R7800 No Wifi signal

[Slowikowski]

This is a last ditch effort. I am trying to connect my device to the internet. But for whatever reason. I do not see a display for 2.4Ghz along with 5Ghz. The wifi radio signal that is on the far right is on and its shining white. The 2.4Ghz and 5 Ghz lights are both off. I have checked the status of the router to make sure it hasnt been turnt off within the software. It claims to be on.

The genie detects that the wifi is off. But the software isnt affecting it. It seems as if the wifi radio button also isnt effecting it. I have also reset the router 2 times. And I made sure to try to set it up. Everything I do to the router is wired in.

Is there anything else I need to check or attempt to do? I am lost on what I need to fix or if this is even my fault.

Thank you

[wcalifas]

When you say that you reset it 2 times, did you press the reset button for 30 seconds while it was powered on?

[Kitsap]

The two far right indicators are a combination indicator/switch.  You need to look more closely or read the manual.  The one on the far right is for WPS and the one immediately to the left is Wi-Fi.  The results are not instant.  Push and release the Wi-Fi switch and give it a few seconds to come on.

[michaelkenward]

As @Kitsap suggests, it sounds like you have got the wifi switched off.

I chip in only to add that even with the wifi set to broadcast in the browser graphical user interface (GUI), on some devices the switches on the top over rule the GUI settings. In other words, turning the wifi on and off in the GUI gets you nowhere if the physical switch is off.

[Slowikowski]

I did that, held the power button off for 30 seconds. I reset itself through the 192.168.1.1 page, I did everything I could come up with.

[Slowikowski]

This is what I did. The "wifi indicator" lights are on. But the wifi itself is not coming on. There are two buttons/switches/etc. on the router on the very right of it. Whenever you press the left most button and hold it down for 2 seconds. The light does turn off. And it does power back on. My issue is that the router itself refuses to push through any 2.4 & 5 Ghz signal through itself.

If this is of any relevance, I called customer support thinking this was a hardware issue, turns out that this is a software issue where the router isn't communicating properly.

[Slowikowski]

Unfortunately the button itself if powered on and it is pure white. The 2.4Ghz along with the 5Ghz are not coming on, nor is there any signal coming out of the router itself.

[Kitsap]

Just to recap:  You have reset the router to firmware default settings and verified the Wi-Fi indicator/switch shows as on.

When you reset to firmware default settings, it should also reset the Wi-Fi SSID to the name on the label on the back of the unit.  The password is printed there also.

Are you able to log in to the router graphical interface and verify the Wi-Fi on/off setting as well as the SSID and password values?

Are you able to connect to the internet via ethernet connection?

[wcalifas]

Try reloading firmware manually and see if it revives the wifi.

[wcalifas]

I see there is 3rd party firmware for the R7800 if its version 1 in the dd-wrt site if you want to try that type firmware.

[Slowikowski]

Correct. I have reset the router to original firmware settings. And the Wi-Fi indicator shows that the wifi signal is on, but there is no 2.4/5Ghz signal being output. I am able to log into the router graphical interface through ethernet and the ethernet ports work perfectly fine( as far as I am aware).

I am able to connect to the internet via ethernet port and that is it.

I have verified that all the settings are "on" i.e. The 2.4 and 5 ghz wifi radios should hypothetically be on. But they are not outputting anything. There is no indication of either of them turning off.

[Slowikowski]

Do you happen to have the website or manual on how to properly do this?

[Slowikowski]

Ive read on that, and thinking to perform a last rite for the router trying to revive it using 1. The original Netgear firmware, and then I was debating on the Voxel or dd-wrt one.

[Kitsap]

At the top of this page, go to DOWNLOADS and input your model number, R7800.  It will take you to a page where you can download the manual.  Also you can download current and past firmware files.

When you update the firmware, be sure and connect to the router via ethernet cable.  To be cautious during the firmware update, I recommend you have nothing else connected to the router except the computer you are performing the update from.  In particular no USB drives, ethernet or eSATA cables.  After the firmware update the router will restart.  Let it set for several minutes (15 if you want a number) and then restart it again before attempting any settings.

