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RAX80 regularly disconnects devices, then they reconnect
I recently “upgraded” from an R8000 thinking I would have better connectivity and faster speeds. Since purchasing the RAX80 I continually have devices drop their connection at random, then they reconnect within a minute or so. It is very aggravating when streaming tv and/or trying to connect to a web page. I have the latest firmware version installed and it continues to happen. I’ve rebooted many times but nothing works. I have been reluctant to do a factory reset. Anyone else have this issue or have a solution?
My experience with this problem is slightly different. In my case, the RAX80 simply slows a specific (random) system's connection down to a crawl. Rebooting the system dows nothing to fix this. The only fix I've found so far is to reboot the router and problem is gone.
Tech support has suggested changing the MTU setting to 1468. (Advanced>setup>Wan Setup) So far, I haven't noticed any improvement from this.
So they made another suggestion I haven't had the opportunity to check out yet. Here it is:
">>click on advanced on the top of the page
>>Then Select Advanced Setup
>>under Advanced Setup click on Advanced Wireless setting
under Wireless Advanced Settings (2.4GHz b/g/n) under Fragmentation Length (256-2346): changed the number 2346 to 2300
for CTS/RTS Threshold (1-2347): change the number from 2347 to 2301
do the same for Wireless Advanced Settings (5GHz a/n/ac)
Hit apply.
After this please observe the connection at least six hours."Perhaps this is worth a try. I have some other problems with this box. If they can't resolve them, I'g going to ask NetGear to buy the RAX80 back or replace it with something that is stable enough to actually work correctly. - My own optinion is that they shouldn't be messing with public domain code to run this box, generally, this has too many glitches and security issues. - You'd think they could afford to have professionals writing the firmware for these systems.
166 Replies
Do not buy this modem if you need a reliable connection for working from home (VPN, TEAMS MEETINGS, REMOTE CONNECTIONS, ETC)…
Hours of troubleshooting, firmware updates, and even switched from two ISP in Canada… Bell and Rogers (as I thought this was a problem with my ISP), and the disconnect problem continues.
This happens both in WIFI and LAN; I spent $400 on this router from what I thought was a reputable brand only to realize that the free modem-router I got from my current ISP (Rogers) Is what I been using for the last month (and works perfectly, even on wifi haven't had problems while working remotely, NO MORE DISCONNECTS WHILE ON A WORK MEETING).
What's even more frustrating is that I still have a warranty on my device, and yesterday spent over an hour with Netgear Tech support; long story short… Netgear's official statement was "disconnects is within normal operation" and is "NOT" considered a hardware problem (despite all the posts from people complaining here).
The only option given, pay $120/$80 for six/three months of tech support to see if they can assist me… disappointing.- I think this is basically the point of the support team, to make money for Netgear rather than fix problems with their products.
Keep the user online without solution until 3months is up and convince them to pay for additional support.
I had all the same problems, no solutions, in 18 months.
I also have my old router running now in place of the RAX80 and have had no issues since.
Combined SSID, triband 5G/2.4G without dropouts & solid Ethernet connection.
The only solution for the RAX80 is to take it back & replace it with something else. This is not a modem at all. It is only a wifi router (and a NAS technically). If you are spending $400 on something you might want to know the difference between a car and a boat.
I also posted a fix, try that. The support has been pretty awful however, once you apply the fix, or you get things working, this is the absolute BEST product on the market (at this time). The fact that it is mesh-compatible, and you can purchase the EAX mesh wifi router add-on is incredible. It works remarkably and I have 700mbps wifi (1gb internet plan) all over my 4br two level home.
I think I figured out why it is disconnecting in case this helps.
If you have the 5Ghz set to the DFS channels, it will disconnect any time there is a military broadcast or something like that, you'll have to read up on it. Essentially if you change the 5ghz channels to be Non-DFS, this should solve almost all of your problems.
I initially had ALL THESE ISSUES -- NOW, I have NONE.
I also purchased the AX Extender and it works wonderfully.
Hope this helps!
So after several months of testing, I have to report that this router does now remain functional without the need for frequent reboots. Netgear finally fixed it for the most part after almost 2 years of failed attempts. I do now have my RAX80 in full service. All the functions of this router seem to be fine except 2 things still need addressed. First main issue, is the USB functionality. If you plug in a USB drive, it will kill the routers functionality within 12 hours. It will stop responding and disconnect from the internet. I have tried 3 different USB drives of different brand and size, and it happens with all of them. Second issue (minor) is more geared towards the Apple Nighthawk app. I have 34 devices, and many of my 2.4 wireless devices will show up as wired, and it basically mixes them all up and incorrectly identifies them with the wrong connection protocol. So other than these 2 issues, I am finally pleased with the the functionality of this router after waiting nearly 2 years to get it right. Too bad now the next generation of junk will be coming out from Netgear and this will be almost at "End of Life" status shortly.
