I am having a heck of a time figuring this one out. In general the router works pretty good, but at times it's frustrating to use. This is the second one that I have bought but that isn't really relevant to this.
Ok so the issue that I am having is this, for all of my devices most of the time they are working just fine, I can see all other devices on the network and access the internet with no issues. However, every once in a while, one (but not all at the same time) of the devices (both wired and wireless) will stop being able to access the internet. They do not lose connection to the local network, but any traffic to and from the internet will either stop or drop to about ~10-500 kbps. This will last for about 5-10 minutes, where it usually resolves on its own. I can temporarily fix this faster in several ways, either I reset the connection, reboot the router, or most interestingly I can access the router configuration page. When I do the last option the internet routing will resume within a few seconds every time.
The only real pattern that I have been able to observe so far is that it seems the more data to and from the internet a device is using, the more likely the problem will occur. But no device seems to be completely immune. My Chromecast and PS4 are the most affected with the Chromecast having it happen about every 30-60 mins while streaming video and the PS4 requiring me to go through the "Test Internet" dialog at least once when I first start it. I have looked at the logs on the router but have not noticed anything that I happening consistently at the same time. If I am able I will attempt to record some pictures or video of the errors happening in real time.
The router is located centrally in my home and does not seems to have any issues with signal integrity. It currently has the latest firmware (V1.0.12.120_2.0.83) and as my internet connection (Spectrum with the supplied Modem) is 400+ Mbps I have QOS turned off. Right now the only thing that I can think of is perhaps the router is having some kind of hardware or software malfunction. Any help that you can offer would be greatly appreciated, as if I can not find a solution then I am considering just getting a wired router and using this device as an access point and switch instead.
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too? Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.
What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and 40 to 48 channel on 5Ghz. Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?
Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update? Be sure to restart your network in this sequence: Turn off and unplug modem. Turn off router and computers. Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect. Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect. Turn on computers and rest of network.
Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? A complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch with a wired PC and web browser. Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200. https://kb.netgear.com/24089/How-do-I-specify-the-pool-of-IP-addresses-assigned-by-my-Nighthawk-rout...
I have 14 devices constantly connected to my RAX43 using the same (latest) firmware as you, and none drop out or have connection issues - they've been up for 94 days by now. Since it's not clear to me what your problem might be, I'd suggest doing a full factory reset (button at back of router) and manually configuring everything. Please do report back.
Modem is from Spectrum, it is made by Hitron and the Model# is ES2251
Using the cables that came with the devices which are some CAT 6 and some CAT 6E.
We have about 5 neighboring networks but usually only 1 or 2 will be visible and they have signal less than -75 dBm to -100 dBm
2.4 is set to Auto. Usually do not leave it on one channel because closest neighbors network will follow and be on the same chanel if it's set manually, Auto seems to work best as all the Neighbors are now on their own channel.
5.0 is set to channel 136 [DFS] (I am not near any radar sources and the router has never automatically changed the channel out of DFS.
I have done power cycling of the modem and router in the past (while this issue was occuring) and they did not resolve the issues.
During initial setup I did have to do a factory reset 2 times. During the setup I updated the firmware and was unable to connect devices wirelessly (any device that I connected would have an "authentication error" and the only way to connect to the router was through ethernet) After 2 resets I was able to stay connected and finish the setup.
I have the full IP pool opened up but that can be changed if needed. (I have about 40 devices right now with about 20 active consistently, e.g. (15 consumer devices and 25 IoT devices, 7 of which connect once per day)
Is there a way to get a more detailed log of what is happening during these drop-outs? The logs that I get from the Advanced tab in the configuration page don't seem to have all that much information.
Ok, so I did a factory reset and reconfigured from scratch yesterday, and it does not seem to have solved this issue. Perhaps when I updated the firmware during the initial setup something went wrong? I did have to reset it twice during that process. Would it be worth it to try and reinstall the firmware by downloading it and validating the download before installing it manually?
When the RAX drops internet routing, does the internet LED on the router turn AMBER?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.
Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and 40 to 48 channel on 5Ghz. Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?
How do you have Basic and Advanced Wireless settings configured?
Try disabling the following and see: Armor, Smart Parental Controls or Circle, Traffic Meter.
Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update? Be sure to restart your network in this sequence: Turn off and unplug modem. Turn off router and computers. Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect. Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect. Turn on computers and rest of network.
Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? A complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch with a wired PC and web browser. Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200. https://kb.netgear.com/24089/How-do-I-specify-the-pool-of-IP-addresses-assigned-by-my-Nighthawk-rout...
The LED shows no changes, still lit and blinking and stays white.
Using CAT 6 and CAT 6E cables.
2.4 GHz was set on 6 previously, changing it to Auto did not resolve, 5 GHz is the only network near that chanel, and issue affects 2.4 GHz and wired connections as well.
There are about 5 networks around me, but usually I can only see 1 or two of them and they have very weak signals (less than -75 dBm)
The Basic Tab has OMFDA turned on, tried turning it off, (no change), 20/40 coexistence is on.
Armor is off, Smart Parental Control is off, Circle is N/A, Traffic Meter is off.
A full reset of the network has been performed many times, no change.
A full factory reset and config from scratch has been done multiple times, no change.
No IP address conflicts are occuring, all devices have unique IP's and DHCP is configured correctly (all devices that need a static IP have a reservation and are configured according to manufacturer specifications).
