Are there diagnostic software tools for capturing error logs or device time outs on an ORBI RBR20

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TBB611 wrote:

 I'm curious if there are any diagnostic utilities for the Orbi that can show me logs...when devices have attached and when they've dropped off.  I'm trying to narrow down the time frame for when the system drops off line.

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The Orbi RBR20 does not have as many diagnostic tools as the (way more expensive) RBR50.  However, the Orbi does keep a log of when devices request a DHCP address.  On the Orbi web interface, Advanced Tab, Administration, Logs, Orbi records every time an IP address was assigned to a device using DHCP.  If the device has truly "disconnected", then when it wakes up it should request an IP address and that will show up in the log.

However, this says nothing about when the device "went away."  Orbi does not care if a devices goes hours without sending or receiving any packets.  Also, the Orbi assigns IP addresses for 24 hours, and devices are supposed to "renew" them when the lease is 50% expires.  So, it is entirely normal to see every device connected to the Orbi get an IP address every 12 hours.  Things that get turned on and off (cellphones, tablets), usually get a lease every time they power up.

There are software tools that will check periodically to see if a device is responding, from very simple "send a ping once a minute and see if it comes back" to elaborate, "open this web page and see if it returns this specific set of characters."  A lot depends on:

• The software platforms available to you.
  (Do you have a Windows PC?  an Apple PC?  neither?)
• Does the device respond to connections, or is it 'silent'?
  (If a device responds to "ping" requests (technically ICMP packets), and you have a Windows computer, there are several programs which will send a ping as often as you want and will record the results in a file you can examine later.  The one I like is "hrping" from cFos software.  For example, it could send one ping every minute (6000ms).  I am sure there are similar programs for Mac's, but I have no experience with any.)
• If the device does not respond to local connections, the problem becomes more complicated.  Almost all of these "Internet of Things" (IoT) devices open a connecction to the "Cloud", which is what allows their smartphone app to reach them.  Orbi knows exactly which connections are open at any one time.  You could come up with a routine to telnet into the Orbi, run the open connections command, filter out only connections for the one device, and repeat over time.
• There are sophisticated server monitoring systems, such as PRTG Network Monitor, which has a free version. (It runs on Windows.)

First step is to look at the Orbi log and see when the device gets an IP address.