Chinese-built XR500 not digesting a Thai-built XR500 backup

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SurprisedItWorks
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 15:26    Post subject: Chinese-built XR500 not digesting a Thai-built XR500 backup Reply with quote
My main router is a used Netgear XR500 that on the bottom says "Made in Thailand" and on the back numbers the LAN ports 4 3 2 1. I have just purchased a second used XR500 to serve as a spare router (among other uses) that on the bottom turns out to say "Made in China" and on the back numbers the LAN ports 1 2 3 4. They show the same FCC ID, model name, etc.

I have flashed the spare router with the same build as the main router, build 52369, and restored the main router's backed-up config to it (never powering them both on at the same time), for testing. I can see in my account at AirVPN that the spare establishes the proper VPN connections, and I can even connect ssh to the spare router via Air's VPN port forwarding. However, the spare is not broadcasting any of the six SSIDs that it should, and while I can get a proper DHCP IP assignment when I plug any of my linux mint machines into any of the spare's ethernet ports, I cannot raise the GUI or obtain an ssh connection.

When I reset the spare's dd-wrt's config after the flash, I could see the default "dd-wrt" SSID, and at that stage I had no problem using an ethernet port to connect to the GUI and (after configuring ssh in the GUI, to connect via ssh, so it's not obviously a horrible hardware problem.

Paranoid aside (insert creepy music): the spare's metallic info plate on the bottom, has clearly been removed and reglued. One corner is visibly damaged, and the regluing left the plate a bit lumpy, like having uneven ground under a blanket.

Eventually I'll use an iPhone hotspot to get to the network to connect a computer to the spare's GUI / ssh via AirVPN, so that I can look more closely for anomalies.

But first, is any of this familiar to anyone? Are there actually two variants of the XR500? If so, do they take different builds? Is the Thailand/China disparity a known thing? Anyone else have trouble with the Chinese build? What's the deal with reversing the port numbering? (No reason to care, but it does point to a revised design.)

Is there some way to kick this Chinese XR500 into behaving itself?

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2x Netgear XR500 and 3x Linksys WRT1900ACSv2 on 53544: VLANs, VAPs, NAS, station mode, OpenVPN client (AirVPN), wireguard server (AirVPN port forward) and clients (AzireVPN, AirVPN, private), 3 DNSCrypt providers via VPN.
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Alozaros
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 16:41    Post subject: Reply with quote
nope i haven't seen or heard about those 2 yet...
but...i had a similar peculiar behaviour, when i restored my R7800 back up file to another brand new
R7800 that i had as a spare...it turned up with no radio broadcasting...in fact i never looked that
deep on those 2 units...i had at the time..but shortly...solution was reset and manual reconfigure..
Sadly i sold that brand new in the box R7800 unit...and got another R7800 as a spare (second hand)..
that had no problems to restore the back up...

i can guess your issue it was due either to different nvram bad blocks...or different radios ID's
or a little china spy eye inside Razz Razz

I do have some funny noises coming out from my current R7800 on heavy 2.4Ghz radio loads, that has been on heavy load more than 5-6 years now...but its ok...i opened it cleaned it added more thermal stuff to improve the cooling and its up and running..ambient temp its never too high and its wall mounted vertically...

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Atheros
TP-Link WR740Nv1 ---DD-WRT 55179 WAP
TP-Link WR1043NDv2 -DD-WRT 55303 Gateway/DoT,Forced DNS,Ad-Block,Firewall,x4VLAN,VPN
TP-Link WR1043NDv2 -Gargoyle OS 1.15.x AP,DNS,QoS,Quotas
Qualcomm-Atheros
Netgear XR500 --DD-WRT 55460 Gateway/DoH,Forced DNS,AP Isolation,4VLAN,Ad-Block,Firewall,Vanilla
Netgear R7800 --DD-WRT 55460 Gateway/DoT,AD-Block,Forced DNS,AP&Net Isolation,x3VLAN,Firewall,Vanilla
Netgear R9000 --DD-WRT 55363 Gateway/DoT,AD-Block,AP Isolation,Firewall,Forced DNS,x2VLAN,Vanilla
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Netgear R7000 --DD-WRT 55460 Gateway/SmartDNS/DoH,AD-Block,Firewall,Forced DNS,x3VLAN,VPN
NOT USING 5Ghz ANYWHERE
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Per Yngve Berg
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 17:47    Post subject: Reply with quote
Can they have been manufactured for different Regulatory Domains?
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 18:20    Post subject: Re: Chinese-built XR500 not digesting a Thai-built XR500 bac Reply with quote
Re-arranged content for proper logical context to respond Wink

SurprisedItWorks wrote:
My main router is a used Netgear XR500 that on the bottom says "Made in Thailand" and on the back numbers the LAN ports 4 3 2 1. I have just purchased a second used XR500 to serve as a spare router (among other uses) that on the bottom turns out to say "Made in China" and on the back numbers the LAN ports 1 2 3 4. They show the same FCC ID, model name, etc.
----
But first, is any of this familiar to anyone? Are there actually two variants of the XR500? If so, do they take different builds? Is the Thailand/China disparity a known thing? Anyone else have trouble with the Chinese build? What's the deal with reversing the port numbering? (No reason to care, but it does point to a revised design.)

