How do I know if my router is dying?

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RavinDJ

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I've been having a lot of issues with WiFi on my smart phones, tablets, and even laptops.

How do I know if it's the issue with the router or my individual devices?

I have a Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000

It's a few years old... but has served me very well. Is it time to upgrade, regardless if it's going bad or not? Or, is it still a good device if it's working. It has the most recent and up to date firmware installed.

Is there a way to test it or push it to its limits to see if it's still ok?

[edit[ I meant, is there a way to "stress" test it somehow? [/edit]
 
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If rebooting it fixes it for a time period and then it starts having issues again, that can be a tell-tale sign if it had been working perfectly up to that point. A lot of extra heat is also a tell-tale sign something hardware is not working right.
 
SamirD said:
If rebooting it fixes it for a time period and then it starts having issues again, that can be a tell-tale sign if it had been working perfectly up to that point. A lot of extra heat is also a tell-tale sign something hardware is not working right.
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I don't think it's a heat issue now, but it may have been in the past... I had it on a couple of servers (desktop, self-made servers). But now it's on the wall:

NQYJxDI.jpg
 
It's tough to troubleshoot... in any case, if I did go the "NEW ROUTER" route... what's one of the best home routers now? Budget... $400 max. I can max it out to $500-$600 if it's really, really, really worth it.

Thanks!!
 
RavinDJ said:
It's tough to troubleshoot... in any case, if I did go the "NEW ROUTER" route... what's one of the best home routers now? Budget... $400 max. I can max it out to $500-$600 if it's really, really, really worth it.

Thanks!!
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So, what you have isn't just a 'router'; it's also a firewall, a switch, a DHCP server, a DNS forwarder, and an access point (at least).

The issue you're describing is a degradation in WiFi access point functionality. If that's the case... you can go get a Unifi UAP-AC-Pro (or better), configure it with your phone, and continue using all of the other functions of the ASUS unit.
 
I went edge router lite and a UniFi n ap years ago. Honestly I don’t think I could ever go back. Now I have a edge router 4, edge switch 16 poe, 2 ap AC pros and a nano hd.

the only time I reboot is firmware updates. I honest can’t remember the last time I heard my wife say the Wi-Fi isn’t working.
 
RavinDJ said:
It's tough to troubleshoot... in any case, if I did go the "NEW ROUTER" route... what's one of the best home routers now? Budget... $400 max. I can max it out to $500-$600 if it's really, really, really worth it.

Thanks!!
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Holy cow that's a serious budget for a home. I've spent less for enterprise equipment. :ROFLMAO:

If you've got this type of budget and want to upgrade, you can't go wrong with a ubiquiti setup. Everyone I've read online that has one loves it and it's solid. I keep asking myself why I don't have one and it's because I've got wired ports everywhere. :ROFLMAO:
 
Don't overlook power issues. A lot of wall warts are sourced from the cheapest available vendor. If the issues are primarily WiFi, might check for too many devices or channel congestion from neighbors. A neighbor doing a lot of WiFi streaming can mess up your WiFi even though they aren't using your bandwidth. WiFi really doesn't share well.
 
Ah yes, definitely check the power supply by swapping it with a known working one. Sometimes higher amp power supplies will no longer be able to supply the given ampage causing all sorts of issues.
 
SamirD said:
you can't go wrong with a ubiquiti setup.
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There's a lot to like -- mostly price / performance along with reliability -- and a lot to hate too. They're a bit of a cluster when it comes to actually getting features out the door and so on.

But their APs, on their own, work pretty darn well, and basic functionality (that being a pretty large step over what ASUS etc. offer) is generally all there too.
 
IdiotInCharge said:
There's a lot to like -- mostly price / performance along with reliability -- and a lot to hate too. They're a bit of a cluster when it comes to actually getting features out the door and so on.

But their APs, on their own, work pretty darn well, and basic functionality (that being a pretty large step over what ASUS etc. offer) is generally all there too.
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Good to know. Still, it seems like anyone I've ever read that has installed a setup from scratch loves like more than their first born. :ROFLMAO:
 
I had a similar experience with my Nighthawk. I ended up replacing it with an Edgerouter 4 and using the old nighthawk as an AP. It's been working great for the last 6 months. It rarely goes over 10% cpu usage with QoS turned on.
 
Another Ubiquiti UniFi-AP advocate .. I run 4 of the older (still round though) ones hooked up to an EdgeRouter X-SFP. As stated, only reboot for firmware updates and great connectivity.
Great suggestion to check power adapter ..get that sorted and then check for firmware updates and see if everything works again for yuh like it should.
 
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