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Forum Discussion
Namroc1
Feb 08, 2015Aspirant
2.4ghz stops working
Just recently my 2.4ghz is unable to connect to the Internet. It has issues with obtaining an ip address. The weird part is that the 5ghz has no issues at all. I reset the router 2 days ago and th...
- Aug 02, 2015
It probably wouldn't hurt to reset the router to factory settings. It's been known to work for other people. It's especially recommended to do this after a firmware upgrade.
Beyond that, assuming that the 2.4 GHz radio hasn't physically burned out, the most likely cause is environmental. Use a Wi-Fi analyzer, like inSSIDer, ViStumbler or Acrylic WiFi, and survey the active Wi-Fi networks around you. Set your router to use the least crowded channel.
Unless you happen to live in an area with no other Wi-Fi networks nearby, I recommend that you stick to 20 MHz wide channels for the 2.4 GHz band. 40 MHz channels consume 2/3 of the available spectrum, so it's not good neighborly netizenship to hog so much spectrum. I've seen some reports that claim that 40 MHz performance can actually be worse than 20 MHz if conditions are bad enough. On the Nighthawk routers, like the R7000, you can disable 40 MHz channels by decreasing the Wireless speed to Up to 289 Mbps.
USB 3.0 is known to generate radio interference in the 2.4 GHz range. While the USB 3.0 port on the R7000 is one of the better shielded ports compared to other brands, using it may still impact Wi-Fi. Temporarily disconnect any device connected to the USB 3.0 port and see if Wi-Fi performance improves. If you are using a USB 3.0 device on a laptop or PC, temporarily disable it, too.
Other sources of noise include microwave ovens (bigtime!), 2.4 GHz cordless phones, and Bluetooth. Try to isolate and eliminate these sources, if possible.
Finally, while Nighthawk routers have some of the strongest radios in the industry, router positioning is important. Ideally, it should be placed within direct line of sight to clients or with as few intervening walls as possible. Make sure the antennas are positioned as recommended by Netgear. On the R7000, this would be the center antenna vertical and the outer antennas at 45 degrees. In a two-story dwelling, place the router on the lower level (unless all of your clients are upstairs!), because the antennas are arrayed to generate radio emissions upward more so than downward. You may also want to experiment with orienting the router so that all antennas are facing the clients as much as possible for maximum signal reception.
Hopefully, these tips will give your clients the best chance to connect and stay connected to your router.
Fairytail
Feb 28, 2015Virtuoso
If changing channels did resolve then try other wireless configuration.
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/23655
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/23655
deaneurich
Aug 01, 2015Initiate
Exact issue here.
My 5G network is blazing fast, my 2.4G is non-existent. All devices can connect fine but absolutely no traffic. Ping speeds are 200-300ms compared to 8ms on my 5G network; Download tests often fail and will not even complete on the 2.4G channel but on the 5G I get 26mbs whihc is exactly the plan I pay for.
I have done numerous factory resets;
I have chnaged the channels and tried every one of them. The channel is not the issue for sure as I have a high end wifi scanning product that shows exactly where and by how much interference there is. I am only 2 feet from the router and the 2.4 will not work.
I have chnaged the mode to 0-54 0-299, etc and nothing,
I have chnaged the fragmentation and CTS/RTS Threshold to 2304 as some troubleshoot articles suggest - nothing;
I have played with QOS,
I have stopped broadcasting the 2.4 and removed security - still nothing;
I have chnaged the 20/40 co-existence - nothing;
I have enabled and disabled ipv6 - nothing;
Updated and downgraded firmwares; even tried a beta - nothing.
Last I spend 20 minutes on the phone with Tech support. The guy had no clue. He kept telling me that because my lights were on and that the 5G network worked fine that there is nothing wrong with the router. I pointed out to him that most older devices cannot run on 5G and so how is a none functioning 2.4G network equate to nothing wrong. in the end, I told him I wanted to talk to his supervsior. the supervisor is supposed to be calling me back. The whole time he was trying to sell me the premium software support.
To me this is a hardware issue and netgear should be replacing the routers.
- tbeverAug 01, 2015Guide
Same issue here.
I spent hours on the phone with tech support and they eventually replaced the router under warranty (after trying and trying to sell me some home network support service for 150.00). I set up the new router with my prior configuration backup file and exactly the same problem was evident with the new router. The 2.4 ghz band on Inssider would show a signal for a few seconds, then go out, and on/off every few seconds (mostly off) and nothing could connect to it. The 5 ghz was fine. I had followed all the suggestions that tech support made alas to no avail. I wasted too much time already so I just gave up and turned off the 2.4 ghz. I have a couple of older routers that I hooked up in AP mode at different parts of the house to serve the older wifi devices, and they have worked without a hitch. I think this is a fundamentally flawed product, but I plan on keeping it since everything else seems to work ok and since the 1 year warranty is expired now. I am having some issues with the USB 3.0 hard drive connection speed and reliability though...
- deaneurichAug 01, 2015Initiate
Thanks. Sounds exactly like my issue. Inssider shows the same cycling that you describe. Will likely do as you and turn on my DSL modem wifi for the 2.4G channel and use the netgear for the 5Ghz....but for the money that we have paid that is a brutal solution.
Thanks for replying.
- TheEtherAug 02, 2015Guru
It probably wouldn't hurt to reset the router to factory settings. It's been known to work for other people. It's especially recommended to do this after a firmware upgrade.
Beyond that, assuming that the 2.4 GHz radio hasn't physically burned out, the most likely cause is environmental. Use a Wi-Fi analyzer, like inSSIDer, ViStumbler or Acrylic WiFi, and survey the active Wi-Fi networks around you. Set your router to use the least crowded channel.
Unless you happen to live in an area with no other Wi-Fi networks nearby, I recommend that you stick to 20 MHz wide channels for the 2.4 GHz band. 40 MHz channels consume 2/3 of the available spectrum, so it's not good neighborly netizenship to hog so much spectrum. I've seen some reports that claim that 40 MHz performance can actually be worse than 20 MHz if conditions are bad enough. On the Nighthawk routers, like the R7000, you can disable 40 MHz channels by decreasing the Wireless speed to Up to 289 Mbps.
USB 3.0 is known to generate radio interference in the 2.4 GHz range. While the USB 3.0 port on the R7000 is one of the better shielded ports compared to other brands, using it may still impact Wi-Fi. Temporarily disconnect any device connected to the USB 3.0 port and see if Wi-Fi performance improves. If you are using a USB 3.0 device on a laptop or PC, temporarily disable it, too.
Other sources of noise include microwave ovens (bigtime!), 2.4 GHz cordless phones, and Bluetooth. Try to isolate and eliminate these sources, if possible.
Finally, while Nighthawk routers have some of the strongest radios in the industry, router positioning is important. Ideally, it should be placed within direct line of sight to clients or with as few intervening walls as possible. Make sure the antennas are positioned as recommended by Netgear. On the R7000, this would be the center antenna vertical and the outer antennas at 45 degrees. In a two-story dwelling, place the router on the lower level (unless all of your clients are upstairs!), because the antennas are arrayed to generate radio emissions upward more so than downward. You may also want to experiment with orienting the router so that all antennas are facing the clients as much as possible for maximum signal reception.
Hopefully, these tips will give your clients the best chance to connect and stay connected to your router.
- netwrksAug 03, 2015Master
Reflash the router and don't use your old config. That could be your issue..