Re: Router wifi settings gone after power outage

UnderPressure · ‎2018-11-21

After a power outage, my Nighthawk router's wifi settings were gone and only I found default Netgear SSID's. I was able to log into the router with my admin password and other network settings seem to have been kept.

I had to completely redo all my wifi settings. (create SSID's, security settings, guest wifi, etc.)

How do I prevent this issue the next time the power goes out or when I have to unplug the router? Is this a known bug?

antinode · ‎2018-11-21

> After a power outage, my Nighthawk router's wifi settings were gone
> [...]

   A typical power failure is seldom a clean off-on event, so some
device confusion is possible.

> I had to completely redo all my wifi settings. (create SSID's,
> security settings, guest wifi, etc.)

   ADVANCED > Administration > Backup Settings

> How do I prevent this issue the next time the power goes out [...]

   That may be difficult. Better power conditioning (as from a UPS)
might help.

> [...] or when I have to unplug the router? [...]

   Is that enough to cause the problem?

> Is this a known bug?

   That depends on how you define "bug".

IrvSp · ‎2018-11-22

@UnderPressure, along with what @antinode said, I don't think it was 'normal'. Normal in the sense that losing power should have that happen. The settings and even the F/W is held in NVRAM... that should not be cleared at all with the general loss of power.

It is quite possible that there was a power spike or drop prior to the loss of power. It is possible that that caused some NVRAM to be reset even or just modified.

I'd suggest NOT saving the configuration at this point. I'd RELOAD the Firmware with a new copy first, then do the RESET or CLEAR NVRAM and then re-enter manually all your settings.

I'd think either the power state caused your problem, and you might not have noticed or be aware of all the implications due to that or you have a h/w problem if the NVRAM can't hold the contents without power.

lastdojo · ‎2018-11-30

I have the exact same issue. Power goes out, wireless configuration is erased. Admin password remains the same. WIFI goes open BTW, so after a power outage my entire network is exposed. This is not a power issue at my house. I have another NightHawk r7000, and it has never ever done that. Netgear has to investigate this.

IrvSp · ‎2018-11-30

@lastdojo wrote:

Netgear has to investigate this.

So did you report it to them? This isn't the place to do that, use SUPPORT, login, MY Support and report it.

UnderPressure · ‎2018-11-30

I just reported the issue on My Support. @IrvSp thank you for letting me know where to report the issue.

UnderPressure · ‎2018-12-11

I unable to replicate the problem by turning on/off the router as well as moving the router to another power outlet. I also turned on/off the wifi button. The power outage was several hours long so it was likely the memory not being able to hold its data as you stated @IrvSp.

BTW, my router IS connected to a high-end power conditioning system for our media center. Unfortunately, my UPS died in the last power outage so I didn't have one connected during the last power outage. I just need to install the new UPS (CyberPower CP1000AVRLCD) ordered during Black Friday. Any suggestions for how to connect a UPS when there is a power conditioner in the mix? I'm thinking I should just skip the power conditioner.

(Support team closed my case before I could respond so I just opened up another case today.)

antinode · ‎2018-12-11

> [...] The power outage was several hours long so it was likely the
> memory not being able to hold its data as you stated @IrvSp.

   That's not what he said. Most likely, it's not a question of how
long the power stayed off. (Try it for a few hours. Or
days/weeks/months/years.) The likely hypothesis is that there was a
transient (surge, spike, whatever) around the time the power was lost or
restored, and that transient is what caused the data corruption/loss. A
hardware problem is much less likely, but very easy to test.

> [...] a high-end power conditioning system [...]

   That tells me approximately nothing about that gizmo.

> [...] Any suggestions for how to connect a UPS when there is a power
> conditioner in the mix? I'm thinking I should just skip the power
> conditioner.

   Ask someone who knows something about your (unspecified) "a high-end
power conditioning system"?

IrvSp · ‎2018-12-12

@UnderPressure, I'm using the same UPS. It too will handle spikes/surges. Not sure what you mean by 'power conditioner' and 'high-end' either? Suspect an expensive SURGE PROTECTOR? Some of them could be useless for large voltage variations that are fast. USP's work differently and are immune to those basically. If it is a Surge Protector, take it out and only use the UPS. If it is something housewide like an option from our power company, don't worry about it, just use the UPS.

LT71 · ‎2018-12-13

Netgear routers are very sensitive to power surges. Had 2 previous routers go to crap after a brownout. Ever since been on an UPS and have had no further issues. Highly recommend you keep any router/modem on a good UPS, one with automatic voltage regulation.

pace551 · ‎2019-05-04

I can reproduce this exact issue on my R7900P simply by disconnecting the power overnight. Last night I disconnected the router power at 11:30pm, and then plugged it back in at 7am. Upon bootup, the Wireless settings including the Wireless name and password were reset to the default values (name NETGEAR, with no security enabled). Other settings were not wiped.

