Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

I am also having this exact issue. Just with the 2.5g port. The port functions for an undefined period of time then the blue light goes off, the connection stalls, then it drops to 1g. Even on 1g the 2.5g port stalls data. Moving the ethernet cable over to a 1g port fixes all connectivity issues, but at the slower 1g speed. Multiple factory resets done. Going to try disabling wireless radio and trying again. Support tickets have proven useless. I was given the option to replace it, but I'm not paying to get a replacement for a defect and it certainly seems to be firmware related.
Message 1 of 85
FURRYe38
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

What Firmware version is currently loaded?

What brand and model ethernet adapter do you have connected to the 2.5Gb port? 

What CAT# cabling are you using? CAT6 is recommended...

Message 2 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

I have firmware v2.1.3.5. I have tried testing the stability issue with 3 different devices, 1 2.5gb switch model trendnet teg-s350/a, 1 qnap 2.5gb switch qsw1105-5t and a 2017 iMac Pro with 10gb on board ethernet configurable to 10,5,2.5gb. Connecting the CAX80 to the switches caused a drop in communication and change over to 1gb only connection within 15-30 mins of each reboot of the modem. The auto negotiation option is not able to be set on either the netgear or switches. The iMac pro also dropped connectivity and switched down to 1gb in around the same time frame as the switches, but I was able to set auto negotiation to a static 2.5gb speed instead. This maintained the blue light on the multi gig port for the netgear, but within 15-30 minutes data transfers became wildly unreliable and jittery. I have tried a variety of cables, cat 5e, cat 6 and cat 7. I have tried 3ft cables, 6 ft cables, 10ft cables. The one that keeps the connection the longest is my cat7.

Interestingly, I went into the advanced wireless settings and turned wifi off completely. I have access points around the house, so that's not a connectivity killer for me. Turning both 5g and 2.4g radios KEEPS the multigig at full speed and there are no hiccups in data transfer. Everything seems to be working fine. I am going to leave it running for another full day and see of there are any interruptions, then turn wifi back on and see what happens. The ONLY change I made was to disable the wifi radios. Nothing else.
Message 3 of 85
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

OK, this is interesting. Disabling WiFi seems to help resolve the multi gig port behavior. 

 

I recommend you contact NG support and let them know about this...

 

I don't see this issue on mine however mines in Modem mode. 


@Mellojosh wrote:
I have firmware v2.1.3.5. I have tried testing the stability issue with 3 different devices, 1 2.5gb switch model trendnet teg-s350/a, 1 qnap 2.5gb switch qsw1105-5t and a 2017 iMac Pro with 10gb on board ethernet configurable to 10,5,2.5gb. Connecting the CAX80 to the switches caused a drop in communication and change over to 1gb only connection within 15-30 mins of each reboot of the modem. The auto negotiation option is not able to be set on either the netgear or switches. The iMac pro also dropped connectivity and switched down to 1gb in around the same time frame as the switches, but I was able to set auto negotiation to a static 2.5gb speed instead. This maintained the blue light on the multi gig port for the netgear, but within 15-30 minutes data transfers became wildly unreliable and jittery. I have tried a variety of cables, cat 5e, cat 6 and cat 7. I have tried 3ft cables, 6 ft cables, 10ft cables. The one that keeps the connection the longest is my cat7.

Interestingly, I went into the advanced wireless settings and turned wifi off completely. I have access points around the house, so that's not a connectivity killer for me. Turning both 5g and 2.4g radios KEEPS the multigig at full speed and there are no hiccups in data transfer. Everything seems to be working fine. I am going to leave it running for another full day and see of there are any interruptions, then turn wifi back on and see what happens. The ONLY change I made was to disable the wifi radios. Nothing else.

 

Message 4 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

I already contacted support several times, they said it was because my upload signal from Comcast is out of spec. Had Comcast come out for the fun of it and they reviewed the recommendation from netgear in person with me and said they are 100% wrong, the levels are in spec...and I agree. So does the cax80 signal page. Line levels should also have NOTHING to do with the multi gig port. Ng support has no idea how to fix, and they say there is no way to report possible firmware issues.
Message 5 of 85
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Just for our information, would you please post the connections status output page here so we can review this.

 

Also I have passed this onto NG for review. Seems there maybe pattern here. 

 

Thank you. 