I'm sure if you look hard enough, you will find a similar anomaly for the R7800 and possibly the XR450.
SurprisedItWorks wrote:
I have flashed the spare router with the same build as the main router, build 52369, and restored the main router's backed-up config to it (never powering them both on at the same time), for testing. I can see in my account at AirVPN that the spare establishes the proper VPN connections, and I can even connect ssh to the spare router via Air's VPN port forwarding. However, the spare is not broadcasting any of the six SSIDs that it should, and while I can get a proper DHCP IP assignment when I plug any of my linux mint machines into any of the spare's ethernet ports, I cannot raise the GUI or obtain an ssh connection.

When I reset the spare's dd-wrt's config after the flash, I could see the default "dd-wrt" SSID, and at that stage I had no problem using an ethernet port to connect to the GUI and (after configuring ssh in the GUI, to connect via ssh, so it's not obviously a horrible hardware problem.
-----
Is there some way to kick this Chinese XR500 into behaving itself?

Is this a rhetorical question? I think you've already discovered the answer.

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SurprisedItWorks
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 19:15    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi KP,

Indeed, I'm on the verge of attempting to restore Duma OS and returning the router. Figured I should check though whether this problem and it solution happened to fall into the category of things "well known to those who know them well."

At the very least, it would be useful to know whether next time I can just look for the China label and return it immediately without all the hassle of flashing/restoring and redoing Duma OS.

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2x Netgear XR500 and 3x Linksys WRT1900ACSv2 on 53544: VLANs, VAPs, NAS, station mode, OpenVPN client (AirVPN), wireguard server (AirVPN port forward) and clients (AzireVPN, AirVPN, private), 3 DNSCrypt providers via VPN.
dale_gribble39
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 20:01    Post subject: Reply with quote
Wonder if any are made in Vietnam since Foxconn has a manufacturing plant there.

https://vietnamdaily.ca/travel/made-in-vietnam-famous-brands-that-manufacture-in-vietnam/

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kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2023 17:54    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just a small bump update to this thread. This device is currently expected to arrive by 9PM today, but the fact that the status doesn't show any activity of being scanned at my local facility or post office leads me to the conclusion that it will be tomorrow at the earliest. Going to satisfy my curiosity on things already discussed regarding any possible differences in versions. This bit stands out, whether or not it sounds paranoid:
Quote:
Paranoid aside (insert creepy music): the spare's metallic info plate on the bottom, has clearly been removed and reglued. One corner is visibly damaged, and the regluing left the plate a bit lumpy, like having uneven ground under a blanket.

Leads me to speculate on the LAN port labeling. Will set this in the list of to-do's so we can hopefully find out some clarifying information. Of course, the usual sources of information all say that the XR450, XR500, and R7800 are all manufactured in China. Just goes to show you that you cannot believe everything you read on the Internet since we now know there are XR500s made in Thailand Rolling EyesLaughingCool

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blkt
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2023 19:20    Post subject: Reply with quote
Netgear has a history of moving production away from China, examples R7000 to Vietnam and R7800 to Thailand.
So this does not surprise me that XR500 or the Costco rebadge variant XR450 has gone through a similar process.

What does surprise me is port order 1 2 3 4 this is not right at all. Counterfeit? My R7800 China models = 4 3 2 1.
My Thailand model 4 3 2 1 as well. These are US region routers. Maybe region has something to do with it or fake.

Build quality description leads be to believe this is a counterfeit, or has been tampered with or poorly refurbished.

I've been searching images all XR500 results are 1 2 3 4 for this model. Really strange to have reversed it, again.
Okay final edit there are XR500 images 4 3 2 1. Blows my mind Netgear released XR500 two different port orders.
SurprisedItWorks
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2023 23:33    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quick update: My process is verified now, as I've acquired another used XR500, this one Thai (as is my primary XR500), to use as my spare. Flashing and restoring the primary-router backup file was smooth and without incident, and the new (old/used) spare router is now running as the household router, as an extended test. Logs look great. (Random aside: The OpenVPN connection process to an AirVPN server a few hundred miles away logged in at less than two seconds. Never seen it connect so quickly!)

So the Chinese XR500 really was funky somehow.

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2x Netgear XR500 and 3x Linksys WRT1900ACSv2 on 53544: VLANs, VAPs, NAS, station mode, OpenVPN client (AirVPN), wireguard server (AirVPN port forward) and clients (AzireVPN, AirVPN, private), 3 DNSCrypt providers via VPN.
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