What are /r/NETGEAR's favorite Products & Services?

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Router SHOULD aggregate and allow devices to see each other through the router!!!...should be part of the "Plug-N-Play" protocol!!!! Either there is some network isolation going on, could be a subnet issue OR a piss poor implementation of integrating 2.4 & 5 ghz in the same box. Also make sure you're not using guest wi-fi as that blocks off & isolates a whole Lotta stuff!!! Get the "Fing Network app" to scan your network and see what devices are visible.

Fing App...

Only go for the Orbi mesh system if you have dead spots in your home. That's what it is for, covering your entire home, and even some outside areas. For $300 I don't think you are going to get a reliable WiFi 6 mesh system.

Stay away from the nighthawk mesh systems as they have too many issues, search this subreddit and you will find plenty of problems with them

For a bit more ($329) you can get the Orbi RBK752 https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Whole-Tri-Band-System-RBK752/dp/B086HJXKJJ

The RBK752 is a Router and 1 Satellite mesh system that provides WiFi 6 and up to 5,000 sq ft of coverage.

no, I don't think so, I know that nordvpn app allows only to add programs, which you want to be killed if the connection drops. maybe check their support blog?

So either your home has lots of interference or a lot of competing signals; you will probably need to run a Wifi signal analyzing program on your phone to see what locations in your home has the best signal levels and then place your extender in one of these locations.

If you have an Android based device, the a good simple app is: Wifi Analyzer bu Farproc.

• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en

Nope. I don't own one so I can't mess around and make a similar scenario. It's all speculation and trial/error to see which port or setting is making it do that. Could be other etc like unsupported speeds as in configuring a certain port to be 1Gbps when it's only capable of 100Mbps, or something like an out of spec cable.

It can also be entirely working and nothing is wrong with it. From a newegg review, it looks like the phone app is probably eol and lacks the controls and is probably why it's "limited support". And from the 3rd amazon review, it looks to confirm that the phone app does absolutely nothing useful.

I'm not sure if you can, since, it's technically two routers.. your ISP modem / gateway is forwarding the ISP Public IP to your R6700, which gives your devices internet access. That being said, I would like to say sure you can maybe use one as an Access Point if it was directly plugged into the R6700. But I am not sure if you can use the others as access points.. because once you turn one into an AP (likely the main router in the MK6W kit), you lose all functionality or ability to use the MK6W router as an actual router, and tell it to sync with the other satellites. But I have never tried this.. just using a basic understanding of how routers work, I believe that is the case.

Also:

• 1) there is no point in buying a WiFi6 system without a WiFi6 n network.. your R6700 doesn't have WiFi6, nor will it magically make WiFi6 be a real network on the mesh satellites. If you did decide to go this route, I would probably spend a bit more and get the better kit for $225 on sale. Here it is - https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Advanced-System-Security/dp/B08V3PMGBR

• 2) you would be spending less money to get something like this nighthawk range extender / mesh point and probably getting the same effect since you are limited to AC1750 standard anyways.. https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Extender-Seamless/dp/B07DQ96B95

Best part about it all, is that Amazon has easy returns if it just doesn't work for you.

$350 for an AP, or just spend $350 on an Orbi WiFi 6 network. What router are you using?

That being said, the WAX630 is compatible with WAC510, WAC564, WAX610, WAX610Y, WAX620.

you can just get a cheap range extender to extend the range. Like Netgear EX3700

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-EX3700/dp/B00R92CL5E

I agree with using a WAP (Wireless access point). If you have ethernet in those rooms, get something like this on sale for $29.99 now.. https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-AC1200-Wireless-Access-WAC104-100NAS/dp/B01LFSDZCU

You can get your WiFi a solid boost in those rooms, probably only need one, and still plug some stuff in hardwired.

The CM1000 and R7000 are both capable of 1 Gbps.

Are you saying your CM1000 and R7000 are both in the basement with your PC and you are wired directly to the R7000? And the wired PC is what is experiencing issues?

As for Orbi, yes, mesh is 100% the way to go. I bought an Orbi system for my 2200 sq ft home 4 or 5 years ago, and it's still going strong today. 400-600 Mbps over Wi-Fi depending on where I am in my house or my yard.

However, if you are wanting to upgrade equipment, you will need a new modem and a new router system (mesh is definitely the way to go these days), but being so small, definitely stick to a 2 device kit.. one mesh router and one mesh satellite. Anything else and you are going to suffer from severe nope hopping where devices on Wi-Fi constantly switch back and forth between nodes (satellites) and you will get dropped connections often during that node hop.

In order to achieve over 1 Gbps, you are going to have to spend a pretty penny. Wi-Fi 6 devices are expensive and the only thing capable of going over 1 Gbps over Wi-Fi. For hardwired over 1 Gbps, you need a multi-gig router.

