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I just got a Nighthawk RAX120 Router. I'm less than pleased with it's performance but that is another discussion. I have noticed that the router seems to be filtering the web sites I frequent - only conservative news web sites. Any other web site is unfiltered. Is this a common Netgear practice or is someting more innocent going on?
What do you think about getting an AT&T router wihout the wifi so I can connect a good wifi router to it? I'm sure AT&T would be happy to charge me lots of money to swap it out.
Not a good idea.
That would still leave you with two routers. The RAX120 and whatever ATT provided. What you really need from ATTis a modem, not a modem router.
But you already have the RAX120 connected to the 5268AC. Work out how to get them to cooperate and to use the the 5268AC as a modem.
Then look into getting wifi everywhere you need it. Are you saying that the RAX120 isn't powerful enough on its own?
The first challenge is to get the existing modem/router, the 5268AC, to behave itself by turning off its router bit. You aren't the first one to want to do that:
That's just two of the places a search will reveal.
When you have got that sorted out, you can begin ti think about the wifi challenge.
See if your RAX120 can deliver the goods. If not, think about adding wifi extenders, not more routers.
When it comes to getting the Internet to wired devices that don lt move around the place, like TVs, I am a great believer in Powerline Ethernet. It uses the house's mains circuit as a wired Ethernet network. You can even get Powerline that combines wired and wifi.
So, take it a step at a time. Fix the first problem, those filtered web sites, and then move on to the next task.
I have noticed that the router seems to be filtering the web sites I frequent - only conservative news web sites.
The router isn't likely to be censoring your browsing. But you may have inadvertently turn on something like Circle.
But without more information who knows?
What firmware version do you have on the device?
A number is more useful than "the latest". (It may not be by the time people read this.) There can also be newer versions, or "hot fixes", that do not show up if you check for new firmware in the browser interface.
It might also help if you told people what the modem is in front of this router, if there is one. The model number could be useful. Is it, by any chance, also a router, with a set of LAN ports on the back?
I just got a Nighthawk RAX120 Router. I'm less than pleased with it's performance but that is another discussion. I have noticed that the router seems to be filtering the web sites I frequent - only conservative news web sites. Any other web site is unfiltered. Is this a common Netgear practice or is someting more innocent going on?
Regards,
QwertyHsv
Anyway you can share what you are noticiing that results in you concluding the Netgear router is filtering?
As the previous poster noted, there are features that can be enabled that result in URL filtering (keep in mind, your ISP router could be doing this too...but I'll assume you've already cleared that).
For example: Netgear Armor does URL filtering. Circle Parental Controls do URL filtering. The Bit Defender client software (included w/ Armor) does it's own URL blocking directly on client machines...
If you want an unfiltered experience you can turn all of those off, but helpful to understand more about what filtering you are noticing / what indications you are seeing.
Re: Nighthawk RAX120 seems to be filtering web sites
Good afternoon,
The router in front of the Nighthawk is an AT&T model 5268AC. I'll be honest, I've had so many problems with the RAX120 dropping out, buffering, "not online" etc, that I have only 1 TV connected to it any more. Everything else goes directly thru the AT&T router.
The firmware version is 1.0.1.122. The app tells me that is the latest.
I've connected the AT&T router to the RAX120 via the Ethernet cable that came with the RAX120.
I've turned off Armor. After the first month, I think that is a paid service anyway. That may have been the source of filtering the web sites. I found it was also filtering my HOA web site but only pdf forms. ?? When I swapped over to the AT&T router all the forms were downloadable.
My original plan for getting such a robust router was having plenty of bandwidth for the future - grand-kids streaming video games, a couple TVs, 3 computers and several cell phones. I was trying to avoid having to run a bunch of Ethernet cable all over the house. I'm getting to be too old to be crawling around in my attic in this Southern heat.
Re: Nighthawk RAX120 seems to be filtering web sites
Hi rinthos,
I've turned off Armor. I don't have Circle unless it's buried in the Nighthawk app somewhere. Other than that, it was also filtering some pdfs from my HOA. After I swapped over to the AT&T router, everthing was downloadable. I haven't a clue.
Like I stated in my original post, some news web sites were being filtered but AT&T router let them pass through. Other than that, I don't have any more useful info.
The router in front of the Nighthawk is an AT&T model 5268AC.
That is a "gateway", a combination of modem and router. It is likely to cause you grief.
Running two routers in sequence is a recipe for chaos.
Two routers on your network can cause headaches. For example, you can end up with local address problems. Among other things, the other router can misdirect addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.
You would do well to reduce that to one router. To keep all the features you bought the RAX120 to deliver, your best bet us to work out how to put the AT&T model 5268AC into modem only (bridge) mode.
If that isn't possible, which is unlikely, you can put the RAX120 into wireless access point (AP) mode.
Re: Nighthawk RAX120 seems to be filtering web sites
Outstanding! Thank you so much. Though this is the configuration we just had prior to our recent move, the AT&T router in our previous home didn't have wifi capability. That is why that config worked worked and also why I didn't think there would be an issue. I'm obviously a bit lacking in my computer skills.
Also, all the web site filtering included something about routerlogin.net.
Half the problem is soved. Now onto the other half of what to do about it. Let me ask your most esteemed opinion... What do you think about getting an AT&T router wihout the wifi so I can connect a good wifi router to it? I'm sure AT&T would be happy to charge me lots of money to swap it out.
Remember that I'm looking to the future and making sure I have plenty of wifi capability without having to crawl around in the attic - though I won't eliminate the possibility of paying someone to run the Ethernet. I could go the 2 TVs and 2 computers direct (Ethernet) and everything else on wifi.
Thoughts? I simply don't know enough about this stuff so I have to ask.
What do you think about getting an AT&T router wihout the wifi so I can connect a good wifi router to it? I'm sure AT&T would be happy to charge me lots of money to swap it out.
Not a good idea.
That would still leave you with two routers. The RAX120 and whatever ATT provided. What you really need from ATTis a modem, not a modem router.
But you already have the RAX120 connected to the 5268AC. Work out how to get them to cooperate and to use the the 5268AC as a modem.
Then look into getting wifi everywhere you need it. Are you saying that the RAX120 isn't powerful enough on its own?
The first challenge is to get the existing modem/router, the 5268AC, to behave itself by turning off its router bit. You aren't the first one to want to do that:
That's just two of the places a search will reveal.
When you have got that sorted out, you can begin ti think about the wifi challenge.
See if your RAX120 can deliver the goods. If not, think about adding wifi extenders, not more routers.
When it comes to getting the Internet to wired devices that don lt move around the place, like TVs, I am a great believer in Powerline Ethernet. It uses the house's mains circuit as a wired Ethernet network. You can even get Powerline that combines wired and wifi.
So, take it a step at a time. Fix the first problem, those filtered web sites, and then move on to the next task.
