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R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App

FloridaRob
Tutor

R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App

Need to login to admin on my R7900P remotely. Nighthawk App states Router is disconnected, but it isn't. I can login to the internet router the R7900P is connected to (in bridge mode) and ping test the Nighthawk, and it returns and passes tests. It is also broadcasting a WiFi network using the default (!!!!) settings. I can remotely cycle power to the R7900P and have done so, which makes no difference.

 

Mac OS desktop Netgear Genie (on desktop) won't allow me to log in to anything remotely, the option simply doesn't display on the appropriate page. It does show on my laptop, go figure, but the particular router I need to admin shows as being unavailable in the menu for remote administration.

 

Why does the Nighthawk App say that the router is disconnected when it is not?

 

Don't anyone tell me to update firmware on the router because I am 4000 km away in another country, which is the whole reason I setup remote administration on the device in the first place, and yes... I did set it up when the router was installed, and reset up just two months ago. The whole purpose in having remote admininstration setup is so that the router can be administered REMOTELY. Going on site is not an option or a solution. If I was onsite I wouldn't need remote administration.

 

I am extremely frustrated by how buggy NetGear Genie was when I first set it up. It apparently couldn't handle accessing two different R7900Ps in two different locations. I had remote administration setup and working on this router A through Netgear Genie before I left the site, but router B wasn't able to be accessed remotely.  I called NetGear support and they couldn't fix the problem, heck they couldn't even understand the problem (it would help if tech support offered in English was provided by people who can speak English), and I ran out of time and had to leave the country. Now I have been instructed through NetGear to install the Nighthawk App on my phone, which I have, and low and behold router B appears and is accessible, and router A says "Disconnected", which it isn't.  In NetGear genie which works (somewhat) on my laptop, now Router B can be accessed but Router A can not be (reads 'unavailable'), the opposite of when I was onsite.

 

In the meantime, without the problem of NEVER being able to access both Routers through either app at the same time ever being resolved, even after wasting HOURS with useless technical support which never solved the problem, my support has expired.

 

I am offered more "support" at a cost nearly equal to one of the routers, but it couldn't/wouldn't solve the problem before, why would I buy something which has proven to not work time and time again?

 

Has anyone had a R7900P showing as 'disconnected' in the Nighthawk App and been able to establish a connection with it without being on site?

 

If firmware needs to be upgraded to connect to it, can this be done without being on site, and when the R7900P shows as disconnected?

 

Again, the R7900P is NOT disconnected, it is pingable and working, so there is a fault/bug problem with NetGear software somewhere along the line, and this should have been fixed during my support period but never was. Now I have a customer screaming at me over WiFi access. Can anyone assist?

 

Many thanks in advance.

Model: R7900P|Nighthawk X6S AC3000 Tri Band WiFi Router
Message 1 of 9
Xiaowei
Aspirant

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App

Same problem here with R7900P. Can anyone help?

Message 2 of 9
schumaku
Guru

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App


@FloridaRob wrote:

Need to login to admin on my R7900P remotely. Nighthawk App states Router is disconnected, but it isn't. I can login to the internet router the R7900P is connected to (in bridge mode) and ping test the Nighthawk, and it returns and passes tests.


Ok, I'm more than confused:

 

Your Internet "router in bridge mode" has a public IP address so it can be reached from the wild Internet?

 

What IP address are you using to ping the R7900P?

 

Or does the R7900P run in bridge (Access Point) mode at the end of the day?

 

Afraid, something reads wrong for me ....

 


@FloridaRob wrote:

Mac OS desktop Netgear Genie (on desktop) won't allow me to log in to anything remotely, the option simply doesn't display on the appropriate page. It does show on my laptop, go figure, but the particular router I need to admin shows as being unavailable in the menu for remote administration.

 

Why does the Nighthawk App say that the router is disconnected when it is not?


What the Nighthawk App and the Genie desktop programs show (at least one of the two) indicates that the router is disconnected from the Netgear cloud, where the Nighthawk App as well as the Genie desktop are connecting to. 

 

Was travelling with some LTE modem and a NEtgear router the last two weeks, and randomply when trying to check the set-up beyond of the WiFi reach I've seen the "Disconnected" listing on the App remote access list. Minutes later it was back. And no obvious problem or Internet disconnection on the router itself. Oh well....

