Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Dlswyo
Follower

Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

i have a fvs318gv2 with the latest firmware installed 4.3.3-6. It works great for about 10 minutes then it crashes. After it crashes I can ping it, but I can't access it through the gui. I reboot and start over. Is this firewall a piece of crap or is it just me??? I have owned this wonderful device for about 6 months with intermittent connevtivity issues. Any help would be appreciated.

Message 1 of 133
JohnRo
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Hi DIswyo, 

 

Welcome to the community! 

 

The firmware version 4.3.3-6 is supposedly the fix for hang issues on the unit (see release notes here). My suggestion is to save the configuration, reload the firmware and perform a factory reset. To save the configuration go to Administration>Settings Backup and Upgrade. Download the firmware ​​here, and load it on the firewall using the same page. Once the update is successful, perform a factory reset by pressing and holding the reset button for 30 seconds and then turning off the router. You can now then, reload your configuration (Administration>Settings Backup and Upgrade).

 

I hope this fixes your issue, please let us know.

 

Thanks,  

 

Message 2 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

I am having the EXACT same issue as the above. I purchased this router because my old one (FVS366G) didn't have the WAN-LAN throughput that Charter now offers in my area.  I have had the FVS336G for YEARS and it still works flawlessly, but the speed tops out at 30mbps where ther FVS318Gv2 hits 60mbps (what I am paying for)

 

It froze on me during the initial setup.  I would plug in everything and it would work for about five minutes then the internet led light would go out and nothing would work.  I couldn't even access the web based GUI unless i rebooted it.  It took me about an hour and I was able to figure out the sequence to plug in and turn everything on and it worked perfectly for about 3 months.

 

Last month, I was uploading 300-400 photos into OneDrive and my entire network shut down.  I unplugged all the network cables from the FVS318 rebooted it, then plugged in the cable modem, rebooted it, then plugged in my desktop, rebooted it.  then i plugged in the other computers.  I continued trying to upload the photos and it would lock up again and the internet light would go out.  I went through the steps again, but this time, I only plugged in my desktop.  I could get the router to lock-up every time.

 

I finally rehooked up the FVS336G, didn't have to reboot or unplug anything and I finished my upload.  The next day, I tried to setup the FVS318 again and after several tries of unplugging and replugging and rebooting, it finally "took" and the internet light would stay on for longer than 5 minutes.

Interestingly enough, the internet light went out while I was typing this.

 

1.png

 

I went to create a new thread on this forum and I stumbled upon this one and it looks like we are having the same issue.  I tried to download the firmware in your link (I’m currently running 4.3.3-6) but get this error:

 

2.png

 

Also, we had some storms last week and the power went out (yes, I have the router on a surge protector) But it takes me about an hour to unplug/replug/reboot everything until it works.  With the old FVS336G when the power came back on, so did the internet.  I didn’t have to unplug/replug/reboot anything.

Here are the steps I have to take just to I could finish this post.

1)turn off unplug everything from the FVS318.

2)  Turn on the FVS318 wait for the test light to go off.

3)  Plug in the modem and turn the modem on, wait for it to reboot and the internet light to come on.

4)  Plug in the Ethernet cord from my desktop.  If I’m online for more than 10 minutes, then I plug in the rest of the computers.

It was delivered from Amazon on January 16th.

 

3.png

 

I'm at my wits end, please advise.

 

Ricky

 

Message 3 of 133
Bitzerj
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Same Issue....what works for me is that after I unplug it and plug it back in...go into the interface and reboot it.  If I do this, it stays up.  If I just do the unplug and replug, it stays up for about 30minutes to 1hr...and then stops passing data.  I can still ping the LAN port but cannot get to the GUI.

 

This is a repeatable issue....

 

Latest Version of the Firmware Installed.

 

 

Message 4 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Thank you for this!  It's a headache, but if going into the GUI and rebooting it from there is the ticket, then I'll go that route.  Can you let me know where to reboot from the GUI.

 

So the steps I use are:

 

1) unplug everything reboot FVS, wait until the test light goes out.

2) plug in the cable modem and turn it on and wait for the internet light to light up.

3) plug in one computer into the FVS (my desktop)

4) ?reboot FVS from GUI?

5) plug in the rest of the network

 

Thanks again!  When it finally "takes" it seems bullet proof and works flawlessly until the power goes out (which happens to only be once or twice a year during a storm)

 

Ricky

Message 5 of 133
Bitzerj
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Login to the unit...look for the Diagnostics menu...there is a Reboot Button.

