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Orbi Limiting bandwidth wired and wireless
Hi all, I'm having a strange issue with my recently purchased RBR50 and I can't seem to run down what the culprit is.
My ISP is Spectrum and I'm on their 400 down plan. I'm using the generic modem they provided as I didn't have to pay for it and I'm not renting it. The product sticker on the bottom doesn't have a model name, but says it's manufactured by "Hitron"? It doesn't appear to have router functionality but I could be wrong.
I can consistently get 500+ when wired directly to the modem. When I connect it to my RBR50, wired and wireless speeds never push past ~90mbps. The connection status shows the WAN port at 100M/Full. I have tested this with the provided cat5e cable and three other cat5e cables of from different manufacturers. I have not yet tested with cat6.
I have factory reset the device 3 times. I have enabled/disable mu-mimo/fast roaming/beam forming and daisy-chaining. While these speeds are acceptable I guess, I'd prefer to get closer to what I'm paying for (especially considering how expensive this system is).
The disconnect appears to be between the modem and the router as it pertains to negotiating the link speed, but what I can't figure out is if the modem is smart enough to tell the difference between a client and a router or if the Orbi is downgrading the connection speed (and if it is, why?).
- For the curious (@furrye38), replacing the rbr50 and cable seems to have done the trick. Bear in mind that I did test 4 or 5 cat5e/cat6 cables prior to replacing the unit.
22 Replies
Would need to find out the model # of the modem if possible to check to see if it has a built in router or not. You can check the internet status page under advanced to see if the RBR is getting a 192.168 or maybe a 10.something IP address on the WAN port, if so, then there is a router at the modem. If the WAN reports a ##.##.###.### IP address, then there probably isn't a router at the modem.
What Firmware is currently loaded?
After the factory reset, did you enable QoS, Traffic Meter or any Acess Controls, like Circle or Armor?
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 when wirelessly connected.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 enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings
While disabling the following and see:
Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).Ok, I can find out exactly what model number it is. I remember looking last night and not seeing anything I would easily identify as a model designation. I believe it's reporting a 192 IP address. What should I expect to see if there is a router in the modem?
Unfortunately, it looks like remote management isn't working currently so I can't definitively say what firmware I'm on, but it is current as of last nights factory resets.
I did not actively enable any QoS, Armor appears to activate automatically. Could that be negotiating my link speed down to 100?
My home is probably around 1600 sq ft. The satellite and router are probably 20 feet apart, separated by one interior wall.
2.4 is set to auto, if I recall correctly 5 was set to 36.
No neighbors within a couple hundred feet on any side.
As I mentioned, bemforming/mimo/daisy-chaining/fast roaming were are enabled/disabled as a part of my troubleshooting last night. I did not make any changes to the WMM settings.
The part that's confusing to me is that the modem will give me a full 500 down when connected directly to my computer, but the second I plug it in, every link drops to 100 down.
badbet wrote:Ok, I can find out exactly what model number it is. I remember looking last night and not seeing anything I would easily identify as a model designation. I believe it's reporting a 192 IP address. What should I expect to see if there is a router in the modem?
If the RBR is getting a 192.168 or maybe a 10.something IP address on the WAN port, if so, then there is a router at the modem. If the WAN reports a ##.##.###.### IP address, then there probably isn't a router at the modem.
Unfortunately, it looks like remote management isn't working currently so I can't definitively say what firmware I'm on, but it is current as of last nights factory resets.
I did not actively enable any QoS, Armor appears to activate automatically. Could that be negotiating my link speed down to 100?
If doing a factory reset and setup from scratch, Armor will ask you if you want it enabled or not. I would NOT enabled it. Others have mentioned this feature seems to cause some problems...
My home is probably around 1600 sq ft. The satellite and router are probably 20 feet apart, separated by one interior wall.
20 feet is too close. 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
2.4 is set to auto, if I recall correctly 5 was set to 36.
No neighbors within a couple hundred feet on any side.
As I mentioned, bemforming/mimo/daisy-chaining/fast roaming were are enabled/disabled as a part of my troubleshooting last night. I did not make any changes to the WMM settings.
Keep Beamforming enabled. Daisy Chain is only needed if you have more then 1 satellite connected and placed in a linear line out from the router thus piggy backing of one another.
The part that's confusing to me is that the modem will give me a full 500 down when connected directly to my computer, but the second I plug it in, every link drops to 100 down. Need to find out the model and if this modem has a built in router or not.
Well if your getting 500Mbps directly connected to the ISP modem and can't with the Orbi in the mix, I would presume the Orbi is the problem. Maybe a a HW fault at the WAN/LAN ports.
Do you happen to have two windows PCs and a Gb LAN switch by chance? There is a way to test to see if your Orbi is really bad. If you don't no worries.
I would ask NG for an RMA or get the system returned for another system.
badbet wrote:Hi all, I'm having a strange issue with my recently purchased RBR50 and I can't seem to run down what the culprit is.
My ISP is Spectrum and I'm on their 400 down plan. I'm using the generic modem they provided as I didn't have to pay for it and I'm not renting it. The product sticker on the bottom doesn't have a model name, but says it's manufactured by "Hitron"? It doesn't appear to have router functionality but I could be wrong.
I can consistently get 500+ when wired directly to the modem. When I connect it to my RBR50, wired and wireless speeds never push past ~90mbps. The connection status shows the WAN port at 100M/Full. I have tested this with the provided cat5e cable and three other cat5e cables of from different manufacturers. I have not yet tested with cat6.
I have factory reset the device 3 times. I have enabled/disable mu-mimo/fast roaming/beam forming and daisy-chaining. While these speeds are acceptable I guess, I'd prefer to get closer to what I'm paying for (especially considering how expensive this system is).
The disconnect appears to be between the modem and the router as it pertains to negotiating the link speed, but what I can't figure out is if the modem is smart enough to tell the difference between a client and a router or if the Orbi is downgrading the connection speed (and if it is, why?).
Thanks for taking the time to get back to me.
Unfortunately, I don't have any Windows machines. I can get my hands on a switch, however. A previous poster mentioned plugging my laptop directly into the orbi's WAN port to validate that it is, in fact, capable of hitting 1000M. That said, even if I can validate that the WAN port is capable of that speed, I'm not sure it really points me anywhere in terms of troubleshooting. If the modem can hit 500+ and the router is capable of negotiating that speed, what piece of the puzzle is at fault? Would I then need to try a few more ethernet cables? I'm unable to find a setting that manages the link speed for the WAN port.
After trying the CAT6 cable, I had kind of resolved to return or exchange the unit (I've only had it about a week), but my hesitation is that the next one's just gonna do the same thing, but I guess that's the case with anything really.
Thanks again.
Ya I would return or exchange. If you can see if the WAN port connects at 1000Mb then even if that pans out, the RBR is not working to spec and your seeing differences between that and the modem when directly connected.
I would return it.
- For the curious (@furrye38), replacing the rbr50 and cable seems to have done the trick. Bear in mind that I did test 4 or 5 cat5e/cat6 cables prior to replacing the unit.
Very cool that you solved your issue with a new Orbi. Did you buy the Orbi RBK50 brand new or was it a used/refurbished one that you got initially? The reason I am asking is I am planning to get one soon and have seen great deals on refurbs.
- They were both new in box from Best Buy. I would have preferred a different solution, but at this point any port in a storm.
Sounds like you had a bad unit. Glad the new system is working now.
Enjoy. :smileywink:
