Router and modem-router deaths

[Valdi (OP)]

Hi guys,

Very new to the forums and excited to be a part of a networking minded community!

Anyway, to the point. Over the past 4-5 years I have seemed to have some serious bad luck with routers and modem-routers either dropping connections from the Ethernet ports or completely dying.
Some background info:
The first 2 modem-routers I had were Netgear Wireless-G DG834G both of which gave up working entirely a little over a year from setup. I sent them back under warranty.
Since the last Netgear I lost all faith in that brand so I bought a TP-Link N600, this worked great until it didn't. Unfortunately I lost the receipt so no warranty Despite this I bought another TP-Link N600, thinking it may have just been a one-off hardware thing, based on all the great reviews it got. It's currently still going strong, although for some reason I couldn't connect to it via Ethernet for a couple days, that has since resolved itself...
For the router problem I bought a TP-Link Archer C9, this worked fine until all connections were dropped and upon inspection, noticed that all indicator lights were quite dim, so opening it up I found the voltage across the LED's to be around 2.5V which I assume is not its operating voltage and I suspect it may be a symptom of a fault somewhere else. I once again put my trust in TP-Link and bought the same router a year after the previous one and within 6 months all connections were lost again, although the LED's seem to be the same brightness as new.

All of the above routers and modem-routers are located in open environments with no heat traps surrounding them and there is at most 4-5 devices connected to any one of them.

I'm really starting to wonder if this is normal to keep going through routers so often or I'm just really good at picking lemons OR I'm the lemon when it comes to setting up a home network (highly probable).

[deanwebb]

Hello Valdi and welcome to the forums!

I've used Netgear for my home extenders and I've not had issues with their Ethernet ports. Granted, I typically only connected via wired in order to do maintenance on the device, and it wasn't the same model as what you have, so my situation is anecdotal.

My ISP provides an Arris wireless router for my connection and I use the Ethernet ports on that one a lot, because wired speed > wireless speed.

But the sheer number of failures you're experiencing across vendors makes me wonder if you have some other environmental factor.  You mentioned no heat traps around them, but does the spot you've chosen have good ventilation? Is it free from obstructions, with a good airflow?

If those areas check out, then the next thing to ask about would be electrical gear used in your home or nearby area. Do the parts fail suddenly, or does performance degrade over time? Do you experience dirty power in your area? Do you have frequent electrical storms?

[ristau5741]

Hello Valdi and welcome to the forums!

I've used Netgear for my home extenders and I've not had issues with their Ethernet ports. Granted, I typically only connected via wired in order to do maintenance on the device, and it wasn't the same model as what you have, so my situation is anecdotal.

My ISP provides an Arris wireless router for my connection and I use the Ethernet ports on that one a lot, because wired speed > wireless speed.

But the sheer number of failures you're experiencing across vendors makes me wonder if you have some other environmental factor.  You mentioned no heat traps around them, but does the spot you've chosen have good ventilation? Is it free from obstructions, with a good airflow?

If those areas check out, then the next thing to ask about would be electrical gear used in your home or nearby area. Do the parts fail suddenly, or does performance degrade over time? Do you experience dirty power in your area? Do you have frequent electrical storms?

customers location my provide answers to many of those questions.

[Valdi (OP)]

Hello Valdi and welcome to the forums!

I've used Netgear for my home extenders and I've not had issues with their Ethernet ports. Granted, I typically only connected via wired in order to do maintenance on the device, and it wasn't the same model as what you have, so my situation is anecdotal.

My ISP provides an Arris wireless router for my connection and I use the Ethernet ports on that one a lot, because wired speed > wireless speed.

But the sheer number of failures you're experiencing across vendors makes me wonder if you have some other environmental factor.  You mentioned no heat traps around them, but does the spot you've chosen have good ventilation? Is it free from obstructions, with a good airflow?

If those areas check out, then the next thing to ask about would be electrical gear used in your home or nearby area. Do the parts fail suddenly, or does performance degrade over time? Do you experience dirty power in your area? Do you have frequent electrical storms?

As far as I'm concerned the routers seem to have decent airflow with no obstructions, granted they get warm, but I presume that this is a standard thing considering they don't come with an active cooling system?
In terms of dirty power and electrical storms; Living in Aus and in my area, storms are probably an average occurrence and more prevalent in Summer. But I suppose, due to the fact that where I live is almost considered rural (based on local council government area coding) the electrical infrastructure isn't A grade as we seem to get blackouts almost every time there is a storm or stronger than average winds.
Despite this I've never had an appliance or electronic die due to a surge. I think it could be a gradual thing as I notice connections get worse and worse a day or two before it completely dies 

[deanwebb]

OK, gradual vs. sudden degradation indicates a failing part as opposed to a catastrophic event. However, you also mentioned possible infrastructure issues... so I'd recommend looking into something that can help regulate the power supply provided to the devices. It's not the lightning strikes that take them out - it could be swings up and down in power hitting the device in ways that can cause it to fail. For devices going into a hostile environment, they have to be tested to make sure they survive that kind of issue. These consumer-grade devices may be on offer by firms that are assuming they go into non-hostile environments.

[Valdi (OP)]

I see, thanks for the help!!