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Forum Discussion
Orbi Ethernet Backhaul causing broadcast storm
I have just upgraded my Orbi router and satellites to V2.1.1.12 hoping to take advantage of the recent Ethernet backhaul feature. I use the Orbi router as my main router with a 24 port switch servic...
I have the same issue with ethernet backhaul if I plug both satelites in, I currently have just one and it's working fine. Though I can't verfiy anything since my device/sat count is zero so I'm only guessing it's working over ethernet.
I did some experiments by creating a seperate VLAN for the satelites and plugging another cable from the router into the switch on that VLAN. This worked as far as allowing Internet Access but it didn't allow WI-FI devices to talk to other hard wired systems on the same subnet but on a different VLAN, which tells me the satelite isn't backhauling all traffic to the router but dropping local traffic onto the switch.
I also thought spanning tree was an issue since pluggin the Ethernet cable in does create a loop so I disabled spanning tree on all my switches, also didn't help anything.
At this point I've also given up on the ethernet backhaul feature. There needs to be more info on how the environment needs to be configured, the KB as is is pretty useless, unless you can homerun your sats to the router, which I can't without pulling more cable that I don't want to, that's why I have switches..
tcommander I've moved on to Eero and it's been absolutely rock solid. A truly set and forget wifi setup and I'm getting excellent speeds in all corners of my house. Orbi is still a little faster in certain areas but the stability of Eero is a huge winner for me.
The only thing I miss is that Eero has no web GUI (you have a to use an app on your phone/tablet to manage the route). The other bummer is some of the advanced features available on Orbi (security logs, VPN hosting, etc) are not available on Eero.
But it appears that I'll be sticking with Eero. I'm happy with it. Setup was a breeze and I've literally had zero reboots or issues since getting up and running.
turnerm05 thanks for the feedback. I have my packing slip printed to return the Orbi and Linksys Velop on it's way. I looked at Eero closely. My home is wired for ethernet in every room with home runs to a central closet in my bonus room. Since i have that capability I ruled out Eero for the lack of ethernet ports and subsequently lacking wired backhaul. Linksys Velo and Google Wifi (Significant performance improvements with wired connections) actually were my top considerations with that in mind based on the review posted in this thread also along with the small net builder reviews and rankings. TP-Link caught my attention but once I researched the performance speeds of it I opted to stick with my initial choice of Linksys (Despite it's much higher cost).
And for the record wired backhaul is not the issue for me as discussed in this thread. I only have one satellite and when I did wired backhaul last night things seem to function properly (But I have no switch in my connection). My issue is that my Pixel on the network reboots the router and subsequently takes 100% of my network devices offline. I can't live with that (I could live with no wired backhaul). So back the Orbi goes. And to be fail the issue sounds like it is with the Pixel phones (or Android 8.0/8.1) but the way Netgear Orbi handles that issue is not ok compared to other solutions.
tcommander Eero supports wired backhaul. Originally this wasn't supported but now it is. I'm running two of my units (gateway and one other) on a wired backhaul connection with 3 other units running wirelessly. Performance has been flawless.
I wish the Eero units had more ethernet ports on the back but this is easily solved with a cheap switch.
The Velop system should work well for you though - best of luck!