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Solved
Adding RBS40 to existing RB50 Network trouble
I currently have an AC3000 tri band RB50 wireless network at home. It consists of the following: (1) RBR50 Router (2) RBS50 Satellites This system works great and has no issues. I am att...
There are two potential issues.
- There were reports YEARS ago that the "Add Orbi Satellite" process in the RBR50 product had a programming flaw. When three satellites were connected, the process would not add a fourth satellite. The solution (at that time) was to
- temporarily power off one of the satellites. (this causes the status in Attached Devices to change to Disconnected and suggests removing it (ignore that)
- perform the Add Orbi Satellite process.
- after adding the 4th satellite, restore power to the one that had been temporarily powered off.
- to add a 5th satellite, temporarily power off two satellites. add the 5th. power back on.
- the person who posted this claimed to have a total of six satellites on the RBR50 router. - The newer (AX) Orbi systems appear to be unable to connect when the router and satellite are not on the same firmware release. (I do not recall this issue ever being raised prior to the AX products.) If the solution above does not work, it might be worth manually loading firmware v2.7.5.6 on the used RBS40 satellites. That is a tedious and complicated process:
- download the RBS40 firmware file and unpack the zip file
- connect the RBS40 satellite and a computer with an Ethernet cable
- change the computer to a Static IP address in 192.168.1.x with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (I pick 192.168.1.1 - for no reason)
- power up the satellite
- hold a paperclip in the 'Reset' hole for at least 15 seconds
- when the satellite boots up, open a web browser to 192.168.1.250
- this should open the satellite web management page.
- use the satellite menu Firmware Update to manually load the image file to the satellite
- after the satellite has the new firmware, it can be powered off.
- do any other satellites
- after satellites are completed, return computer to normal DHCP setting (no more Static IP)
- Now, go through the Add Orbi Satellite process
- There were reports YEARS ago that the "Add Orbi Satellite" process in the RBR50 product had a programming flaw. When three satellites were connected, the process would not add a fourth satellite. The solution (at that time) was to
Since your RBR50 system is working well, the issue with adding the RBS40 satellite is likely due to a firmware mismatch or the satellite still being linked to its original router. To fix this, first do a proper factory reset on the RBS40 by holding the reset button for about 10 seconds until the LED turns amber. Then, connect it directly to your RBR50 router using an Ethernet cable. This often helps the router recognize and add the satellite more reliably, especially when mixing different Orbi models. Wait a few minutes—sometimes they’ll sync automatically, but you can also press the Sync button on both units to initiate pairing. If it still doesn’t connect, the RBS40 may need a firmware update to match your RBR50's version (V2.7.5.6). You can do this by accessing the RBS40 directly through a web browser while connected via Ethernet