOGuy wrote:
Configuration: I've got a Nokia 5G21-12W-A modem through my ISP which is T Mobile Home Internet.
That looks suspiciously like a modem/router. So you seem to have piled one router on to another.
Two routers on your network can cause headaches. For example, you can end up with local address problems. Among other things, the other router can misdirect addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.
This explains some of the other drawbacks.
What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support
Unless you have specific reasons for using two routers – to create two separate networks for example – it is often easier to use just one router and then to set up the second router as a wifi access point. Netgear advises this, as does just about every site you will visit.
It may be possible to put the modem/router into modem only (bridge) mode and then to use the second device as the router. Sometimes it is easier to put the second router into AP mode. But that has its own drawbacks:
Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR SupportThank you for responding!
You are correct, and this is not the first time I've heard this,
my challenge is that TMobile says this modem cannot be placed in bridge mode (they claim it lacks a setting to do so). I am also stuck with an older firmware version for it because only that version works with my work VPN which is also required. So I can't change the firmware on it to check and see if maybe bridge mode might be available.
I do also need the separate WiFi signal to access the settings via the required TMobile app. (It is possible to access many settings via IP address, but they do not overlap completely with those in the required app). I am told that there is a YouTube video out there that explains how to turn the WiFi signal off on the modem. If it is easy to turn off the WiFi signal, I could try that. But is that enough to resolve a double NAT issue?
Thank you.
VJOGuy wrote:
If it is easy to turn off the WiFi signal, I could try that. But is that enough to resolve a double NAT issue?
No. The router section remains active.
