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Forum Discussion
CAX80 won't work at all on WOW Internet; firmware update ruined it
Here's the deal. I just got in the mail today a replacement from Netgear for my CAX80. (Hindsight says I may not have needed it, but here we are.) I am with WOW Internet as my ISP in Columbus, O...
I just wanted to chime in that i'm in the Chicago suburbs and I experianced a very similar issue to what is being reported here. I'm also on WOW.
Long story as to why I do this but without getting into the details, I run a CAX80 as my cable modem, in modem mode (Router-mode = no). Everything works perfectly fine. Every few months, i usually take a little bit of time to flip it back into router mode, update to the latest firmware, then then flip is back into modem mode again. Yes, i realize that is not necessary and that if the modem firmware does not change, i'll experiance no change, but for the sake of keeping things up to date, i like to update it every once in a while. That has served me fine since the day i got this modem but this time, i flipped it into router mode and it rebooted as usual...but then never really came back, i couldnt get an IP and was unable to access the unit. So i go and factory reset it, all the LED's indicate it's up and running...still dont get an IP. I started troubleshooting and i realized that if you time it right and do an ipconfig /renew right after the modem lights go solid, you'll get an ip and you can access 192.168.1.1...just long enough to complete the initial router setup via a browser (select that you dont have mobile device so that you can access the GUI in your browser). That allowed me to go back in a set it back to modem mode. Once i did that, it came up without issue and i was able to access again.
I realize that this does not help most people, most people do not have a router/modem combo only to use it as a modem, but i feel like it's worth mentioning that this works for me and should work for others to at least get you back online if this happens to you. You wont have wifi and will have to have a spare router in order to actually get wifi connectivity back, but...for those who dont have a spare modem lying around, this might at least help you get back online temporarily if you run into this.
My CAX80 on WOW is currently running:
Firmware Version
V2.1.2.6
Cable Firmware Version
V1.02.08
I'm unable to actually upgrade to Firmware version 2.1.3.5 because in modem mode, you dont have the ability to flash the firmware and flipping to router mode make the device unusable. I tried flashing the firmware during that brief window that i mentioned above but every time, just before it finishes, i lose my connection to the modem as the amount of time it takes to upload the firmware is longer than the unit will function before going into 'brick' mode.
So while i dont have a solution for those of you wanting to use this as a router/modem, if you wanted to use it as a modem while this gets sorted out, you should be able to factory reset, watch for the lights to go solid and then quickly using a wired computer his 192.168.1.1, speed through the setup and flip it to modem mode in order to get it to function as a modem. When in modem mode, it seems to continue to work flawlessly, router mode is what turns it into a brick.
To FW update the CAX series the unit has to be in "Router" mode. It can't be in modem mode. The FW that is user updateable is ONLY for the router portion of the unit. The modem portion FW still comes from the ISP only. When in router mode, as long as the ISP Coax line IS connected to the CAX, the unit will not auto reboot. The Coax line doesn't have to be associated with the ISP or the modem has to be activated with the ISP, just as long as there a ISP modem signal on the line, the CAX will NOT auto reboot.
Correct, my point was that in order to update the router firmware, you have to flip it back from modem mode to router mode; doing so make the modem unusable as myself and others have described in this thread. The only way i've found to actually get the CAX80 to work is in modem mode; even after factory resets, it works just long enough for you to speed through the setup and flip it over to modem mode, if you miss that window you have to power cycle and try again or it'll just get into a state where WOW says they see the modem fine on their end and all the LED's on the front of the CAX80 show a successful connection; yet the device does not hand out any IP's and does not work at all when left in router mode. It was perfectly fine about 2 months ago, then 'something' happened as others have reported where router mode no longer works.
Yes, and after the FW is updated on the router side, then you can change it back to modem mode.
Is there a differenet cable ISP in your town or is WOW the only on? One thing you can do IF, there is a different cable ISP in town and IF you know someone using that ISP, take the CAX80 to there place. Connected it to there coax line, don't do any association with it with the ISP. If the latest CAX80 FW already on a wired PC there. If you power up the CAX80, the unit should not auto reboot and maintain long enough for you to send the FW file to update the router portion of the CAX80. If you can get the FW loaded then you can factory reset and remove it and take it back to your place. Again this is corner case if this is an option.
Over all this is a WoW issue that they need to get working. My CAX80 is working fine with my ISP in router mode. I don't have the wifi radios enabled and using a different wifi system currently.
FW 2.1.3.5 was recently released back on November 5th, 2021 however it was only an update for the router side so the DOCSIS part should not be affected. I am not sure how long the users here have been affected but it may be worthwhile to downgrade FW 2.1.2.6 to see if the same issue occurs. Also, Netgear is aware of the issue and they have a product engineer looking into it. For the users affected what are the LEDs on CAX80 doing when this issue happens? Also, it would be good to get a copy of Event Logs posted so that we have a better sense of what's happening from the ISP side?
