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jmstr
join:2002-07-24
Clovis, CA

jmstr

Member

Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.04

I had the DI-624 for 2 weeks and recently switched to the WGT624 5 days ago because I thought this router would be a better (more stable) alternative to the DI-624.

Model: Netgear WGT624
S/W: Version 4.0.4 Feb 13 2004
H/W: Version 2

I've been checking the Up Time regularly (Maintenance->Router Status->Show Statistics) and everytime I check the Up Time it is 4 or less hours, and haven't seen any number higher. This tells me that the unit have rebooted for some unkown reason.

I have a relative who has a WGR614 (a 54Mbps Netgear wireless G router) and his Up Time has been recorded in the 90s of hours. I've noticed this problem with my router in "g and b" mode as well as "Auto 108Mbps" mode so I think its just a general problem. I have only a 900MHz wireless phone so I don't think the phone is interfering.

Has any one noticed what I've seen? Is there a problem with this router?
jmstr

jmstr

Member

I'd just experienced another reboot. Incidently, I have also returned to Bestbuy the DWL-G650 D-Link turbo adapter that I bought along with the DI-624 so I am now connected via wire. I've not gotten another wireless adapter opting to wait till tomorrow (Sunday) to see if the Netgear 108Mbps adapter card goes on sale. So to recap what didn't and did happen when my WGT624 just rebooted:

1) No phone rang.
2) I was not connected with any wireless adapters.
3) I was not on the computer.
4) I was tuned to an internet radio station and its sudden stop was what made me check the router and after a minute the router restarted. I checked the router's status and sure enough, the Up Time had resetted.
claykin
join:2003-08-22
Fort Lauderdale, FL

claykin

Member

I've seen the same issue. I have V4.04 on a WGT624 V2 and it does seem to reset the connection time clock on the connection status screen too often. For instance right now I've been pretty much continuously on the net for the last 45 minutes yet the clock says 18 minutes. Dunno why! The router seems to work OK though and I did not notice it drop and reconnect if thats what happened.

I also have a Netgear FWAG114 and that router will stay up for days and days. Eve when the line drops it reconnects immediately even if there's no traffic (I have it set to stay up all the time).

Maybe we'll see a V4.05 firmware soon....
jmstr
join:2002-07-24
Clovis, CA

jmstr

Member

claykin,

Like I noted earlier, I was listening to streaming music on the internet and it suddenly stopped. I, right away, tried press play on the music again but it wouldn't play. I then tried to connect to yahoo and no connection. I kept refreshing the page until about 10-15 seconds later I got yahoo and the music again.

Since it may only take less than a minute for the router to reboot, you might might not have noticed the reboot 18 minutes ago. We'll just have to wait to see if anyone else have noticed this problem. If I keep getting reboots, next up is to try Linksys.
kohls
join:2003-04-17
Iselin, NJ

kohls

Member

I've noticed that too. And I have to actually go in and reconnect myself after the reboot by clicking on Basic Config... and then entering username Password for the ISP
claykin
join:2003-08-22
Fort Lauderdale, FL

claykin

Member

I forwarded the problem details to a contact I have in Netgear's engineering dept. Sit tight, they'll fix it!

NetgearSucks
@dsl.sktn01.pacbell.n

NetgearSucks to jmstr

Anon

to jmstr

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.

claykin,

If you have a contact over @ Netgear's engineering dept, please tell them to have one router on one end of the room and an engineer on the toher. Simple as that. TEST THE UNIT!
Just look at all the post about the 624 and you will know what I mean. There are way too many issues with this 624 model.

PLEASE TELL THEM TO TEST THEIR UNITS!!!!!
Period! Don't le the customers do it. If they test, maybe all the test case is to see if it can login. This reboot issue is a serious matter and can only be observed if they just test it by simply connecting to it. They are not testing the units even on a simple scenerio.
jmstr
join:2002-07-24
Clovis, CA

jmstr

Member

I had just turned on my PC 5 minutes ago. Immediately checked the WGT624's Up Time: 00:55:52.

