DGN1000 Wireless Random Disconnections

[nodrogs]

I come seeking help having tried everything I can think of but to no success. Have been in contact with Netgear but they don't seem to be able to help.

My problem is that my DGN1000 modem router randomly drops wireless connection and needs to be manually rebooted to regain internet access. Firstly, LAN connection works fine with no problems, its just the wireless. Problem persists with two different laptops, one of them brand new (with wireless card supporting 802.11 b/g/n). Problem exists if both laptops are connected or just either one individually. All drivers and firmware are up-to-date. Have tried changing encryption methods and speeds but no different.

What happens is the internet stops working. The router still appears to be connected but nothing happens. If you reboot the computer, the router still appears to be visible but it just won't connect. The only way to restore the connection is to physically turn it off and on. Any ideas?

[jmizoguchi]

work on channel interference



http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider

use channel any of 1.6.11

[nodrogs]

Have re-tried setting channels to 1, 6 and 11 and the problem still exists on every channel.

[SiVisPacem]

Same problem here. Seems a number of posts on this forum with the same issue and no solutions.
I have called Netgear 4x now. I have changed channels, settings for the SSID, security options, etc. I have set it back to 'b/g' and decreased the speed to 54 (why have I bothered paying for an N router if I have to set it to b/g!)
I RMAed the 1st DGN 1000 and now the replacement is doing the same thing. Took a couple of days to develop the issue I might add and then the frequency of the disconections is increasing. Only thing I have noted is that the DGN 1000 seems to run very hot and there is no airflow in the case to cool.
My old WGN 614 works fine and never had any issues.

[nodrogs]

Yes, I don't think this is an issue with security or interference. Sometimes mine is ok but then other times it can drop the connection reguarly (done it about 3 times one after the other yesterday but has been ok today so far). Netgear have been no use. Am seriously just considering binning it and buying a different router.

[spoeha]

I had the same problem with Firmware V1.1.00.28. Now I've installed V1.1.00.35 and this solved the problem 🙂

Regards
spoeha

[Upland]

Yet another one here reporting this problem ... and I am tearing my hair out with it!!!

A DGN1000 which has worked perfectly as a wired router for many months is now driving me mad when I try to set up a wireless connection .... I have been trying to get it working on and off for over a week.

It connects and works fine until the laptop goes to sleep or reboots and then it totally refuses to connect to the router ... the ONLY way to get it to reconnect is to reboot the router - then it connects instantly.

I installed firmware V1.1.00.35 today (and a factory reset) ... it made no difference

Tried different channels and encryptions etc. .. no difference.

The aerial is connected fine.

There is no interference in the area

Nothing is overheating.

No wireless connection when the laptop is rebooted..... although the laptop does see the router perfectly in the config utility ... with 60%+ signal ... but just refuses to connect to it ... UNLESS I go to another PC on wired LAN and do a router reboot ... and then the connection on the laptop recovers immediately.

There are occasionally a couple of other routers I can see in the local area .. but VERY distant and weak (less than 10%) and different channels ... 1 and 11 (I am on 6) ... but most of the time there is no competition.

I have ruled out the laptop as being the root of the problem because I get the same from my phone when I try to connect ... it is fine just after a router reboot ... but if I try to connect it later (some time after a reboot ... say an hour or so) it fails to connect too (until the router is rebooted then it connects instantly)

This is my first experience with wireless ... and it's not a good one so far..

Everyone I spoke to who knows about these things says they have never seen anything like this before ... which doesn't make me feel any better.

[Coltsaga]

I have the very same problem and it's becoming much, much worse!

It can't be a laptop problem. I'm using a Dell, my son uses Toshiba, both wireless, while our desktop computer is connected by ethernet cable. The desktop computer retains its connection to the internet but the laptops lose connection constantly AT THE SAME TIME and cannot reconnect without rebooting the router.

Now if it was a laptop problem, I couldn't see them losing connection simultaneously and both being unable to reconnect.

The router has to be restarted and once it does the laptops reconnect without any difficulties.

I've had this router for 4 months and it is steadily becoming worse. It seems to me, judging by this problem being brought up constantly in various forums, that it must be a problem with the router.

Where is their customer service? If this is problem hardware, maybe they could follow Toyota's idea AND DO A RECALL, give us our money back and let us buy something that works!

