Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

SImon_Murphy
Follower

Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Hello,

Please can anyone help with an issue involving the Nighthawk D7800 (X4s) Modem router.

I have had this device for some time but its never worked correctly, i bought it to replace a rock solid D7000 that never has any issues so i know my line and socket are OK.

The main problem is the internet disconnections from the service provider Plusnet VDSL. The unit is weekly dropping its ISP sync with the DSL/internet LED going to solid orange. When i log into the device over Wi-Fi it shows no connection is established to the ISP, if i click on the reconnect button it fails to establish a connection. Once this happens you have to remove the power and restart the device it will then reconnect to the ISP for around 1 to 2 minutes it will then drop the connection again. Upon a second reboot it will then work ok for 5 to 7 days before the problem repeats. I have to power it off and back on twice at least once a week, this over time has become tedious hence I’m looking into a solution. I downloaded the most recent flashed the latest firmware 1.0.1.42 last week 04/07/2018 and I also restored it to factory settings and then manually set up the whole device from scratch but the problem persists. (Checked the settings for Plusnet Fibre and they are correct)

Please has anyone had this same issue or can suggest a cause / solution it will be greatly appreciated, to me it looks like possibly a software issue.

Thanks Simon.

 

Message 1 of 74
80njc80
Apprentice

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Has Plusnet confirmed the line is clean on their end???  When you factory reset the router do you manually configure the device or automatically let the D7800 choose the appropriate settings?

 

I have two D7800's and neither experience this particular issue...  However, when I did set up the new VDSL line it took a few goes for it to configure properly!

Message 2 of 74
Dorseteer
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

I have been experiencing the exact same problem for some time now and I'm using a different provider. The issue seems worse now since the recent f/w update. Router never recovers and we have to power off/on to get it working. Very unstable indeed. The pain is it does nt reboot itself to retry on its own. Needs an option inbuilt in order to do this I think: times out and then reboots if no one has reset in a period of time.

 

Or just fix the issue?

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 3 of 74

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router


@Dorseteer wrote:

The issue seems worse now since the recent f/w update.

 

Did you reset the router to factory settings after the firmware flash?

New firmware sometimes introduces changes that are not compatible with the old configuration.

So while it isn't guaranteed to fix problems a factory reset is the first thing to try if you have issues with new firmware.

This is a nuisance because you then have to reconfigure the device all over again.

You can backup your settings before you reset and restore them later. But that may just bring back the fault. Then again, at least you will know if the reset fixed the problem.

Message 4 of 74
Walkerlad80
Initiate

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Hi All

I've experienced exactly the same problem this morning after updating firmware to 1.0.1.42I now can't connect to my ISP (SSE) since update and Netgear want £50 to help me, the robbing £$%^.

 I think I'm going to buy another make instead , has anyone got any suggestions? To be fair my ISP provided router modem is running quite well so far

Message 5 of 74
antinode
Guru

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

> [...] any suggestions? [...]

   If a settings reset doesn't help, and you believe that the new
firmware caused the problem, then I might return to older firmware.

   Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Downloads.  For older versions, under Firmware and Software
Downloads, look for "View Previous Versions".  Find the kit(s).
Download the kit(s) you want.  Read the "Release Notes" file for
instructions.

Message 6 of 74

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router



@Walkerlad80 wrote:

Hi All

I've experienced exactly the same problem this morning after updating firmware to 1.0.1.42I now can't connect to my ISP (SSE) since update ...


You tried the reset described above?

 


@Walkerlad80 wrote:
....and Netgear want £50 to help me, the robbing £$%^.

 

 

Is that really Netgear? Or some number you found with a Google search?

 

There are plenty of dodgy sites that will pay Google to divert searches from unwary punters to possibly illegal websites, especially if you ask Google for phone numbers.

 

This place costs you nothing. And often has more experience than you will get from the offshore script jockeys, whose role in life is to empty your bank account.

 

Netgear itself does not provide paid for support. It farms that out to GearHead Technical Support.

 

GearHead Support

 

£50 is not a number that I can see there. I suspect that you landed on a dodgy support site. Care to tell us who it was?

 

 

Message 7 of 74
moopig
Apprentice

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

I have the same problem too.  I'm using Zen Internet in the UK.  Zen use BT's infrastructure.

