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Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

bdfm
Guide

Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

Greetings,

 

I am experiencing repeated issues with lost internet connection on my home network. I have fiber optic service thru Metronet and use their Nokia modem with a new R7000 router which I successfully installed 3 days ago.  I have had multiple instances when I have lost internet connection. Devices remain connected to WiFi network but are unable to connect to internet. When I power cycle the R7000, connections to internet return to all devices and life is good.

 

One thing that I have noted when I experience these issues is that devices with an active connection to the internet remain connected and functioning but devices not currently connected indicate that they are connected to the WiFi network but report that they are unable to connect to the internet.  For example, a TV connected to the network and internet continues to successfully stream YouTubeTV content while an iPad is unable to connect. This seems confusing.

 

Per recommendations from both Netgear and Metronet tech support, both the modem and the router are plugged in directly to a wall outlet. I have contacted tech support at Metronet and they have not found anything in my service history to suggest dropped connections.

 

I would appreciate any troubleshooting suggestions.  

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 1 of 13
Portwey84
Virtuoso

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

@bdfm  Check first what firmware your router is loaded with. The latest version, is v.130 found here:

 

https://www.netgear.com/support/product/r7000.aspx

 

If your router firmware is out of date and you decide to update the firmware, make sure you do it over Ethernet and NOT WiFi. You will come across 'advice' from some on this forum to consider loading a now very old firmware version known as v.42 which is still available for download from the Netgear support site, because apparently, it's more 'stable'. If you do, bear in mind it may now be security compromised. Basically, you takes your chances with it as with any of the R7000 firmware available. In any case, it's prudent to make sure you're using decent anti-virus.

 

Ensure that your connected devices are all (where possible) up to date on their own firmware, mobile (cell) phones latest oS, laptop/desktop computers have the latest WiFi drivers installed. Intel based machines for example, Intel provide a update support assistant which will ensure your machines are using the latest WiFi drivers etc.

 

I would fully expect that your router parameters are set according to your ISP settings?

 

Consider carrying out a factory reset on the router, especially if you are well behind on the firmware.

 

Other things to consider:

Disable QoS, disable logging unless you really want multipe likely false DoS attack reports which is what I had when I was using my own R7000. Consider disabling UPnP if you don't really need it. Disable auto update if it is enabled (I believe default is off anyway?)

 

For any Ethernet cable connections, check your cabling. I'm using all Cat6/Cat7 wires with no issues.

 

Check to see what power setting your WiFi is on. You'll find it in the rather appalling browser GUI.

 

Make sure whatever firewall is operating on your system isn't preventing access. It's unlikely that this would be causing an issue, but you never know.

 

Finally, consider replacing the R7000 with something more up to date, though I accept if you have only just bought the router, that is probably not a consideration you are willing to carry through. The R7000 is a decade old design. All I'm saying is, there are far better routers out there. For the record, I recently dumped my R7000 and bought something far more capable. I've absolutely no regrets, the R7000 just wasn't cutting it any more for me.

 

Does/did your ISP provide you with a router? because if they have, it might even be worth using their kit if only to check to see if it is your R7000 that is causing the issues. If your WiFi suddenly isn't a problem, then you know where the issue is.

 

Good luck.

 

 

Message 2 of 13
bdfm
Guide

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

Hello,

 

First, thanks for taking your time to offer your thoughts and suggestions.  Let me try to respond to your comments:

 

Firmware /  I updated the firmware to v.130 during install of this brand new device a few days ago

Anti-virus / Use Norton 360 Deluxe

Connected devices  / 4 Apple devices running current iOS, HP PC Wifi network adapter is current, will check out firmware on 3 Samsung TV's

Routing parameters set to ISP standards / not sure what this means

QoS and Auto update / disabled

Logging / I don't know what that is and how to disable

UPnP / currently active - If I disable, will I lose connections with my devices that are currently connected to my home network via a password? If I disable UPnP, does this help prevent bad actors from accessing our network?

WiFi power setting / searched Netgear GUI and can't seem to find this setting

 

My home is 3 stories with about 2,800 sq ft. When I switched to fiber optic service (200 Mbps down/up) 15 months ago, I opted to use my existing D7000 modem/router combo with the ISP provided Nokia modem.  ISP installation tech suggested this because ISP provided router (Eero) would not provide the coverage strength I was getting with D7000.  Our service needs include streaming, email and general web surfing. Within a few months, started to experience repeated buffering issues with streaming, most particularly on YouTubeTV.  Eventually realized that my old D7000 was likely not up to the task. 

