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Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Hi everyone,

Just a quick question about my D7000/R7000 Router. I was configuring some QoS settings and noticed the time and date were set to January 1st 1970. I looked everywhere for a setting to change it, but could only find a timezone setting under "Advanced > Security > Schedule"

 

I took to google and it seems (based on multiple site/threads) that they Automatically set the time from ISP Servers. I contacted my ISP and got a fairly standard response - "Our server dates and times have been confirmed to be correct, please contact your router manufacturer to resolve this issue"

 

Now, im not having any major issues with the internet or with the router itself, speeds are good, router is stable, settings are correct... just time and date. Should i be concerned about this? From previous experience with networking, time/date settings can cause conflicts between devices on LAN and Routed networks, is this not the case anymore?

 

Cheers for any Help you can provide.

Model: R7000|Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band WiFi Router
Message 1 of 18
antinode
Guru

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

> [...] my D7000/R7000 Router.

   Which is it?  Firmware version?

> [...] they Automatically set the time from ISP Servers. [...]

   On my D7000, I found an apparently NTP-related process:

 3068 root       608 S    /usr/sbin/netgear_ntp -z GMT+0

   "/usr/sbin/netgear_ntp" is an executable, but it seems to contain a
list of time-server names, "time-X.netgear.com", where X = { a, b, c, d,
e, f, g, h }.  If you've somehow managed to block access to some/all of
these, or fouled the DNS (or routes) so that it can't find them, then
that might explain it.  (1970-01-01:00:00 is the UNIX base time.)

> [...] I contacted my ISP [...] "Our server dates and times have been
> confirmed to be correct, [...]

   I'd guess that the router is looking at one or more of those
"time-X.netgear.com" servers, not anything to do with your ISP.


   Reboot doesn't help?

> Should i be concerned about this? [...]

   Probably only if you detect an actual problem (other than misleading
logs).

Message 2 of 18
DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Its the D7000, i thought maybe the R7000 was the same router just different model number for different regions. Everytime i google D7000 it comes up with R7000 hence my assumption.

 

Firmware version is 1.0.1.48, i check of updates weekly.

 

Most of my settings are Automatic except Port forewarding and DMZ/QoS. The rest is stock settings from manufacturer/ISP.

 

Reboot doesnt help unfortunately, have rebooted Router and fibre box as well as the pc accessing the router directly.

 

I will have a look at the servers and DNS settings again and get back to you. Thanks for your response 🙂

Message 3 of 18
William10a
Master

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Which has the wrong time the D7000 modem/router or the R7000 router?

Normally if you have the latest firmware on both units you should be able to sync the time from the server.

Not sure how you are using the R7000 router with the D7000 modem/router is the r7000 use like a access point or something.

The D7000 is a DSL modem/router while the R7000 is just a router so which are you using?

Message 4 of 18
DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Sorry, i cant have explained myself too well.

I was under the impression the the D7000 and the R7000 were the exact same device, i thought they just used a different letter at the start of the model number to indicate a different region like a US version or something. Sorry for the confusion there.

 

Its a D7000, so im not using an R7000 at all.

Message 5 of 18

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

R = Router

 

D= Modem/router

 

You refer to a "fibre box". What is this?

 

What sort of Internet connection do you have? (ADSL? VDSL?)

 

Where are you?

 

By the way, your firmware is not the latest. See here:

 

>>> D7000 | Product | Support | NETGEAR <<<

 

 

Message 6 of 18
DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Ah ok, thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

Fibre box as in NBN. Sort of an Exchange for FTTP to which you connect the router.

 

I run the standard "check for updates" tool in the router settings, i would have thought that would update to the latest firmware. i will check that out and upgrade, thanks for that.

Message 7 of 18

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

NBN is a wonder to behold.

 

What is an NBN network and is my NETGEAR DSL modem router compatible? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

 

It causes great mirth for those of us who watch Australians trying to grapple with this beast:

 

How Australia Bungled Its $36 Billion High-Speed Internet Rollout - The New York Times

 

Unfortunately, NBN comes in different flavours. We still don't know if you have ADSL or VDSL, or if you are using the thing as just a router.

Message 8 of 18
DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

lol tell me about it. I had to go back to the shops twice to get the correct router.

 

A VDSL router didnt work. I cant remember which model it was i tried but after much fluffing about, and multiple calls to ISP and Netgear i was finally told it wasn't compatable and they suggested the D7000.

 

It is 100% FTTP, i have a housing mounted to the wall inside the house with a modem looking box inside with multiple ports on it and its connected to the power via a wall socket (why the hell didnt they hard wire it in and put a switch on the box for resetting is beyond me)

 

The router is set to Modem+Router mode and the automatic settings set it this way. If i switch to Modem only mode it cuts the internet connection out.

Message 9 of 18

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

The D7000 is a VDSL router.

 

 

Message 10 of 18
DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Well im confused then...

 

I dont understand why the other one didnt work, i remember it clearly stated it was a VDSL router. The guys at the store seemed puzzled too when i came in to return it...

