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Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

rickliu2000
Aspirant

RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

I just got my RAX35 bought on black friday. The firmware is sooooo slooooooooow...

But the most troublesome problem is that when I tryed to enable ap mode, the router just disappear from the universe.

Devices connected to the router after ap mode is enabled cannot get ip address and the dhcp server does not get any dhcp request from the router.The router completely disappeared from my network. It seems that the router is missing and the only way to get it back is by resetting it.

Does netgear really tested the product before sell and ship it?

I think I am not getting a free router from beta program and I paid for it. Netgear should at least gurantee those basic functions.

I also see other people complaining about the same issue, however no solution have been found by users or posted by netgear. I'd like to know if netgear is working on this issue and what's the progress as the return window is only 30 days.

 

It is really annoying to pay for a router and only to find some basic functions are malfunctioning.

 

Model: RAX40|Nighthawk AX4 4-Stream WiFi Router
Message 1 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

When you place the router in AP mode, a different router (primary) takes over the dchp controls. If for some reason, the RAX was assigned an IP address not in range, you won't (potentially) see it on the network. 

what router are you using? 

What firmware are you on?

If you log into the router that is your primary, does it have an attached devices page? Does the RAX show up there? Or in a "allowed devices" setup?

Another question is that the RAX devices are pretty new. There was a bit of firmware work since it started manufacturering. Sometimes a factory reset helps to clear out old settings/problems and makes them run much smoother. Have you tried this since you bought it? It should auto-update and occassionally a factory reset does help in these situations. 

 

You also have the option of using your free 90 days of support. If you bought it black friday, you have that option. to do so click on "mynetgear" at the top. Register an account and then your device. From there you can contact support. 

Message 2 of 13
rickliu2000
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

 

My main router is a x86 server with RHEL8

The RAX35 is nowhere in the network, and the dhcp server didn't log any dhcp requests from the RAX.

I also have a R6300v2 running in AP mode and it is on the network. I have been using this setup for years and it really surprised me that the RAX is completely lost in AP mode.

I can understant that some work is still being done on the firmware of a new device, but I think the basic functions of a new product must be guranteed before any product was put onto the market. Its a new device and as i said, the only way to get the device back after entering AP mode is to do a reset. The router has been resetted for many times and of course, its on the latest firmware.

I don't think advanced support is needed in my setup, as the complex functions in my network are all handled by the RHEL8 server and the router is supposed to simply run in the AP mode, another netgear router is in my network running in AP mode flawlessly. Yeah, the RAX35 just disappeared simply after you click the box of AP mode.No complex setup was involved. I was expecting the RAX working like the old R6300v2 and R8000 I used to have, set into the AP mode, get a ip from the main router and switch all devices connected to the "AP".I would suspect it was more a firmware issue than a setup issue.

Message 3 of 13
rickliu2000
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

Here one reply in the post shows the same problem wihe me

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-Routers-with-WiFi-6-AX/Rax35-Wireless-Bridge-Mode-unavail...

I remember I also saw something similar somewhere else but cannot find it now.

 

Message 4 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode


@rickliu2000 wrote:

 

My main router is a x86 server with RHEL8

The RAX35 is nowhere in the network, and the dhcp server didn't log any dhcp requests from the RAX.

I also have a R6300v2 running in AP mode and it is on the network. I have been using this setup for years and it really surprised me that the RAX is completely lost in AP mode.

I can understant that some work is still being done on the firmware of a new device, but I think the basic functions of a new product must be guranteed before any product was put onto the market. Its a new device and as i said, the only way to get the device back after entering AP mode is to do a reset. The router has been resetted for many times and of course, its on the latest firmware.

I don't think advanced support is needed in my setup, as the complex functions in my network are all handled by the RHEL8 server and the router is supposed to simply run in the AP mode, another netgear router is in my network running in AP mode flawlessly. Yeah, the RAX35 just disappeared simply after you click the box of AP mode.No complex setup was involved. I was expecting the RAX working like the old R6300v2 and R8000 I used to have, set into the AP mode, get a ip from the main router and switch all devices connected to the "AP".I would suspect it was more a firmware issue than a setup issue.


If new devices functions were gauranteed, there wouldn't be firmware updates. Especially since the AX standard was just certified recently. 

Saying its on the latest firmware kind of helps. but not really. anyone who references this post, looks are it for fixes, or even the moderators who watch for problems, aren't going to know what firmware your on. It changes frequently with newer devices.

 

If you think its a firmware issue, have you tried downgrading the firwmare to check if its a recent issue? make sure to reset it after any downgrades. 

 

another though is to test the issue. Place your R6300 back in router mode (it'll be a double nat temporarily) and connect the RAX to it in AP mode. See if it functions properly with the R6300 running routing. If it does, then it might point back to your RHEL8 setup. 

