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Netgear Router Keeps Dropping Connection / WiFi Won’t Turn On

When living in a tech-savvy world, it only makes sense that we will encounter some problems. One of the most frustrating problems we can face is when our router doesn’t want to keep devices connected. Why is that?

Several factors can cause a dropping wireless connection between the router and your device. A few of the most common reasons are low signal quality, outdated firmware, or physical/technical interference. Luckily, most causes are easily fixable.

A side view of a black router with 3 antennas

We’ll take a look at different causes for dropping wireless connection in-depth and discuss possible tips to help solve the issues. Let’s take a look below!

Netgear Router Keeps Dropping Internet

The back of a router and a person searching for a WiFi signal on his phone

Causes

  • Guest network. One of the most common theories as to why the internet keeps dropping out is from enabling guest networks on your router. Specifically, the toggle that says, “Allow guests to see each other and access my local network.” Weird, right? But, if you check out any community board on the problem, you will find that is the primary theory for a dropout.
  • Speed is too slow. WiFi connection plays a considerable role when it comes to your router dropping internet. If the WiFi speeds aren’t fast enough, it will continue dropping.
  • The WiFi router is out of date. Routers that are approximately five years or older are more likely to have problems connecting to the internet. This is because the firmware that is used would not be up to date. Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest problems with technology. We have to constantly update our services to be up to date so we can accurately use them.
  • Cable internet. The speed of cable internet relies heavily on the amount of usage in your area. If it is during a peak time, then the internet will be a lot slower and even disconnect.

Possible Fixes

So, how can we fix these problems?

Well, when it comes to fixing the guest network, here are a few simple steps that you can try:

  1. Switch the toggle for “Allow guests to see each other and access my local network” OFF.
  2. Turn OFF the Guest Networks.
  3. BACKUP your settings.
  4. UPDATE your router to the latest firmware.

Note: If you are already running the latest firmware, you might consider resetting the router to the factory settings and then updating it again to the latest firmware.

If you think the problem has to do with speed, you can try taking a speed test or calculating how much speed you should have based on the number of devices and WiFi connection. If you find this is the problem, we recommend getting a faster WiFi package from your internet provider.

If your WiFi router is out of date, meaning five years or older, we highly recommend getting a router that has WiFi-5 or WiFi-6 compatibility. WiFi-6 is the latest router package and the most recommended version.

Finally, if the problem is cable internet, we suggest finding a faster internet provider in your area. Or, order a new internet package with faster speeds from your current provider.

Netgear Router Keeps Dropping Wired Connection

Close up of router ethernet ports

Causes

There are two common causes for your router to be dropping a wired connection. Let’s take a look at them.

Firmware Is Out of Date

If your firmware is out of date, it can cause a problem with the wired connection. The best solution is that which we described above. We recommend getting a router that has a WiFi-5 or WiFi-6 compatibility. The WiFi-6 router is the most recommended.

Broken Cables

Three common cables connect your router with the modem. They include:

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on March 5, 2021.

  • The coaxial cable which connects a modem to the cable network in your home.
  • The phone cable which connects the gateway (modem or router) to the DSL internet line.
  • The ethernet cable which connects your modem to the router and your router to a computer for a direct WiFi signal.

When one of these cables is broken, there will be a disconnect from your router as they are directly accessible through that cord.

Possible Fixes

Under the section “Netgear Router Keeps Dropping Internet,” you will find a solution to the problem of outdated firmware.

As for the problem with broken cables, you will want to check the cables for any physical damage first. If you don’t see any, then you might want to try switching the cable with a different one to see if that works instead. If you find that the cable is the problem, you will probably have to invest in a new one. However, if that is not the problem, you might try resetting the router to its factory settings and trying again.

Netgear Router Keeps Dropping WiFi Connection

A black laptop and white wireless router with their backs to each other

Causes

Overloaded Network

One common cause for a router dropping its WiFi connection is from an overloaded network. If there are too many devices using the same network, the bandwidth that is available for each device will become very limited. The internet speeds will drop considerably as well.

Wrong WiFi Network

If there are two WiFi networks with the same name, you might find your device connected to the wrong one. You might also find yourself switching between the two to find the preferred connection. This will surely drop your WiFi connection.

Further, in most cases, it is with an unsecured network in public, which means that there are other users as well. The bandwidth for that specific WiFi might be very limited with the number of users.

Possible Fixes

For the overloaded network, you can start by taking some of the devices off the network – this can include streaming movies, gaming, or even browsing the internet – by disabling their connection, it will reduce the network’s limitations.

However, if you continue to have problems, you might want to try restarting your router. This will help “reset” the memory that the router has been holding as well, so it can free up more space for you to use.

If the problem is with the wrong WiFi network, you will want to double-check that you’re connecting to the right network. Further, you can change the settings on your device to not automatically join networks. That will keep your device from automatically connecting to unsecured WiFi.

Netgear Router Keeps Dropping 5Ghz WiFi Connection

The back of a black router with 3 antennas

Causes

If you find that your 5GHz WiFi connection keeps dropping out, it could be a problem with the version of the software you are using. It is possible some of the newer firmware hasn’t been as stable compared to earlier versions. This could have to do with updates containing bugs or other problems.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on March 5, 2021.

Possible Fixes

If this is the problem that you are dealing with, you might want to take the following steps:

  1. You can downgrade to a version with the number .42 over a hardwired connection.
  2. After the downgrade, you will want to complete a factory reset.
  3. Then, you can manually reinstall the firmware (note: not from the backup).

This solution should help in most situations. However, a simple factory reset might also help. You can try that first. If that does not work, then you can complete the steps above.

Netgear Router Keeps Dropping Devices / iPhone

An iPhone searching for a WiFi signal with a black router in the background

Causes

To determine the cause for the router dropping your devices or phone, you will first need to know if the problem is with a specific device or with all devices. If you are only having connection problems with a single device then the cause is most likely that device itself. However, if the connection problems are with multiple devices, then the cause is most likely your router.

Possible Fixes

We have already discussed most of the solutions that would work, so here is a list of solutions that you can try in which we have already discussed.

  • Exchanging the router for a new one.
  • Change DNS providers (Google is a good option).
  • Try downgrading the firmware to an older version because it could be due to a recent update.
  • Try resetting the router back to factory settings.

Two other options that you might consider trying are using Smart Connect or changing wireless channels.

Final Thoughts

There can be several factors that can affect when your Netgear router drops its connection. Although it is usually frustrating trying to figure out the exact problem, this article provides you with a start on the most common causes and possible solutions to help fix the problem(s). You will want to keep these factors in mind. However, if all else fails, you might consider contacting your internet provider for more advice and troubleshooting tips.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on March 5, 2021.

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