[JBrady]

Hi All,

I've been wrestling with this wifi issue on the DGN1000 for a month now and although I have no solution this is what I've noticed:

I've swapped the device over at the store I bought it from and the problem still occurs. I've upgraded the firmware to Version 1.1.00.35. I've thoroughly ruled out interference and changed the channel number multiple times. I've tried all the different forms of encryption. I've lowered and raised my MTU.

When it's working it's working flawlessly and fast, and there is never any warning or pattern as to when it will lock down.

I've called Netgear and they only really offer a "have you tried turning it off and on again" support solution. Anything beyond that and you have to pay for "advanced support" (how's that for cheek).

Does anyone have this router and not have this problem? It would be good to know the exact settings they're running to get it to stay functioning. I've all but run out of combinations and it's getting a bit tiresome having to reset the router multiple times a day.

[TheLastMan]

Well it is not just wireless.

My DGN1000 was supplied with an Orange (UK ISP) broadband package. I use it just as a modem and wired router as I have a separate Wireless Access Point.

The "disconnections" mean that the router suddenly fails to connect any computer to any other computer roughly once a day and occasionally more often.

I lose the internet, access to any other PC in the network, access to my NAS and access to my network printer. This points to either the Router or Switch components failing. I suspect it is a firmware fault or memory leak as if it were heat it would fail again quickly after it is rebooted. However it seems to go another day or two before it needs rebooting again.

The only cure is to power off and then on again.

I still have my old DG834GT and am thinking of plugging it back in as that was 100% reliable 24/7.

Frankly I don't know why I bothered to change it. I assumed the DGN1000 would be a better router but, to be honest, it is worse.

It goes back in its box and awaits my next migration to another ISP in 17 months time.

[JBrady]

That's interesting TheLastMan, when I get the wireless problem it seems to still function fine as a wired router. I wonder if this is the same issue or another problem all together rearing it's ugly head.
I know you've boxed it already but can you remember:

I think the 3rd question would be the most interesting to know, is it possible for the DGN1000 to cause the wifi to drop on a completely seperate box? Surely not???

[TheLastMan]

[QUOTE=JBrady;304364]That's interesting TheLastMan, when I get the wireless problem it seems to still function fine as a wired router. I wonder if this is the same issue or another problem all together rearing it's ugly head.
I know you've boxed it already but can you remember:

Not boxed yet as I was busy on other stuff last night.

Just to set the scene, the router is on, all Ethernet port lights lit as they should be and the internet indicator light is on, so no outward sign of a problem. All my fixed network devices have fixed IP addresses. DHCP is enabled so that my laptop, and guest laptops, can grab an IP when they connect to my network.

When it goes wrong...

No, I cannot ping the router or access the web config page. I also cannot ping any other device on the network.

The option something like "Enable wireless access point" is not ticked and the wireless indicator light is off.

My separate WAP is wired into one of the Ethernet ports on the router. My main PC which is also wired to a port on the router, cannot ping the WAP. However, it is still possible to connect via wi-fi to the WAP from my laptop, but I cannot ping or access any other device on the network other than the WAP.

So the answer to your final question is that no, the DGN1000 had no effect on the WAP, it just stops connecting my devices together.

I think the wireless problems you are getting are so similar that they must be related in some way, but that is just a hunch.

[JBrady]

Hey TheLastMan, it's good to know it's not effecting your other WAP, that was just going to get too crazy if we went down that road.
It does seem to be a similar problem. The major difference being that you cant access the web config once the problem occurs.
I wonder if this is a symptom of the error occurring on a wired connection or having fixed IP addresses?
If it is the same problem it would take the blame off the wireless at least, seeing as you have the wifi disabled on your unit. Would that make it more of a routing issue?
I'm out of my depth on this one, time for some tech heads to weigh in.

[TheLastMan]

JBrady wrote:

Hey TheLastMan, it's good to know it's not effecting your other WAP, that was just going to get too crazy if we went down that road. It does seem to be a similar problem. The major difference being that you cant access the web config once the problem occurs. I wonder if this is a symptom of the error occurring on a wired connection or having fixed IP addresses? If it is the same problem it would take the blame off the wireless at least, seeing as you have the wifi disabled on your unit. Would that make it more of a routing issue? I'm out of my depth on this one, time for some tech heads to weigh in.