 

Is it possible this router did one of these unexpected factory resets some Nighthawk are hit by from time to time, or are there obvious config options which were retained (beyond of the default SSIDs)?

 

What I've experienced with the desktop Genie on both MacOS and Windows is that it sometimes seem to stick to a "local" login attempt, and it's tricky or kinda impossible to change the mode to remote.

Message 3 of 9
FloridaRob
Tutor

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App


@schumaku wrote:

Ok, I'm more than confused:

Your Internet "router in bridge mode" has a public IP address so it can be reached from the wild Internet?

What IP address are you using to ping the R7900P?

Or does the R7900P run in bridge (Access Point) mode at the end of the day?

Afraid, something reads wrong for me ....

I may be using wrong terminology.  I use the R7900P as an access point to create a WiFi network in my vacation home for my guests to access the internet, in order to islolate them from the 'actual' router/internet access point, which is the router supplied by my ISP.  I have remote administration setup on both the first router, and the R7900P. So I can login to the first router with my admin credentials, and see the entire LAN and its settings. While logged into the original router, I can see the R7900P and its ethernet connection to the original router. I can ping it from the original router, to test the connection, and confirm that it is there, on and responding. I also have guests at the vacation rental who tell me that they can see the original WiFi default network SSID broadcast by the R7900P, and login to it with the default credentials.

 

So it is not 'disconnected'. It is there, on the local network, and so can be reached. I can even open up ports for it if necessary.

 


@FloridaRob wrote:

Mac OS desktop Netgear Genie (on desktop) won't allow me to log in to anything remotely, the option simply doesn't display on the appropriate page. It does show on my laptop, go figure, but the particular router I need to admin shows as being unavailable in the menu for remote administration.

 

Why does the Nighthawk App say that the router is disconnected when it is not?



@schumaku wrote: What the Nighthawk App and the Genie desktop programs show (at least one of the two) indicates that the router is disconnected from the Netgear cloud, where the Nighthawk App as well as the Genie desktop are connecting to. 

All well and good, but your statement doesn't explain WHY it is disconnected. There is no 'reason or excuse' for this.

 

@schumaku wrote: Was travelling with some LTE modem and a NEtgear router the last two weeks, and randomply when trying to check the set-up beyond of the WiFi reach I've seen the "Disconnected" listing on the App remote access list. Minutes later it was back. And no obvious problem or Internet disconnection on the router itself. Oh well....

 

Is it possible this router did one of these unexpected factory resets some Nighthawk are hit by from time to time, or are there obvious config options which were retained (beyond of the default SSIDs)?

No obvious problems... (like so many internet issues when they occur) but "Oh well..." is not really an answer.  The Motorola router supplied by my ISP has never lost its programming though countless power failures and surges, in ten years of operation.  So a shoulder shrug is not really an answer.  It means no solution, and this apparent hunk of junk I was sold is not up to the task of doing what the manufacturers purport it is capable of doing.

 

And it appears that the router has been completely reset to factory default settings. This is unacceptable performance. A simple failure of the device to do what it is supposed to do. And without any reasonable technical support on the part of the supplier to provide a solution.

 

@schumaku wrote: What I've experienced with the desktop Genie on both MacOS and Windows is that it sometimes seem to stick to a "local" login attempt, and it's tricky or kinda impossible to change the mode to remote.

Which describes what I have run into. Which is basically saying "Yes, I've experienced the same problems you have." Thank you. I appreciate your interest, but it moves neither of us closer to a solution.

 

The fact that NetGear Genie gets 'stuck' is just a reflection of bad programming, nothing else. Testing and user experience must have already revealed this issue many times over. Was the problem fixed and a newer version released? No. The software is now discontinued without a replacement.  I don't want a mobile solution.  I want a desktop app that works like the box said I was getting with the router I bought.

 

Obviously I'm not alone.

 

Again, I appreciate your interest, and the last thing I want to do is to appear rude, but I see no movement towards a solution here. It is all well and good for Netgear to setup a 'community', but what for?  So their customers can provide customer support for them?  I would love some assistance with these issues, but I don't really believe there are any solutions. No one from Netgear has responded.