So I thought I would come back and share my tests results of the latest firmware (V1.0.3.88_1.0.41). As I mentioned in previous post, there seems to be some association with disconnects and use of the USB ports. I tried several different USB drives and within 48 hours, I began to have issues with the router disconnecting both wired and wireless devices from the internet. The devices remained connected to the router itself, but I experienced loss of internet connectivity. Once I removed the USB devices and tried further testing, everything works fine. I am presenently running now for almost a month without any need for reboot. The router has worked reliably. I have not noticed anything else not working as it should, including QoS and many other options. The only other thing that needs addressed, is related to the iOs Nighthawk app. It still shows incorrect data and is very buggy. Shows wireless devices as wired, and cannot distinguish between band connections. So in closing, I would say this last update finally cured most of the woes we have all been fighting since this product was released. It still a shame that most of us had to go through this pain as these things should have been taken care of prior to it being on sale.
For kicks and giggles I plugged in a Asus router I originally bought back in 2012. Comparing that old Asus router with the RAX80, I now have quicker wireless and wired speeds, absolutely ZERO drops in nearly two weeks, no restarts, and most importantly, I have wasted ZERO hours attempting to get my router back up and working.
Weird how that works...
I am shocked people are still trying to get this POS router to work for over a year. I highly suggest ditching it and never buying a netgear product again because they clearly don't know what they are doing. I switched to an Amplifi Alien router a few months ago and it is insanely better than any netgear router I have used. No more issues with my wifi!
Agree.
I ended up using an old Asus router as my main router and the Netgear as a secondary router (to at least give it purpose)
IPS modem/Router combo → Router1 (DHCP ON)→ Router2 (NETGEAR - DHCP OFF).
Router 1 → Use it for my work stuff that requires a steady and reliable connection (LAN).
Router 2 → Non-work stuff that doesn’t affect productivity on disconnects. ( smart home, stream, local network, etc)
This made sense because the RAX80 router is in a different room than my modem (connected by LAN), and at least for work, I want to have everything wired.
Netgear,
What's being done to resolve this issue that's clearly plaquing many of your consumers? I had the pleasure of talking to Netgear support who admitted it's indeed a Netgear router issue, only to turn around and offer me a wonderful $150-$200+ contract to assist me further.
So let me get this straight; I paid $400 for a router that barely works and I need to fork over more money? Please tell me someone else besides me finds this incredibly unethicial and crooked. Myself, and many others, purchased product with "x" expectations that Netgear marketed. If Netgear can't live up to those standards, full support should be the very least, if not a product recall.
I to have a Netgear RAX80 router and for the first 5-6 months it ran great. I make sure to keep up on the firmware and for the last few months I have been having problems with it kicking all devices of line. I will see that there connected to the router but have no internet access. First it was once or twice a week and I would have to pull the power cord, count to 30 and plug it back in, and it was working again. then as time passed it would become once every 2-3 days and I would have to hard boot it again. Now it happens sometimes as often as 2 or 3 times a day.
Then on Saturday night 6/6/20 I up dated to firmware 1.0.3.88, and by the next day the RAX80 disconnecting about every 2-3 hours. By Monday it was disconnecting so bad I could not even go online. I spent over 2 hours on the phone with my ISP and we were both thinking their modem had stopped talking to the RAX80 router and they sent me a replacement modem. After doing multiple factory resets and no luck.
I rolled the RAX80 back to firmware 1.0.2.76 and It started kicking everything off once every 2-3 hours.
So, I called up Netgear tech support as I am convinced that the router is having a hardware failure. The first tech support rep refused to help and only wanted me to sign up for a contract that would give me phone or email tech support. As if I am willing to pay for something that the hardware was still under it 1-year warranty. She claimed that this was a common problem and that they have a software fix for it. So, I said great, send me the fix and I would let them know if it works. But there was no way I was going to pay for something that was still within it 1-year warranty. She never sent me the fix. So, I called again and the next tech support went a try to do the same thing and sell me a contract for extra support, and also said they had a fix. But when I again refused to pay more money for something that is within its 1-year warranty and also cost me about $400.00 he hung up on my and closed the case.
So, by this point I am fit to be tied, and I hunted down the email address for Netgear CEO. I sent him an email out lining the details of what was going on, I got an email a few hours later saying that my case had a new case number and I saw in the email notes that my case was reopened per Executive Escalation.
So, I worked with another support tech and he said that I had done all the normal trouble shooting steps and that he said it sounded like I had bad hardware. But then he comes back and tells me his level 2 wanted more trouble shooting done. So now I have given them screen shots, driver information, copies of a firmware back up, and debug files. And I have not heard a word back.