My computer had been off since 11:00 pm last night. My PC was off. The only equipment on all night were:

- Speedstream DSL Modem (SBC DSL)
- Netgear WGT624

I am now convinced that there is a problem here. Hope Netgear has a rep. who frequent this forum like the D-link forum. I noticed that the D-link forum has an "About D-Link's Presence" link that shows D-Link reps who are actively monitoring that forum. I don't see the same link here in the Netgear forum. I've seen "Dlink_help" communicating with their customer in the forum when the DI-624 was under fire for frequent reboots.

I had always liked Netgear products. We use a lot of Netgear equipment at work. This particular one so far has been disapointing. Sounds like claykin has a contact that may be able to help push Netgear to fix this problem.
claykin
join:2003-08-22
Fort Lauderdale, FL

claykin

Member

I have already passed along the details of the issue. I've also seen an issue where sometimes Windows Media Player streams will not play if the SPI firewall is enabled. In Windows Media Player I often see an "attempting to reconnect" message then it errors out and says it cannot play the file. Disabling the SPI firewall resolves that issue for me.

Anyone see that problem? Just open Windows Media Player 9 and go to Music and try to play some of the streams. The ones that play within WMP are the worst offenders. Many of the streams will send you to Launch, MSN, etc. and some of those work better. Regardless disabling the SPI fixes it 100%. BTW, I'm using Win XP Pro on all PC's and all are fully updated.

Regarding fixes, I can tell you they rarely come quick. I'e been down this road before. You'll need to be patient and I'll post back when I hear more.

lc9
The Computer Trainer
join:2003-11-25
San Carlos, CA

lc9 to jmstr

Member

to jmstr
My WGT624 does the same exact thing. Initially, when I got it, it worked for several days without a reboot. I even saw something like: "3 days 04:55:03" in the up time status. But at some point, it lost its stability and began rebooting. Now it doesn't go for more than a day without at least one reboot.

In my case though, the router is located in the attic, which gets pretty hot at times. I thought the heat could well have contributed to my reboots. Now I'm not so sure.

Not sure if it matters, but I use my WGT624 as an Access Point (DHCP turned off).

somename
@dsl.sktn01.pacbell.n

somename to jmstr

Anon

to jmstr
Regardining the SPI issue. I think the SPI routine is doing too much "thinking". In order for me to use my video conferencing, I have to have SPI disabled. The initial handshake is so critical than it will never accept calls since it probably thinks all that "traffic" is a DoS attack...

Also, please tell them that disabling SPI also disables web site blocking. I have raised this issue SOOOOO many times....
Netgear...ARE YOU LISTENING!!! Fix these reocurring problems.

Web site blocking is NOT SPI related!!!

The rebooting issue is a big problem.

As NetgearSucks pointed out:
Have one router in one end of the router and a firmware engineer on the other: TEST IT!
Simple as that. Is it that difficult for them to simply login and observe these problems?
jmstr
join:2002-07-24
Clovis, CA

jmstr

Member

Mish,

Have you upgraded your software to version 4.04? If you have, do you remember whether you started noticing the reboots after the software upgrade?

I'm going to try to revert back to version 3.04, leave it a while to see whether I see a reboot.

BTW, since my last post at 11am this morning until now, 4:45pm, the Up Time shown is 01:30:41.
jmstr

jmstr

Member

There, I did it. You'll all be glad to know reverting to software "Version 3.0.4 Dec 2 2003" does not wipe out your configuration and the unit restarted and connected back to the DSL fine.

As a test, I will now turn off my pc, leave only the DSL modem and WGT624 running. I'll check it again in the morning at around 7am. If the unit does not reboot, I should have an Up Time of somewhere in the neighborhood of 14:xx:xx.
jmstr

jmstr

Member

Since having reverted back to software version 3.04 14 hours ago, the Up Time on my WGT624 as of 7am this morning is 00:30:14. Looks like, for some unknown reason, the router rebooted at around 6:30am. It also looks like the rebooting problem is not software version specific.

