R8000 nighthawk ethernet issue

[vdotmatrix]

i have an SB6183 modem and the R8000 nighthawk router and an 8-port switch.

this has been the house system config for at least a decade. Modem>ethernet cable>R8000>Ethernet cable>8-port ethernet switch>whole house ethernet ports to every room.

ISSUE: until last night No ethernet connectivity. Cables have continuity between 3 computers and two network printers, (although the meter said two cables had shorts from different runs).

• home run to modem ethernet port, no internet.
• connecting modem to router and we get FULL WIFI throught house.

THEN last night, i isolated ethernet runs from mac mini, HP printer and upstairs samsung smart tv to the ethernet ports on the R8000 nighthawk.....WTH.... network printer works and TV is now ethernet again.

I bought a netgear 16-point ethernet switch , GS116, cannot see a pattern of failure or a troubleshooting flowchart for this...to replace the existing 8-port ethernet switch....

i tried to edit a similar post but it woukd not let me edit soon after posting.

ANY IDEAS.... thank you

[vdotmatrix · Accepted solution]

After a painful interval of research, the saga is finally over.

I installed a new gs116NA switch, and only used one ethernet port on the R8000 to supply it and EVERYTHING works now.

A bad 8-port ethernet switch was the cause of so much grief.

[FURRYe38]

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@vdotmatrix wrote:

i have an SB6183 modem and the R8000 nighthawk router and an 8-port switch.

this has been the house system config for at least a decade. Modem>ethernet cable>R8000>Ethernet cable>8-port ethernet switch>whole house ethernet ports to every room.

ISSUE: until last night No ethernet connectivity. Cables have continuity between 3 computers and two network printers, (although the meter said two cables had shorts from different runs). Did you correct the two cables with shorts? 

• home run to modem ethernet port, no internet.
• connecting modem to router and we get FULL WIFI throught house.

THEN last night, i isolated ethernet runs from mac mini, HP printer and upstairs samsung smart tv to the ethernet ports on the R8000 nighthawk.....WTH.... network printer works and TV is now ethernet again.

I bought a netgear 16-point ethernet switch , GS116, cannot see a pattern of failure or a troubleshooting flowchart for this...to replace the existing 8-port ethernet switch....

Power OFF the ISP modem and router. Disconnect all switches then connect what you can up to the router. Power ON the modem and router. Does problem continue? 

Be sure your using good quality LAN cable between the modem and router and switches and all wired devices. CAT6 is recommended. 

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[vdotmatrix]

THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING.

I did not connect the two that said they were shorted...

I apologise for not making it clear in my ramblings, when i connected the (3) devices to the R8000 (3) ethernet ports- THEY WORKED!

It didnt explain to me why when connecting a home run directly to the modem, bypassing the router, did the internet not work on on the upstairs computer.... does it take a while for the ethernet to sort things out?

the whole house is wired with Cat5e.

question: it doesnt matter if wires are made in 568a or 568b as long as the ends are the same right?

[plemans]

ISP's assign 1 public ip address to modems. The modem assigns that to a router that then hands out private ip addresses (very simplified). 

If your public ip address was already assigned to the router when you plugged the computer into the modem, it wouldn't have recieved an IP address. You would have needed to disconnect everything from the modem, power it off for a couple minutes, then power it back on and connect the computer to it. 

that might have let it work. 

Did you get your setup working again? I wasn't sure from reading your description. 

[vdotmatrix]

Aha!

Thanks for piecing the public ip address regarding the modem, i read that somewhere in my research, but YOU drove that lesson home......

i am going to repeat the experiment, plug the home run directly into the modem power everything down and wake everything up again.

If that ethernet circuit to that computer connects as it should, the problem is the 8-port ethernet switch that i suspected is past its service life, and esplains what is happening.

shorts could just be the end plugs that need new connectors.

*********

what i did observe was internet and ethernet from the R8000 work from the routers (3) ethernet ports so, i am off to test your solution...BIG THANKS MAN!

[plemans]

another thing thats nice to have is a half decent 100ft ethernet cord. I've used that before for testing wiring in my home to see if its the wire or the device. I've also just moved the switch/device to the router and using a couple 6ft cords connected them to test. 

