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Forum Discussion
Ongoing WiFi problems with Orbi and Apple -- About to pull the plug
I'm at my kitchen table writing this from my laptop connected to my cell phone hotspot because Orbi kicked me off the network again. I am at my wits end. Moving from the Nighthawk R7000 to the Orbi was a major downgrade for me and I cannot imagine what the heck is going.
I am running an Orbi RBK30 with 2 sat units. Wired networking works flawlessly in my house, but WiFi is a mess.
Basically there are two problems that I see -- one is "connected but dead" where WiFi stays connected but bandwidth goes to zero. Often, disconecting and the re-connecting fixes this. The other problem (that I am having at this moment) is getting kicked off of the WiFi and then not being able to reconnect -- more precisely, the Mac says "no internet" and looks like it is not getting an IP address from DHCP. I have observed this on my MBPro, my AppleTV, my iPhone X and my iMac.
It's a mess.
Anyone else seeing this? Of couse, I am running the latest firmware. I'd post the version, but I can't connect to my WiFi with my Mac or my cell at the moment.
I've attached a screenshot of the Mac WiFi info. As you can see, WiFi is connected but the Mac did not get an IP address -- so it is using the fake private address in the 169 A Class. My network is 10.0.0.255
Any thoughts appreciated. I am seriously considering a move to Linksys tomorrow. The people that live with me (my wife and kids) expect the internet to "just work" -- which is why I invested in Orbi in the first place.
Thanks,
Mark
18 Replies
- Do you, perhaps, have ADVANCED > Security > Access Control enabled?
Maybe try a factory reset in case the settings are corrupted.
Otherwise, return it. Do you run the Orbi in AP or router mode? In AP mode, clients get their DHCP address from an upstream server/router, but in router mode, the DHCP responses comes directly from the Orbi.
Mine is is router mode - I've not had any problems with DHCP so far with Mac, iOS, or Windows clients.
Should have mentioned that -- I am in router mode.
Looks like I am having problems very similar to those in another thread that seem to be the result of Orbi firmware v2.1.1.16
Ah, yes. I'm on V2.0.0.76 and have (hopefully) disabled auto-updates. You might want to consider downgrading for the time being and see if that helps.
I had an issue with my MacBook pros not responding, having to turn wifi off/on to solve it. I did an online chat with NetGear and here’s what worked:
Go to orbilogin.com. I copied/pasted the text of what the person sent to me by the person on the chat:
At this moment, I do suggest the following:
A) Change the Channel of the Orbi's WiFi. Select 11, 9,6, or 1 for 2.4GHz and 48 or 44 for 5GHz. Apply to have your changes take effect. Then, observe the connection.
B) Change the MTU Size under WAN Setup page to 1492, 1450 and 1400. The observe the connection.
C) Disable both Enable Implicit BEAMFORMING - Boosts WiFi speed, reliability, & range for all mobile devices and Enable MU-MIMO under Wireless Settings. Observe. You can also enable these then also observe the connection again.
D) Make sure the firmware of the router and satellite are both updated.
E) Power off the satellite and leave the router the only device powered on. Connect to the network then observe.Changing the channel is under advanced, setup, wireless setup. ( I changed mine to 6 for 2.4 and 44 for 5ghz)Changing MTU is found under advanced, setup, WAN settingsDisabling the others are under advanced, advanced settings, wirelessThis worked for me. I have the latest firmware and the only issue I seem to have is improper reporting of what’s connected to the satellites. Other than that, it’s humming along (RBK43, 2 satellites).Good luck.- Don't use channel 9. Stick to either 1, 6 or 11.
Unless you are using PPP, there is no need to touch the MTU. Leave it at 1500. If you like, you can run ping tests to determine the optimal MTU:
https://kb.netgear.com/19863/Ping-Test-to-determine-Optimal-MTU-Size-on-Router
DudeDad wrote:I had an issue with my MacBook pros not responding, having to turn wifi off/on to solve it. I did an online chat with NetGear and here’s what worked:
...Unfortunately, netgear is still using the same script for every problem. This is the same chat I had with them months back when I updated to a V 1.x firmware at that time that was producing disconnects all the time. I ended up turning off UPNP which actually solved the problem after noticing UPNP connection issues preceeding the disconnects.
None of these suggestions actually dealt directly with your issue. I've had stability on 2.1.1.16 for about a week before I noticed some of my devices where not getting internet though they were connected on Wifi. After a router reboot they will work again for another week I suspect. I do think netgear really messed up something in this latest firmware and I am hoping they come out with an update that really overhauls this.
Worth noting that I did not have this disconnect issue at 2.0.0.74. So at this point I think I'll just reboot once a week and wait for the update.
Yep -- I did not want to be negative or imply that I did not appreciate DudeDad's reply -- I really do. But all of this "change the channel generic india call center script stuff" is clearly not going to solve whatever underlying problem Netgear has with this router.
I did get a good laugh out of the MTU stuff....took me back to the good old days of PPPOE and RS232.
It's really a bummer -- I like netgear and have recommended them so many times. I hope their management will see their way clear to give the Orbi team the needed resources to address this quickly.
It's completely valid that for some people the issue they are having disappears after going through the netgear support script just by sheer chance. I've seen many posts from people who it just doesn't work. I think it's just chance, as I think your issues would just as likely have disappeared if you had just reloaded the same firmware or an earlier firmware. That is what I have observed on the forums.
- I don’t know if this helps, but I noticed the following: if I try to to access the web interface configuration interface with an iOS device, especially using the default IP address of the router, I found that the iOS device had its IP address bizarrely corrupted. All the other devices had typical dhcp addresses, like 192.168.1.x, but suddenly it was something like 254.169.x.x. Very weird, but whatever caused it, that’ll definitely screw with your connection. I’m inclined to think there’s something wrong with Apple’s stack, since so many complaints concern Apple devices.
Cycollins Anytime you see that 169.254.X.X it means your device wasn't able to pull an IP address from your DHCP server, whether that be a router or otherwise. The same rules apply in the enterprise space as well. It's called an APIPA address. Hope it helps in the future!
- I have the same issue too. I can connect my iPhone X thru my WiFi network. But when I open any apps on my phone, my modem and router rebooted. It kept disconnecting, which I have to turn off my WiFi to function properly. Then what’s the point to get this router. I hope Netgear can resolve my problem.
What FW is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the IP modem the Orbi is connected too?
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials.What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?
Try disabling the following and see:
MIMO, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).
CkKc wrote:
I have the same issue too. I can connect my iPhone X thru my WiFi network. But when I open any apps on my phone, my modem and router rebooted. It kept disconnecting, which I have to turn off my WiFi to function properly. Then what’s the point to get this router. I hope Netgear can resolve my problem.