 

Every 5 days, between 23:30 and 00:00 (British Summer Time; GMT+1), the D7800 will disconnect from the Internet.  It will remain disconnected until manual intervention is taken.  Logging in to the modem and manually clicking the "Connect" button does not reconnect ("ADVANCED" tab  -->  Administration -->  Router Status  -->  Click "Connect" button in pop-up Connection Status window).  The modem thinks for a few seconds and when the window refreshes the internet connection is not restored.  The "Disconnect" button works, though.  The only ways to get internet connection back are to reboot or power cycle the modem.  Wired and wireless devices on the LAN are unaffected (as long as they don't need to connect to the internet).

 

I haven't made a note of every occasion this happened but here are the times of some of them:

[Internet disconnected] Wednesday, July 18, 2018 23:35:34
[Internet disconnected] Monday, July 23, 2018 23:32:40
[Internet disconnected] Sunday, August 12, 2018 23:40:32
[Internet disconnected] Friday, August 17, 2018 23:39:31
[Internet disconnected] Wednesday, August 22, 2018 23:47:59
[Internet disconnected] Monday, August 27, 2018 23:36:48
[Internet disconnected] Saturday, September 01, 2018 23:46:12

 

All of these occurrences fit a 5 day cycle, and all are between 23:30 and 00:00.  Power cycling or rebooting the D7800 on intermediate days does not shift the day of disconnection.

 

I found a post from 2015 on a BT forum describing a similar problem.  The problem described there was a regular disconnection every 5 days between 9pm and 11pm.  The difference is that his modem (a BT Home Hub - whatever that is) would automatically reconnect after a few seconds.  It sounds like BT might be doing some housekeeping activity every 5 days which results in what should normally be a brief interruption in service, which would be a minor irritation.  A permanent disconnection every five days is a major inconvenience.

 

This problem started happening for me fairly recently.  I'm pretty sure it was when I updated to 1.0.1.42 firmware but it could possibly have been the version before that one.  I tried doing a full reset but it didn't fix it.

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 8 of 74

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router


@moopig wrote:

Every 5 days, between 23:30 and 00:00 (British Summer Time; GMT+1), the D7800 will disconnect from the Internet.  It will remain disconnected until manual intervention is taken. 

 


When I had BT disconnects, it turned out to be a line problem. (Cover fell off junction box up the BT pole, letting the rain in.) Have you run any circuit tests?

 

On the reconnect, how is the D7800 configured for the Connection Mode? It should be Always On.

 

There is a manual for the D7800 somewhere at the end of this link:

 

>>> D7800 | Product | Support | NETGEAR <<<

 

 

 

Message 9 of 74
moopig
Apprentice

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Thanks for the quick response, michaelkenward.

 

I haven't run any circuit tests but I've had the D7800 for some time and never seen anything less than 74Mbps/18Mbps downlink/uplink speeds.  My computers regularly download at close to the maximum speed (>8MB/s) when downloading games on Steam or grabbing big files.  Apart from this 5 day thing the Internet connection is never lost.  The Internet connection seems rock solid.

 

It seems unlikely that it's a wiring problem.  The odds of it failing all seven times on a 5 day period are very small.  If you factor in that it also happened on all seven occasions in the same 16 minute time window in a 24 hour day then the odds of this being a random even are astronomical.  I think a bad connection would have produced some disconnections at other times.

 

I didn't know about the connection mode.  I checked it and it is set to "always on".

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 10 of 74
moopig
Apprentice

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Post deleted.

Reason: Bad mathematics!

Message 11 of 74
moopig
Apprentice

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

As an experiment I tried the following:

- Pull cable out of wall socket.

- Check D7800 Internet connection status.  ** disconnected (as it should be) **

- Reinsert cable into wall socket.  Wait 5 minutes.

- Check D7800 Internet connection status.  ** Still disconnected **

- Click "Reconnect" button.  ** Internet connection status remains disconnected  **

- Click "Reconnect" button.  ** Internet connection status remains disconnected  **

- Click "Reboot" button.  ** Internet connection is restored immediately after reboot **

 

It appears that the D7800 v1.0.1.42 firmware will never attempt to re-establish the link if the Internet connection has been interrupted.  A reboot or power cycle is required.

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 12 of 74

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router


@moopig wrote:

It seems unlikely that it's a wiring problem. 

 

That is a strange conclusion. Certainly without making any tests.

 

The fact that it worked fine for months means less than not much. (I do logic, not maths.) The whole point of physical infrastructure is that it breaks when you don't expect it to. We have had a few thunder storms in my beck of the woods this summer. Great for frying exposed phone lines

 

You say that you "reset" the thing, I assume that this is the paperclip-in-the-back routine and not a simple reboot, which some people interpret as being a reset. It isn't.