 

Chose R7000 because of prior experience with Netgear and expected it would provide similar strong signal as the D7000. Understood that it was not latest WiFi 6 technology.  Install of R7000 Unit One purchased at Best Buy (only electronic retailer in my area) was bumpy and required multiple interactions with NG support.  Once install was complete, service was stable for a few days. Speedtests showed 5G band at 200Mbps in most locations of my home with 100Mbps on the 2.4G band. Then, started to have issues with dropped connections to internet. NG tech support kept telling me to perform power cylce which always worked but system was not stable. Because Best Buy return policy was almost up, I decided that this unit might be defective so I returned unit One and bought another R7000, Unit Two.

 

Installation of R7000 Unit Two went much smoother and system was stable for a couple of days before I started to experience dropped internet connections.  In each instance, power cycle of R7000 would restore internet connection.  Checked with ISP tech support and they couldn't find any service issues.  Yesterday, ISP tech support did a "rip and rebuild" on my service which they said should bring my service to best possible. Two hours later I lost internet connection again.  I called ISP and they will have technician come to my house on 2/7 and install their no charge Eero router (single base model).  They will perform trace route and check modem This should help isolate the problem.

 

I remain curious about one aspect of this problem. When I lose internet connection, devices such as a TV which are connected and successfully playing a streaming signal such as YouTubeTV remain active and connected.  We only realize that our internet connection is down when we try to connect a "new" device such as an iPhone, iPad or PC to the network / internet.  When we try, we find that the currently un-connected device shows a connection to our home WiFi network but we receive a message that the device is unable to connect to the internet. No one at NG or our ISP can explain how a connected device remains connected while a "new" device is unable to connect to the internet.

 

Thanks again for your helpful comments!

 

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 3 of 13
Portwey84
Virtuoso

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

@bdfm  I'd just like to point out, I'm no expert, anything I suggest is just from personal experience using the R7000.

 

I no longer have my R7000 setup due to me having replaced it (it's shoved away in my loft unlikely to ever see the light of day again!) so I can't tell you exactly where to find what you're looking for. If you interrogate each of the tabs in the GUI in Advanced settings, you should find all of the settings I have referred to. In my opinion, the browser GUI isn't very user friendly at all.

 

UpNP, as I recall, when I had this disabled, it didn't cause any issues with my WiFi connections. Try disabling it and see what happens.

 

If you've successfully had the WiFi working, then the router is probably operating within the ISP parameters. There may be some tweaking required for your particular environmental setup. There's settings like MTU etc, which is out of my depth so I couldn't tell you whether you should try tweaking that for example. WiFi transmit power, the setting is there, I had mine set at 100 percent all the time. Some countries however might not have that particular option due to local regulations.

 

I'd wait for the engineer home visit to interrogate your setup and make any recommendations. It could just be that the R7000 is not up to the job in your home. I'm slightly suprised that you decided to give the R7000 a second try after returning the first unit, but it is what it is. You might want to consider a more up to date Mesh system or perhaps purchase a Mesh extender to use with the R7000.

 

I've had zero issues with my own new setup, now using a tri-band router that suits my environment 100 percent better than I had with the R7000. I'm on full fibre optic, 150mbps down, 30mbps up. My router is plugged straight into a socket in the wall which runs directly to the ISP installed ONT.

 

It's funny, when I had the R7000 up and running, aside from my Wife losing her WiFi connection on her work computer because my WiFi6 enabled desktop continually wiped out her wireless connection, with my new router, her work supplied laptop just absolutely would not connect at all to the new tri-band router. It was made worse by the fact that my Wife's work computer is completely locked down, so we couldn't interrogate anything. It took the IT team at her workplace to fix her network adapter remotely by updating her computer network drivers, and fix it they did, no problems since.

 

Let's hope your engineer visit provides some answers.

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 4 of 13
bdfm
Guide

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

Thanks for your additional comments.

 

New Eero Pro 6 router (Wifi 6 with tri-band) was installed by ISP provider (Metronet) on February 7.  Total install time including firmware update was about 10 minutes using the Eero app on my iPhone. Connected total of 8 devices to the network. Strength of signal throughout my home is good and there appears to be no need for an extender.  As a note, the install process from Eero is significantly simpler and faster than what I experienced with the Netgear app and the R7000.

 

I am hopeful that this new router will perform as expected and does not experience the same internet disconnect problems that I've had with the R7000.  Time will tell.  If the new Eero router has no issues with internet disconnect, we will likely have isolated the problem.  Since the ISP provided the new Eero router, troubleshooting will be simpler as they will take ownership for any issues with either the modem or router. 

