Nighthawk R7500v2 Constantly Restarts

[jahn28]

Router Hardware:

Nighthawk X4

AC2350

Model # R7500V2

Firmware: 1.0.3.40

Link: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/R7500v2.aspx

Modem Hardware:
CM700 High Speed Cable Modem

D0CSIS 3.0

Link: https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/cable-modems-routers/CM700.aspx

Computer Specs:

See Attached Picture

Issue:

Since updating to the newest firmware, my router seems to restart on its own quite frequently (more than 10 times in the past two days).

Steps I've taken to try to resolve this issue:

• Step 1: Power Cycle Router
  • Turn off router
  • Unplug all cables
  • Replug power and turn on for 2 minutes
  • Replug everything else
• Step 2: Power Cycle Modem
  • Same steps as "Step 1", but with the modem
• Step 3: Hard Reset Router
  • Hold pin size button for 30 seconds
• Step 4: Hard Reset Modem
  • Same as Step 3, but with the modem
• Step 5: Did following steps in this order - Step 2, Step 4, Step 1, Step 3
• Step 6: Reflashed firmware
  • Downloaded and flashed via ethernet cable
• Step 7: Did Step 5 again
• Step 8: Changed Wi-Fi channels to least polluted channels
• Step 9: Did Steps 5-8 again

Someone PLEASE help. This has been such a frustrating two days of my router restarting on its own. Is this just a bad Firmware? Anyone else experiencing this? Apparently NETGEAR won't help since my technical support service is no longer available.

[antinode · Accepted solution]

> I found out that when Spectrum came to set-up the internet, they set
> the router and modem for me with the power bricks swapped.

   Trust no one, I always say.  According to their User Manuals:

      CM700:   12VDC, 1A
      R7500v2: 12VDC, 3.5A

   I would not be amazed if your R7500v2 was feeling a little starved on
a 1A power supply.  Thanks for the report.

[plemans]

Sounds like you've hit most of the basics. You could try downgrading to a prior firmware to see if it brings the stability back. If it does, skip the most recent firmware. If it doesn't you could see if its possible a bad power supply causing the issues. 

[shadowsports]

@jahn28 

How you upgrade your FW is almost as important as what rev you run.  Yes, follow @plemans suggestion, and manually reflash, reset and confgure your device from scratch.  Its perfectly acceptable to reflash the same version FW over itself, go back, forward, etc without ill effects.  I haven't been following R7500v2 FW, so I cannot comment on which might be the most stable.

[jahn28]

@plemans  and @shadowsports 

Thanks for the input. I downgraded the firmware back. So far so good, but I'm holding my breath at this point.

Hopefully Netgear will see this and double check their latest firmware.

Thanks!

[jahn28]

@plemans @shadowsports 

Do you know if there's someone that knows the most stable firmwares? The downgraded version 1.0.3.38 had another episode of restarting.

Currently downgraded to 1.0.3.36 and testing it out for a while.

[jahn28]

So for anyone that's reading this:

I found out that when Spectrum came to set-up the internet, they set the router and modem for me with the power bricks swapped.

I'll be testing this further during the day, but hopefully this is the reason why the router keeps restarting.

[antinode · Accepted solution]

> I found out that when Spectrum came to set-up the internet, they set
> the router and modem for me with the power bricks swapped.

   Trust no one, I always say.  According to their User Manuals:

      CM700:   12VDC, 1A
      R7500v2: 12VDC, 3.5A

   I would not be amazed if your R7500v2 was feeling a little starved on
a 1A power supply.  Thanks for the report.