New Gen5 WiFi doesn't work reliably

[mmollinet]

I recently upgraded to the Gen5 system.  I was excited that they now included a WiFi router.  Everything seemed to work just fine when I first set it up.  Both the 2.4 and 5 GHz seemed to work just fine.  I have mostly Apple devices (Laptop, iPad, iPhone, and AppleTV). But then after a few hours the 5 GHz network wouldn't show up (and no, I didn't move out of range).  After fiddling around for probably 8 hours, it seemed that the 4 different networks (2.4, 5.0, 2.4 Guest, and 5.0 Guest) would intermittently work.  I couldn't find the 5.0 GHz network, but could find the 5.0 GHz Guest Network. Then 20 minutes later I could find the 5.0 GHz network, but not the guest network, etc.  I reset the modem (unplugging and plugging back in) about 20 times over several hours. When plugged back in all seemed to show up, but it would only last a few minutes and then one would disapper again.  I have a good strong full signal where I was testing it.  It was absolutely infuriating.  I finally just gave up and turned off all of the built-in WiFi networks and connected my Apple Airport Extreme router again and eveything has worked just fine since.  What is going on with the HughesNet router?  I would appreciate any response, but especially from HughesNet Tech Support person. 

[mweasner]

If the 5G radio is not reliable then perhaps a hardware recall will be required.  And if HughesNet continues to lease/sell a product with a known flaw they could run afoul of the Federal Trade Commission.

[C0RR0SIVE]

Or, they could simply disable the 5Ghz radio and remove that as a feature of the product, and be clear.  They advertised it as having wifi, not as having a 5Ghz radio.

[MarkJFine]

@mweasnerThere are several technical complications trying to make a 4-band 5GHz wifi radio work on a system like this to get the maximum speed out of it.

@C0RR0SIVEand @GabeU make some excellent points and we've all made several recommendations for the interim. Sorry, but we can't help you if you don't want to be helped, or your expectations aren't being met. The box can be proven to be suitable for purpose, so good luck proving otherwise.

One last set of recommendations in an attempt to continue be helpful: The problem (as I've seen it) seems to occur more when devices are entering and/or leaving the network. Until it's fixed, it's best to leave your mobile devices and things not needing high-speed for file downloads on the 2.4GHz side, especially if they're getting fringe reception. Those things that are close enough can also be patched in with Cat5 ethernet cable, which works even better than the 5GHz radio.

Or, you can continue to make threats about something that's actively being remedied... quite entirely up to you.

[mweasner]

Thanks to everyone for the tips.  I haven't meant to sound negative about HughesNet.  Gen4 had been a good solution for my rural area.  I am just concerned that Gen5 was rolled out prematurely or without adequate customer beta testing.  The Gen5 Wi-Fi 5G network has been dead for hours now and the modem continues to drop offline entirely (via Ethernet and Wi-Fi) for short periods of time.  I plan to resume troubleshooting the Gen5 modem on Thursday and possibly make a final decision then about sticking with Gen5 or reverting back to Gen4.

[C0RR0SIVE]

There's no reverting back to Gen4... Gen4 plans have been retired in favor of Gen5.

[Gwalk900]

My Goodness !!!!

This NOT a Gen5/Gen4 issue.

This is a 5.0 ghz frequency issue.

The HT2000w is a Modem first and primary, a Router (of sorts) as a secondary function and a Wifi source as a distant third.

There are going to be issues with the 5 ghz band ... the very nature of 5 ghz is to have less "penetration" than the 2.4 band. In addition you have got a lot electronics packed into a one box and it does NOT have any external antennas that can be used and adjusted to change/alter the WiFi radiation pattern.

Wifi routers like to be centrally located and they like to be elevated, things that are hard to do with an entire Modem.

You are making a mountain of a molehill, Turn off the HT2000w "radios", connect a decent or better grade Router that has a radiation pattern and features that meet your needs and the issue will be behind you.

For all we know you have a big refrigerator in the way or steel partition studding or any number of environmental issues that can be addressed or overcome with a router with external antennas and better configuration options.

In the end there is no kind of firmware update that is going to give an antenna-less unit the same performance as a good router.

.

Turn off the radios, get a good router, problem solved.

[mweasner]

Thanks again everyone.  I will be doing the UPnP OFF tests tomorrow morning.  Just to clarify about the Wi-Fi 5G outages: it is dead from just 2 to 10 feet away from the modem.  There is nothing between the modem and the Wi-Fi device trying to connect.  When 5G works its range in the house goes at least 60' away from the modem.  When it is dead, it is really dead.

[rosiecoop]

Its JUNK!

[rosiecoop]

I hope so because this is Highway Robbery!!

[BirdDog]

If you want reliable, strong  dual band WiFi then best to invest in a top of the line router like the link below. To expect an ISP to provide something that costs $200 plus in a single box solution isn't realeastic. Customers would then complain about the higher lease/purchase cost. Kind if a no win for HughesNet. They provide a basic modem/router solution like most ISP's.

https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RT-AC3100/

What I'm presently using on Gen4 in 1500 sqaure foot wood frame home and works great both bands: https://www.amazon.com/RT-N66R-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-802-11a/dp/B00EYKSJ1E

PS Edit: I have 3 dual band routers models I experiment with. This one seems the most solid, at least on Gen 4 and my particular house configuration. That is another big factor. Can't expect an ISP provided router to work well in a 3000+ square foot, three story home.

Oh, third party Merlin firmware on my router BTW.

[mweasner]

At the request of @Amanda, I have created a new thread about the Gen5 issues I'm seeing:

https://community.hughesnet.com/t5/Tech-Support/Gen5-modem-webcam-compatibility-modem-dropouts/m-p/8...

[ctdodd]

I have the same problem, but even when I use a 3rd party router.  My signal strength shows to be excellent, but I have no internet connectivity.  If there is a fix in the plans, I hope it happens soon and would appreciate an update.  I work from home and my husband has to conduct some of his work from home and this causes a severely negative impact on our work abilities.  I was happier with the 4 Gen. 

[GabeU]

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@ctdodd wrote:

I have the same problem, but even when I use a 3rd party router.  My signal strength shows to be excellent, but I have no internet connectivity.  If there is a fix in the plans, I hope it happens soon and would appreciate an update.  I work from home and my husband has to conduct some of his work from home and this causes a severely negative impact on our work abilities.  I was happier with the 4 Gen. 

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It sounds like your issue is, at least in part, different from the issue in this thread if it is doing the same on your third party router.  You should start your own thread to receive help with the issue you are experiencing.