 

Did it last night...the Router has been up for 24hrs working great.  Prior to that, it was down every 30 to 60 minutes like clockwork.

Message 6 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Thanks, I know where the reboot button is in the GUI.  I was more interested in when I might have the most success of the FVS318gv2 maintaining a stable connection.

 

I’m thinking it’s in step 4 above, but it’s been up the last 24 hours so it should be good until the next time the power cuts out.

Thank you again.

 

I’m curious to see if there is something official from Netgear on this.

 

There are Amazon reviews of our exact same issue with it locking up.  My entire network is Netgear and this is my 4th firewall.  The first one a RT311, then I upgraded to a FVS124G (end of life) This one stinks because it worked pretty well until that weird Microsoft messenger bug that would knock it offline. 

 

Then I got the FVS336g which still works great, but the throughput is lacking so I “upgraded” to the FVS318gv2… Which works fine when it works, it just takes a while for it to become stable.

 

Ricky

Message 7 of 133
Bitzerj
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

I tested it last night...pulled the power...pluged it back in and let it reboot.  Came up fine and then in 30 minutes it stopped passing packets (I could still ping the LAN port, but could not get to the GUI).

 

I cycled the power and the same thing happened.

 

Cycled again, and rebooted it via the GUI...it stayed up and was working this morning when I got up.

 

Not sure why this makes a difference, but it is repeatable on my device.

Message 8 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Great!  So you don't have to unplug the network cables from the front?  I'm glad your results are repeatable.  Because, I'd like to "REPEAT" it working again.

 

Thanks!

 

Ricky

Message 9 of 133
Bitzerj
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Correct...tried that (unplug cables) before and it didn't make a difference in my case.

 

Good Luck!

Message 10 of 133
shiekh
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Firmware 4.3.4-1 just released; for me I still get 5-10 mins of connectivity before it fails.

Message 11 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Check this out:  https://community.netgear.com/t5/Managed-Switches/FVS318Gv2-Connectivity-Issues-with-Firmware-4-3-3-...

 

I just installed the firmware, followed all the directions rebooted via the gui before installing, I verified that the firmware "took"

 

3.png

 

Then I replugged in the modem and after about five minutes the internet light went out... again...I could ping the router but the gui was unresponsive... Same thing that's been happening all along...

 

So I thought, that I'd unplug/replug the router and reboot via the gui to see if it woud "stick" Well... It did sorta.  I was messing around with some settings.  I changed the WAN upload/download from 1gbps to 100mbps, and instead of the default mac address, I entered the mac address of my computer.

 

Well, I think I might have changed too much, becaues this is weird.  After rebooting the GUI, I had an ip and I could ping google.com, but the internet wasn't working.

 

5.PNG

 

So I went in and changed the wan upload/download back to 1gbps, I switched the mac address to default, and for grins, I turned off the Enable DNS Proxy.  So far it's been up past the "20 minute mark" So I guess it's working now?  I'm afraid to repeat it as I haven't had this router hooked up for a couple weeks.

 

Ricky

Message 12 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Check this out:  https://community.netgear.com/t5/Managed-Switches/FVS318Gv2-Connectivity-Issues-with-Firmware-4-3-3-...

 

I just installed the firmware, followed all the directions rebooted via the gui before installing, I verified that the firmware "took"

 

5.PNG

 

Then I replugged in the modem and after about five minutes the internet light went out... again...I could ping the router but the gui was unresponsive... Same thing that's been happening all along...

 

So I thought, that I'd unplug/replug the router and reboot via the gui to see if it woud "stick" Well... It did sorta.  I was messing around with some settings.  I changed the WAN upload/download from 1gbps to 100mbps, and instead of the default mac address, I entered the mac address of my computer.

 

Well, I think I might have changed too much, becaues this is weird.  After rebooting the GUI, I had an ip and I could ping google.com, but the internet wasn't working.

 

5.PNG

 

So I went in and changed the wan upload/download back to 1gbps, I switched the mac address to default, and for grins, I turned off the Enable DNS Proxy.  So far it's been up past the "20 minute mark" So I guess it's working now?  I'm afraid to repeat it as I haven't had this router hooked up for a couple weeks.

 

Ricky

Message 13 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

 

I just installed the firmware, followed all the directions rebooted via the gui before installing, I verified that the firmware "took"

 

3.png

 

Then I replugged in the modem and after about five minutes the internet light went out... again...I could ping the router but the gui was unresponsive... Same thing that's been happening all along...