Message 6 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Here are screen shots from the connection statistics screen. Without any full router reboot, I disabled the wifi radio and then unplugged the 2.5g port ethernet and re plugged. Up time on the 2.5g port was more than 24hrs at 2.5g speed. At the 24hr mark, all I did was go to advanced wireless and enable the wireless radio, no reboot no physical changes or unplug. The 2.5g port crashed 3hrs and 4mins later and dropped to 1g and never recovered.
Message 7 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Here is a screen shot at the exact time the wireless was enabled and 2.5g port showing working.
Message 8 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

And then another showing the port dropped to 1g. When the port crashes, the uptime for the 2.5g port resets. There was no physical change, I littleraly just logged in when I got up and checked to see if the link speed for the multi gig port changed.
Message 9 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

This one shows when I physically unpluged the ethernet and pluged back in to get 2.5g speeds back. Notice the time on the phone at the top.
Message 10 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

And then a multigig port crash 4 minutes after taking the port reset shot. I knew the port was crashing because all devices connected through the 2.5g port stall for 15-30 seconds. Sometimes the port crashes after hours, sometimes it's minutes. But one thing is for sure, the 2.5g port ALWAYS crashes if you are trying to use 2.5g speeds. It does recover to 1g speeds eventually, but why have a 2.5g port and charge an arm and a leg for the equipment intended for people who want to maximize their available throughput only to reduce its ability to provide that advertised speed?
Message 11 of 85
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

And do you have the capture of the cable connection status page as well please...

Message 12 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

WTF, the cable connection page is irrelevant. The multigig port fails on the LAN not the WAN. The multigig port fails even if I remove the COAX cable and use the CAX80 as a router only with no internet connection. I'm going to go ahead and post the status screen, but I want to stress the issue is with the multigig port with wireless radios enabled.
Message 13 of 85
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Ok that's fine however the information asked for is also helpful for NG to review, relevant or not. Any and all information is helpful so that NG has what they need to review this and help get it fixed. Also removing the coax would not work to verify this as the CAX80 will auto reboot constantly until the coax line is connected and a signal is seen by the CAX80. 

 

 

 

Message 14 of 85
JJDizz1L
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

This is a FACT. I went out my way to purchase a new USB 2.5GbE from ASUS and the problem still persist. I believe it is the NIC inside of the CAX80 itself. No matter what I do, no matter the settings, no matter the drivers Realtek... Even the latest that came out literally two days ago (March 22, 2022) the damn cable modem cuts out while gaming.

I can use my Wi-Fi 6 on my PC and it will not disconnect, but I want to be wired. I PAID for this to be WIRED and no matter the firmware on the device the NIC fails. I have spent enough money. I believe I need a newer revision of this product and hopefully a different NIC is inside of it. If not, Netgear will lose a customer for this generation of products. I'll come back in a few years when we're on Wi-Fi 8 or above.

Message 15 of 85
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

You'll need to contact NG support about this:

https://my.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx

 

If there is a problem, NG will need to review it and fix it as this is beyond forum help. 

 

Good Luck. 

Message 16 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Sorry fellow CAX80 buyers, looks like we are being shrugged off here. Maybe if enough people report this, something can get done but I have opened a few tickets and called about the same problem over and over and have spent hours totalling days on the phone with support troubleshooting with no results and random ticket closes with no solution. After discovering this potential solution with turning off wifi, I connected a 2.5g ethernet adapter to a completely different CAX80 a friend of mine has on a different ISP (COX). He hasn't upgraded any wired devices to multigig yet, so he wasn't complaining about any issues, but around 20 minutes later, the port crashed and throttled down to 1gig, just like mine. Most port crashes are accomplished by connecting a wifi 6 device to the netgear 5ghz network at 160mhz bandwidth and then running a speed test on the wireless client back to back a couple of times. I also caused port crashes with video confrencing calls on a wifi 6 client, specifically microsoft teams in my case, and also when my cellular calls were using wifi calling. When a port failure happens, the blue multigig light goes solid blue for about 3 seconds, then the light turns off completely for 10-15 seconds. Afterwards, the multigig light comes back on white and starts to reconnect to devices on the multigig port. All other 1g ports are unaffected. Looks like your options are turning off wifi if you want the 2.5g port to work without drops and speed reduction with stalled performance or dont use 2.5g devices if you want the wifi on. If you want both wifi and multigig as advertised by netgear, good luck. Either put pressure on netgear to fix or buy something else. Guess I'll need to turn my $400+ modem/router combo into a basic everyday modem only and rely on my AP's for wireless.
Message 17 of 85
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

As mentioned in one of my posts already, I have passed this on to NG. Will take time for them to collect information and review and fix this. So for now. I recommend ANYONE using the 2.5Gb port, don't use it. The other LAN ports are available to use and don't seem effected by having WiFi radios enabled. NG has been made are of this issue some of you are seeing. So you'll have to patient while NG gets this fix. No idea when that will be. I'll try and post if NG passes any fix information to me regarding this. 

