How is it that a device purchased less than a year ago requires a paid support plan. Today I updated software for my Nighthawk router. I used the link within the routers program to do so. Now nothing works. I have several security measures directly tied to the router that are now worthless. I called for assistance and the best they can do is charge me for what their update has done. This is far beyond acceptable business pratice. I will be changing what I thought was a great company to fill my needs to another. I am a long time valued customer that has purchased many products from Netgear. Today, without support is just crazy.
Free support is only for the first 90 days. they do offer hardware warranty for 1 year (2 years in some regions) on new devices but actual support for networking isn't cheap. And so its only free to get your system up and running. After that, its paid.
But the community forum is free public support. But we'd need more details.
Like What router do you have?
what firmware is on it or did you try to load?
What modem/gateway are you connecting to?
What are all the led's on it doing?
How did you attempt to update? via the app? over wireless? wired? (I'd highly recommend any firmware updates be done over hardwired connections)
I called for assistance and the best they can do is charge me for what their update has done.
Beware calling any number that you find with a web search. It will not be Netgear that picks up the phone. There is no phone support for Netgear.
There are too many scam sites out there that try to look like Netgear but in reality are dodgy operations that can damage your network and your bank balance.
After 90 days, Netgear does not provide paid support. It farms that out to GearHead.
It certainly upsets some people, but many brands have similar conditions and Netgear's system is clear if you check the procedure beforeyou buy the hardware. People who want support in perpetuity should check before they buy and choose a brand that offers that service.