No need to bother with any more tech support. It is not my property anyway - it is my ISP's, and they are welcome to it! It will stay in its box awaiting the day when I leave Orange and it has to be returned.

After lots of testing it is clear that it is a hardware fault, or at least an insufficiently filtered power supply arrangement. I have managed to trigger the fault repeatedly by using a high power electric motor somewhere in my house. For instance it would always cut out if I used a food blender or paper shredder. And it would sometimes cut out when the central heating water pump started up. The DG834GT never suffered in this way.

Put my old DG834GT back yesterday and all is now hunky dory. I tried the paper shredder, blender and electric drill and it sailed through this stress test! I don't need N class wireless speed at the moment, but if I ever do then I will just get an appropriate WAP rather than replace the router.

The GT is actually a "sky" box which I bought for £15 off e-bay and hacked to accept the standard Netgear firmware. I had to replace the wall-wart PSU with a third party generic model (£8) as the one that came with the router was failing. Generally I think the power supplies and internal regulators on all Netgear routers are a weak point. I had to replace the one on my old DG834 (no wireless) and was considering buying a fully regulated and filtered PSU to go on the GT, but it would cost considerably more than the router and I am glad I didn't as the £8 generic wall wart has been fine.

My general impression of the DGN1000 is that it is built down to a price - a commodity router designed to be an ISP give-away. The capabilities of the firmware are rather crippled with no VPN capability (not that I use it), and it set a lower ADSL synch speed than the GT and the internet was noticeably more responsive when I put the GT back. This is remarkable given the GT is now five years old.

[coloradochip]

I have had a DGN 2000 for about two years. It failed after almost a year, and Netgear sent aout a new one. Now, a year later, it failed again. No wireless, not ethernet, just completely toast. So, I went to Microcenter and against my better judgement I purchased a DGN 1000. What a complete piece this thing is. I have had it for three days and have had to reset it at least 20 times, and I am not exaggerating. It's so frustrating to me when I have faminy over and I am runnign the itunes remote from my ipad for the christmas music, but it doesn't work! I have a cisco wireless router on the way from amazon and will go bach to my Qwest 2 Wire dsl modem. I will return this to Microcenter on Sunday and will never buy another Netgear product again. Take my advice and stay far away from this. I really can't believe that retailers even sell them.

[seby]

I wish I had some research before I bought the DGN1000. My Old router died so I rushed out and bought the discounted netgear DGN1000 £35. I have had the same problem, no wireless device can connect after a few hours of working perfectly. Turn it on and off and it works for a few hours some times 6 hours. All the devices can see the network but the DGN1000 does not allow them to connect.

All the other devices that are connected by the wired network can use the use the router and surf the net, my PC, the PS3 and my humax Satellite receiver uses it for BBC I player. It’s the wireless that keeps failing.

I also noticed that the modem checks for the latest firmware and it kept saying there was no update. But when I checked I had a much older version xxxx.28 than the latest version xxxxx.35. I did a manual firmware update it had no affect. Problem persists.

No there are no other wireless networks interfering, there are 5 unused channels and they make no difference.

This is a faulty product may be a faulty batch and it should be recalled. I feel Netgear support are not taking this fault seriously. I am taking my back to the shop tomorrow for a refund after four days of constant wireless problems.

I had a £100 netgear cable modem a year ago when we had virgin it was useless we could not have my wife’s Mac and the PC connected wirelessly at the same time. We could have two Mac's or two PC's connected.

Netgear I will never spend another pound on your products! Good bye

[Probest]

Unfortunately i have not read this forum before buying my DGN1000.
I have the same problems you have. I have tried everything, but nothing works (update firmware, update wireless network drivers, changing SSID, channel, encryption methods, change router position... and more).
Wireless connection is unstable and i have every time to power off and on the router to get it working again, and this is very frustating and boring.
I have not yet contact support, as i thought that the problem was mine, but as i can see this is a common problem.

Do you have get a solution for this problem? I think i will have to buy a different (NOT Netgear) w/router.