So it has nothing to do with power spikes or surge anomalies.

UnderPressure · ‎2019-05-06

This is a major issue that Netgear is totally ignoring. Their support team told me to reset the router back to factory settings... like that would help.

dorcse · ‎2019-05-23

Same issue. Power was interrupted for about 1 minute last night. When power was restored, all router settings went to default. Network was left open with no security.

dorcse · ‎2019-05-23

This issue is not power condition or spikes. It happens when power is removed and then restored.

myersw · ‎2019-05-23

If you want to prevent these issues, get a UPS!

While a surge suppressor will help some with spikes a power outage may also have a power sage, spikes and other things happen. A good UPS will isolate you from these issues. I have my modem and router both on a UPS just for this reason. For what a router needs they are not that expensive and frequent power outages could in some isolated cases damage the router. I have a whole house surge suppessor, but know that will not protect the electronics like a UPS will.

dorcse · ‎2019-05-23

While a UPS is good to have, it should NOT be a necessity. The router should NOT lose all its settings due to a simple power interruption.

myersw · ‎2019-05-23

@dorcse wrote:
While a UPS is good to have, it should NOT be a necessity. The router should NOT lose all its settings due to a simple power interruption.

When there are sags and surges who knows how that will effect a router?

dorcse · ‎2019-05-24

Whatever. I can duplicate the issue by just turning the router off and then on. Are you going to say that is some odd, mysterious surge situation as well? Please.

It is shameful that Netgear is most certainly aware of this issue by now and refuses to help. The company won't even offer direct phone support after a short period of time, unless you want to pay for it. Thank goodness for Costco. I ultimately solved the issue buy returning this junk router to them for a refund. They know something about customer service. Netgear does not.

myersw · ‎2019-05-24

@dorcse wrote:
Whatever. I can duplicate the issue by just turning the router off and then on. Are you going to say that is some odd, mysterious surge situation as well? Please.

Totally agree about just turning off the router. Should not lose info. Have seen other reports of this.

Also agree about Costco and customer service. Hope whatever you get as a replacement works well for you.

dorcse · ‎2019-05-24

Me too! And thank you.

george2417 · ‎2019-05-30

I just started having the same exact issue. I unplugged the power of the modem accidentally and all my settings erased! Then randomly a day later the modem just lost all their settings again. Not sure why it happened again. I did also changed ISP during this time as well, not sure if that has anything to do with it or not.

smarin820 · ‎2019-11-25

I have a router that does this anytime it loses power, or any time I reboot the router. This is not normal and I hope they find the problem and patch it.

jonniego · ‎2020-01-05

Same issue here. I reset my cable modem and router once/day. I have used always used a timer to shut off my cable modem at 4 am and turn back on at 4:01 am, then use a second timer to shut off my router at 4:15 am and turn it back on at 4:16 am. I never had any issues until I bought the X6S at Costco yesterday. This morning my settings were erased, and the router was back to factory. I am taking the router back today.

I am not very impressed with Netgear. This is my second router in a week. I spent 2.5 days trying to get the new AX12 router to work, and finally, Netgear support said they believe it is a faulty router and to return or replace. I returned the $444 router to best buy and bought the $150 X6S at Costco. 🙂

Lanteck00 · ‎2020-01-16

Same issue. Power has nothing to do with it. Loss of settings has occured when rebooting the router from the admin screen. After the reboot all defalt settings have been loaded. The unit makes me log into my account at Netgear, then I am told I cant buy a contract, then I have to attempt login to the router several times, and finaly get the the admin page so I can restore my setting from the backup file. I should have done a little more research before buying a Netgear product. Their support is very poor. I am going to Amazon to leave feedback on my purchase, not going to be very good.

Dumping this unit and purchasing one that doesn't make you have an account at Netgear to install. This is as bad as Microsoft and Windows 10.

wiiNinja · ‎2020-02-14

Same issue for me with a C7000v2, and power loss/spikes have nothing to do with this. I had to cycle power to the device and it happened. This will NOT work for me because what if I'm not home and there's a power outage? I will be out of internet in my house until I get back (could be days or months before I can restore the config settings). In the mean time, I rely on the internet for both home automation and home security, and an incidence like this would leave all of that dead in the water. This is a deal breaker. I had owned many Netgear products in the past, but this one really shake my confidence in Netgear.