Unable to connect to the internet through a router I bought on craigslist

Question

I bought it yesterday after finding it on craigslist. Installed the all three antennas, hooked it up to my modem and I tried resetting it both on and off. The routers lights indicated a proper internet connection (power on, internet on, 2.4GHz on, 5GHz on, port 1 on, port 2 on, and the last two on the far right were on). The problem started when I entered the exact password that it came with. My pc said it was incorrect. I restarted my pc and my phone and both came out with the same issue. Does the router have a different password? Should I ask the seller if he changed it?

antinode · Answer

&gt; I bought it yesterday after finding it on craigslist. Installed the&gt; all three antennas, hooked it up to my modem [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "it" being this?:&nbsp;&gt; Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Look for "Model" om the product label.)&nbsp; Firmware version?&nbsp; What isyour (unspecified) "my modem"?&nbsp;&gt; [...] and I tried resetting it both on and off. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I don't know what that means.&nbsp; "tried"?&nbsp; How, exactly?&nbsp; As usual,showing actual actions (commands) with their actual results (errormessages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vaguedescriptions or interpretations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You seem to have skipped a crucial step:&nbsp;&nbsp; Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your (actual) model number,and look for Documentation.&nbsp; Get the User Manual.&nbsp; Read.&nbsp; Look for"Factory Settings" as well as the LED descriptions and the basic set-upinstructions.&nbsp; Look also for "Troubleshoot".&nbsp;&gt; [...] internet on [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Note that "on" is not a very precise description of a color.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Does that mean that whatever your problem might be, it is related togetting a device connected wirelessly to your router, and not gettingyour router connected to your ISP?&nbsp;&gt; [...] The problem started when I entered the exact password that it&gt; came with. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; _Which_ "the exact password"?&nbsp; You "entered" what, exactly, intowhat, exactly?&nbsp; Look for "Types of Logins" in the User Manual.&gt; [...] Does the router have a different password?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "different" from _what_?&nbsp;&gt; [...] Should I ask the seller if he changed it?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If you do a settings reset as described in the User Manual, thenwhatever the previous owner did should matter little.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Further reading in the User Manual might not hurt, either.

ras96mg · Answer

Yes, that is the router I am referring to.

I assume you are asking about my modem. It is an Arris Surfboard SB6183, which I connected to the modem via ethernet.

I followed and executed all the steps for the "factory reset". Sorry, I have never done this before and I'm quite frustrated about the whole thing. I'll try to be as specific as I can.

After connecting my router to the power supply, I waited for my router to startup. Based on the layout of the icons under the light indicators (left to right), I had the following: white, white, white, white, off, off, off, off, off, off, white, white. Some of them were blinking but I don't remember which ones. No amber lights.

I checked for WIFI networks on my PC. The name that shows up for my router is NETGEAR85 and NETGEAR85-5G. I entered the password that originally came with the router. Ended up with "The network security key isn't correct..."

I then realized that I could download the "Nighthawk" app for my phone so I installed the app in an attempt to resolve the issue from my phone. I signed up. The app secured the phone's connection to the router. However it failed to check for firmware updates. All I remember from the page was "Firmware Error", clicked retry and it was the same issue. So I have no idea where the problem is at. Does it need a firmware update? If so, how do I update the firmware without a wifi connection through the router? I'm not sure where in the user's manual should I refer to. Let alone the troubleshoot section.

Mickeydanvo · Answer

Your situation exactly same mine....First at all you need to download the app Netgear Nighthawk from your mobile or PC then register new account then install model number, series number, and password.It's working perfectly. Good luck.

antinode · Answer

&gt; I followed and executed all the steps for the "factory reset". [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What were those steps?&nbsp; How many steps are there beyond "press thebutton for several seconds"?&nbsp; Did the LEDs do interesting things whenyou did whatever you did?&nbsp;&gt;&nbsp;[...] I had the following: white, white, white, white, off, off, off,&gt; off, off, off, white, white. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As you can see in the User Manual, these LEDs have identifying iconsand names.&nbsp; It would help if you used them.&nbsp;&gt; [...] Some of them were blinking but I don't remember which ones.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing&nbsp;&gt; [...] I entered the password that originally came with the router.&gt; [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; _Which_ "the password"?&nbsp; Something on the label, or what?&nbsp;&gt; [...] Look for "Types of Logins" in the User Manual. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Did you?&nbsp;&gt; [...] Ended up with "The network security key isn't correct..."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I'd believe the message.&nbsp;&gt; I then realized that I could download the "Nighthawk" app for my phone&gt; [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "My car won't start, so I attached a trailer to it"?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I'd forget any Netgear-supplied app, and stick with a web browser.&nbsp;&gt; [...] So I have no idea where the problem is at. [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Apparently, you don't know the current wireless-network passphrase.&gt; [...] Does it need a firmware update? [...]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It might, but that wouldn't help you with the lost/wrongwireless-network passphrase.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If you can't get the default wireless-network passphrase to work (foreither SSID), then you might try using a computer with a wired(Ethernet) connection (where no wireless-network passphrase isrequired).

Mickeydanvo · Answer

Just make sure you can use the wifi from modem first for download the app Netgear Nighthawk after that switching to Netgear router for register new account login install model number, series number and password number.

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Unable to connect to the internet through a router I bought on craigslist

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