Asterix
Premium Member
join:2002-09-18
Nazareth, PA

Asterix

Premium Member

Well, Netgear really needs to do something here. I have a V2 router now and its same like V1 when it comes to reboots. I thought I was the only unlucky person where the router keeps rebooting at least once every day.
Reboots are typically firmware issues.. well at least 90% of the times.
I had a Linksys 54mbps router.. really worked well. Once I upgraded it to a specific version it would keep rebooting 2 to 3 times a days. After I reverted back to the earlier firmware version things have been stable since then.
TheMilkMan
join:2001-05-11

TheMilkMan to jmstr

Member

to jmstr
am i just lucky this time?

lc9
The Computer Trainer
join:2003-11-25
San Carlos, CA

lc9 to jmstr

Member

to jmstr

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.04

This problem sounds eerily like the one I was having with my D-Link DI-624 H/W C2 (I have that installed at my other house). I had gone through four routers (thank God for the Fry's liberal return policy ) until I found one that's stable. And I am by far not alone (see the D-Link forum for a bunch of threads on this topic). I might be wrong (I hope I am), but the problem may be attributed to the Atheros AR5002/AR5004 chipsets in general. Somehow, you just have to find a "lucky" unit that's not affected by these reboots.
Arnie_75
join:2004-02-17
GERMANY

Arnie_75

Member

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.

Seems like I'm lucky, too.
jmstr
join:2002-07-24
Clovis, CA

jmstr

Member

Arnie75,

Can you please give us an idea how your router is setup (screen shots would be even better)?

Settings such as wireless mode, WAN connection, WEP on/off, DSL service/equipment you are using. Thanks.

Asterix
Premium Member
join:2002-09-18
Nazareth, PA

Asterix to jmstr

Premium Member

to jmstr

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.04

I am not sure but it might be the 108mbps mode. Setting to 11g mode keeps the router working pretty good. That points out the bug in the router firmware.
Arnie_75
join:2004-02-17
GERMANY

1 edit

Arnie_75 to jmstr

Member

to jmstr

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.

Click for full size
Click for full size
It's running in 'g only' mode, 2 computers are connected via Netgear WG311 with WPA enabled.
I'm living in Germany and using a 'Teledat 430 lan' (German DSL modem) with ADSL.
I have no idea what kind of screenshots would be useful...
Here are two:
BooBooBear
join:2004-02-11
South Pasadena, CA

BooBooBear to jmstr

Member

to jmstr

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.04

I have the wgt624 na vers 2 firmware 3.04, to date i have had this for 8 days and the router has worked fine. I tend to have this on for days at a time and so far NO reset. I do have wireless networking disabled - I think thats what the option is when you config the router for wireless networking. SSID is not enabled.I dont need to add wireless users to the network.

I was considering a D LINK router after hearing alot of bad press about the WGT and "questionable" tech support. So far I am happy with this router. I wish the firewall was configurable.

Problems people been having about router rsetting every so often.. maybe radio frequency interference is the culprit? My new gsm phone operates at 900/1.9 ghz. Cordless phone and microwave oven operate at nearby frequency bands. Maybe a neighbor next door has one of the new shiny cordless phones operating at 2.4 ghz?
jmstr
join:2002-07-24
Clovis, CA

jmstr

Member

BooBooBear said he has not seen the reboot issue but also had his wireless networking disabled.

I performed a test overnight. I unchecked the "Enable Wireless Router Radio" checkbox, thus disabling wireless connection. I did this a around 10:30pm last night. Checked the Up Time of my router this morning and it is currently at 08:25:00. No reboots. Definitely there is a problem with the wireless portion of the router. Netgear's gotta fix this.
jmstr

jmstr

Member

With wireless functions turned off on the WGT624, I now have 11:22:12 Up Time. The longest Up Time I've seen since I got the router a week ago. What ever the cause of the reboots, it needs to be fixed.

Others mentioned that a 2.4Ghz wireless phone can have an adverse affect on wireless routers. Even if that is the case, I, myself, can abstain from getting such a phone but must I also tell my neighbors they can not use that type of phones?
ccase
join:2002-08-16
Anaheim, CA

ccase

Member

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.