So based on what I have seen online and what the support techs have said, Netgear knows there is either hardware problems or firmware problems, are unwilling to do anything about it other than try to charge the consumer more money and give them really bad customer service.
My old Nighthawk R7000 worked like a champ. So, I am very angry with Netgear over the RAX80 router, and unless they make this right, I will never buy another Netgear product again.
Okay, so my first hunch was absolutley correct. I will explain my findings. I pulled the router out and dusted it off again. After update to the new firmware, (.88), I fired it up as I always have, but DID NOT connect the USB drives. It actually ran flawlessly for 11 days without any attention needed. This was a sucsess IMO. So my next hunch was that it would fail if I were to plug in my Passport USB drive. So after 11 days of sucsessful operation, I pluged it in without rebooting or changing anything. As I thought, within 12 hours, I had WI-Fi issues and lots of things began to disconnect and loose connectivity. So in conclusion, It looks like the issue is somehow related to the USB itegration. Since I do have a netwo
william_shreffl wrote:I to have a Netgear RAX80 router and for the first 5-6 months it ran great. I make sure to keep up on the firmware and for the last few months I have been having problems with it kicking all devices of line. I will see that there connected to the router but have no internet access. First it was once or twice a week and I would have to pull the power cord, count to 30 and plug it back in, and it was working again. then as time passed it would become once every 2-3 days and I would have to hard boot it again. Now it happens sometimes as often as 2 or 3 times a day.
Then on Saturday night 6/6/20 I up dated to firmware 1.0.3.88, and by the next day the RAX80 disconnecting about every 2-3 hours. By Monday it was disconnecting so bad I could not even go online. I spent over 2 hours on the phone with my ISP and we were both thinking their modem had stopped talking to the RAX80 router and they sent me a replacement modem. After doing multiple factory resets and no luck.
I rolled the RAX80 back to firmware 1.0.2.76 and It started kicking everything off once every 2-3 hours.
So, I called up Netgear tech support as I am convinced that the router is having a hardware failure. The first tech support rep refused to help and only wanted me to sign up for a contract that would give me phone or email tech support. As if I am willing to pay for something that the hardware was still under it 1-year warranty. She claimed that this was a common problem and that they have a software fix for it. So, I said great, send me the fix and I would let them know if it works. But there was no way I was going to pay for something that was still within it 1-year warranty. She never sent me the fix. So, I called again and the next tech support went a try to do the same thing and sell me a contract for extra support, and also said they had a fix. But when I again refused to pay more money for something that is within its 1-year warranty and also cost me about $400.00 he hung up on my and closed the case.
So, by this point I am fit to be tied, and I hunted down the email address for Netgear CEO. I sent him an email out lining the details of what was going on, I got an email a few hours later saying that my case had a new case number and I saw in the email notes that my case was reopened per Executive Escalation.
So, I worked with another support tech and he said that I had done all the normal trouble shooting steps and that he said it sounded like I had bad hardware. But then he comes back and tells me his level 2 wanted more trouble shooting done. So now I have given them screen shots, driver information, copies of a firmware back up, and debug files. And I have not heard a word back.
So based on what I have seen online and what the support techs have said, Netgear knows there is either hardware problems or firmware problems, are unwilling to do anything about it other than try to charge the consumer more money and give them really bad customer service.
My old Nighthawk R7000 worked like a champ. So, I am very angry with Netgear over the RAX80 router, and unless they make this right, I will never buy another Netgear product again.
rk server attached, I will leave this drive unpluged for now until the next firmware "FIX" and see how it goes. For now, I encourage you all to give it a try. Seemed rather stable, and I checked wifi speeds daily and didn't have any degragation of signal or speed. Everything worked well........Until I pluged in the USB drive.I absolutely hate that you cant edit a post here once it's been posted. Sorry for the added quote on the last post. I some how screwed up the post and hit the quote button. Another great feature of "Netgear".
There's a new firmware release (.88). I loaded it 2 days ago, and it's really working well. By George I think they are on to something. Everything is working well and stable after 48 hours. No reboots or disconnects. The only issue I've seen (minor), is the QoS bandwith utilization does not show bandwidth usage, and when using the Nighthawk app, some wireless devices show up as wired devices. Other than those two things, I haven't seen anything else wrong. I think I will wipe the dust off this brick now and finally get some use of it! I've also tested and retested wireless speeds, and they have remained consistent. My IPad has consistently ran at about 500Mbps real-time.
- Release notes for version 88
https://kb.netgear.com/000061902/RAX80-Firmware-Version-1-0-3-88- Seems they've added netgear Armor & Circle too ( no mention of wpa3 though).
Will wait for other peoples feedback before I get the space shuttle out of the cupboard to give it a try though.
In the current work from home environment, reliability is 100% important so I cannot accept wireless dropouts or lan connection problems.
