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Help? Bought brand new...can't get it to work right.

StaticNomad
Aspirant

Help? Bought brand new...can't get it to work right.

My model is NetGear R6220-100NAS

I purchased this, new, from Fry's to replace my busted LinkSys router because this one is supposed to have Parental Controls. I know there is NOTHING wrong with my internet because I just finished a week long event of getting my ISP to get out to my house and REPLACE my radio. They did this today, and finally, I am back up and running. (Yes, I had a series of very unfortunate events where first my router went on the fritz and then my radio for my internet went out too). 

So, here's the thing....I called into NetGear's tech support. They cannot understand me and keep hanging up on me. Nope, I'm not talking in some other language. I'm speaking clear English with no accent (seriously...I have no accent despite being a Texan). For some reason, they cannot distinguish the transfer call button from the hang up button. That, or my luck just REALLLLY sucks right now. So, I've given up on trying to call in for help anymore. 

I connected the router up to my wifi and my ISP authorized the router's MAC so it can connect in. So no problems there. I can connect to the internet just fine through it. But when I download the netgear genie, it won't let me log in. When I go to routerlogin.net, it tells me I am not connected to my router. Uh...yes I am. LOL! I have an internet connection, clearly, as I can surf and use the net. When I go to router settings, I type in admin and password (the default answers that come with the product) but all it does is sit and spin in thinking mode. 

When I finally got one tech to almost talk to me (before admitting he has no idea what is wrong...call my ISP, lmao... and get them to help me, WITH NETGEAR'S product??), he wanted me to go to open dns dot org website and sign up to get a dns to put in so my router would work right. No. Just...no. Why do I need to RISK disabling my internet altogether by changing settings my ISP just finished repairing for me after a week long battle of no internet? My last router? All I had to do was turn it on, and choose which devices to disable and for how long. No long steps with DNS crap, step by step instructions for assembling NASA's spaceship for no apparent reason that has anything to do with my router, or whatever other ridiculous steps are involved. 

It's very simple. I want to open this router, get into settings (even with the default password and user name would be great since I've never changed anything!), turn on parental controls, and walk away happy. Can we do this? Or have I bought the box to the world's most best kept secrets that I will never know? I have my laptop hooked up to the router via ethernet into port LAN1, and my router hooked up to my POE box which goes directly to my ISP radio into the port labeled INTERNET. I have the WIFI on my laptop disabled. I went to 192.168.1.1 and logged in there just fine, and can see devices, wireless, etc... but clicking on Parental Controls takes me to a download page. I download that, set it up, launch it and suddenly...it has no idea who I am, won't let me log in and acts like I'm not connected to the internet, despite saying my connection is "GOOD". LOL! 

What magical step am I missing? I've read the setup guide front to back. It said NOTHING about needing to register an account with Open DNS. Like...what does that even have to do with anything?? The router is using the ISP's DNS and all is well. If I change something? I might just cut off my own internet because EVERYTHING we do here has to be authorized to communicate with our local towers. Change a router? The new MAC has to be approved. Yada Yada... 

Any comptent help is appreciated. Really. I don't want to drive another 74 miles to return, yet another, crappy router.


Model: Genie|Desktop| Mobile| and Product Setup Genie
Message 1 of 6
William10a
Master

Re: Help? Bought brand new...can't get it to work right.

I dream of Genie has a bad habit of turning the dream in to a nightmare uninstall Genie log in with 192.168.1.1 users name= admin,  password= password

Message 2 of 6
StaticNomad
Aspirant

Re: Help? Bought brand new...can't get it to work right.

I've definitely tried the uninstall, reinstall method. That, right before "Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?" was on the list of things for me to do before screaming for help. LOL! Unfortunately, that did nothing. 

Message 3 of 6
William10a
Master

Re: Help? Bought brand new...can't get it to work right.

I wonder if open dns is part of parental control setup and may be block by some how?

Message 4 of 6
StaticNomad
Aspirant

Re: Help? Bought brand new...can't get it to work right.

I'm not entirely sure. The tech support guy was hard to understand (I think we had a language barrier going on. He couldn't understand me, and I couldn't understand him LOL!) But it seemed like he was trying to get me to find my ISP's DNS because this was something to do with Parental controls. Thing is, I didn't see that in the setup steps at all, and I am certainly not about to go fiddling around with the DNS settings without knowing what the heck I'm doing. But even still? When I went to Open DNS website and registered for it, on step one, it tells me to go to routerlogin.net website. When I go there, it tells me I don't have connection to my router. *head scratching* I am totally lost on that. I have a field technician coming back out on Monday to move my radio to the other side of my house, because my ISP is moving me over to a closer tower for better connectivity. When he comes out, I will ask about this DNS stuff, but without being able to get past the whole step 1 business, I'm still not sure how to get this all going. I didn't think this would be so dang complicated. With LinkSys, it was literally plug in, and go. Nothing about DNS's or whatever was ever needed. The parental controls were built right into the firmware. (Were being the keyword here, as suddenly...that stopped working, hence how I come about buying a NetGear). 

Message 5 of 6
William10a
Master

Re: Help? Bought brand new...can't get it to work right.

If it is a choice of having a working interest or playing around settings and lose your Internet I would leave it alone and let the isp people handle it for you since you have very picky isp with  special requirements to use their internet service from your posting.

Message 6 of 6
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