Problem with Netgear D6300 Modem

[Emulator]

I know this is not the right place to ask about non printer issues, but there are so many knowledgeable people on this site and the Netgear sites are so unhelpful, I thought I would try.

I have a 4 month old Netgear D6300 WiFi ADSL Modem Router, dual band 2.4 and 5GHz. It has been working perfectly on both bands until about 2 weeks ago, when the 5G started dropping out. Removing the power and restarting repeatedly restores the 5G, until the next drop out. Attempting a connection from the browser fails, but does not find the problem when analising.

There seems to be a lot of discussion about the 5G problem but no solution on the modem sites.

Anyone know the solution?

 

[3dogs]

Living in a marginal signal area that requires wireless access to broadband. I have had issues with signal that Baird himself never envisaged, and faraday would have been shocked by


Check that the model you have is not prone to faults, and or overheating. Check for changes your service provider may have implemented, and that they are not getting near to overselling their capacity in your area have them reset connection their end. Find an App. to check up and download speed, and signal strength. If your modem has a reset try that. Uninstall then reinstall yourself. Check all connections.....and are any home appliances playing up, any new towers gone up nearby. ask neighbours if they too are seeing issues. Or has anyone brought new electronic devices into the house. Cheap imports can be terrors for noise interfearence. My guess is that you have a bodgy modem if only one channel is messing around tho..

Good luck

 

[CakeHole]

Reset the router to its defaults if you have not tried that already (normally a small pin hole on the back on netgears) use a cocktail stick or prong on a fork to press the recessed button and hold it for around 30 seconds. This will reset the modem/router to its out of the box set up. Check then if you can get your 5Ghz wifi reliably. BEWARE any wifi passwords, firewall rules and any other setting you have adjusted will need to be reapplied.

If you still have issues then it could be your wifi dongle/card on the computer end which is the problem. You can check that by downloading something like NetSurveyor from http://nutsaboutnets.com/netsurveyor-wifi-scanner/ and running that when your wifi dies to see if your card is still picking up other wifi networks. If it is you then know for certain its the modem/router and not the wifi dongle/card. If no 5Ghz networks are available then you know its the dongle.

Also check the routers firmware is up to date from http://support.netgear.com/product/d6300 If your wifi card/dongle requires third party drivers (IE windows does not detect it and you have to use other drivers) then ensure those are up to date also.

 

[Emulator]

Thanks for the input, some useful ideas there, which will take time to check out.

I checked the firmware version and there was an update available, so I have updated. I read a comment on a forum earlier from a similar 5G sufferer, to the effect that he had upgraded but experienced no improvement, so we shall see! (The Hat hates upgrades, it is not a word to mention in his presence).

 

[stratman]

NetSurveyor from http://nutsaboutnets.com/netsurveyor-wifi-scanner/

Thanks for the info. I enjoy checking out different software. I have been using inSSIDer for years: http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/inssider.html

If no 5Ghz networks are available then you know its the dongle.

The 5 GHz signal is very limited in range compared to the 2.4 GHz signal. Depending on your dwelling and proximity to other homes/apartments, you might not see any other 5 GHz signals but your own. Failure to see your signal when the computer/notebook client device using the wifi analyzing software is next to the wifi router can still be either the router or the client device. You need to check the wifi router with a different known working client device and the original client device witha known working different wifi router to be sure what is or isn't working.

There are a number of reasons the 5 GHz signal is malfunctioning. I would start by contacting Netgear Technical Support if your warranty is valid. You will initially go through a lot of simple and sometimes irritating questions with the low level support tech but persevere and get bumped up to the more knowledgeable higher Level support tech.

An excellent site for information and help is SmallNetBuilders.com. Very knowledgeable people on the forums.

Also check the routers firmware is up to date from http://support.netgear.com/product/d6300 If your wifi card/dongle requires third party drivers (IE windows does not detect it and you have to use other drivers) then ensure those are up to date also.

Unlikely the issue as the device was working until two weeks ago. I would only upgrade router or client device software IF a specific fix listed for your issue(s) OR added functionality you NEED. Otherwise, avoid upgrading if the device is working. You may create more problems.

Resetting the router is worth a try. Record any non-default settings before resetting to facilitate setup afterwards.

 

[stratman]

Check for changes your service provider may have implemented, and that they are not getting near to overselling their capacity in your area have them reset connection their end.

5 GHz signal drops are different than internet pipeline issues. Unless the ISP somehow zapped the router portion of the Router/Modem then the ISP has nothing to do with OP's issue.

Find an App. to check up and download speed, and signal strength.