I forgot to also note, I noticed also, the Nighthawk app is very slow to load and identify the router, and once in the app, you cannot use the switch to turn off internet access to a specific device. Moving the switch does nothing, as the device will remain connected to the internet.
Has anyone figured out how to get this router working? My connection is insanely unstable and does not work 65% of the time. When it does work my download speeds are 40% of what they should be.
I can't believe I wasted $350 on this piece of junk..
I upgraded my firmware to: V1.0.1.70_1.0.30
It's been a week since I bit the bullet, and it seems to be more stable than the previous two versions - where I would get unstable connections.
The key settings you may want to try:
- Change your NTP Server away from Netgear's
- Wireless
- Fragmentation Length 2346
- CTS Threshold 2347
- Long Preamble
- Enable Explicit Beamforming / MU-MIMI - AX
- Disable Smart Connect - this actually cuased mne problems
- Enable 20/40 MHz Coexistence - otherwise, devices will drop off
- LOCK your WIFI Channels to a low traffic channel
Like many others, this product has been a pill to set up and keep running - I just hope these settings work for some of you who do not have the luxury of returning this Albatross - until something irreperably breaks and forces us to purchase another router.
Since Netgear really didn't do anything to help us, I kepy to my word and have already dissuaded two colleagues to shop elsewhere.
mafo5000 wrote:Has anyone figured out how to get this router working? My connection is insanely unstable and does not work 65% of the time. When it does work my download speeds are 40% of what they should be.
I can't believe I wasted $350 on this piece of junk..
Right now only way I can get stable speed on Ethernet and Wi-Fi is by turning QoS on... on previous firmware I had to turn QoS off. My modem is on gigabit plan and I am getting around 500Mbps on WiFi and 700 on Ethernet. With QoS off both speeds drop for some reason. On previous firmware with QoS off my speeds were higher 900 on Ethernet and 500 to 600 on WiFi.I found one way to make this working is to turn off the MU-MIMO, it is not compatible with AX function is on. and choose channel 60. It is basically unusable when you select 100+ channel. Qos used to be a problem, you need to turn it on and reboot and turn it off again.
- I changed the time server and the DNS to Google's and it's working really well. Not sure if/how that makes a difference but my router is staying connected.
Well new firmware released mid Dec (1.0.1.70). Pulled my $400 piece of junk out it's box to see if maybe they actually did something to make it usable. Loaded new firmware, reset up with my settings and got her going. Ran very well and impressive for about 30hrs, then once again, total disconnect to both wired and wireless devices. Reboot, and within 24hrs did it once again. Somehow it seems to be related to the time or time server setting. Whenever it disconnects, it shows a future date and time change in the logs. Also new firmware will not hold device icons and descriptions in both the GUI or the app. I was however very impressed with the wifi speeds (when it was working). Well back in the box it goes to wait on Netgear to get off their butts and try again. I am really beginning to love my R8500, as it never requires any attention, it's fast, and just works, unlike this piece of garbage!
- I did exactly the same, out of the box, factory reset, update, setup & I had Ethernet dropouts (which was new for me).
Back in the box the day after.
GabboCH wrote:
I did exactly the same, out of the box, factory reset, update, setup & I had Ethernet dropouts (which was new for me).
Back in the box the day after.Absolutely stunning!!!
I use all of the Ethernet ports on my RAX120 and have never had an issue there. (I have had all the reported issues with the Wi-fi radios, however.) It's frightening to think that a simple upgrade to the next firmware release could change all of that. If this thing starts dropping Ethernet connections, I'm boxing it up, same as you.
Netgear... what is going on with your routers? I have serious angst over upgrading, or even rebooting, my router. Really?
I discovered a new firmware release (1.0.1.70), looks like Dec 13th. Was nice that Netgear posted it on their website, Haha. The only way to get this update, is via the Nighthawk app. It cannot be found anywhere else. So I downloaded it yesterday, and went through setting it up (it's been boxed becuase it was unusable). First 24-hr test seems stable. No disconnect issues. Speeds pretty decent, pulling 600+Mbps on 5Ghz, using wifi-SweetSpots app, as compared to my X-8 at 500Mbps. Qos setup and device setup was a bit buggy, but got all priority and device labels to stay. There was some talk about not holding time Server setting or constantly searching for time in the router logs, so I changed the time server to time-a-g.nist.gov, and that seems to work well. I have 35+ devices and all seem to be working rock solid. I have the AX setting on, and the DDNS and VPN features are working well also. So let's give it some time and see where it goes. So far I am tickled that it actually working this well right now. I am also using the Static LAN assignment, as I have the first 100 IP addresses reserved. Also some of the other forums are complaining about dropping internet connection and reconnecting, I have not seen this at all. I did allow the router to go through the internet setup automatically, so maybe that helped.