 

So I thought, that I'd unplug/replug the router and reboot via the gui to see if it woud "stick" Well... It did sorta.  I was messing around with some settings.  I changed the WAN upload/download from 1gbps to 100mbps, and instead of the default mac address, I entered the mac address of my computer.

 

Well, I think I might have changed too much, becaues this is weird.  After rebooting the GUI, I had an ip and I could ping google.com, but the internet wasn't working.

 

5.PNG

 

So I went in and changed the wan upload/download back to 1gbps, I switched the mac address to default, and for grins, I turned off the Enable DNS Proxy.  So far it's been up past the "20 minute mark" So I guess it's working now?  I'm afraid to repeat it as I haven't had this router hooked up for a couple weeks.

 

Ricky

Message 14 of 133
shiekh
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

"and for grins, I turned off the Enable DNS Proxy"

 

I wonder if this is what did it.

Message 15 of 133
shiekh
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

I tried (no luck, although it held up for longer than usual); for those that also want to try, it is at

 

Network Configuration

LAN Setup

Edit VLAN Profile

Message 16 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Ugh... That stinks... For me this time, I upgraded the firmware, plugged in and turned on the modem, connection dropped in about 5 minutes. unplugged/plugged in FVS318 went into the web GUI, changed mac address to default (I used to spoof my desktop PC) disabled the DNS Proxy. rebooted via the GUI and unplugged/plugged in the cable modem and it "took"

 

I don't know which of the things I did to make it work... I'm sure I'll post again as soon as the power goes out.

 

Until then netgear called and remoted into my PC.  We spent over an hour and he couldn't get the syslogs to work either, so who knows.

 

Ricky

Message 17 of 133
shiekh
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

They are taking this seriously; now this is good news. I look forward to the day I am again using a Netgear firewall.It has been a long struggle, not yet over.

Message 18 of 133
SamirD
Prodigy

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Have you guys trying to let the router sit for almost an hour after booting, but before using it?  My 318N works like that and is basically the same thing as the G.

 

Also, try going back to previous versions of firmware (like the first release), those were probably more stable because they had to ship a working product.  Once the firmware upgrades start, stuff always breaks...

Message 19 of 133
shiekh
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

I've tried this before, and it works; but I need a firewall that comes up by itself in a few minutes after a power glitch. My ZyXEL VFG6005N is just such a firewall.

 

A living is made over this network, and messing around to bring it back up is not an acceptable solution.

Message 20 of 133
SamirD
Prodigy

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

I can understand that.  For what its worth, I've not found any vpn firewall that comes up 100% in under a minute.  The cloest I've seen is the older Cisco rv016 and rv042--the rv042 was almost instant, but that was v1.0.  The rv016s take 45s at best on v2.0 firmware.

 

Our Watchguard takes a few minutes and I usually give the 318Ns about 15-25m if not a full 30m.  But to give the watchguard and 318s some credit, I reboot them just a few times a year, if even that.

 

The way I budgeted our router purchases was based on how much downtime cost us.  Then from there I'd give a 'pita' factor too and come up with a number.

Message 21 of 133
shiekh
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

A few minutes is fine, but to have to play games with it booting before connecting cables is not acceptable. Yes, the FVS-318Gv1 and FVS-336Gv2 come up just fine by themselves.

 

I have lost so much time on this that I now just stash the FVS-318Gv2 and FVS-318N away and try new firmware as it comes out; but I cannot afford to lose anymore time and so rely on my trusty ZyXEL VFG6005N even though I have 4 different Netgear firewalls.

Message 22 of 133
rickgode
Aspirant

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

I agree 100% This is my 4th Netgear firewall.  Each one always came back up after a power outage, except the FVS318Gv2.  It's not that I'm trying to access the internet as soon as the power goes out, it's just that I'M TRYING TO ACCESS THE INTERNET WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT!

 

I have dozens of devices that connect through this firewall, and every firewall before this one would "JUST WORK" So far mine's been up since the last power outage (which has been a few weeks) and everything is working fine.  

 

But to get to this point, took a couple weeks and a new firmware update...

 

Ricky

Message 23 of 133
shiekh
Guide

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

I am hopeful Netgear will get their act together, or they will end up needing to lay people off like Cisco recently.

 

I just took a look at Netgear stock... it has done amazingly good recently.

Message 24 of 133
SamirD
Prodigy

Re: Fvs318gv2 connectivity issues

Zyxel makes some fine products from what I've read.  If we didn't run into the deal on our watchguard, we would have gotten a zyxel as well.

 

I'll have to check out that model when I get a chance.  We were looking at a usg50.

Message 25 of 133
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