HELP! Is my WAN port dead?

akapeacemaker

akapeacemaker

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About 6 months ago I purchased a NETGEAR Nighthawk router. It's been working until about 1 week ago.

All of a sudden the WAN port on my router is solid red and I cannot access the internet through my router. I've power cycled my modem and done a reset on the router. Still having the same problem. I've done a loopback test as well by plugging one end of the ethernet cable into the WAN port and one into the LAN port. The WAN port finally settles on solid red and the LAN port shows white.

Is the problem with my WAN port or with my configuration as NETGEAR support tells me?

By the way I cannot even access my router settings by trying 192.168.1.1

Is my WAN port toast?
 
contact netgear.....they will be able to help you.....if the hardware is not dead its a software issue.....but from what you are telling me its a dead port.....
 
if you bought it at Costco, you can return it for another one.. also, if you have Directv service at your house and you have the insurance from Directv called Protection Plan Premier, they also cover any peripherals.
 
Netgear wants to charge me 50 dollars for 30 min of tech support because I am past 90 days from purchase. F that.
 
If anything , I would press and hold down the reset button for 1 whole minute.. just to make sure it goes to factory settings. Also, change the ethernet cable your using to eliminate it as a culprit .Other than that.. make sure the port is clean from debris and make sure the contacts in the port are straight and not touching each other. After the reset it should allow you to log into the router. can post model of nighthawk plz ill look into further.
 
Can I ask something?

Why not get a Orbi or eero? Either of those WiFi mesh systems should last you at least 2-3 years. Otherwise you will be replacing a standard router every 6 months.

I quit using 10 in 1 routers about 1.5 years ago. You may ask, what do you mean 10 in 1? A router is a router. Essentially, it's a bit of an exaggeration, but still true.

Not the case with many consumer and SMB routers, because they have all sorts of different features. That and the parts are typically made cheap in China, so at best you can expect them to last <1 year.
 
if you go with a mesh system get a TPlink DECO system.....i have installed 3 of these so far and its the best mesh system on the market under the 400 dollar price point....(its only 179 for the system that has 3 units in it as a set).....plus this system has a ethernet back haul so the 2 extension units dont cut wifi speeds in half doing back haul over the wifi net.....you set up the main base with your modem then you plug in a network switch (units only have 2 network ports on them ONLY thing i can see wrong with the system) and then set up the 2 extensions with them wired back to the network switch.....

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Deco-Whole-Home-System/dp/B06WVCB862?th=1

if YOU find a better mesh system under even 300 bucks let me know as i look in to them.....but this has glowing reviews from everything i can read on it and i have not been let down by using them.....i used this set to cover a 7500 sq foot 3 story home, a whole church over 4 buildings and a massive warehouse that only needed wifi in a couple of spots....TRUST ME when i say you want to wire the 2 extension units.....using wifi for back haul slows any mesh system down....
 
@smokerob79 Thanks for the suggestion. I will consider that one as well.

@5I5O I do believe the problem started after updating the firmware. I've tried using "tftp" in the command utility to update the firmware again but it doesn't seem to transfer. I may have to try flashing next. Thanks.
 
smokerob79 said:
if you go with a mesh system get a TPlink DECO system.....i have installed 3 of these so far and its the best mesh system on the market under the 400 dollar price point....(its only 179 for the system that has 3 units in it as a set).....plus this system has a ethernet back haul so the 2 extension units dont cut wifi speeds in half doing back haul over the wifi net.....you set up the main base with your modem then you plug in a network switch (units only have 2 network ports on them ONLY thing i can see wrong with the system) and then set up the 2 extensions with them wired back to the network switch.....

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Deco-Whole-Home-System/dp/B06WVCB862?th=1

if YOU find a better mesh system under even 300 bucks let me know as i look in to them.....but this has glowing reviews from everything i can read on it and i have not been let down by using them.....i used this set to cover a 7500 sq foot 3 story home, a whole church over 4 buildings and a massive warehouse that only needed wifi in a couple of spots....TRUST ME when i say you want to wire the 2 extension units.....using wifi for back haul slows any mesh system down....
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Cheap doesn't mean better.

