R7000 2.4ghz not working but 5ghz is fine

[tn77]

This is an extremely long thread. Is there a solution ? What is the solution?

I'm having this issue also. Had no problems for about 16 months with this router, now the 2.4GHz network drops. All the 5GHz are working. What is the answer?

[bjtech]

Factory reset and then manually reload settings.  The router will work with the new firmware after a factory reset.

[tn77]

I am already on the latest firmware. Is there no troubleshooting at all? "Factory reset" is usually a sign that a company is throwing its hands up. "Gee, I don't have an idea about that problem; please start over."

This doesn't seem like a valid solution. How do you know it fixes anything? What is the source of the problem? These seem like the important points to address.

[TheEther]

There are plenty of user testimonials that a factory reset works.  The two latest firmware updates brought significant changes that are incompatible with configuration settings from previous releases.  Netgear essentially admitted this with respect to port forwarding rules in their Release Notes.

[stuckincube]

After daily failures, it's now been working for a couple days and the only change I made was to uncheck (disable) "Enable 20/40 MHz Coexistence".  Let's see how long it lasts...

[tn77]

Mmmm. I don't have that box checked.

As the error is intermittent, I'm still baffled about a factory reset "fixing" anything. At this very moment, everything works. But at any point things could fail.

[Retired_Member]

factory reset is useless.

Same problem here too using latest firmware. First I have this propblem in 2 years.

[Retired_Member]

Arlo was disabled and I got the problem so thats not a solution.

[Retired_Member]

nope it wont help.

I reset the router before and after the firmware upgrade and I still have this problem.

[JamesGL]

Hi All,

This has been reported already to NETGEAR team. I will provide an update as soon there is any feedback.

[howzatar]

I'm going to partially answer my own question.  The factory reset worked to solve some of the problem.  I found on another forum that if you do a major update in the firmware, you should do a complete factory reset and enter in all the settings again.  This took care of most of the problems.  I can now connect to all of the wireless (the 2.4 GHz Primary/Guest and the 5GHz Primary/Guest).  However, I'm still having a problem with the number of devices that can connect.  Although the settings now show when more than 8 devices are connected, I still have a problem periodically when devices cannot connect to the wireless.  I will be asked to enter in the network password, but it won't connect...on any of the wifi accesses or on some, but not others.  kinda weird.

Anyway, factory reset and re-enter all the settings (manually, not from a backup) fixed a lot.

[stuckincube]

---

@stuckincube wrote:

After daily failures, it's now been working for a couple days and the only change I made was to uncheck (disable) "Enable 20/40 MHz Coexistence".  Let's see how long it lasts...

---

FAILED this evening.  That setting didn't help.

[stuckincube]

Just pushing the hardware button (for 2 seconds) on the R7000 to turn off wifi, then waiting 10 seconds, then pressing it again to turn wifi back on fixes the problem and the devices can again connect to 2.4G.  No other changes or anything else.

[tn77]

Rebooting it from the user interface also corrects the issue. But only until the next time it fails.

[stuckincube]

Right, but rebooting causes the entire router to reset.  I was adding that just pushing the button fixes the issues which might help isolate the problem, since it is just the wifi that is disabled and then reenabled.  The router keeps going with wired with no issues, and 2.4G is fixed without reboot.

[stuckincube]

Hey JamesGL, can you at least please confirm that the issue has been reproduced by Netgear devs?

[JamesGL]

Hi stuckincube,

The issue has been reproduced by support team and has been forwarded already with the documentation.

[oertje]

Hey,

I have reset my router but the problem is with the pf. everything had worked for 3 days en then the router does something and my wifi ipcams react strange and are not reachable.

I have give them static ip, but it strange, I think portforwarding is unstable

What can I do? is it software or hardware?

[doox00]

I am having this issue now as well, have had this router for 1.5 years and has worked perfectly, never needs reboot etc.  Now my 2.4 has stopped working.  I have tried old and new firmware, even have tried a few versions of merlin firmware with the same results.  It did work for a minute at one point but then disappears from available networks.  I have factory reset and manually inputted all my info for everyt version of firmware I have tried... same results.  This sucks.  Btw, does resetting in the web interface back to factory defaults do the same as holding the reset button on the back of the router?  

[oertje]

Hi,

This was also for me the solution!!! Thanks, before I did that my whole router was unstable en also portforwarding.

After upgrade software router: router unstable even after reset. 

Now stable after pushing wifi button.

[brownfam1]

Has there been a solution? all of my ported devices are not working and do not have the capability to use 5G

[oertje]

Push the wifi button . See above. I did it after fulltime reset en and then again Portforwarding alle my cams.

[KazzMANIA]

Well, add me to the list. I did factory reset and rebuilt my router from scratch. I have simple setup too but have a nest thermostat and a wink home Automation hub that can only connect at 2.4ghz. Before the factory reset, my issue was exactly as described throughout this thread: perfectly reliable 5ghz and direct wire but 2.4 would just drop and devices could not connect. The devices still see the 2.4 and seem to pass it an acceptable password but keep waiting for ip to be issued. Also, I have tried turning on and off wifi switch  - no change in reliability. Rebooting router or toggling the wifi on/off hard switch on the router restores 2.4 functionality but only for a while. Issue occurs again usually within 24 hours. Fails for all devices. Also fails when 5ghz is disabled. Fails with and without password protection. Fails with one device connected, 7 devices connected, or no devices connected. Watching the netgear genie app after it fails, the 2.4ghz network disappears and reappears randomly and rapidly then suddenly settles down and is visible (but not usable) for several minutes then, bam, starts hopping in and out of existence again. I have witnessed this sane behaviour when scanning for wifi using two different smart phones. After rebooting router, 2.4ghz is always visible and connectable. And, when it works, it works great. Very good signal strength and very good distance. I have moved this router to a different floor of my house - exact same issue. When I drop the router and turn on my old trendnet I have no problems at all. I need 2.4ghz to run home Automation including my thermostat! For $200, this thing is useless to me, and I have spent almost 8 days and about 40 hours wasted testing it. Worse still, I was on with tech support and they told me I had a bed radio and needed to return it to Amazon. Uhhhh, sounds like everyone is having this issue so replacing it is not going to help. NETGEAR YOU ARE KILLING ME. please help

[stuckincube]

The good news is that, as reported by JamesGL in an above post, "The issue has been reproduced by support team and has been forwarded already with the documentation."  So now we just wait for the fix.

It is concerning that when you called Netgear tech support they had no info about this issue and just told you to return the router.  How many people are getting this advice?  Why hasn't Netgear phone tech support received a notice or bulletin advising them of a confrimed issue with the router that is being worked on?  Maybe JamesGL can comment on that!

[KazzMANIA]

Yes, and I spoke to support late yesterday. I only stumbled on to this thread last night.