 

Thank you. 

Message 18 of 85
JJDizz1L
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Honestly, this issue has been going on long enough. I have been reading these posts daily. I can see months of people complaining about the same thing. Over and over. I too have had a technician come out and say everything is fine. To be safe, I forced them to rewire the house. And guess what, the 2.5GbE signal continues to drop. I will do as you suggested and disable the Wi-Fi, for now. Luckily for me, I recently purchased this device on March 17, 2022, and I am a Best Buy Totaltech Member which allows me 60 days to use and return this product. As far as I see it, I will give NG up until May 15, 2022 to resolve this issue.

On the other hand, I have been looking for alternatives. I can purchase a Cable modem that supports a 2.5GbE and purchase a Wi-Fi 6 router separately. This solution will cost more, but I can at least isolate any issue with networking. Alternatively, I found that Motorola has a similar device to the CAX80-100NAS. The cable modem from Motorola is the MG8725. It supports DOCSIS 3.1 and touts the same AX6000 Wi-Fi 6. After dealing with NG and the CAX80, I performed deeper research into the product, and it seems safer for me to just swap it out. 

Customers should NOT have to become unpaid technicians just to get a product they've paid for to function as advertised. I know I don't enjoy being lied to and/or robbed by companies I have grown to trust over many years.

Ready to digress? Here are some links to the competitor's product: Motorola - MG8725 AX6000 Cable Modem.

Motorola MG8725 32x8 DOCSIS 3.1 Modem + AX6000 router Black MG8725 - Best Buy
MG8725 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem + WiFi 6 Router (motorola.com)
Amazon.com: Motorola MG8725 Multi-Gig Cable Modem + Built in WiFi 6 Router | Approved for Comcast Xf...

Message 19 of 85
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

As mentioned in one of my posts already, I have passed this on to NG. Will take time for them to collect information and review and fix this. So for now. I recommend ANYONE using the 2.5Gb port, don't use it. The other LAN ports are available to use and don't seem effected by having WiFi radios enabled. NG has been made are of this issue some of you are seeing. So you'll have to patient while NG gets this fix. No idea when that will be. I'll try and post if NG passes any fix information to me regarding this. 

 

Thank you.

Message 20 of 85
GACuban
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Well, I really wish I had read this specific thread before I bought this unit and wasted all the same times the others have posted here with NG support.

 

I too have had this problem with the 2.5 Gbps port and now see the futility of trying a different unit, since it seems to be a product defect (firmware problem---call it what you will).  So, it will have to be Motorola MG8725 for me also.

 

As to the person that was waiting until May 15th, please don't wait.  As you can see, NG is still clueless about this one.  As long as only fools with 1 Gbps ports buy this for the wireless part, they will ignore the minority that want the wired connection at this higher rate.

Message 21 of 85
JJDizz1L
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

I applaud your bravery to speaking up and against this product and lack-there-of support for people who spend their hard-earned monies on a company we've trusted. 

I have been using the Motorola MG8725 every since returning that piece of tom-foolery and have been a very SATISFIED customer. It has the SAME Wi-Fi speeds with more customization and while the Wi-Fi is enable the 2.5GbE port WORKS. I am going on 36 days without an issue.

You will not be disappointed.

-Dizziee

Message 22 of 85
GACuban
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Oh, that is GREAT news!!!  Thank you for the vote of confidence with the Motorola version.  It should arrive tomorrow, so very excited to finally have something that works!

Message 23 of 85
GACuban
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

...and on a side note, my WiFi bands both have passwords that contain a % symbol.  I type the password in the configuration page and even click the eyeball button to confirm it.  The passwords do contain the % symbol.

 

After I save the page, the passwords on the main page and on the advanced page both only show the text up to the % symbol.  The symbol and any text AFTER it are not displayed.  Since my devices are connecting, I am assuming the correct password was stored, but this is also another defect that the NG support team ignored when I told them about it.

Message 24 of 85
Mellojosh
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Re: CAX80 Multi-gig ethernet port dropping

Thank you to everyone who keeps reporting this issue. I am still several months in with no resolution in sight. I have had wifi disabled going on a month now and the 2.5gb port functions great. Last week I needed to upgrade all my APs to something different and turned the CAX80 wifi back on temporarily to avoid wifi interruption and almost instantly the 2.5gb port failed and dropped to 1gb. After replacing APs, I disabled the wifi again and port is operating correctly. So it's still a choice right now, wifi or 2.5gb port, still won't work at the same time consistently.
Message 25 of 85
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