Failing Netgear Switch?
Posted by: Gavin B on 27 November 2016
My router feeds down to a Netgear switch and from then onward to everything else. Every three days or so the wired network goes down. Wireless is fine. Unplugging and restarting the switch gets everything running again, but a few days later it drops down again. Any reasons? Obviously it's easy to replace the cheap switch, but the failure mode seems odd - I'd expect it to be a complete and terminal failure.
When my (coincidentally) Netgear switch started to go down the slippery slope Gavin it was intermittent too. In fact it was so intermittent in the beginning I thought it was the broadband connection. It did start to become more frequent though.
Eventually after ruling out the other possibilities I came to the conclusion that it must be the switch and replaced it. Solved the problem immediately.
If you are sticking with a Netgear switch at least its cheap and quick to replace.
I had the same with one Netgear switch and it started to behave normally the day the new one was "out for delivery" by you know who. That was 6 months ago and it's still in place with the new one still in its box.
i think what fixed it in my case was a fair amount of plugging and unplugging of the Ethernet cables as I tried to work out what was happening. So you could try that.
best
David
Gavin B posted:My router feeds down to a Netgear switch and from then onward to everything else. Every three days or so the wired network goes down. Wireless is fine. Unplugging and restarting the switch gets everything running again, but a few days later it drops down again. Any reasons? Obviously it's easy to replace the cheap switch, but the failure mode seems odd - I'd expect it to be a complete and terminal failure.
Can you explain what you mean by 'goes down'.. what 'stops' working, does the power switch off? How do you know it's the switch? Plugging and replugging connections can be sensible to remove any possible dirt on the metal connections causing unreliability.
The power remains on, but there's no throughput - all of the normally flashing lights are out, and there's no internet connection to any of the downstream devices. Unplugging the power and restarting restores it all to working order (without the need to try any of the ethernet cable connections). I had been doing a bit of faffing a couple of weeks ago (you may remember my router / modem question) but it was all restored to previous state and working fine. Since then it's failed two or three times in the way I've described.
It was a bit annoying as I'd plugged my Qute directly into the network to test yet another issue while I was away for a week - and this meant the test wasn't valid.
if all the downstream devices show no flashing lights at all after say after 60 seconds or so then yes it does sound like a faulty device... if you run an app like LanScan on a Mac as a downstream component - does it pop back into life? (LanScan is a cheap/free app than scans the subnet and mac addresses for connected devices)
Would the Net Analyzer app (on an iPhone, favourite of Phil H.) perform the same function? Or does it have to be on a wired device (a Windows PC)?
I've ordered an replacement for just £10 (and resisted the urge to try one of the HH-approved Cisco switches). Perhaps, as with David above, mine will see the error of its ways and behave!
What Netgear switch model was it. The GSXXX ProSafe's have a lifetime warranty, the other small form unmanaged types, including the latest & all the desktops are not so well blessed.
Gavin B posted:Would the Net Analyzer app (on an iPhone, favourite of Phil H.) perform the same function? Or does it have to be on a wired device (a Windows PC)?
I've ordered an replacement for just £10 (and resisted the urge to try one of the HH-approved Cisco switches). Perhaps, as with David above, mine will see the error of its ways and behave!
Yes Net Analyser does something fairly similar - but ideally it would be useful for it to be scanning from a device connected to your suspect switch. But if you are getting a new switch you will find out shortly one way or another..
S
David Hendon posted:I had the same with one Netgear switch and it started to behave normally the day the new one was "out for delivery" by you know who. That was 6 months ago and it's still in place with the new one still in its box.
i think what fixed it in my case was a fair amount of plugging and unplugging of the Ethernet cables as I tried to work out what was happening. So you could try that.
best
David
These switchs are clever swines. When they start to misbehave they suddenly realise they could be for the chop and a replacement installed. Why do you think they start behaving properly again? But they will let you down again, you'll see!
Geez, all this paranoia, I need a holiday.