Netgear X4S R7800 Set up

markb1980

I have just had the above router arrive and wondering if any must do’s and dont’s on these. It will be used for multiple WiFi devices but also hardwired for Xbox one x and Netflix 4K streaming in the living room. It will also need to stream Netflix via WiFi for the upstairs and other smart TV’s including Sky Q. I have read conflicting reports about the QOS setting in these. Some say leave it off others say it works well? Also some of the firmware updates have caused problems so again some advise to roll it back? Any tips would be great.

psychopomp1

I would leave QoS switched off first, to see how you get on. Also choose a channel manually (instead of 'auto' setting) on each of the wifi bands. Obviously ensure the router is using the latest Netgear firmware. That's about it really

markb1980

Thank you. Sadly I had issues setting up last night and I cannot get it to work or even finish the auto set up correctly. It’s showing an old firmware .36 I think and says no firmware available. All the lights are white, in the genie which is the only thing I can get into it says internet connection good yet I have no internet to any devices whether wired or WiFi. on initial set up it says there was a conflict of ip address and changed the ip of the router to 10. Something. Then it asked my loads of questions about if I wanted it as an access point or a router as it found I had another modem/router? The router supplied by my ISP just worked this however doesn’t I spent hours rebooting and resetting but still no internet I have no idea where to go from here?

psychopomp1

1) Download the latest Netgear firmware from here and save on your pc:
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/R7800/R7800-V1.0.2.62.zip

2) Do a hard reset by holding the reset button on the back of the router for 10 seconds or so whilst the router is still on.

3) After the router has rebooted, do NOT select any setup wizard or auto detect options. Instead select 'manual configuration' option. Once in the firmware settings, go to 'admin' and choose firmware update option. Choose firmware you downloaded in step 1 and update.

4) After the firmware has updated, you need to do another hard router reset to clear the router's NVRAM. Follow step 2 again.

5) Follow step 3) again but when in the firmware settings, select 'internet setup'. At this stage you may need to get in touch with your ISP for PPPoE login details (if they use them for FTTP) and once you have them, select 'yes' where the router asks 'does your router require a login?' Enter them as PPPoE credentials (username & password) and that should do the trick.

6) Configure the wifi settings as necessary but leave other settings alone.

Good luck!

markb1980

Thank you for the instructions. Just a couple of questions, does the ip conflict cause any issues when the router sets itself to 10.0.0.1? Do I need it in AP mode or Router? I have an ONT where the fibre wire comes into so is this why it thinks I have another router/modem? Also doing the manual internet set up doesn’t require a login my ISP says as long as it supports PPPoE protocol but they don’t use logins and can enter anything I like but recommend not to leave blank? So if they don’t need login details what do I need to enter? Also do I just leave all the boxes ticked saying get ip etc dynamically?  Sorry for all the questions.

psychopomp1

First of all, does your FTTP connection have a separate ONT & router like mine on Openreach FTTP does?




If it doesn't - some FTTP operators such as Gigaclear & Hyperoptic use a combined ONT/router - then you MUST continue to use your existing ONT/router and connect the R7800 to one of its LAN ports and use it in access point mode. When the Netgear asks  'does your internet connection require a login?' you select no.

Wrt IP address, the R7800 uses 192.168.1.1 as its default (definitely not 10.x.x.x) as do pretty much all Netgears. However your existing ONT/router may also use 192.168.1.1, in which case change the ip address of the Netgear to 192.168.2.1 or something similar.

markb1980

Yes the standard set up is a ZTE ONT in a cupboard and then a separate ZTE H298N Router. On the ONT it has a thin wire that goes into the unit, a phone line, a power source with battery back up and then a Ethernet cable from LAN1 to the WAN port on the H298N Router. I thought it would be just a case of removing the existing router and plugging in the Netgear. As soon as I plug back in my old router all connects and works as it should so I am baffled. The only thing I am wondering is if the ONT is a Modem and Router but not sure how I would find this out? And if it was then surely I would never have had the separate router? The Netgear set itself to 10.x.x.x itself after telling me there was a conflict.

This is an extract from my ISP website-

Yes, you can use your own router if it supports Point-to-Point over Ethernet (PPPoE) protocol, but you will need to configure the router and you may need to seek advice from your router manufacturer on how to do this.

When setting up your own router you may be asked for a "PPPoE username" and "PPPoE password". The seethelight network does not use these parameters so you can enter anything you like in these fields however it is recommended that they are not left blank.

Another parameter you may be required to enter on the router is "MTU". seethelight recommend this be set to 1492 or 1500 bytes.

Please be aware, the router we issue to you when you sign up with us is fully supported by our technical team, and we are able to troubleshoot any issues you may experience with your router. If you do decide to use your own router we cannot always guarantee our remote diagnostics will be conclusive. Therefore, you should retain the router we provide when you sign-up to us, as you may need to re-install it for us to perform any required diagnostics.

psychopomp1

Thanks, its clearer. The FTTP ONT is just a dumb light>data converter so shouldn't be doing any sort of routing. Therefore the Netgear R7800 should be a straight swap with your existing router. Out of interest what's the make/model of your ONT and can you post a pic of it?

Can you try first to configure the R7800 without being connected to the ONT. Do a hard reset (to get rid of changed IP addresses etc), then configure it manually, using PPPoE and type any any gobbledeegook in the PPPoE credentials sections. Once configured switch off the R7800, and then for good measure switch off the ONT as well, wait for 5 mins, switch on ONT and wait until you get a PON (or similar description) light on the ONT. Then connect the R7800 to the same port on the ONT as your old router and fire it up.

markb1980

Thank you so much finally have it working by setting up manually PPPoE entering admin admin, I also managed to change the router ip back to its default from 10.x.x.x I guess it was right to leave as get everything dynamically? I have 2 different passwords set up for the 2.4ghz and 5ghz was this the right thing to do? I changed the channel from auto to 6 on 2.4ghz also? Left QOS off for now and I did turn NAT type to open as I game a fair bit. Was there anything else I should do to get the best out of it? Thank you for all your help.

psychopomp1

Glad to hear you finally got it working

Wrt naming wifi networks, I usually prefer something like AnyName_2G & AnyName_5G for the 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks respectively on a dual-band router and use the same WPA2 password for both but of course YMMV.

Yes, channel 6 is a good 2.4ghz channel to use in a non-congested environment, ditto for channel 44 on the 5ghz band. You'll also find the R7800 supports DFS channels on the 5ghz band such as channel 120. These are high powered (1000mW) perfectly legal channels in blighty but with the downside that the router is designed to automatically kick you off these channels if it detects any radar channel conflict - hence the name Dynamic Frequency Selection. Also some clients don't support DFS channels though most/many do.