Any piece of machinery can experience a glitch. It’s the same with one of the most important pieces of hardware we have in our home, our router. There’s a glitch where the router keeps rebooting after some time of use.
This is one of the most commonly reported issues with Netgear routers. When we buy it, we use it without interruption for some time, and all of a sudden the Netgear router keeps rebooting. There are a few ways we can fix this, but let’s first see why it happens.
CONTENTS
Automatic Hardware Restart
The reason any hardware reboots automatically is the failsafe mechanism. Imagine driving a newer vehicle with a manual shift. If you put it into 3rd gear instead of 1st when starting the drive, it’s going to turn off automatically.
You put it back into 1st gear, and as soon as you release the clutch, the vehicle turns on again. It’s the same with newer hardware if there’s an interruption in the power supply, or something is wrong with the cables. It automatically restarts trying to fix it.
This happens because the most frequent fix of any hardware-related problem is a restart. A restart clears our device’s RAM (Random Access Memory). However, frequent reboots might be a bigger problem.
Netgear Rebooting Reasons
Users have reported that the R7000 and R6700 Netgear router keeps rebooting. The main reason these two keep rebooting is firmware-related. However, there are other reasons it might be rebooting. Let’s see the most likely ones:
- Wrong power adapter: It’s important to use the power adapter that came in the same box as the router. If you don’t use the original power adapter, then that might be the reason it’s rebooting.
Rebooting is not the only result of using the wrong power adapter. There can also be performance problems or connection drops. That’s why you should use the AC/DC 12V 3.5A power adapter for Netgear routers.
- Damaged cable: Again, there might be damage on the adapter cable, check to see if it has any physical damage on it. If it doesn’t have any physical damage on it, then it might be the firmware.
- Firmware: There’s a couple of things that can happen with the firmware. It might be a glitch in the new firmware update, or there was a power interruption during the automatic update of the router’s firmware.
Either way, both can cause the Netgear router to reboot continuously for some time. Another cause can be power outages.
- Power outages: If there’s a momentary power outage, the router’s hardware might get damaged and put it into an infinite loop of rebooting. If there was a power outage, a proper reboot, and a change of the power outlet might fix the issue.
Router Keeps Rebooting Fixes
Of course, if our first instinct doesn’t work, and we turn the router off and on, and it’s still rebooting. Then, we have to look for alternative solutions. So, here are a few of the things we can do when a Netgear router keeps rebooting.
Netgear router factory reset
To reset most routers, locate the Reset button on the back of the router. Once you do that, use a needle or paperclip or something similar to hold the Reset button for approximately 10 seconds.
After that, your router should reboot, and your settings will be reset. This reverts the router to its original configuration, and this might fix the issue after you’ve reset it. If it still doesn’t work, then we need to do something with the firmware.
Netgear firmware upgrade
If the automatic upgrade feature doesn’t work, you can always perform a manual upgrade. The thing you need to do is connect the Netgear router to your device using an Ethernet cable.
Second, go to Netgear’s download center and find the latest firmware version for your router’s Model Number and/or Product Name. Then, you need to go to the settings page of your router by entering routerlogin.net in your browser.
Log in by using the default username and password, which are admin and password. If you’re having trouble logging in, look at the Netgear login guide. Next, select the ADVANCED or Settings tab, and go to Administration.
You’ll see a section that says Firmware Update, but it depends on the type of router. It might be Router Update. Then, click on Choose File or Browse, and you can find the firmware file in your download folder. Click Upload and wait for the router to restart.
Netgear firmware downgrade
Sometimes, it’s necessary to do a downgrade of the firmware because the latest version is actually the reason for the glitch. Downgrading actually involves the same procedure as described in the previous section.
Instead of downloading the latest firmware version, you need to download the previous version. After that, just follow the previous protocol and install that version. Wait for the progress bar to finish, and the upgrade is complete.
Another way to check if the upgrade is complete is to look at the LED light. If it becomes amber, and it blinks, you need to power cycle the router by unplugging it, waiting for at least 15 seconds, and plugging it back in. This finishes the firmware installation.
How to Reboot Netgear Router Properly
Believe it or not, a proper reboot might help if your Netgear router keeps rebooting. There are three different ways to reboot Netgear routers. The first one is the one that works on every machine in our home.
Simply press the Power On/Off button, wait for at least 15 seconds, and press Power On/Off again. This is a proper reboot and the easiest way to do it. The second way is to actually do a reboot from the router’s settings page.
Go to the settings page, click on Advanced, and you’ll see the section that says Router Information. There’s a Reboot button. Click on it, and the router will finish the process in about 2 minutes.
The third way to do it is through the Nighthawk app. Open the app on your phone, tap on Connect remotely. You’ll see a home icon in the top left corner of the screen, tap on it. Once there, you can see the button that says Reboot, tap on it, and select Reboot in the next prompt.
Conclusion
When the router keeps rebooting, it’s not a serious problem if the hardware isn’t damaged. It’s logical to try the power cycle solution first and get the router running normally. If that doesn’t work and the Netgear router keeps resetting, try the other solutions.
You can always call customer support if none of these fixes works for you. They might need more information, and with enough details, they can help you fix the issue. Finally, if that doesn’t work, you can always get a different router.
Hey, I’m David. I’ve been working as a wireless network engineer and a network administrator for 15 years. During my studies, I also worked as an ISP field technician – that’s when I met Jeremy.
I hold a bachelor’s degree in network engineering and a master’s degree in computer science and engineering. I’m also a Cisco-certified service provider.
In my professional career, I worked for router/modem manufacturers and internet providers. I like to think that I’m good at explaining network-related issues in simple terms. That’s exactly what I’m doing on this website – I’m making simple and easy-to-follow guides on how to install, set up, and troubleshoot your networking hardware. I also review new network equipment – modems, gateways, switches, routers, extenders, mesh systems, cables, etc.
My goal is to help regular users with their everyday network issues, educate them, and make them less scared of their equipment. In my articles, you can find tips on what to look for when buying new networking hardware, and how to adjust your network settings to get the most out of your wi-fi.
Since my work is closely related to computers, servers, and other network equipment, I like to spend most of my spare time outdoors. When I want to blow off some steam, I like to ride my bike. I also love hiking and swimming. When I need to calm down and clear my mind, my go-to activity is fishing.