I'm running wtg524 v2 firmware 4.04. Only running 1 wag311 at 108mbps on it. I don't have any issues with reboots, excepted that i've noticed whenever i change any settings on the router, it reboots. My FVS318 never did this. The other thing i've noticed, is that after a while of uptime (say 14 hours or so) I start getting really bad pings to my router. It should always be less than 1ms right?

Here's what mine looks like:

Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=804ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=799ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=801ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=3818ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=357ms TTL=64
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64

Anyone else notice this?

-Chris
kohls
join:2003-04-17
Iselin, NJ

kohls

Member

This interference with the 2.4Ghz phone is the most annoying. I saw vTech phones (a pair) for sale at Staples last week, which were specifically marked '802.11b friendly' and I shrugged thinking it's just a mrketing ploy of vtech.

But I now know I have got a bummer ! My router also crashes more than i would like....
jmstr
join:2002-07-24
Clovis, CA

jmstr

Member

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.04

My test of disabling the wireless radio resulted in my WGT624 running without a reboot for over 20 hours. When the wireless was enabled, it would reboot every 1-4 hours. Either there is something wrong with the software or my unit is electronically defective. I'm returning it today.

I've had it with the extremely fast and problematic 108g D-link DI-624 and Netgear WGT624. Looking for an extremely stable and dependable 54g router now. Hopefully Linksys is the one.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina to jmstr

Member

to jmstr

Re: Reboot problem with WGT624 V2 & S/W Version 4.

Caution: I think after flash you are supposed to press the button on the back of the router to make it load the defaults. I know this wipes out your config but I had trouble with a perfectly good D-link 614+ when I flashed it with an early-release firmware from their Taiwan site. (I know I shouldn't have done this but...)

After flashing, it wouldn't stay connected to the Internet. I flashed the old firmware but the problem persisted. I flashed to an even older version, same problem. Finally I clicked the "RELOAD DEFAULTS" button and the problem vanished. Then I was able to flash to the latest supported firmware and it was back to normal.

This happened despite the fact that I didn't change ANY config options between the firmware versions. This leads me to believe that there is a NVRAM storage area that contains all config options. Some of those options are public in that the end user can change them via the router config screens and other values are private and are for internal purposes. When you downgrade, these private values may not be appropriate for earlier firmware. Based on my experience, when you load the defaults this area must be "initialized".

I thought NetGear's standard flash instructions advise to press and hold the button on the back of the router after the flash is successful. This button loads defaults for the firmware.

One would think that upgrading firmware to a later version would modify or rewrite values to work with itself and that you would only run into problems when downgrading. But...
rradina

rradina to kohls

Member

to kohls
I went on e-bay and bought two refurbished 900mhz UniTech caller ID phones. $25/piece but the shipping was a killer -- $10!

Anyway, this is the best $70 I have ever spent. Gone are a lot of my wireless interference problems. It was hell before. The wife would answer the friggin' phone and poof, gone would be my WiFi connection.

At the time I had a D-Link 614+. The 2.4G phones didn't make it reboot, they just caused my laptop to lose its connection.

Oh -- here's a great one. Before I replaced all the phones, I got called about a problem at work and I took the call on a 2.4G phone. I kick started my laptop and patiently waited for it to get a connection. Nothing. I started "tweaking" the wireless settings. Nothing. I walked with the laptop into the upstairs computer room, no connection. I rebooted the router. BAM -- I lost the phone call. (VOIP -- wouldn't you know it!). After the router rebooted, I called work again. STILL NO WIRELESS CONNECTION. I was ready to throw the whole setup out the window until the low battery indicator made me switch phones. Luckily I grabbed a 900mhz phone. Laptop started working --- duh... I felt really stupid and I'm glad I didn't throw it on the floor!

jkberry
@verizon.net

jkberry to rradina

Anon

to rradina

Caution: I think after flash you are supposed to press the button on the back of the router to make it load the defaults. I know this wipes out your config but ...


Ah... I thought you had it there. I had flashed my 624v2 and hadn't done the hardware reset and was experiencing the frequent (every hour or so) disconnects.

Last night I hard reset the device and re-entered all of the configuration information. When I got up this morning I checked the status and it had been up for...

50 minutes.

Bummer.

It was a good idea, though.