 

 

Message 13 of 74
moopig
Apprentice

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Yes, on its own the fact that it used to work well for over year doesn't mean much.  I came to the conclusion that it's not the wiring because:

 

1.  The disconnections are always between 11:30pm and midnight and occur exactly every five days.  There have been no disconnections at any other times.  This has been going on since at least June (I can't remember exactly when it started).  Reliability is excellent, except between 11:30pm and 00:00am on every 5th day.

2.  The speed is always at least 74Mbps/18Mbps every time I check it.  Downloads to my PCs from good web sites are always around 8MB/s.  Speed is consistently excellent.

3.  Once the Internet connection has been lost or the phone cable unplugged the modem will never reconnect by itself, but as soon as it is rebooted the Internet is immediately available again.  Reconnection is broken but connection at startup is OK.

4.  Other people have reported connections being briefly dropped every 5th day when using BT's service with other hardware.  This exactly fits the pattern I see (my ISP uses BT lines).

 

For it to be due to dodgy wiring I would expect to see problems at random times or for them to correlate with weather conditions or human activity, but this is not what I observe.  To get the disconnection timings that I see by chance is impossibly unlikely.

 

By "full reset" I did indeed mean doing the paperclip-in-the-back routine.  I'm often lazy and don't do it after every firmware update but after I noticed this problem I did do it.

 

I might have been getting these disconnections with the same frequency with earlier firmware and the modem was recovering by itself but I don't have any logs to prove or disprove that.  Since the interruptions would only have lasted a few seconds I probably wouldn't have noticed them.

 

I'll try going back to older firmware to see if it fixes things.  Unfortunately I am not going to have time to do that for over a week, and it could take another five days after that to see if the disconnections have stopped.

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 14 of 74

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router


@moopig wrote:

4.  Other people have reported connections being briefly dropped every 5th day when using BT's service with other hardware.  This exactly fits the pattern I see (my ISP uses BT lines).

 

Seriously strange, but also a hint that it is BT's network that is behind these strange disconnects. It may not be the cables, but it is hard to see how Netgear firmware could be behind the disconnects.

 


@moopig wrote:
I'm often lazy and don't do it after every firmware update but after I noticed this problem I did do it.

 

Same here. No need to reset for the heck of it.

Message 15 of 74
Dorseteer
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Been away since my last post. Last month BT came and checked the line and installation and found no issues with wiring etc. But the router still keep going offline at least once a week. Bit of a pain if you need to access things remotely like our Nest system. The solution I came up with was to install a mains timer on the router power line and turn it off for 5 minutes twice a day. If it went offline in any 12 hour period I could get it back on line within the same day. Have read the recent posts and suspect this is something to do with BT but I'm not sure why the router is not able to figure this out, watch-dog and do a power-on reset. Maybe this is BT's punishment for not using their HUB.

 

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 16 of 74

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router


@Dorseteer wrote:

Maybe this is BT's punishment for not using their HUB.

 


I would not put it past them.

 

I know this is not likely to a welcome suggestion, but have you tried using the execrable HomeHub to see if that does the same thing?

 

Knowing that most HomeHubs do not allow modem only (bridged) mode – one of the thing's many shortcomings – you could try the D7800 in access point mode.

 

Again, that would test the modem bit of the D7800.

Message 17 of 74
burt35
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Im also with zen internet and have had line tests replacement bt socket and my router disconnects every day wheras my old dgnd3700 was rock solid. im using firmware V1.0.1.42 for my d7800.

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 18 of 74
moopig
Apprentice

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

 

I'm pretty sure my problem is not the line quality.  I'm only a few hundred metres from the exchange and my D7800 always syncs at 80/20Mbps downlink/uplink.  The speed is excellent and the connection is never dropped...  except between 23:30 and 00:00 every fifth day without exception.  It's Wednesday October the 17th today and I know for sure that my Netgear D7800 modem is going to go offline just before midnight on Sunday October the 21st.

 

Here is a list of EVERY time my D7800 has dropped the Internet connection recently.  It will never reconnect until it's rebooted or power-cycled.