[Probest]

TheLastMan wrote:
My general impression of the DGN1000 is that it is built down to a price - a commodity router designed to be an ISP give-away. The capabilities of the firmware are rather crippled with no VPN capability (not that I use it), and it set a lower ADSL synch speed than the GT and the internet was noticeably more responsive when I put the GT back. This is remarkable given the GT is now five years old.

For me it's the same.
I have and old DG834GT and i have upgraded to DGN1000 for better performance and security, but as you i will have to downgrade to my old DG834.
I have bought DGN1000 without reading reviews about it in the net as i was trusting in Netgear...

Some weeks ago i have notice that the inside upgrade utility of DGN1000 was trying to download and upgrade to firmware 1.1.00.41 ... this was a strange thing, as there is nothing on Netgear website related to this version (the last version is .40 for NA and .35 for WW). Now i see that this version is disappeared.
Have you noticed it too?

I can't understand why Netgear is not trying to give away a solution for this issue.

[slchild86]

I purchased the DGN1000 a couple of weeks ago and having the same problem.

My MacBook Pro will be connected via WiFi and the internet working fine and then at any given moment the internet will stop working. My laptop will still be connected to the router but unable to connect to the internet or even the router setup page.

Again, only solution is to turn the router off and on again. Same as most people here I have changed security settings and channel but still no difference.

Problem is not my laptop or ISP as when the internet stop working via WiFi, at the same time it stops working on my iPhone as well, at the exact same time, every time and before turning the router off and on again I can hook up my laptop via ethernet and the internet works fine, noticeably faster then the WiFi (when its working)

Firmware: V1.1.00.41_ww

Is there a solution to this? Is Netgear doing something about it? or should I buy a different brand and consider myself the owner of a Netgear DGN1000 doorstop?

[slchild86]

I purchased the DGN1000 a couple of weeks ago and having the same problem. My MacBook Pro will be connected via WiFi and the internet working fine and then at any given moment the internet will stop working. My laptop will still be connected to the router but unable to connect to the internet or even the router setup page. Again, only solution is to turn the router off and on again. Same as most people here I have changed security settings and channel but still no difference. Problem is not my laptop or ISP as when the internet stop working via WiFi, at the same time it stops working on my iPhone as well, at the exact same time, every time and before turning the router off and on again I can hook up my laptop via ethernet and the internet works fine, noticeably faster then the WiFi (when its working) Firmware: V1.1.00.41_ww Is there a solution to this? Is Netgear doing something about it? or should I buy a different brand and consider myself the owner of a Netgear DGN1000 doorstop?

[ryno35]

Same issue as everyone else. The DGN1000 blows.

Dear Netgear,

This product is hurting you as it has hurt all of us.

Please end the pain.

Thanks.

[Annie8]

Just to add my tuppenceworth... received router from Orange on Friday and connected pc by cable and everything there is fine (so far!), but wifi is causin me headaches. The wii connected up easily, but laptop and xbox won't. Laptop (compaq presario) internet symbol shows local connection only and I dont know how to fix that. Xbox again shows my router but wont connect. I've been readin the forums but I'm not techy and am stuck. 😞

[Numpty]

WOW! I thought this was happening just to me.
This is very poor, and I got no help from NETGEAR.

I have replaced my DGN1000 with a very old buffalo modem router and this is working fine, only at slower speed.

Not sure why I spent so much money on a N router only to have all this messing about.

I am now looking at a different make altogether. :mad:

[Numpty]

OK, I am no rocket scientisit and when I look at my router modem it shows 2 firmware versions...........not sure which I need to take notice of: Firmware Version V2.1.00.37_RG Modem ADSL Firmware Version 3.4.4.0.0.1 now according to the website this is the lates firmware version - 1.1.00.41 (For Worldwide users Only) I thought I wiould give this a bash even though the router did it's auto check and said no update available. Anyway, when I tried I got the faollowing error message: Upgrade file is not the correct type or version for this device. Upgrade failed. Please obtain the correct file and try again. Erm! I am lost!

[stepIn]

hi,
I also have a dgn1000 Italian version.
I have the same problems with wifi connection, I tried to change channels, change SSID, change WEP/WPA/WPA2 but nothing changes.

Possible that NETGEAR does nothing to solve the problem? The Italian assistance insists that the problem is interference, but it is absolutely true.

Why not send an email with all our product serial number lamenting the same problem?

bye