 

Thank you very much for your time and interest in my case! 🙂

Message 4 of 9
schumaku
Guru

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App

@FloridaRob hope you understand that you talk to communiy members, I'm in not working or helping people here on behalf of Netgear.

 


@FloridaRob wrote:

I use the R7900P as an access point to create a WiFi network ...

That's the point: When I have it right, this a limitation of the Nighthawk App vs Nighthawk routers in AP mode.

 

Or would you like to state that the Remote Management was available and workable, showing the AP in the App Remote Access list, and allowing management?

Message 5 of 9

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App


@FloridaRob wrote:

 

I use the R7900P as an access point to create a WiFi network in my vacation home for my guests to access the internet, in order to islolate them from the 'actual' router/internet access point, which is the router supplied by my ISP.  I have remote administration setup on both the first router, and the R7900P.

 

If a router is in access point mode, you cannot use remote management for that device.

 

Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support

 

If you see remote management t as being enabled, the R7900P is not in AP mode, which means that you probably have two routers on your network.

 

Two routers on your network can cause headaches. For example, you can end up with local address problems. Among other things, the other router can misdirect addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.

This explains some of the other drawbacks.

What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

It seems like you have experienced several manifestations of those drawbacks.

 

Message 6 of 9
FloridaRob
Tutor

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App


@michaelkenward wrote:

@FloridaRob wrote:

 

I use the R7900P as an access point to create a WiFi network in my vacation home for my guests to access the internet, in order to islolate them from the 'actual' router/internet access point, which is the router supplied by my ISP.  I have remote administration setup on both the first router, and the R7900P.

 

If a router is in access point mode, you cannot use remote management for that device.

 

Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support

 

If you see remote management t as being enabled, the R7900P is not in AP mode, which means that you probably have two routers on your network.

 

Two routers on your network can cause headaches. For example, you can end up with local address problems. Among other things, the other router can misdirect addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.

This explains some of the other drawbacks.

What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

It seems like you have experienced several manifestations of those drawbacks.

 


Again, I may have my terminology incorrect. If you are correct, that I can't have the R7900P in Access Point mode, and still be able to remotely administer it, then perhaps I don't have it in Access Point mode, because I can still login to and remotely administer my OTHER R7900P remotely. Both were setup in the same (and just to avoid confusion, in two separate locations on completely separate LANetworks) manner and with the same settings. One I can access remotely and administer, the other I can't, but need to. So if you are correct, does that by definition mean that I don't have it in Access Point mode?

 

I also originally stated that it was setup in Bridge Mode. Perhaps that is how it is set up? I'm working from memory, but I don't remember exact specifics, and I don't have the manuals here with me. All I know is that both routers could be remotely administered when they were setup, but now it appears that one of them has completely lost all of its settings, including that of remote access.

 

In the Nighthawk App it says that one of the two is 'disconnected' but it is on, working, and can be accessed over the internet. I am hoping that there is someway that it will somehow allow the connection, and respond to administration instructions. That is what I would like to do if possible.

 

I realize that it may not be, if it 'thinks' it is not setup to allow remote administration (because it apparently lost the settings I left it with and went back to factory default mode) but this is the limit of my expertise. Is it possible to connect to it and change the settings on it remotely, even if it says 'disconnected'?  Why does it say 'disconnected' when it isn't? It is on and working.

 

Thank you for your response, and for your help, and everyone else who has joined in too.  It is very much appreciated even though I may be bad at sounding that way! 🙂

Message 7 of 9
schumaku
Guru

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App

Hey @FloridaRob  you are not sounding bad at all. Perfectly understand the confusion. No idea on my side why it appears that some of your R7900P are registered with the Netgear cloud so that these show up - being shown under the Remote Connection available as "Connect Remotely" or unavailable as "Disconnected". I'm not Netgear, have just very a few playground Nightawks, and only limited time to waste on the Netgear consumer devices. Only you can bring some light into how your R7900P are set-up and configured.

Message 8 of 9

Re: R7900P Shows as "Disconnected" in Nighthawk App


@schumaku wrote:

Only you can bring some light into how your R7900P are set-up and configured.

 


That is the crux of the matter @FloridaRob .

 

If you aren't sure about the setup on the devices on your network, the rest of us haven't got a hope in hell of knowing what is going on there.

 

 

 

 

 

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