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 5 of 13
Portwey84
Virtuoso

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

@bdfm  Thank you very much for the update. It's always interesting to see how these things pan out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that all continues to go well.

 

I certainly don't regret getting rid of my R7000, it had become an immense pain in the rear!

 

I've just googled the router you have had installed, and it looks good. My GX90 looks like a massive spider on steroids lol!

 

Good luck with your new router!

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 6 of 13
bdfm
Guide

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

As a follow-up to my 2/8/22 message, the Eero Pro 6 router has performed without incident.  Signal strength is good throughout my home and I have not had any issues with lost internet connections.

 

Both R7000 units experienced lost internet connections on an intermittent basis so it appears that the issue was with the R7000 units.

 

I plan to return the second R7000 unit to Best Buy for credit. 

 

I now have a functioning home WiFi network!

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 7 of 13
Portwey84
Virtuoso

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

@bdfm  Excellent news! Nice to read a good outcome for a change.

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 8 of 13
olympos1625
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

 

Hi Guys,

 

We are really sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. Rest assured that your feedback will help us improve our product and services in the future. We hope we can still regain your trust.

 

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you need further assistance. 

 

Regards,

 

Oliver

Community Team

Message 9 of 13
Bl1985
Guide

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

I have the same or simular Problem. The R7000 drops in this case only 5G Wifi. I have Smart Connect disabled since it was in the GUI. So I have 2 SSID, one 2,4G another for 5G. So when 5G Wifi drops Internet connection, all connected devices are still connected, but have no internet connection, and when a new device will connect, it is not possible. When tis happens sometimes the internet connectin is very slow an unstable. When i change to 2.4G Wifi then there is the full speed available bake to 5G sometimes it is possible but the internet connection is again not ok. So in the past I reboot the R7000. Now I only press the wifi button on the router 2sec., wifi is off, again buttom 2sec. and wifi is up and on 5G everthing is ok, the Internet connection is without any issues. And now I also can reproduce the wifi drops. There is only one device in my set which causing these drops. iPad mini 1. Gen. When device runs on 5G on the R7000 and then I send the device to flight mode the R7000 5G wifi drops! This is crazy. Now I configured the device to only connect to the 2.4G wifi. No I have no problem. I am on 1.0.11.134. The GUI is also very tricky. I only can change the settings when connected by wire, changes when connected to the router over wifi in the GUI are possible, but after that I have strange errors, likevslow HDD connected to the USB and more other issues and the R7000 gets unstable. I can then load the last „good“ backup (but only wired connected to R7000 with the laptop) over the GUI and everything works stable again. After that I can changes the setting directly in the GUI and then it works, so i can save this to backup for future problems. This is my experiance with the R7000 in the last 2 years. And .42 was really the last perfect and stable version. Sorry netgear, this is not o good support. I told everthing to netgear, and thyvsaid to me, your router is too old and we do not make new firmware. But they make new firmware, security updates. Why? The router firmware is unstable. But for me I want to buy a new Netgear, stupid, but there are not so much good router on the market now. I testesd Fritzbox. Many problems. I want now buy RAX 120, but read so many articles here in community, that this firmware is unstable too, lots of reboots, every 2 hours or something like that. Soooo Netgear! Do your job. No the only possibility is to buy a Linksys MR9600. This is a good set of router. Hope somebody can check if you can reproduce my experiance with the router and give me a reply on that.

Message 10 of 13
olympos1625
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

Hi @Bl1985,

 

We are sorry for not being able to get back to you immediately. Our support team is looking into this issue and would like to work with you.

 

I would like to endorse you to NETGEAR Level 2 support team for a callback. Please provide the following information:

 

Name:

Email:

Phone:

Preferred schedule (at least 2 days ahead)

Timezone:

Device S/N:

 

Alternatively, if you wish to be contacted via email only then kindly include your preferred email address.

 

I am looking forward to your response.

 

Regards,

 

Oliver

Community Team


 

Message 11 of 13
Bl1985
Guide

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

No, thank you! I don’t need the support! I had too much troubles in the past with this netgear support! I bought now a new router (synology RT6600ax), and now everything works for me without any problems! I will never buy a netgear device again, in my lifetime! Never!
Message 12 of 13
olympos1625
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: Nighthawk AC1900 R7000 router drops internet connection

Hi Bl1985,

 

We are really sorry again for the inconvenience this has caused you. Rest assured that your feedback will help us improve our product and services in the future. We hope we can still regain your trust.

 

Regards,

 

Oliver

Community Team

Message 13 of 13
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