 

Message 5 of 13
rickliu2000
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

It has nothing to do with the new standard I think, A netgear in the AP mode will also work like a switch on its ethernet ports, but it is not the case on RAX35. I have tested both under R6300 as a router and connected directly to another ubiquiti router which would directly assign public ips to devices, the AP mode died in both scenario . I will try old firmware but both the firmware when I opened the box and the updated firmware failed in AP mode.

Message 6 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

so maybe it would be good to get support involved? If you're that competent in networking (wasn't meant to sound insulting), they'll probably elevate your case with enough conversation. Get the right support person and someone familar enough with networking for decent troubleshooting and maybe a fix will happen. It certainly won't happen if the right people don't get made aware of the problem. 

Message 7 of 13
rickliu2000
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

As I excepted

they ask me to reset and enter AP mode using exactly the same procedure as what I did.

But still

no good luck.....

BTW, I cannot find a firmware with older version for the RAX35 : (

Message 8 of 13
shawnjacobson
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

Same issue here.  FW is V1.0.3.62_1.0.1, HW R1.05, and I also have a great deal of experience configuring networks.  AP Mode is simply non-funcional in this device at present.  Should not need to get on a support call for someone from Netgear to test this functionality on their own...I assure you, it will not work for them, and they can troubleshoot/try to find a "fix" without wasting my time doing so.  When the FW fix is ready, let me know.  If it is not ready prior to the close of my 30 day return window though, I will have no choice but to return the product as defective.

 

Thank you.

Model: RAX40|Nighthawk AX4 4-Stream WiFi Router
Message 9 of 13
ScratchMonkey
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

I'd gotten mine working but I went to change the SSID today and lost connection to my network. I finally gave up on AP mode and went back to router mode.

 

After a factory reset I did the initial setup using the Nighthawk phone app with the yellow WAN port connected to my LAN. I then moved the Ethernet cable to a black LAN port and connected to the web configuration page at 192.168.1.1. (My PC has an IP alias in that netblock just for dealing with devices that boot in that block.) I changed the address to the one I'd already selected on my 10.96.0.0/9 LAN and rebooted. I connected to the web config page at the new address. I disabled the DHCP server (since I already have one on my LAN).

 

It seems to work using my Google Pixel phone as a test client. I can still access the web configuration using Chrome from Windows 10. The Nighthawk phone app does not find the router anymore. That may be because I've got nothing connected to the WAN port. Hopefully anything I need to tweak can be done from the web config. 

Message 10 of 13

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode


@ScratchMonkey wrote:

I'd gotten mine working but I went to change the SSID today and lost connection to my network. I finally gave up on AP mode and went back to router mode.

 

It isn't obvious to me what is going on here, or even if you are asking for advice. (It is hard to tell when you have joined in on an old discussion that may or may not be about the same issue.)

 

I step in just to comment on the inability to control a router when it is in AP mode. This tracks back the features that AP mode removes:

 

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

 

An important lost feature is that you cannot get into the device using the usual methods, routerlogin.net or the default IP address. That's because these things are handled by the router and you have turned off that bit of the device.

 

To get into a router in AP mode, you need to know its IP address. The router's list of attached devices is just one way of finding that out.

 

Then just aim a browser at that IP address and away you go.

 

One way to simplify this process is to go into the router's settings and to use Address Reservation to give the AP device a fixed address in your own network. Then you can always use that address to access the AP device.

 

As I said, I have no idea if this is at all related to what looks like an increasingly complicated saga. This is just here to help anyone who turns up here after yet another period of inactivity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Message 11 of 13
ScratchMonkey
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

My intent was to let others know of a workaround if they have trouble getting AP mode working.

 

Normally, I'd do just what you said and connect to the web interface. But that was precisely what stopped working. I went to my Linux-based DHCP server and could see the router getting an address. But I couldn't connect to that address with a browser. I even ran nmap from my server and the router showed no open ports, so no 80 or 443 for the browser to connect to. (I go extremely low-level when debugging network issues. Like using Wireshark and interpreting raw packets.) That suggests some bug in the latest firmware (V1.0.3.62_1.0.1).

 

So I gave up on that approach and left it in router mode, but disabled DHCP and left the WAN port disconnected. I can still access the web interface. (I actually prefer that to the app/cloud-based setup, but I know the latter is designed for non-technical people who need "It just works" functionality.)

 

Message 12 of 13
Sean101
Aspirant

Re: RAX35 Lost in the universe when using AP Mode

Hello @rickliu2000 ,

 

Just sharing my experience with this router. I was able to set it to AP but on a old method where Internet connection should come in to 1 of the LAN ports instead of the WAN port. You also need to manually set the router's IP on LAN setup. Make sure it's the same range as the main router's IP then disable the DHCP server option on the LAN setup.

 

Hope this help. 🙂

 

Message 13 of 13
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