 

Anyway, in reguards to my problem, it doesn't seem to affect anything functionality wise. Based on what you guys have said, if it doesn't affect its use then i shouldn't worry about it. If it ain't broke, dont fix it i suppose.

 

Thanks for all your help anyway. i'll chuck a "kudos" on all of your suggestions.

Message 11 of 18
antinode
Guru

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

> Fibre box as in NBN. Sort of an Exchange for FTTP to which you connect
> the router.

   The principle question is whether you run a phone-like wire from this
box to the DSL port of the D7000, or an Ethernet cable to the Internet
port of the D7000.

> The router is set to Modem+Router mode and the automatic settings set
> it this way. If i switch to Modem only mode it cuts the internet
> connection out.

   The question is not if modem-only mode works, but if router-only mode
is what you're using.  (The Internet port bypasses the modem function.)

> I run the standard "check for updates" tool in the router settings, i
> would have thought that would update to the latest firmware.

   It's one thing for Netgear to post a firmware update for some
product, and a different thing for Netgear to do whatever it does to
notify the devices that the update is available.  The two events are not
always simultaneous.  One could imagine an intentional delay, to allow

complaints to trickle in from early adopters before triggering a flood
from the masses.

> [...] If it ain't broke, dont fix it i suppose.

   But is is broke[n].  Did you ever try opening a support case with
Netgear (rather than asking the army of the uninformed found here)?

Message 12 of 18
William10a
Master

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

The time and date would be a issue if you were to use the parental controls for the netgear router since are not affected by the time or date I wish good luck with it.

Message 13 of 18
DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Its an ethernet cable from the box to the Router.

 

There is no option on my router to change to router, only - (Modem + Router)  Or  (Modem Only) - maybe this would change if it didnt detect ISP settings coming through unmanaged by a modem before the fact.

 

Fair comment about the Updates. Im a Plug and Play sort of guy, as you can probably tell based on my lack of knowledge on the subject.

 

The whole "broke" thing is a slack jaw figure of speech, not a grammatical error (in case you were wondering)

And i decided to try the community based on the fact the router is working correctly. i decided a community based answer would be better as its a minor annoyance and not an actual fault as such.

Message 14 of 18
DILLIGAF9014
Aspirant

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

William10a, im not using those settings as yet, but will do in the future. i will revisit the issue down the track, but until then being as its working properly otherwise, so all good. Thanks for your help though, i appreciate any help i got during this thread.

Message 15 of 18

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970


@DILLIGAF9014 wrote:

 

I dont understand why the other one didnt work, i remember it clearly stated it was a VDSL router. The guys at the store seemed puzzled too when i came in to return it...



Guess the Australian stores learned their technical stuff from the infamous Computer World/Currys in the UK. They don't know much about the kit they sell.

 

The problem may be that NBN comes in different flavours. Some NBN does use VDSL, which may confuse the stores. But some has FTTP, that's fibre to the premises.

 

VDSL is sometimes called FTTC, fibre to the cabinet. FTTC send the last bit along copper phone cables. That's what we have in most of the UK.

 

With FTTP you don't need a modem, at least not a DSL modem. Some cable services wire you up with something that needs a cable modem. (Netgear also supplies these.) Some may install that modem.

 

If they do install a modem, then you don't need anything else to get on to the Internet. You just plug your PC into the box that the ISP supplied.

 

If that it how it is set up, then the extra kit you buy is for adding more wired devices and delivering wifi around the place. In that case you don't need a modem/router, just a router.

 

If you have a modem/router, then you don't need to turn it into a "router only" device. You just plug the thing on the wall into the Internet socket on the back of the modem/router. Switching to "modem only" route simply turns off the router, which means you have a useless block of electronics if you are plugged into the Internet socket.

 

This still leaves us with the "wrong date" issue. Have you set the time zone? Now, get this, there is another Antipodean wrinkle here. Netgear's stuff has problems with some of those freaky "half hour" time zones. You might find that one somewhere in the archives. There are also earlier reports of the time issue that you reported.

 

This explanation is, of course, simplified. But it shouldn't take a degree in computer science, to get this stuff to work.

 

 

Message 16 of 18
antinode
Guru

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

> Its an ethernet cable from the box to the Router.

   Ok.  Then you're ignoring the DSL modem, and using only the router
functionality.  (So an R7000 (router-only) would have served as well.)

> There is no option on my router to change to router, only - [...]

   None is needed.  If the WAN/Internet port is connected (and the D7000
is not in Modem(-only) mode), then it will act as a router.  The
documentation may be less than perfectly clear on this point.

> [...] not a grammatical error [...]

   So, not like "It[']s an ethernet cable", then.

> [...] a community based answer would be better [...]

   Your choice, but no one here seems to know why it's happening.  (And
I'd call it an actual fault.)

Message 17 of 18
William10a
Master

Re: Router Time And Date Set To January 1st 1970

Since the D7000 is used as only a router some router have fixed this this and ate issue by a firmware update not sure that the D7000 updates like the R700 but it should be in the manual it starts on page 219 http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/D7000/D7000_UM_EN.pdf

The router and the modem both have update instruction's.

I hope this helps

Message 18 of 18
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