[vdotmatrix]

Unplugged everything. Waited a few minutes. Plugged homerun from computer directly into modem. Plugged everything back in. Waited and after a few minutes in the network choiceS, BOTH WIFI and ETHERNET go green as being connected. Yeah!

I disconnected the ethernet switch and only plugged in available ethernet ports on the R8000. Unplugged everything again, waited, plugged in modem, waited, plugged in modem waited plugged evrything back in.

But now on the home run from that computer, red "ethernet not connected"- cable unplugged and Wi-fi green "connected".

Don't know where to go from here.....

i thought when the home run ethernet went green and connected, which it has not done in some time, i thought i found the problem-the ethernet switch.

no idea now.

[plemans]

I'd start back at the very basics. 

You've confirmed the modem-->router works over wireless. 

Do wired device connected directly to the R8000 work? 
Test each device. 

[vdotmatrix]

Yes, except for what I detailed in my last post.

[plemans]

I'm not talking about going through the wall/patch panel. Do all devices directly wired into the router work over wired/wireless? 

So modem---->router  with a direct connection to the router, devices work? 

[vdotmatrix]

YES.

Except for the upstairs computer that I tested individually on the modem as you suggested.

This is so weird.

Perhaps there is something wrong with the circuitry in the router's 4 available ethernet ports?

[plemans]

If everything else works except for 1 device, I usually recommend looking at whats allowing that device to connect and its hardware. 

The only other thing you can check is the access control list. Maybe you accidentally blocked that 1 device. 

Or try a factory reset. 

If neither of those work, I'd really be looking at that device. 

[vdotmatrix]

For your experiment, i unplugged the upstairs device from switch and unplugged everything from modem, powered it down let it sit. Powered it back up, plugged that device into the modem and it ethernet worked.

unplugged and powered everything down again .

plugged that device into one of four available ethernet ports on the R8000 router. 
Everything works except for that device... i moved the cables to different ports-nada.

wifi and ethernet works on the three devices, tv, two computers, the hp laserjet 4200n is back online as a network printer on ethernet-yippeeeee.

how could I have a block list through the router? I have reset that thing already could do so again. Hooe i am not missing something.

the device will work alone on the modem but not when it goes through the router?

poltergeist.

[plemans]

I've seen sketchy cables work fine when directly connected to a modem and not to a router. 

Could be something to do with the router requiring a higher quality signal? Not sure but I've seen it. 

Its one of the reasons I always have a long cable I can directly wire devices to a router without going through patch panels, switches, wall plates. 

Was that what you did? Or did you run through the wall connection? 

[vdotmatrix]

It is just bizarre that all of a sudden the ethernet partially only works thru the router. 

All ethernet stations in the house are home run from every room to the central location and either to the 8-port ethernet switch or the 4-ports on the router (one used to supply the switch).

i was hoping to pin point the issue and just say it was the old 8-port switch....but i have nothing definitive but will continue to play with it; i have a new unopened 16-port switch ready to deploy.

I really appreciate your help, cuz otherwise i would have no direction with this troubleshooting. 

[vdotmatrix · Accepted solution]

After a painful interval of research, the saga is finally over.

I installed a new gs116NA switch, and only used one ethernet port on the R8000 to supply it and EVERYTHING works now.

A bad 8-port ethernet switch was the cause of so much grief.

[vdotmatrix]

We’re back!

Intermittent internet connectivity.

When it works, it works.

Is there a way to send the wireless router somewhere to have it tested? 

this is the most expensive Wireless device ever .

is there a self test or something else i can do to troubleshoot?

[plemans]

have you tried downgrading the firmware?

[vdotmatrix]

Down grading?

[plemans]

yes, the firmware. 

[vdotmatrix]

Sorry, thankyou, hate to tie up this thread but is there a known issue with the current firmware? What are symptoms of problems with this update?

[plemans]

Its more an issue of "some devices have issues" versus all devices have issues. Which is why we recommend trying downgrading a version or 2 for those that do have issues. 

[vdotmatrix]

Is there anyplace i can take this to have   checked out?