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Orbi drops wifi for iPad Pro, iPhone 7 and Macbook Pro intermittently
Running 1.4.0.34 on both main Orbi and sattelite (main and sattelite are on different floors with wall between, perhaps 20-25 feet distance straight line).
I generally have "5 bars" of Wifi on all devices and a stable good connection, but I am seeing random wifi disconnects on all three mentioned devices (all running latest officially release Apple software - and all of them were rock solid with my previous Wifi and never dropped out). The iPad is wifi-only as is the Macbook Pro. My desktop iMac connected over ethernet seems to work ok though.
Searching here on the forum there seems to have been similar issues in the past with old firmware versions, I just want to bring up that this is still very much actual with 1.4.0.34 and I would be happy to provide debug information, but there arent much interesting in the log.
Anyone else having the same problems? Is Netgear on top of this, seems like a basic hygiene factor to not randomly drop the wifi connection.
The devices do reconnect after (a double-digit) number of seconds, but practically the connection is lost a few times per day causing a hickup.
Hello Everyone
We have release firmware version 1.12.0.18 this firmware has fixes for disconnects and many more I posted the release notes below.
https://kb.netgear.com/000044171/RBR50-Firmware-Version-1-12-0-18
If you are still having issues after updating your Orbi unit you may want to factory reset the Orbi and test again. If you are still having disconnect issues or other issues with this firmware please create a new thread or contact our support team.
http://www.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx
Thanks
DarrenM
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I have the RBR40 backhaul graph but don't know how to upload here.
You are welcome BobertSaget. No sure what this means. Too bad that I was not able to do this before installing beta FW. Would be interesting to compare.
http://imageshack.com/a/img923/7896/zSzYnc.png
Here is another graph with scan interval set to L0 (last one was L2).
- Thanks again. I think it's pretty safe to assume this is probably affecting every single Orbi Router. The interesting part will be trying to figure out why it's happening and how some users/devices are affected by connection drops and others like you aren't.
Does anyone know of a way to track a device's Wi-Fi connection and see when it is either switching bands or switching to a different access point? Thankfully there are a bunch of brilliant people in these threads with a ton of networking experience. I think the more examples we can collect the better.BobertSaget,
For those of us who lack this background, how are you interpreting the backhaul graphs from Dr. Cal? What is that telling us?
Thanks,
John
- Hi John, I also have a limited background in this but I know there are others on these boards who are experts.
All I know is that a Wi-Fi signal is not supposed to drop like that. It is clearly unstable and there appears to no logical frequency, trigger, or length to the drops. Myself and many others have frequent disconnect issues especially coming from the satellite which gets it's data completely through this backhaul.
There has not been a single posting that shows a stable backhaul and Netgear is being completely silent about it.
If the backhaul is supposed to drop like that, or if it has nothing to do with the disconnect issues, I wish Netgear would just let us know so we can move on and try to find the true root cause.I have Orbi on an extensive mostly apple system. I have no drops, and do heavy backhaul (wireless video from both hdhomerun and DVR). The MPEG2 is uncompressed from broadcast, and the remainder is 10 mbps. Not only do I have no drops, but I've never seen the wireless network approach capacity.
I wonder if some Orbi hardware is bad. I have a electrically noisy house with old wiring, wire lath walls, and an extensive zwave network in an urban environment. There are many wifi netowrks with 100 feet of my system. There is no way my system works because it operates in a pristine environment.
If I had many drops I would return the system.
@BobertSaget wrote:
Hi John, I also have a limited background in this but I know there are others on these boards who are experts.
All I know is that a Wi-Fi signal is not supposed to drop like that. It is clearly unstable and there appears to no logical frequency, trigger, or length to the drops. Myself and many others have frequent disconnect issues especially coming from the satellite which gets it's data completely through this backhaul.
There has not been a single posting that shows a stable backhaul and Netgear is being completely silent about it.
If the backhaul is supposed to drop like that, or if it has nothing to do with the disconnect issues, I wish Netgear would just let us know so we can move on and try to find the true root cause.I too would like for Netgear to let us know.
I believe most WiFi scanner apps send a broadcast "probe request" then use the response packet(s) back from nearby AP(s) to determine the RSSI. So, I believe the only thing the spotty graphs prove is that the Orbi is not responding to every "probe request" from WiFi sanning devices. This could be because the backhaul radio is bad. Or, it could be by design, because the backhaul is not designed for client connections.
Unless Netgear explains how it's supposed to work, we don't know.
My HDHomeRun Connect is hardwired to the Orbi satellite in the attic along with with the over the air antenna. It has two tuners and streams uncompressed video to the DVR.