When you log in to the graphical user interface, the page in the upper right hand corner will tell you what version of firmware is currently installed.  There are several threads that recommend a version of firmware that works best with the X4S.  It could well not be the most recent version.  If you are game for third party firmware, I recommend Voxel.  I have been running Voxel on my X4S for a couple of years and it is solid.  He does put out updates on a regular basis and it is best to keep current.  There is an active Voxel section on the Small Net Builder forum.

[Slowikowski]

Unfortunately, I havent had any changes. Im still stuck here where it is not allowing me to output anything. I even tried to enable guest networks to force a signal? But it doesn't allow me to do a thing. I will post a follow up screen shots of the fact that it is enabled within the GUI side, but I think something within is messing it up.

I have also changed the firmware to voxels to no avail.

Even when I called netgear they said "The only way to solve this is if you pay $50. It's a quick fix, but only we have the tools to do this" It dealt with some update going on, the support person did not mention anything about firmware or anything so Im lost as to what else I can poke with to see if I cant get the ball rolling.

Do you know of any administrative tools that could allow me to look into the router more and see what its problem is?

[Kitsap]

I would be really really cautious about paying $50 for a "quick fix".  There are a great number of scams on line with respect to Netgear support.  Netgear does not have a number where you can call them, there is a process you go through on line and then they call you.

How old is the router?  If you installed the Voxel firmware and you still do not have Wi-Fi, I am leaning toward a hardware failure.

A basic question I do not want to overlook and do not want you to take offense, you do have the four antennas installed in the correct numbered location?

[Slowikowski]

Yeah I refused to pay for a $50 quick fix. And I thought that I went through Netgears support where I created a ticket, and then called them within 24 hours to get some kind of support. Considering the router is still "fairly new", and the amount of money I spent I dont think its reasonable for this to be happening.

The router is only 8 months old, which raises a lot of eyebrows for me.

And no offense taken I understand the precautions taken, but yes all the Antennas are correctly placed. ie. 1 to 1, 2 to 2... and so on.

[michaelkenward]

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@Slowikowski wrote:

The router is only 8 months old, which raises a lot of eyebrows for me.

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In that case it is still covered by warranty, even in the USA where consumer protection is worse than in many other countries. (Think Australia and the EU, for example.)

You should begin the warranty process immediately.

Start the RMA process by checking MyNetgear.

How do I request a Return Material Authorization (RMA)? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

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@Slowikowski wrote:

Yeah I refused to pay for a $50 quick fix. And I thought that I went through Netgears support where I created a ticket, and then called them within 24 hours to get some kind of support.

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If you did start the process with Netgear, rather than through a dodgy web search, you end up with a script jockey who seems to be on commission to sell support contracts through Gearhead.

Any other route is dangerous and you could up with a damaged installation and bank account.

[Kitsap]

The heavy hitters have pitched in over on Small Net Builders.  If you find no success there, the RMA path above is your best option.

Good luck!

[Slowikowski]

Thank you Kitsap.
I appreciate all your help

[Slowikowski]

Will do!
I will try my hardest to do anything I can to get this working from the firmware standpoint. If I cannot, I will take the route that you said to take. I appreciate all of your guidance.

[SonnyKo]

I just fixed the issue by installing OpenWRT.

I have had the exact same issue.

I had no wifi signal even the wifi button is on (solid white) and both 2.4 and 5 GHz signal enabled on GUI but both wifi led were off on the device.

I have tried FW downgraded/re-upgraded, installed latest Voxel FW and reset the device numerous times but no luck.

Since R7800 uses QCA9984 chipset for wifi radio, I tried to search to find out some info and there was FW for the chipset at OpenWrt site.

https://openwrt.org/packages/pkgdata/ath10k-firmware-qca9984-ct-htt

It seemed like the QCA9984 FW was built in OpenWrt FW OpenWrt-19.07.0, so I installed it then both 2.4 and 5 GHz led came back on and I could access those.

Then since I was not familiar with OpenWrt GUI, I rollbacked to Netgear FW V1.0.2.80. 

Hope this helps.