This would be the best "all in one solution" where it provides Wi-Fi 6, and has a single 2.5 Gbps LAN port to plug into your PC. https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Cable-Modem-Router/dp/B082XW53G3

It’s rubbish. Works fine for a few hours then constantly drops connection to wifi connected devices. What earlier version should I install that is stable?

I was previously using ExpressVPN firmware for r7000. Might have to go back

Verify with your ISP that all settings are correct in the router.

Incorrect MTU or some other setting may cause android devices to have issues.

I still recommend trying a $20 extender like the one found HERE. This should help either way and $20 isn't significant

You are very likely right that the Nighthawk app isn't testing for internet speed, but for your wifi link speed which is most likely 2x2MIMO at 802.11ac/Wifi 5 meaning 433Mbps x2, which is 867 Mbps which was what you were getting at the 800-900 Mbps speed. fast.com was testing your internet speed, which should have went to about 800-870 Mbps which maxes out your wifi antennas on your end devices, rather than 400Mbps which could mean configuration error between your modem and comcast (likely to be serial number/mac address). Could also mean that certain devices are pulling down your wifi to 1x1 MIMO, meaning only 1 antenna is in use and you are stuck at 433Mbps (but I haven't heard of this in a while). If your chromebook has a gigabit ethernet port (not the old 10/100Mbps ones), you should do a speedtest with that rather than with wifi.

I would first try directly connecting to the modem without the router and see if you do reach close to 800-900Mbps, cause if it is, then it's not comcast's fault. If you connect the modem to the router, and then router to any computer with a gigabit port and you get around the same 900 Mbps +/-50Mbps, then it most likely isn't the router and more with your end device limitation. If the 800-900Mbps drops to 400 or lower, then it's likely to be a configuration (or firmware) error on the RAX70.

There's a lot of things that can be wrong, and there are many steps to see which one it is. I could also be wrong :D

Yeah, most routers have external antenna's and some have lots of them.

But most of them either fold down or can be unscrewed, though I'm unsure if removing the antenna will cause problems with the router or not.

Now it looks like Amazon still has a Netgear WNDR4300 listed, but it's listed for $230: https://smile.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Wi-Fi-Gigabit-Router-WNDR4300/dp/B008HO9DK4/ref=sr_1_149?crid=2YJNE0R56RXH7&keywords=Wifi+router&qid=1640459278&sprefix=wifi+router%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-149

And here is a Linksys Router without any external antenna: https://smile.amazon.com/Linksys-Dual-Band-Coverage-Devices-1-2Gbps/dp/B08FBMDYJ3/ref=sr_1_164?crid=2YJNE0R56RXH7&keywords=Wifi+router&qid=1640459299&sprefix=wifi+router%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-164

Some have luck with nmrpflash and some dont when you get the hang of repeating the command you can fidget with the timing and it should work but in case it does not you should purchase a usb uart ttl adapter and only connect rx tx and ground not the red wire here is a pic.

https://openwrt.org/_detail/media/netgear/r7000_serial.jpg?id=toh%3Anetgear%3Ar7000

After you connect with the cable find your com port set up putty to use serial interaction, boot the router, interupt the boot sequence by pushing any key or space bar repeatedly upon router boot up, at this point you can setup tftp server running on your pc then issue the command in putty "fw_recovery" and it should upload the firmware file and reset the router.

Sorry those steps were for Broadcom units, XR500 is Qualcomm so try this https://openwrt.org/toh/netgear/r7800#debricking

The R7800 is similar to your router so it may work, just use the latest stock FW for TFTP

No complaints here, I'm an XBOX person myself!

There are so many variables to deal with in your situation.

1. The game you are playing can have variable ping, especially depending on where the server you are connecting to is located. No way around it. 44-56 is pretty good and stable for most cases.
2. If Edge Browser inside the XBox is saying 11ms, then that's the ping from your Xbox to your extender, to your router to the closest ping test server (Are you using fast.com?) This is pretty much the lowest ping you can get on your xbox, and it's honestly pretty much perfect, Getting lower than 11ms is nearly impossible in most situations and considered fantastic.

Hope this helps!

-Bret

Unfortunately I don’t know the R7000 that well so not sure on it’s QoS. The way to test it is with PingPlotter to see if it helps.

Gaming as you know hates spikes and my connection is only a fraction of yours so I use a router with fq CoDel to stop spikes if there’s background activity.

There’s lots of info on what is called Bufferbloat which if you do a Google will give you some more info.

The way to spot this is with PingPlotter, there’s a free version or you try testing on DSLreports which is a website that offers a test. I prefer PingPlotter.

http://www.dslreports.com

I’ve linked The above site and it’s the speed test you need to try.

https://www.pingplotter.com

Above is PingPlotter which I use.