I recommend orbi, it's solid and will last 3 years probably. Secure ez WiFi. There is always setup. Should be quick though.
 
Soulzz said:
Cheap doesn't mean better.

I recommend orbi, it's solid and will last 3 years probably. Secure ez WiFi. There is always setup. Should be quick though.
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had problems with orbi after trying to install them in 2 locations.....netgear needs to get their shit together.....plus i have to point out this guy has a dead nighthawk router it would be replacing that was made by them....on top of that orbi's did not have wired back haul until the last firmware update and people are still having problems with it....unless its a life time warranted network switch i wont touch anything netgear at this point and i doubt this guy would want to, with the problems of the current only 6 month old router dying on him.....

......and who replaces a router every 3 years??? i just changed my personal router after using the last one for almost a decade.....if he needs just a straight router the 60 dollar ASUS router is the best way to go....the 1 i just got covers my whole property and it was all of 65 bucks.....with port priority set up right gaming is awesome on it as well.....at 100mbps down with 10mbps up for internet service i can max out the internet speed in my neighbor's back yard without even using the A band.....granted this is a 1100 sq foot home but it works just fine....if he is in anything 1100 feet or smaller mesh wont be needed....if does not have faster then 100 down with even 50 up he wont need more then this based on the size of the home.....

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Dual-Ba...us+router&qid=1566174511&s=electronics&sr=1-4
 
Routers are cheap units, unless you want to fork 500 bucks for a SMB grade router. I installed an Orbi for my Mom, worked flawlessly.

I have an eero at home. No idea what experience you had but I've never had good things with both products.

Look, I've had NETGEAR, Asus routers. They will fail and degrade after a period of time. If you had one for 10 years, it's possible you got a stable one before the parts got super cheap and low quality. That goes with anything though. You should be replacing your computer at least every 3-5 years.
 
Soulzz said:
Routers are cheap units, unless you want to fork 500 bucks for a SMB grade router. I installed an Orbi for my Mom, worked flawlessly.

I have an eero at home. No idea what experience you had but I've never had good things with both products.

Look, I've had NETGEAR, Asus routers. They will fail and degrade after a period of time. If you had one for 10 years, it's possible you got a stable one before the parts got super cheap and low quality. That goes with anything though. You should be replacing your computer at least every 3-5 years.
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so less then 5 people using a 400 dollar mesh system....yeah money well spent....NOT......i tried to put the orbi system in a place that would have 5 to 10 people using it and it did not cut it....never mind the range issues before they gave it ethernet back haul......i have NEVER had a wifi router "degrade".....i have had to take them out of service do to the fact they wanted faster standards....maybe 3 or 4 over the years had bad power supplies but most worked with a new one.....

replace a computer every 3 to 5 years???.....my main server/internet/media computer is running a 2009 AMD 955 CPU with a motherboard from 2012.....my gaming rig is 6 year old..(minus the 1070 that is almost 3 years old).....i dont know who told you, you have to upgrade that often but they did not have a clue......been a board level repair tech for almost 25 years.....i fix stuff that is 10 years old all the time....i just put a SSD drive and more memory in a 2008 vista computer that now runs better then 600 dollar towers made in 2014....working on a 2011 gen 2 i5 laptop right now......why would you get rid of things that work and can still do more then what most people need???
 
I'm just saying from years of experience that quality is greater then cheap.

And millions of people use Orbi and eero, not just '5' people. Don't take my word for it, look on Google and Amazon. I think you may be missing my point. I'm just giving you advice. Not saying it's all relevant in your case. But it's the same reason I don't use a access point with wireless g. Everyone now-a-days uses wireless ac.

Just because something works, doesn't mean it's efficient, secure or as powerful as it once was. I don't upgrade every component I have, but I treat certain things like WiFi seriously. Because if my SSID and wireless security isn't secure, the network can easily get hacked.
 
akapeacemaker said:
I've tried the cable. That's not it. Thanks for all the responses guys.
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Sorry bro, I didn't mean to go off-topic. This whole time I forgot you were the original creator... My bad.

Have you tried upgrading firmware if possible?

Maybe trying a spare unit on the same cable?
 
lol.. it was so off topic.. that's why i didn't want to say anything.
 
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