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Forum Discussion
Devices not connecting to Orbi RBK13 Satellite
Hi, I recently purchased a NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Mesh WiFi System (RBK13) 1 Router & 2 Satellites. Installed the Orbi app and followed all the steps for setup of this new system. I put one of s...
BabaOrbi wrote:
The Network map on the Orbi map shows both the satellties and none of the satellite shows any devices connected.
What is the best way of getting the devices connected to satellites?
The way WiFi networking is engineered, the device scans the radio spectrum looking for WiFi access points and exchanges "management frames" with each to determine which access point seems to be the "best fit". The device then issues a connection request.
(This process is a bit technical. For example, this explanation: https://netbeez.net/blog/how-wifi-connection-works/ The point is that it is the device that asks to connect.)
The discussion is further complicated because the people who engineered the WiFi software in devices made lots of different choices. Devices that are clearly intended to be mobile (phone, tablets, laptops) usually scan the WiFi networks almost constantly looking for indications that a different access point would be a better connection. Devices that are definitely not intended to move around (TV's, refrigerators, garage door openers, security cameras, speakers) may 'stick' on whatever WiFi access point they connect to and quit looking. Nobody publishes details about how their device is programmed.
The best way to get devices connected to a satellite is to:
- Have the device closer to the satellite than the other Orbi units.
- "Forget" the Orbi WiFi in the device network settings.
- When the list of available WiFi networks refreshes, select the Orbi SSID, enter the password, and connect.
Device connections do not update instantly on the Orbi Attached Devices web page or on the Orbi 'app'. (It can take several minutes.)
Are there any other devices which can be (temporarily) relocated close to one of the satellites? Maybe a Nest Mini or Amazon Echo Dot, Sonos One, etc. What happens when one of them is relocated and plugged in? Are there any portable devices that can be connected to WiFi using WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) See page 15 of the User Manual:
https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBK12/RBK12_13_14_UM_EN.pdf
Instead of using the WPS (which labelled 'sync') button on the router, use the WPS button on the satellite.