Try DSLreports and let us know what the results are as it’s a quick and easy test.

You can try buying a Mesh system. Give's better coverage evenly throughout the entire house. They are pricey though. Reliable ones without issues cost around $200-250+.

You could also try a powerline adapter for the Switch. I don't ever recommend them but it sounds like your options are limited. Here is a PLA. It's basically an extender but without WiFi. You plug one into a power outlet near the main wifi router, and connect it to the router with an ethernet cable. Then you put the other device on an outlet next to your switch, and connect your switch to it with an ethernet cable. What it does is transmit data of the existing electrical wiring in your home. So it's sort of a "hard wired" connection. But results can vary based on how many circuits the PLA has to go through to get to the end point.

Here is a PLA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JGZ2RJH

In the past I tried a PLA in the past just to see what it was capable of. I am subscribed to 940 Mbps fiber internet. Using a PLA in the same room as my router, I got the full 940 Mbps. I moved the PLA to the other side of my house, about 50 feet away, and I only got around 150 Mbps, but still plenty. You may have a solid result, if you are subscribed to 25 Mbps, you might get 25 Mbps at the PLA by your switch. Every house has a different result.

Does she know that the cost difference is pretty minimal? What if you were able to pay her something like 12 months advance for the cost difference?

I went ahead and ordered a new one man, thanks for the help!

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Any advice to make this one last longer? Will a different charger prolong the life? I mean I have it plugged in for 5-8 hours daily using it.

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here is a charger I did buy but have not opened it yet, should I use this v.s. the OEM Netgear one?

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076T4HTQV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I bought 2 of these

Plugable 2.5G USB C and USB to Ethernet Adapter, 2-in-1 Adapter Compatible with USB C/Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.0, USB-C to RJ45 2.5 Gigabit LAN Compatible with Mac and Windows https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084L4JL9K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_CGB8R0SJNN4QAS7M5JPX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Look on the spec on the power adapter. From my 2 minute search, it appears that it uses a 19V 3.16A AC to DC power supply, so you can buy any of that on Amazon or anywhere. Technically you can also use a 4A or higher since the router only takes as much as it needs. Just make sure the barrel connector size is the same, and that it's not one of those audio ones where the polarities are reversed. This one appears to be OEM or very close.

USB won't ever work with firmware updating. tftp is the second line of de-bricking. It's easy if you know the "shortcut" way of doing it which is to turn on the router and continuously spam upload/upgrade/flash with the tftp/tftp2 tool within 1.5 seconds of turning it on. The last thing to do would be opening it up and doing a jtag/serial style de-bricking with something like this, and is definitely not tech-noob friendly.

A bit of quick searching yielded this interesting solution to your problem: TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router (Archer A7) - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router for Home, Works with Alexa, VPN Server, Parental Control and QoS https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B079JD7F7G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabt1_ozyXFbVDSZ8T0

I don’t know much about TP Link but this is a lot of router at this price point. Normally I’d recommend ASUS in this bracket but this seems better than the similarly priced ASUS b

I do not recommend low end Netgear. Hell, I’m not even sure I recommend high end either. I love my Nighthawk X10 but that’s only after months of working with the incompetent support at Netgear and their garbage firmware. I ended up running open source firmware as a last ditch attempt to make it work before getting rid of it. And my goodness is it a fantastic router on third party firmware. Netgear’s poor software/firmware really held it back. But, running unofficial firmware isn’t something the average user is going to want to deal with, so I don’t recommend it for everyone.

My use case is also different than most; I have a very high WiFi device count, have gaming consoles on WiFi, and my wife’s gaming PC also on WiFi. So, I needed something that could handle this without me having to tear open walls and run Cat 6 all over my house. I also have FiOS gigabit, which has been amazing with my permanent remote employee status at my current job (my office was closed 2 months ago).

For my TV/DVR, I run my G1100 behind my X10 and double NAT the G1100 and have the G1100 antennas disabled. I couldn’t get it to bridge effectively. The only down side is I can’t manage my DVR via the internet, which is not something I’d want to allow anyway. Verizon also can’t help at all with remote troubleshooting, which is fine as I haven’t ever needed their help on my end, my one or two issues over the years were on their end.

AC1200. This one NETGEAR WiFi Router (R6230) - AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Speed (up to 1200 Mbps) | Up to 1200 sq ft Coverage & 20 Devices | 4 x 1G Ethernet and 1 x 2.0 USB ports https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756QFLXP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rbcLFbSS6KNRM

Download a WiFi scanner app on your phone and use that to scan your WiFi environment. WiFi Analyzer is my go to choice on Android.

Once you can see what your environment looks like choose the least congested channel from 1, 6 or 11. These channels do not overlap and will not cause interference with each other. All the other channels will interfere with their neighboring channels and should be avoided.