 

Firmware v1.0.1.42:
[Internet disconnected] Sunday, August 12, 2018 23:40:32
[Internet disconnected] Friday, August 17, 2018 23:39:31
[Internet disconnected] Wednesday, August 22, 2018 23:47:59
[Internet disconnected] Monday, August 27, 2018 23:36:48
[Internet disconnected] Saturday, September 01, 2018 23:46:12
[Internet disconnected] Thursday, September 06, 2018 23:46:22
[Internet disconnected] Tuesday, September 11, 2018 23:44:25
[Internet disconnected] Sunday, September 16, 2018 23:45:03

Firmware v1.0.1.44:
[Internet disconnected] Monday, October 01, 2018 23:43:35
[Internet disconnected] Saturday, October 06, 2018 23:40:07
[Internet disconnected] Thursday, October 11, 2018 23:45:44
[Internet disconnected] Tuesday, October 16, 2018 23:53:01

 

All of these events occured on a 5-day schedule and between 23:35 and 23:54.

 

I suspect that the problem may be that Zen do some sort of maintenance in the evening once every 5 days and the Internet connection is briefly interrupted.  With most modems you probably wouldn't notice a few seconds down time late at night but the D7800 has a bug that means it never tries to reaquire the Internet connection once it's lost.

 

Try this experiment:

- Check you have Internet connection.

- Unplug your Internet cable for a few seconds and check that the D7800 shows the link has dropped.

- Plug your Internet cable in again.

- Wait for the Internet connection to be restored....

 

My D7800 with firmwares 1.0.1.42 and 1.0.1.44 fails this test.  If the Internet is interrupted I need to log in via LAN and reboot or push the power button on the back of the unit.  Both of these require me to be at home, which is obviously impossible when I'm travelling.

 

I intend to go back through the old firmwares and see if there's a version where this bug first appeared but I haven't had time to do it yet.  It's not really a solution to go back to a very old firmware version, though, because you'd lose a lot of security patches and bug fixes.

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 19 of 74
burt35
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

my d7800 syncs at max speed,  Firmware v1.0.1.42 but disconnects between 12 and 3am every day ive rang my isp zen whom have done line tests changed socket at wall and have even done rein tests. my dgnd3700 didnt disconnect at all but did have richuds custom firmware.

still cant figure out if it is dodgey firmware or not.

Model: D7000v2|Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem RouterD7800|Nighthawk X4S – AC2600 WiFi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router
Message 20 of 74
ageinghack
Tutor

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router


@moopig wrote:
 

I suspect that the problem may be that Zen do some sort of maintenance in the evening once every 5 days and the Internet connection is briefly interrupted.  

 


Unlikely at that time of the day. More likely at 3 in the morning. Have you asked them?

 


@moopig wrote:
 

With most modems you probably wouldn't notice a few seconds down time late at night but the D7800 has a bug that means it never tries to reaquire the Internet connection once it's lost.

 

Have you looked at the setting for Connection Mode in your modem?

 

There should be one in there for "Always On".

 

I have seen examples here where people have that wrong and then the modem will not reconnect after a dropout.

 

Or maybe that is another Zen issue worth pursuing with them.

 

Message 21 of 74
esoxecosse
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Any update on this Moopig ?, have you had a chance to try the older firmware to see if it cures the reconnect problem, I've just bought a D7800 and have a similar issue, I'm on Plusnet VDSL 40/10 and I reckon DLM maybe causing the internet drop, I have noticed it on my HH6 but it reconnects so never an issue, I'm going to roll back to D7800-V1.0.1.34 and see how that pans out.

If anyone has had any success with this problem please let us know.

 

Cheers

 

MarkC

Message 22 of 74
burt35
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

my d7800 disconnects every day im also with zen internet it did disconnect early mornings now it just seems to be random any time. i had the same problem with the supplied router a fritz box but my old netgear never had a problem. ive rang zen and theyve told me to use the old netgear which defeats the object a bit. not quite sure what to think as in my previous posts ive had a new socket fitted all the bell wires disconnected and various other line tests which suggest nothing is wrong as i get full speed. could two routers really be faulty. 

Message 23 of 74
esoxecosse
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

Hi Burt, I was using a BT Homehub 6 on my Plusnet VDSL line with no issue at all other than it all felt a bit laggy, the D7800 does feel sharper and I was keen to use the QOS facility, which I haven't been able to use at all by the way, I take it yours won't reconnect to the internet without being powered down and back on as well..?

Which firmware are you on just now..?

 

Cheers

 

Message 24 of 74
burt35
Aspirant

Re: Problems with D7800 Modem / Router

hi I'm on the latest firmware and it does reconnect automatically after about a minute hope this helps.
Message 25 of 74
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