A malfunction can occur in any piece of machinery. The router, one of our house’s most vital pieces of equipment, is no exception. The router has a flaw where it automatically restarts itself after being used for a while. It’s a widespread problem with Netgear routers. After a period of trouble-free use after purchase and installation, our Netgear nighthawk keeps rebooting. There are a couple of solutions, but first, we must figure out what’s causing it.
Power Cycle Hardware Automatically
The automatic restarting of hardware is a failsafe mechanism. Picture yourself behind the wheel of a brand-new car with a manual transmission. Putting it into third gear instead of first when starting the drive will cause it to shut off.
You shift back into first gear, and upon letting go of the clutch, the engine fires up again. The same issue happens with modern equipment if the power suddenly cuts out or the wires aren’t correctly connected. It will try to fix itself again automatically.
This occurs because restarting a device is the standard procedure for fixing hardware issues. Our RAM can be reset by continuing the device (Random Access Memory). However, there may be a greater issue with the system’s need for constant restarts.
Causes for Restarting Your Netgear Router
Users have complained that the Netgear R7000 and R6700 routers frequently restart themselves. These two often continue for reasons linked to their firmware. There are, however, alternative possibilities as to why it is restarting. I think the following are the most likely:
Incorrect plug adapter:
The power adapter must be used that was included with the router. This could be because you aren’t using the factory-recommended power supply.
When you use the improper power adapter, your computer may restart, but that’s not all that happens. There’s always the chance of a sluggish performance or a dropped connection. For this reason, you must utilize the AC/DC 12V 3.5A power adapter designed explicitly for Netgear routers.
Worn-out wires:
Again, the adapter cable could be damaged; inspect it for signs of wear. If there is no visible damage, the firmware may be at fault.
Firmware:
The firmware can malfunction in a couple of ways. It’s possible the automatic firmware update of the router failed due to a bug in the new firmware or a power outage that occurred during the update.
Both can cause the Netgear router to reboot for an extended period. Electrical failures are another possible explanation.
Faulty electricity:
A brief blackout could cause hardware damage to the router, which would cause it to restart indefinitely. A power outage could have caused this, thus, it could have been resolved by switching to a different outlet and performing a complete reboot.
Factory resetting a Netgear router
Find the Reset button, usually on the router’s back, to reset it. After that, you need to use a needle, paperclip, or something similar to press and hold the Reset button for around 10 seconds.
Your router will then reboot and restore factory defaults. Simply resetting the router to its factory settings may resolve the issue. The firmware must have a problem if it still doesn’t function.
Upgrade your Netgear’s firmware.
You can always upgrade manually if the automatic method fails. The first step is to plug your device into the Netgear router through an Ethernet connection.
Second, locate your router’s most recent firmware version by entering the Model Number and Product Name into Netgear’s download center. Finally, type www.routerlogin.net into your browser’s address bar to access your router’s configuration page.
To access the system, please use the credentials admin and password. The Netgear login instructions might be consulted if you’re experiencing problems getting in. Then, navigate to Administration by clicking the ADVANCED or Settings tab.
Some routers include a dedicated area labeled “Firmware Update,” whereas others don’t. It could be time to update your router. The firmware file should be located in your downloads folder, which you can access by clicking the corresponding Choose File or Browse button. To restart the router, select Upload and then wait.
Downgrading the Netgear’s Firmware
It may be essential to roll back the firmware to an earlier version if the most recent update is the source of the problem. The steps for downgrading are identical to those outlined there.
The most recent firmware release is incompatible with your device, so you’ll need to roll back to an earlier version. After that, the installation process is the same as before. Wait until the bar at the top of the screen stops moving to finish the upgrade.
The LED light can also determine if the upgrade is complete. The router needs to be power cycled if the light turns amber and blinks, which means unplugging it, waiting 15 seconds, and then plugging it back in. Putting in the firmware is now complete.
Conclusion
If the hardware is fine and the router keeps restarting, there’s no reason to worry. It seems sensible to try rebooting the router to see if that will get things back to normal. If the Netgear modem router keeps rebooting, try the alternate methods.
If none of these solutions work for you, don’t hesitate to contact customer service. They may ask for more info, but if you give it to them, they should be able to assist you in fixing the problem. Last, you can always get a new router if that fails.