I am using a Arris Surfboard SB6190. I purchased this one in 2018 because Comcast/Xfinity kept emailing me saying my previous surfboard modem was End of Life and not supported. Technically it was EOL, but it still worked. Anyway, I upgraded to the SB6190 with hopes it might fix the WAN IP issue, but it also did not. This made me think my issue truly was a NetGear issue.

Doing the release/renew I believe does result in the 0.0.0.0 IP as well forcing me to power cycle the modem. The release/renew never works when I need it to, forcing me to do the power cycle at the modem.

Thanks for your response. The only VPN I'm using is my work one, and I'm trying to view the page from my personal Macbook. Ironically enough, my Mullvad VPN is having trouble establishing a connection..

I'm fine with buying one if the ISP doesn't supply it. I want a VPN on the router to cover my devices such as a smart tv, playstation, etc which you can't install VPN software on and also, ExpressVPN only allows 5 devices unless you get a VPN enabled router.

Ok, those live up to the technical performance I was looking for, great

No ATT there where I'm going unfortunately

Thanks a lot

Ended up buying Asus RT-AX88U AX6000 Dual-Band Wifi Router which supports the same AiMesh that Merlin has now added to my r7000. We'll see how it works out switching my r7000 to a node for the ax6000

I switched to mesh a while back and I will never look back, the money is worth it. Remember though as long as you are wireless there will always be problems with latency. Mesh systems do help reduce that, if not remove it completely, much better than extenders. Eero mesh is on sale for $199 right now.. very well worth it. comes with a free echo dot too https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-eero-mesh-WiFi-system-3-pack-/dp/B07YVVYDMJ

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-802-11ac-Dual-Radio-UAP-AC-PRO-US/dp/B015PRO512/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?cv_ct_cx=Ubiquiti&dchild=1&keywords=Ubiquiti&pd_rd_i=B015PRO512&pd_rd_r=e308746a-a313-4b13-9525-510cc30da609&pd_rd_w=5YMIX&pd_rd_wg=3aYsl&pf_rd_p=13bf9bc7-d68d-44c3-9d2e-647020f56802&pf_rd_r=4TH3DHFQM4S5NE103S62&psc=1&qid=1596465039&sr=1-1-791c2399-d602-4248-afbb-8a79de2d236f

Get your mesh adapter from them and you're looking at around 300 bucks, maybe less if you get a deal. Good luck!

I just don't trust extenders, they are weak. A mesh network is in basic terms a router with a satellite access points that you place somewhere else in your house. It provides the best signal/coverage for an entire home. They are better than extenders because they have better power and better capability to throw signal further and stronger. But they are pricey, around $250-300+ for a decent one. Like this

A PLA is a powerline adapter. It comes with 2 plugs. 1 plugs in near the main router and you connect an ethernet cable from the router to the PLA which is plugged into a wall electrical socket. The other PLA would plug into a socket near your computer and connect your computer to it. It sends the data over the electrical wiring in your home. It degrades depending on how many circuits it runs through. For example, if you subscribe to 100 Mbps internet, you might only get 20 Mbps internet to your computer. But it will be stable, and consistent, and you don't have to mess with extenders, weak signals, and interference. All that being said, everyone's house is different. You may get good signal from your PLA in your house, or you may get signal bad enough to make you want to scream.. it's just something you have to try and see if it works for you or not. They can be bought on Amazon, and returned easily if they just don't work out for you. They are relatively cheap, around $40-50 like this

Ya I have this same problem. I have two locations with networks of computing equipment. Installed r7000 at one location, and an r7300 at the other location to help with my buddy's wifi (comes with DST adapter), so that I could remote access each location.

AFAIK they are the EXACT same model, just one has an extender, and for some reason ExpressVPN warns that it isn't the proper firmware, and wouldn't actually let me install it.

same issue here.

i have this as a router: R7000 AC1900 gigabit smart home router.

and this as extender: NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Desktop WiFi Range Extender (EX7000-100NAS)

after latest firmware update to both they are both constantly dropping connections.

so i removed the extender and using AC1900 using wired connection but even then i only get 3-8Mpbs via speed test. 

the wireless connection drops every 30-40 seconds and takes another 1 minute or so for to come back.  basically this update bricked my ac1900. 

i dont even want to try to fix the extender which was also dropping connection. 

Edit: my ISP is spectrum and it shows i have this connection speed when i log in to my account on spectrum: 

• Ultimate 100 Internet

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ASUS Dual-Band 3 x 3 AC1750 Wi-Fi 4-Port Gigabit Router (RT-AC66U_B1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N08LPPP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_ruuCbmdKykz5K This is the one I bought. Had a discount when I got it. Connected immediately, haven't had an issue since I got it. Has multiple devices connected simultaneously with no lag. Couldn't recommend it enough.