Netgear R6050 Back plate fail

[sm00thpapa]

Looks like I wasn't the only one with this issue. Stay away from this router. Videos are mine and pics are from another person same issue.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/sm00thpapa/6165rkKTvkL.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/sm00thpapa/61boX1oqk5L.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlyjeF559Gw&list=UU_A8EfXpLYQWWd-kZqa-3Kg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs3BQREWwug&list=UU_A8EfXpLYQWWd-kZqa-3Kg&index=1

 

[Razor512]

That is due to a bad design flaw. For that model, netgear pretty much wanted to have external antennas, but didn't want users being ble to upgrade the antennas (even though it would cost about the same to have an rp-sma connecter mounted to the PCB)

Basically when that design, you get non removable antennas with a shielded coax cable leading from the antenna, directly to the wifi radio, or possibly a u.fl connector on the PCB near the wifi radio.

The problem with this design other than not being able to upgrade the antennas, is that all of the stress of supporting the antenna is put on a thin plastic panel that is held in by 2 plastic lips.

when it slips out, you have to take the entire router apart, then reposition the plastic back panel back behind the lip on the top and bottom panel of the router.

Anyway, that panel is not broken, it just slipped out from behind the plastic lip on the top panel. (if it is partially out then you can sometimes push it back into place, but if all the way out, then you need to remove the top or bottom panel of the router in order to put that back plate back into position.

here is the general mounting design for these back plates http://i.imgur.com/yGoAw0p.jpg

 

[sm00thpapa]

Even if you opened it and tried to fix it it will still do this. There is no support there to hold it. This is a really bad design flaw expected from Netgear.

 

[Razor512]

Yep, you can pop it back into place, but the same flaw is still present and thus it will eventually come loose again. You can always pop it back into place and then super glue it.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Yeah you can. I returned mine for a full refund. Netgear is working on a fix as they have had many returns.

 

[KGB7]

Glue gun will the fix the pesky issue.

 

[Razor512]

for that router is there 100% no support/ groove that it slides into to hold it into place?

Every single one of their older routers that use that design, uses that back panel well secured with a groove that spans the entire length of the back plate. it takes a lot of force to move it out of place. There is literally no fix to work on as they already have the working design used on their older routers that use that design.

 

[stevech]

I recall that the US FCC Part 15 regulations have long said that the unlicensed 2.4GHz band radios shall have non-standard antenna connectors (Reverse-polarity SMA and TNC are common), and be non-user-alterable or some such language.

The intent was to avoid excessive interference from high gain omnis. This goes back a long time.

Somehow, many/most WiFi products had detachable (threaded connectors). Maybe the FCC Type Acceptance Criteria is being more strictly enforced. As you may know, the compliance testing is done by labs that have an FCC lab certification, not the government per se. But they could be rejecting some lab reports now and maybe that led to the design.

Or not.

(none of this excuses such a flimsy mechanical design).