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My AC1750 WiFi router has worked flawlessly for a couple of years. All of a sudden WiFi connections were dropping with more and more frequency.
I noticed that the power LED was sometimes amber during the drops and the other LEDs were now often lighted even though the router is configured for only the power LED to illuminate.
The rouer is being powered by the OEM AD/DC adapter plugged into a fairly substantial surge protector power base where other routers, printers and NAS devices are powered. This behavior just started recently but really ramped up today to the point where WiFi is no longer usable.
I removed the Netgear power supply from the surge protection power base and plugged it directly into the wall outlet. As of now, this has been the longest period of time that the internet has been stable. I am not comfortable powering the router directly from the wall outlet, but for now, at least I have internet.
Initially I thought I would be headed to the store for a new WiFi router, but is seems the amber power LED and my test plugging the power supply directly into the wall outlet discount the possiblity that I need a new router. Could the power suddenly go "dirty" from the surge protector power block? I even tried another power strip, with the same negative results. For now, I'm leaving it plugged into the wall outlet directly so at least I can have the internet, but I don't wish to leave it that way for long.
Thing is, it is working flawlessly now, even when unplugged from the wall outlet and plugged into a simple surge protection strip such as those used at the office.
I'd be tempted to sit on the thing until it begins to play up again. Just get yourself prepared for when it happens! Have all the files to hand, just in case the Internet dies at a crucial time.
I noticed that the power LED was sometimes amber during the drops and the other LEDs were now often lighted even though the router is configured for only the power LED to illuminate.
Feed in your model number and check the documentation for your hardware.
Check the section in the manual Troubleshoot With the LEDs.
You may have done that already. I can't tell from your message.
I mention it because Netgear gave up on supplying paper manuals years ago and people sometimes miss the downloads.
The amber power LED is usually a sign of corrupt firmware. What firmware version do you have on the device?
A number is more useful than "the latest". (It may not be by the time people read this.) There can also be newer versions, or "hot fixes", that do not show up if you check for new firmware in the browser interface.
Installed firmware is V1.0.4.106_10.0.80 and that appears to be current according to the support website.
12 hours later and everything is stable with the router still plugged directly into the wall outlet. I have read the relevant troubleshooting section for the power LED and I am reluctant yet to do the recommended factory reset as I assume that will remove all of my settings, MAC address table etd.
...I am reluctant yet to do the recommended factory reset as I assume that will remove all of my settings, MAC address table etd.
Trouble is, those settings could be causing the problem. A reflash would not wipe those out.
You can reduce the hassle of reconfiguring all those settings by creating a backup of your settings before you reset. Then if something is still broken after the reset, and the new firmware has not fixed it, you can restore the device to its pre-reset state.
You could even try restoring the settings even if the new firmware has fixed the problems, but be prepared for the restore to also bring back your problems.
Can I make the unit reinstall the firmware without resetting first to factory defults? That would save me from an extensive reconfiguration.
Thing is, it is working flawlessly now, even when unplugged from the wall outlet and plugged into a simple surge protection strip such as those used at the office. I am searching for anohter surge protection power block to replace the CyberPower model that seems to be causing the problem. About a month ago, our local power authority had an event where there was severe surging going on/out. I know that there is a finite cumulative ability for a surege suppressor to continue to protect. The other routers, printers and NAS devices powered through it do not seem to have a problem though.
Thing is, it is working flawlessly now, even when unplugged from the wall outlet and plugged into a simple surge protection strip such as those used at the office.
I'd be tempted to sit on the thing until it begins to play up again. Just get yourself prepared for when it happens! Have all the files to hand, just in case the Internet dies at a crucial time.
I have backed up the settings and downloaded the latest firmware. I am inclined to wait on this but also I am willing to spend the $30 - $50 for a new surge suppressor just in case. Everything still continues to point to the power handling as the problem anyway..
Things got interesting in the middle of this Northeast heat wave. I had purchased a new APC surge protection device and the router had been running fine. Then, away a few days during the heat wave, my upstairs where the equipment is located got a bit warm, around 90 degrees.
Next thing I knew, my NAS device started sending out sequential EMail messages for link down errors. When I returned home, the router had all it's LEDs lighted and required rebooting. After reboot, it behaved as if at factory defaults. I restored settings from a backup file, but the router continued to exhibit signs of my oritinal problem with intermitent internet access.
I am beginning to suspect an older NAS device's power supply because I relocated the router's power supply to a separate power strip and it has behaved correctly for several hours now. The new APC surge protection device has room for multiple power supplies but perhaps plugging them all into this causes problems for the router power.
While overall ambient temperature could be an issue, my point is that I suspect one of the NAS power supplies is misbehaving and impacting power to the router. I may have to one-by-one remove auxiliary devises from the surge protector to find the culprit.
Seems the high end for operating temperature is 104dF and 90% humidity. With what we had in the NorthEast the last couple of days, I suppose it is possible that it went out of range.