I just ordered an Orbi system from Amazon and it is setting at my front door. Reading the posts I am worndering if I should unbox the units or just return them. I have several MAC Book Pros and other Apple devices in the house working now. Thoughts??
If I'd seen this before buying mine I wouldn't have bothered!
Spend most of my time at home on an iPad (as do wife and kids) and the frequent drops even if they only last 10 seconds or less are mighty annoying!
The lack of input from Netgear is disappointing.
Two MacBook Pros, iPad, iPhones, Android, Sonos, Rasperry Pi's, etc. here. Zero problems with Orbi.
Full range of Apple devices here, and no problems with Orbi. Better performance than previous Airport Extreme routers. We keep Apple devices on current versions of OS, which I highly recommend. Some Nest products and other IoT devices seem to have issues, especially older versions of these products.
Olots,
Check the forums for other competing products and see what you think. They all seem to have some issues. Some seem to have more issues than others with specific devices.
Sames issues as reported on this thread. Maximum time before failure, 12 hours: Minimum time before failure, less than 10 minutes. About an hour with TS. Sent replacement from NETGEAR. Firmware version: V1.10.1.2
Got a replacement from NETGEAR. Operating in the Access Point Mode behind a COMWORST router. My network schema is not the home standard of 192.168.1.x. During the advanced setup to change to AP mode, the default choice is automatic with a warning that static is not recommended. The first time around of setup on the replacement, I selected automatic. It failed within minutes, rather than hours. I reset the router to factory and started again. This time I chose static in the AP mode, setting it as a static node on the network, as I have done with other routers that I hacked into the AP mode. I have taken the satellite out of the equation. My theory is that the router in the auto AP mode loses its lease from the Master COMWORST router and kills the connection. If my theory is correct, I'll set up the satellites and see how long that lasts. Will report back.
So much for that theory. I changed my SSID back to Orbi10. Same result. Obviously, this product is not ready for prime time. It's outta here!
MAC,
Having two routers makes things more complicated, for no added value. If you are going to pay for the Comcast router (monthly), can't you just get simple wireless access points (like Ubiquiti WAPs) to extend it? Or, ditch the Comcast router and get a simple cable modem and the Orbi or other router/ mesh system.
ML
It's probably best to turn off DHCP and wifi on the comcast cable modem. Let the new router do DHCP.
Better yet, ruturn the comcast device and buy a cable modem like the Netgear CM300. I have no choice but to use Comcast for internet, but I have none of their equipment in my house.
It is simple to provision most modems on comcast without tech support. The only trick is to log into the new modem as admin before going to the comcast provisioning page.
At last the time have come, enjoy everyone:
https://kb.netgear.com/000038846/RBR50-RBS50-Firmware-Version-1-11-0-20
The first link is to an incorrect older version, it should be:
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBK50/RBR50-V1.11.0.20.zip
and
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBK50/RBS50-V1.11.0.20.zip
Having run an earlier version of this firmware I have good reason to believe this will finally sort this issue out. Now for validation!
Yes! I'm cautiously optimistic. Do let us know how it goes, those who are affected.
But, gotta say, that changelog is worse than "bug fixes and improvements". This literally just translates to "you are now running the latest version". What a "bug fix", hahaha.---
And solid catch on the links--that's a definite slip-up. But, I guess they assume most people will be auto-updated.Unfortunately, see the related firmware thread, the latest update does not contain the relevant fixes... Unexpected, but the wait is back...
- Having the same issue. Believe the problem is going to be ios unable to chose from 2.4 or 5 based on signal strength so it bounces back and forth. Had the same issue with another router and assigning different SSIDs to each cleared the issue. Adding an option to be able to assign 2.4 & 5 different SSIDs would be the fix here also. Returning my unit, may think about getting it again if that feature is added.
Try dropping the power way down on the 2.4GHz band.
- I've tried that, you're just going to run into the same issue in different locations. I tested it in my old router by setting up matching SSIDs, it has a roaming feature that would fix it but it's easier to just have separate IDs. I also like knowing what's connected to what.... I don't want my firetv to connect to 2.4 because it's slightly stronger than 5 based on its location.
Hello Everyone
We have release firmware version 1.12.0.18 this firmware has fixes for disconnects and many more I posted the release notes below.
https://kb.netgear.com/000044171/RBR50-Firmware-Version-1-12-0-18
If you are still having issues after updating your Orbi unit you may want to factory reset the Orbi and test again. If you are still having disconnect issues or other issues with this firmware please create a new thread or contact our support team.
http://www.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx
Thanks
DarrenM