DNS>PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error since latest update

[mkx]

I find the R6700v3 Wireless performance with freshtomato and ddwrt are weak/strange comparing to the Netgear firmware.

[anthonyss89]

Crossing fingers, i downgraded thought it fixed the problem and it kinda did but its still there once in a while. I already started looking in the dream machine routers

[robjak]

MKX 

Wireless was definately problematic under DD-WRT.  

[robjak]

Update:

I have been running the fixed DNS FW  V1.0.2.155 for 5 days now.  i have found no issues.  On a call back from Netgear enginneering, after 3 days, i have have told them that I had no issues.  Praying that they  release soon. 

PS   also hoping that they are smart enough to know that thye need to fix multiple models. 

[mkx]

I wonder how many Netgear routers are being thrown to the trash while we keep waiting for a fix..

This thread was opened 2 months ago..  

[Winancy]

I'm the original poster. The Netgear router I referred to is in a landfill site by now. Probably should have taken it to electronics recycling but I was so ticked off by Netgear support telling me that I should turn off my firewall and notify my ISP that their DNS was at fault, I pitched it.

[DuncStar1]

Been seeing this in the browser with my Nighthawk R8000, v1.0.4.76 and the prior firmware version, but only on my work laptop. So was initially convinced it was related to the endpoint security and intrusion detection software installed. That is until I ran a Wireshark trace, and saw corresponding DNS refusal responses from the router! I feel sorry now for all the abuse I gave our IT support! 😇

Looking forward to seeing this fixed really soon!

[phenry9999]

Thank you for the info about getting previous versions. The link was there, I just never saw it :< until I read your message and explicitly did a FIND on the page. Thank you. I'm going to try, systematically the previous versions to find out which one works.

[mkx]

Don't waste your time on that version.

[phenry9999]

I just tried 1.0.4.74 and things are....so far so good. Not sure if it'll have probelms in the coming hours\days, but I have the previous versions to try too if this one goes bust. Does anyone know which specific version the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN started happening with?

[Winancy]

Good luck. When I rolled back to a previous version or did any of the other suggested "cures" it worked for 15 minutes and then back to the same DNS issues. I no longer own a Netgear router.

[phenry9999]

Very weird outcome. I don't quite understand it. With 1.0.4.74, I still received some DNS errors, muss less, estimating about 75% less...but I still got some. I've reverted back to 1.0.4.68 (01-2021). So far so good. Now I have to be careful when I upgrade the firwmware. Come on NetGear, please figure it out. Let me help, here's the user story "As a user, I want to be able to open 10 tabs within 5 seconds (yes, I do this quite often while doing research) and have the pages open in their tabs, every time without page refreshes." There, simple.

[michaelkenward]

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@phenry9999 wrote:

With 1.0.4.74, I still received some DNS errors, muss less, estimating about 75% less...but I still got some.

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Did your experiments with this version inlude the tedious process of doing a factory reset? That might have cleared anything left over that triggered the errors.

[phenry9999]

Factory reset? No. Wouldn't that effectively wipe out the firmware update? Or does the firmware update live through the factory reset (I wouldn't expect it to live through that).

[michaelkenward]

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@phenry9999 wrote:

Factory reset? No. Wouldn't that effectively wipe out the firmware update?

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No.

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@phenry9999 wrote:

Or does the firmware update live through the factory reset (I wouldn't expect it to live through that).

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Yes.

A reset just erases any settings that you have applied to the current firmware. The firmware itself lives on.

New firmware sometimes introduces changes that are not compatible with the old configuration.

So while it isn't guaranteed to fix problems a factory reset is the first thing to try if you have issues with new firmware.

You can reduce the hassle of reconfiguring all those settings by creating a backup of your settings before you reset. Then if something is still broken after the reset, and the new firmware has not fixed it, you can restore the device to its pre-reset state.

You could even try restoring the settings even if the new firmware has fixed the problems, but be prepared for the restore to also bring back your problems.

[sturn]

I have been getting DNS errors since a firmware update recently. I have noticed that it happens with wired devices but not (or less often) with WiFi devices.

I have been able to work-around the problem in Windows 10 by changing the Windows DNS server so it bypasses the NetGear router. By default Windows finds the first router upstream and uses it's DNS settings to run a DNS lookup. You can manually change a setting so that you can tell Windows what DNS server to use. You can direct it to a public DNS server like Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)

Windows 10 Settings

Network & Internet

Status

Click "Properties" under the Network connection you are using.

Scroll down to "IP Settings"

Click "Edit" under "IP Settings"

Change Settings from "Automatic (DHCP)" to "Manual"

Turn IPv4 "On"

Set "Preferred DNS" to 1.1.1.1

Press "Save"

For me, this fixed the problem immediately.

You might have to run these commands from the command prompt to clear your local DNS or just reboot your PC.

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /renew

I still hope there is a firmware update so I can set this setting back to Automatic.

[phenry9999]

Thanks, but for me, unfortunately, bypassing the router is not a good option. Too many machines to update manually. More than one is too many for me, sorry NetGear.

re wired vs wifi

I've also noticed mobile devices weren't getting errors neither. However, I'm wondering if they web calls had multiple attempts in such a way that the problem is not evident to the user. Just a guess. 

Going back to the January version worked for me.

[egc112]

Well I am a happy user for both my R6400v1 and R6400v2

[hrabcakm]

Hi, same Here. I have following three routers with exactly same issue, 3 differents ISPs.

R6400v1 FW 1.0.1.74 - Long term issue, present also in previous versions of Firmware.

R6400v2 FW 1.0.4.120 - Same issue, occurs in last 4 Firmware versions.

R8000 FW 1.0.4.76 - Same issue, occurs in last 2 Firmware versions.

Seem that recent fw updates broke most of Broadcom based routers.

I can't rely that Netgear will release fix soon, based on the my previous experiences. So downgrade is only option this time, but downgrade means that you are running on outdated firmware without fix for major security vulnerabilities.

SW support is the weakest part of Netgear brand.

This issue is mentioned in many threads of this forum across many devices.

Regards,

m.

[Winancy]

Downgrading is not the only option.
I couldn't wait around for months for a firmware update that might fix it. I bought a new router. Not Netgear. Their support is atrocious. They read off a script and have very little knowledge on how a router actually works. And in the end, when they are at the end of the script and your router still doesn't work they tell you to contact your ISP because it's their problem.

[robjak]

Netgear knows how to fix it. I am running a beta version of it, I do not understand why they have not released the fix.  

[phenry9999]

Oh you have seen a fix? Oh cool. How was it fixed? Is there admin options or is it all behind the scenes?

[michaelkenward]

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@robjak wrote:

.... I do not understand why they have not released the fix.  

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This is always puzzling. It takes longer to test a fix than they seem to have spent testing the original firmware that broke things in the first place.

In the past they have put the delays down to the need to put the new version through "quality assurance".

But the beta version has been in the hands of a chosen few for some time now. Puzzling.

The trouble is they may break something else when they fix the DNS>PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error.Imagine the screams if that happens.

[kuvandjiev]

I have R6700v3 and the same problem ever since I updated to V1.0.4.120_10.0.91. The DNS queries fail consistently.

[NicG]

I did the same on my PC and Boom! instant fix. The other PC's at home (wifi and wired) still have problems. Mobile devices and my TiVo seem fine as do my Alexa devices.

I still haven't decided where the crossover point is that the ongoing hassle of the partly functional Netgear router outweighs teh cost of buying something else that (hopefully) works. I keep checking daily for a firmware update. And the pre-thanksgiving sales for prices.