Netgear fvs318g stops forwarding port 80 traffic

[Jason303]

I have a Netgear fvs318g which for the most part works fine, however on occasion it just stops forwarding port 80 traffic (website). It happened again over the weekend! I upgraded it earlier this year with Firmware Version 3.1.1-18 which I thought corrected the issue but apparently not. I logged into the router and did a router reboot which solved the issue when it came back online.

This port 80 forwarding failure seems to happen every 3 months or so and seems to correct itself after the router is rebooted. I bought a second fvs318g to replace it but the same intermittent failures continue to happen so it doesn't appear to be a hardware issue.

My question is: Is this normal or should I look to replace the Netgear FVS318G with a more reliable router for a different company? I contacted Netgear's support and after reviewing it they couldn't find anything wrong and since I can't reproduce the failure there was not much they could do.

If I did replace it I was looking for a single WAN, fast throughput and 100% solid reliability for forwarding port 80 traffic for a website.

Thanks!

 

[System Error Message]

You should replace it with different router. Did you check if the router froze? There are other routers that will do a lot better but it depends what you're looking for.

 

[Jason303]

The router worked fine for outgoing traffic but just stopped forwarding port 80 traffic. What are your thoughts on Cisco RV180 for a replacement? According to Cisco's website the RV180 is going end of life but the replacement RC130 sounds like a disaster according to posts on various websites.

 

[Trip]

First off, what are your needs? Namely: how fast in your WAN link, are you looking for more of a router first, firewall second, or a dedicated firewall/UTM box with routing/NAT capability? Or don't care? Want something business class, or would a consumer box running Tomato work? What's your budget?

Of the stuff above, the Netgear FVS models seem to underwhelm their reviewer base often enough that I'd look elsewhere. Cisco's RV stuff fairs a bit better, but I've found reliability varies according to the use-case and load. The RV320/325 appear the most bug-free, but if we're looking at $200+, you might as well explore other options. TP-Link has their ER-series routers, but they seem to generate similar ho-hum feedback.

If you only need a basic router that can firewall, any Tomato-compatible Broadcom MIPS consumer box will run a simple SOHO config for years between resets. For something supported out of the box, Peplink Surf SOHO. Not cheap, but rock solid and their support is second to none. If you want more security, I'd look at a Sophos SG series, possibly with licenses for whatever you want. Pricey, but again, it will just work.

 

[coxhaus]

I can tell you the RV180 router works great for me with the last firmware update. I picked up a RV320 router and it is not ready to replace my RV180. I have posted the RV320 problem on Cisco's small business router site and I am waiting for a firmware fix. The RV320 router is rated highest on this site for a wired only router and it seems fast with what little testing I have done. I have heard just recently the ER light is probably faster than what was rated on this site with the new firmware so who knows. I guess I will wait and see.

 

[NETGEAR Guy]

Jason303...would like to look into this issue. Were you provided with a case number from the support team?

 

[Jason303]

Jason303...would like to look into this issue. Were you provided with a case number from the support team?

Case #23728344

The new firmware Version 3.1.1-18 came out which I updated from Version 3.1.1-14. I hoped it would correct the issue but it is still happening every 3 months or so.

 

[NETGEAR Guy]

Many thanks, will pass on the case number to our local L2 support team in Cork. One of the team will be in contact.