Greatly Reduced Upstream Bandwidth (AX6000-RBR850/RBS850)

Hello, I wanted to provide an update.  I wanted to thank "Furrye38" for all their help during this very challenging case. Thank you very very much

But Netgear Tech Support gets a huge "F".

Netgear as a company gets a huge "F"

I have returned my 3rd Orbi AX6000 to BestBuy, I did not get another AX6000 I bought a Linksys MX10 and I am very happy with it and ecstatic to be done with Netgear.

I will never, for the rest of my life ever ever ever buy another Netgear product.

I am going to document 100% honestly and precisely how pathetic and disgusting Netgear has been throughout my purchase of the single most expensive home router on earth and how Netgear treats people.

I challenge Netgear to allow my posting, I have left my contact information, I expect a reply.

Start:  I have had (3) Netgear Orbi AX6000 units since October-2019, each one of them had different, difficult, frustrating problems, each time I returned them to Best buy I thought I as getting a new/perfect unit……then within weeks a new problem arose.    Netgear obviously has terrible quality. 

I was lucky, I intentionally purchased the BestBuy Geek Squad extended warranty, I am very lucky I did or I would have thrown away $700.  Each time I returned the AX6000 I had to pay a new Geek Squad extended warranty few of $70 so now I am into this Netgear Router for “$700 + $70 + $70 + $70 == $910”.  A lot of money for a router that does not work, Netgear should be ashamed of themselves for selling such a “piece of crap”.

Recap:

I have bought (3) Netgear Orbi AX6000 Mesh Home Routers == all (3) were broken == pretty pathetic quality from Netgear

I have had (4) cases with Netgear direct technical support

I have invested hundreds and hundreds of hours of effort to work with Netgear Support folks.

• About now you are getting the appreciation for why I am so happy I returned this piece-of-junk and bought Linksys!!!!!!

I am going to skip the 1st (2) defective Orbi AX6000 broken units (and 2 cases) and focus only on the 3rd one, the most painful of all of them.

3rd and last Orbi AX6000::

1. I pay my ISP for DS=300Mbps/US=300Mbps
2. About 1-month ago I started having problems with the Orbi AX6000, this was very shortly after Netgear pushed the latest Firmware onto it (v3.2.10.11_1.2.12).
3. My upstream bandwidth reduced to 60Mbps, if I rebooted RBR850 router I would get back 300Mbps, then by end-of-day reduced to 60Mbps, reboot….repeat (groundhog day).

• I was having trouble with work video calls, if I turned on video the audio would get choppy.  So I had to use audio-only for all of my work conference calls.  Not a good thing during this serious pandemic and trying hard to keep a job. 

1. I knew, of course Netgear would blame my ISP.  I spent significant amounts of time debugging with the FTTH ISP Provider.

• I removed the Netgear Orbi AX6000 from my FTTH ONT.  Made sure nothing else was connected to the internet line.  One PC connected to one ONT, point-to-point.
• I ran extensive speed tests, rebooted several times, tested many different types of media. 
• All good “One PC connected to one ONT, point-to-point through the ONT” == Correct bandwidth = DS=300Mbps/US=300Mbps == GREAT

1. Connected Netgear Orbi AX6000 back to the ISP ONT box. 

• Ran speed tests == all good, got proper BW == DS=300Mbps/US=300Mbps
• Ran all day, towards end of day the Upstream bandwidth would reduce to 60Mbps (downstream was ok at 300Mbps). To be sure nobody in the house was taking all the bandwidth I would block every PC aside from my one-PC.
•   Just to remind …..my service == DS=300Mbps/US=300Mbps
• I would reboot RBR850 Orbi Router, perform speed tests == 300Mbps/US=300Mbps, all good, back to full BW
• By the end-of-day the Upstream bandwidth would reduce again to 60Mbps
• Same procedure every day for weeks (groundhog day again).
• As I performed all of these tests for weeks I would document the steps, dates, times, bandwidths, screen captures, full 100% documented.

1. Netgear Tech Support and Community

• I opened a case with Netgear Tech Support and simultaneously posted a desperate case to the Netgear Community. 
• 1st-line Support Case = 42605522
• 1st line Netgear support person was actually great, he worked with me, we discussed all the steps I had taken, I passed many many docs to him.  He attempted to help but quickly realized the case needed to be escalated. 
• He escalated to 2nd-level == Case = 42610658
• So this is where the positive support of Netgear ENDS.
• The 2nd level support person was terrible, arrogant, condescending, talks-over-you constantly, does not listen-at all.  Pretty much the worst support person I have worked with in 30 years.
•  He insisted on repeating each and every debug step I performed, all pictures …..all BWs….all efforts….repeat hundreds and hundreds of hours of debug. 
• Each time I had to debug this nightmare I have to get up at 5am, before the rest of may family woke up, before they had to work or perform school work.  I could not debug network during the day when my wife and kids needed to work.
• I very politely explained the 2nd-leve support person that repeating each every step was really difficult. 
• The 2nd level support person was once again rude and obnoxious, if he worked for me I would have fired him in 1 fs (fento-second)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• I swallowed hard, very politely and professionally requested the 2nd level support person move my case to a new person or his boss. 
• As I was begging the 2nd-level support person to move my case….once again he would not stop talking over me…… if he worked for me I would have fired him in 1 fs (fento-second)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Per “"Furrye38” community support person……..I used their Netgear debug packet-capture webpage……..
• I captured packets right after reboot (good=300Mbps/US=300Mbps)
• I captured packets at the end of day when upstream bw was bad (bad=300Mbps/US=60Mbps)
• I uploaded the good and bad packet captures to the Case = 42610658
• I once again updated the case with all debug efforts, begged the 2nd-level support person to move the case.

1. REALLY GREAT NEWS

• I GAVE UP
• I USED ANOTHER $70 BESTBUY GEEK SQUAD RETURN POLICY FEE TO END MY TORTURE AND MISERY
• I RETURNED THE NETGEAR ORBI AX6000
• I BOUGHT THE LINKSYS MX10
• THE LINKSYS MX10 WORKS
• AMAZING
• VERY HAPPY
• MORAL OF THE STORY = DON’T EVER EVER EVER EVER BUY A NETEGEAR PRODUCT
• FROM NETGEAR = I WANT A REFUND OF THE $210 I HAVE PAID FOR THE BEST BUY EXTENDED WARRANTIES.  YOU SOULD PAY ME FOR MY HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF TIME BUT MY BAD FOR BUYING YOUR PRODUCT. 
• SEE CASE, SEND CHECK