Nighthawk AC1900 Connection Issues

Just some other info...

Between my last post and this one, I was on a Zoom call, and my laptop dropped the connection probably 15 times within an hour.  Each time I had to disconnect and reconnect.  For the most part, I was reconnected quickly.  I did also, at times, have a message pop up over the middle of my screen saying that I had an unstable internet connection.  I've seen that message before, but I don't think I've seen it on my network.  While on the Zoom, I was sitting about ten feet from my router.

My modem is probably only a foot away from my router.  I wonder if there's a chance that it's causing any interference.  I hadn't thought of this possibility previously, because my old router was just as close (actually, a little closer) to my modem than my Netgear router currently is.  I'm just trying to think of all options here.

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Dunyduke16 wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion.  I followed the steps in the Nighthawk app, but it says there are no firmware updates available.  Thoughts?

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Yes. Start by forgetting the Nighthawk app. Follow the instructions you have been offered – several times.

Visit the support pages:

Support | NETGEAR

Feed in your model number and check the documentation for your hardware.

That section will also have all the firmware for your device.

The firmware available there may be newer than anything the app finds.

Alternatively read the advice offered here more carefully. For example, earlier you were pointed at:

How do I manually upgrade firmware to my NETGEAR router? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

Go back and read the instructions you have been given, several times.

Read them carefully. Update your firmware.

Sorry about that.  I followed the manual steps and downloaded the most recent firmware version.  Unfortunately, after I downloaded the zip file, I had issues logging in to the routerlogin.net site.  It says my default username should be 'admin' and that my password should be one I used the first time I logged in.  I honestly don't really remember ever logging in, though I suppose I did when I first bought the router in the spring.  But I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a different login anyway.  After a few failed login attempts, it brings me to a "change password" screen, where I'm asked to enter my router's serial number (no issue there) and then I'm brought to a security questions page.  Again, don't recall ever answering security questions, but I answer both questions, which are very straightforward.  Any attempts are met with a "your answers don't match what is saved on the router" message.  This is all pretty baffling.  I went through the Netgear site to see if there was a way to access/reset my security questions answers, but there's nothing there.  

I don't expect you to be able to solve the above, but is there some other way to get the most recent firmware on my device?

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Dunyduke16 wrote:

It says my default username should be 'admin' and that my password should be one I used the first time I logged in. 

 

The default password is on the label on your device. It is usually password.

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Dunyduke16 wrote:

After a few failed login attempts, it brings me to a "change password" screen, where I'm asked to enter my router's serial number (no issue there) and then I'm brought to a security questions page.  Again, don't recall ever answering security questions, but I answer both questions, which are very straightforward. 

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There is a bug in Netgear's implementation of password recovery on some devices. You can get locked into a closed loop.

If password recovery is enabled, but you have not set the answers to the questions, it keeps sending you back to the beginning of the process. If you haven't already given the thing your personal answers, they are not in its memory and it has no way of knowing if they are correct.

If the standard factory password (password) does not work, then you will have to factory reset the thing to get back to that. Then either disable password recovery (check the manual for your device) or provide some answers to those questions.

How do I perform a factory reset on my NETGEAR router? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

OK, thanks for your response.  It's funny, in the link you provided, it just said that the password "is the one you specified the first time you logged in."  In the manual, the same set of instructions say that the default password is "password."  Strange how that's the only variation in the two sets of instructions.  I've never experienced a scenario where I've been asked specific security questions that I had yet to set up.  And it wasn't like these were questions that I forgot the answer to (older brother's first name and dad's middle name).

Again, thanks for your response.  I guess I'll try a factory reset and go from there.

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Dunyduke16 wrote:

And it wasn't like these were questions that I forgot the answer to (older brother's first name and dad's middle name).

 

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To quote an earlier message from you:

Again, don't recall ever answering security questions, but I answer both questions, which are very straightforward.

The router will not know your answers unless you provided them when you set up password recovery.

Understood.  My point is that I've never been prompted to answer security questions that I had not already provided answers for previously.  So my assumption was that I had answered the questions months ago and just didn't recall doing it.

I have to agree Netgear's "password reminder" scheme is nuts. It should spot when it has nothing in its memory to check against. But this has been the pattern for some years. That it automatically turns on password recovery without insisting on answers just adds to the aggravation.