DHCP Drops Multiple Times a Day with AX1800 WiFi Router?

I’m facing a strange problem with my AX1800 WiFi router LAN connection. The problem started when I moved to a new city. Due to this, my devices start losing network access multiple times a day. At times, I even face problems accessing the WiFi router’s BASIC Home screen through the default IP address. All I can see is a green light on the WAN indicator of the router which is a sign that everything is in place. The Nighthawk app speed test also delivered positive results. What’s wrong with my Nighthawk router? Can someone please let me know?

Well, this blog is intended to help you and several other Netgear users who are facing a DHCP problem with their WiFi routers. Walk through the information given here and learn how to fix the issue.

Diagnosing DHCP Problem with Netgear AX1800 WiFi Router

Before you start addressing the DHCP-related problem with the WiFi router, consider checking the network connection. It means no matter whether you have connected your router and modem through a wireless source or a wired one, the endpoint connection must be stable. And yes, you should be very sure that the problem is related to DHCP only. Otherwise, all your efforts will get wasted.

Below, we’ve mentioned the reasons why you are facing the DHCP-related issue with devices connected to your Netgear Nighthawk router. But, you must know that your device is forced to use a self-assigned IP address in the case of the issue in the discussion. Here’s why:

• The DHCP server has failed or all the available IPs have been allocated
• Your connection to the server has failed
• You’ve enabled media access control (MAC) filtering on the router and the device isn’t present in the server’s configuration
• There’s a slight change in the network configuration resulting in a distorted DHCP packet relay

Now, move ahead and learn how to fix the DHCP connectivity issue related to the Nighthawk AX1800 WiFi router and the devices accessing its network.

Fix: DHCP Keeps Dropping with AX1800 WiFi Router

Case 1: No IP Address Assigned

If no IP address has been assigned to the connected device, then a DHCP-related issue arises. It can happen due to a DHCP server or network failure. To fix the issue, you are suggested to ensure a few things. First of all, you need to make sure that the DHCP server is working and it is not running out of addresses. You also need to check for network failure.

The workability can be verified if devices in the affected subnet are capable of renewing their addresses. But, addresses need to be available on the DHCP server’s address pool. Network-related problems should be checked in the part of the network where the failing device is sharing a connection. Move it to a new location with a good network connection. Also, check for MAC address filtering on your Netgear AX1800 router.

Case 2: Address Assigned But No Connectivity

The second case when the DHCP issue arises with respect to a Nighthawk WiFi router is when the address is assigned but no connectivity error. In this case, the device cannot communicate with other devices. It can happen when there are two devices utilizing the same IP address, or a rogue DHCP server hands out the same addresses. It can also happen if the IP address outside the address range has been assigned by a rogue DHCP server.

To resolve IP address conflict errors, track down the addresses of those devices having the same. After that, you can reserve separate IP address ranges for devices. Conduct network sleuthing in case you have a doubt that a rogue DHCP server has handed out addresses. You can do so with the help of packet capture tools and identifying the rogue location servers. In the last scenario, you need to track down the rogue server. Once done, remove it from the home network or consider disabling DHCP on it.

The Bottom Line

Facing DHCP-related problems with the AX1800 WiFi router is a common thing. But, resolving them can be a challenge. This is because you have to take care of various network components like endpoint devices and network connections. The user is also supposed to implement some troubleshooting on the router.

Now, we are anticipating that you’ve successfully resolved the problem. Just in case you are still failing, you can consider restarting the router. Doing so will help all the connected devices to get a new IP address which will resolve the IP address conflict. Apart from this, you will also be able to get rid of unexpected network errors.