Optimal settings for Orbi RBK753S

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PanchoB wrote:
Looking for the best settings for my Orbi. My iPhones, and Apple TV like to disconnect every once in a while and show “no internet connection” for a few minutes, then back to normal. Also notice some of my devices will connect to the main router versus the closest satellite which makes for a weak connection, and bad streaming. Just looking for the optimal advanced settings to help minimize this. I have one router, and 2 satellites. One satellite is hardwired.

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The "AX" Orbi models have different options than the original Orbi models, so posting the question in the AX community forum may attract the attention of someone familiar with your product:  Some of the options we talk about in this forum may not apply to the AX product.

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/bd-p/en-home-orbi-ax 

Devices not connecting where we damn well know they should is an enduring problem for many brands of mesh systems, including Orbi.  There are 802.11 standards which provide ways for devices to select the best WiFi access point and to select another when it finds a better one.  Unfortunately, it is up to the device (and the engineers who programmed it) to implement the protocols correctly.  As a general observation, devices that are (a) more costly and (b) intended to be moved around have the most sophisticated WiFi implementations. (laptops, tablets, phones).  Devices that are (a) as cheap as can be and (b) not intended to move often have less sophisticated programming. (TV's, thermostats, smart plugs, smart speakers, light bulbs, etc.)

One phenomenon seems to happen a lot: when a mesh system powers up (such as after a power failure), the router comes up first and begins broadcasting the WiFi SSID first.  Some devices "see" a WiFi SSID that they know, connect to it, and quit looking.  When a satellite in the same room begins broadcasting, they just do not pay attention. The solution can be to power that device off and back on again, or to "forget" the Orbi SSID and configure the device again.  This is not convenient at all and really annoying.  It is also the reason I put all of my networking gear on small UPS's.  If a power outage goes past 30 minutes, my network goes offline, but a short interruption causes no interruption in the WiFi signal.  (The ISP modem may lose signal when the cable system powers off, but that inivolves only the router, not where individual devices are connected.)

As an example, the RBR40V (voice) Orbi in my garage got new firmware this week, which caused the unit to reboot. Immediately after it came back on line, half of the devices that had been connected to it had connected to other Orbi units.

There is no command or setting in the Orbi to dictate which unit a specific device connects to.  There are sometimes heated discussions on the forum about what Netgear could or should do when manufacturers sell products that do not follow standard protocols.  (The ongoing clamor to be able to assign different SSID's to the 2.4G and 5G WiFi channels is one.)  It would make life easier for a relatively small number of customers if Netgear find a way to program the system to force connections (probably by MAC address).  But, they have not and there is no indication that they every will.