Firmware V1.12.0.18 Discussion

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nxc wrote:
I am using a VLAN tagged gigabit connection.

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Yep, and having the same issue as me. 

Most likely you are right, I deffinately dont like my access points doing my routing, but for a home unit there shouldnt be these types of problems.

Well, after trying out several different routers over the past couple of weeks, I've finally settled on my Orbi replacement.  When I first purchased the Orbi, it was fantastic and I was very pleased with it.  Then, the firmware update(s), which I won't go into because they're well documented in this forum.  I finally found one that works - Eero.  Plugged it in, set up the (TRUE) mesh network in a matter of about seven minutes, and it has been smooth sailing ever since.  The Orbi router and satellites are in the basement, awaiting something that I hear on this forum that will actually fix things - not holding my breath on that.  When a functional update happens, I'll flash it and then sell it on E-Bay.  I'm not about to sell them in the conditiion that they're in right now.  But for those of you looking for a solution to your WiFi woes - the Eero did it for me.

how do the speeds comapre with orbi? I tried the velop and got between 100Mbps - 200Mbps up/down less than with orbi

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cinek wrote:

how do the speeds comapre with orbi? I tried the velop and got between 100Mbps - 200Mbps up/down less than with orbi

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I've always heard that the velop has been slower than Orbi, as a rule I have always found that Linksys products in general seem to be a tad bit slower than other makers routers

I've also read that but I wasn't expecting such a big difference 

So i am happy to report that with the current beta firmware my issues are gone.  I have waited 5 days before reporting just ot make sure i had no other gremlins. I have conducted 4 reboots and still have excelent throughput to all devices , wireless and wired, connected to both the main and satellite unit.

• My Orbi is in AP mode connected to an Untangled UTM router
• I have a 300/15 Mbps internet connection and get on avg 240/10 Mbps on both satelite and base orbi units with QOS enabled on my UT router.
• I have the guest network turned on (which btw is a VLAN internal to the Orbi)
• I have 20+ devices connected  on avg.

The secret sauce for me was doing a full factory reset before (1.12) and after i flashed the router with the beta firmware (2.0) .  I suggest anyone having issues, open a ticket and get the level 2 rep to send you the beta firmware.

thanks for letting us know. That does sound promising. Hopefully v2 will be out soon.

edit: what's the full version of the beta firmware you have? Is it 2.0.0.64?

2.0.0.66

thanks, that seems newer that what we've seen in the past 

Sunday is automatic firmware upgrade day.  My router and two satellites were upgraded v1.12.0.18.  One of them is not showing in the webGUI as a satellite.  I have tried doing a factory reset and resyncing with no luck.

This product is starting to annoy me more and more.

Did you just get your Orbi?  if not,  i am surpised they didnt update well before Sunday. 

I suggest you manually update the Satelite via its own web UI first , then do the main Orbi via its own webUI next, then resync if the sateleite doesnt find the main unit after a few minutes.

I have had it for a couple months.  Have always downgraded as v1.12.0.18 has horrible performance.  I lose 50% in performance with it on my wireless devices.

i would seriouly consider giving netgear a call and try the beta.  If not then i would telnet in and update the vram to prevent the FW updates after you roll back to  1.11.... 

I had similar issues with throughput with 1.12 but after a really clean reset (as stated in my prior post) and a hard reboot every sunday night at midnight (i have both devices pluged into smart outlets so its automated) , the only issue i was left with was my Samsung S8+ would always drop its connection.  The beta has sorted this and i have no issues thus far

Actually, I installed an eero (one gateway + two beacons) in my home after reading about all the latest firmware problems on this forum. I got coverage all over my house, but the very best I could hope for from the wireless beacons was 60% of the gateway speed (almost 140 Mbps, compared to the 230 Mbps for which I pay Comcast an arm and a leg). I also found that roaming with iOS devices was quite problematic; my 9.7" iPad Pro, in particular, tended to switch around in border regions and then just disconnect. Support was readily available and pleasant, but not especially helpful with the iOS issues.

I ended up returning the eero and purchasing an Orbi RBK50 with my fingers crossed. To my surprise, it is working well with the 1.12.0.18 firmware. I have only about 18 devices on my network, including a number of wired devices (connected to both both router and satellite) and a number of 2.4 GHz wireless HomeKit-connected devices, printer, Sonos in Boost mode, plus iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, etc. The router and satellite are only about 30 feet away in my current setup, with the router connecting to everything on the 2nd floor and the satellite connecting to everything on the first floor and in the basement. I get about 230 Mbps all over the house with devices that can connect on the 5 GHz band, which is twice the eero speed away from my cable modem (Surfboard SB6141) and router. I haven't had any roaming issues. I guess you just have to try both systems and see how they work in your environment.

Is anyone who is reporting success with the latest beta actually using the routing functions of their Orbi? 

It's seems madness to me to purchase a $500 Orbi kit and only use it as an access point when you could have acheived the same by adding a second, much cheaper, WiFi router to your existing setup. Especially those with internet connections which are unable to take advantage of Orbi's backhaul.

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scornwell wrote:

Is anyone who is reporting success with the latest beta actually using the routing functions of their Orbi? 

 

It's seems madness to me to purchase a $500 Orbi kit and only use it as an access point when you could have acheived the same by adding a second, much cheaper, WiFi router to your existing setup. Especially those with internet connections which are unable to take advantage of Orbi's backhaul.

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I am using it in AP mode.  I installed 2.0.0.64 from the link that was posted and have seen significant improvements to my wireless speed.  When connected wirelessly to a sattelite my Ipad went from getting 58-62Mbps down to getting 220Mbps on my 300MB connection, consistantly.  I am also seeing less drops though the jury is still out if those are resolved completely.

I am still curious about a hardwired backhaul to the satelites which I thought would be available in this version.  I have not tested if it is at this time.

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scornwell wrote:

Is anyone who is reporting success with the latest beta actually using the routing functions of their Orbi? 

 

It's seems madness to me to purchase a $500 Orbi kit and only use it as an access point when you could have acheived the same by adding a second, much cheaper, WiFi router to your existing setup. Especially those with internet connections which are unable to take advantage of Orbi's backhaul.

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Netgear just added a new extender that uses the Orbi backhaul as a model that should give similar results to the Orbi when used with a router with 3 radios. I've tried many AP's in the past, and without the extra radios and dedicated bandwidth of the Orbi, never had good enough results. On the other hand, the Orbi as an AP gives me full strength, full speed wireless all over my house. Had the new Netgear extender been available when I got the Orbi, I would have tried it despite not having a 3-radio router. Even with two radios in the router, the dedicated backhaul radio in the new extender would be helpful.

Anyways, I don't disagree that it's crazy, but it works so well *smile*...

Both are fair answers, but the target market for this device seems to be the non-technical, not people who are likely to set up a dedicated router. Though I guess they're the same people who will be quite happy plugging this into their ISPs router, so maybe I'm the odd one out here!

There's no denying Orbi has a fantastic backhaul when it's all working correctly. 

you need to raise a support ticket and ask for it

Can you tell me how to create a support ticket and ask for the beta firmware if I'm past my complimentary 90 day support?  thanks in advance......

https://www.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx

If you are beyond the 90 day you will need to purchase support.  I think its the Gearhead option.

I'd like to know what magical routing capabilities you're looking for in a home router that can't be filled by the Orbi. I went from an R7000 running XWRT (and prior to that DD-WRT) to the Orbi and I've not missed any routing duties that the R7000 was doing.

Now if you're runnig a home lab or a very complex network then maybe but if you are, the majority of consumer hardware is probably not for you.

Using the Orbi as an AP seems like a huge waste of money.