A wifi analyzer is what is needed to check for the presence and strength of the 5 GHz signal. Using a notebook and checking the 5 GHz signal beginning with next to the router and then moving further and further away (different rooms) will provide useful information. Checking Internet speeds will do nothing for the OP's described problem.

If your modem has a reset try that. Uninstall then reinstall yourself. Check all connections.....

Agree if the Wifi Router /Modem combo has a reset button, and it does, to give that a try. Record any settings that are non-default before resetting, such as SSID names, to facilitate setting up again later on.

are any home appliances playing up, any new towers gone up nearby. ask neighbours if they too are seeing issues. Or has anyone brought new electronic devices into the house. Cheap imports can be terrors for noise interfearence.

New or failing electrical devices in the home, or in your neighbors home depending on proximity, may cause wifi dropouts and poor performance. Any electrical device from a baby monitor to RF controlled toy cars to refrigerators to microwaves -- ANYTHING ELECTRICAL -- can cause wifi problems. When someone used the microwave in my home it caused decreased 5 GHz signal strength by over 50% three rooms over. Moving the router/modem to a different location and/or orientation wherever located may help.

My guess is that you have a bodgy modem

If you meant the Wifi Router portion of the Router/Modem combo device then I agree!

 

[stratman]

One potential solution is to try other channels in the 5 GHz band.

Another solution if you are out of warranty and no fix works, albeit a little unpalatable...

You can turn off the 5 GHz bandwidth on the Wifi Router/Modem combo and use a different Wifi Router if there is no fix and you are out of warranty. If that is the case then I would turn off all wifi functions on the combo device and use a different wifi router for all wifi duties.

If you want, you could use the 2.4 GHz bandwidths of both wifi routers but make sure you use different SSID's and channels that do not overlap (use a wifi analyzer like InSSIDer to avoid overlapping channels and busy channels used by your neighbors).

While I love my All-In-One Canon printer, I would not purchase a combo Wifi Router/Modem because of issues just like the OP's.

 

[Emulator]

One potential solution is to try other channels in the 5 GHz band.

Another solution if you are out of warranty and no fix works, albeit a little unpalatable...

You can turn off the 5 GHz bandwidth on the Wifi Router/Modem combo and use a different Wifi Router if there is no fix and you are out of warranty. If that is the case then I would turn off all wifi functions on the combo device and use a different wifi router for all wifi duties.

If you want, you could use the 2.4 GHz bandwidths of both wifi routers but make sure you use different SSID's and channels that do not overlap (use a wifi analyzer like InSSIDer to avoid overlapping channels and busy channels used by your neighbors).

While I love my All-In-One Canon printer, I would not purchase a combo Wifi Router/Modem because of issues just like the OP's.

Does OP stand for OLD PERSON??

Thanks stratman I new you would respond after all your other excellent advice I have gradually adopted over the last few months. I have now added Netsurveyor to Inssider on the desktop, they give a good insight into what is going on locally.

I don't think it can be to blame, but this started to happen after the last software upgrade on the Ipad, it affects both PC and Ipad which run on 5G for the video speed and less freezing. The 5G band seems clean (no doubt due to its more limited range) compared to 2.4G

It is all currently running well, so I will have to wait for the next glitch to allow further investigation.

Generally speaking the Netgear D6300 has performed exceptionally well, with the minimum of user input in setting it up.

 

[The Hat]

Does OP stand for OLD PERSON??

No, so long as you’re not wearing a hat I’d say…

 

[stratman]

Does OP stand for OLD PERSON??

OP = Original Poster. (unless it's @The Hat von Gutenberg ... )

I don't think it can be to blame, but this started to happen after the last software upgrade on the Ipad, it affects both PC and Ipad which run on 5G for the video speed and less freezing.

Doubtful but if the problem occurs again then disable wireless on the iPad and shut the iPad off. If your PC suddenly improves with the 5 GHz bandwidth then you may have narrowed the problem down. If this was an issue with the iPad update then news would have traveled like a wildfire uncontained.

The 5G band seems clean (no doubt due to its more limited range) compared to 2.4G

Not sure what you mean by "clean" but you certainly can push a lot more data per unit time on the 5 GHz bandwidth under appropriate conditions.

It is all currently running well, so I will have to wait for the next glitch to allow further investigation.

Great! Let's hope that doesn't happen. Still, consider calling Netgear Tech Support now if your warranty is still valid. Starting a ticket now will save time in the future if the problem reoccurs. Maybe it is a known issue and you might get a new unit shipped. You never know.

Generally speaking the Netgear D6300 has performed exceptionally well, with the minimum of user input in setting it up.

I own a couple Netgear wifi routers and find them easy to setup for my needs.