NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Orbi RBK-53 Satellite not connecting to devices
1 of 2 Orbi satellites does not connect with devices. Here is the status:
- Subject satellite has been reset and indicates a solid blue light.
- When I access Orbilogin.com and go to the Access...
- Please make a wifi scan while your are in the vicinity of the satellite in question:
- See that the satellite is broadcasting 2.4 and 5 GHz band networks.
- Please also the relative power received from those networks compared to that received from the other satellites.
- Are there other networks using the same channels as the ones broadcasted by the satellite and note the relative power of those.
- What type of devices are those that prefer to connect to the remote satellite over the close one? Please also note to which band do the devices connect to in the remote satellite.
- Is there an overlap of the radio range between the satellites in your setup? Overlap between the satellites facilitate roaming between them.
- When you switch of the device and switch it on when you'r on the vicinity of the "bad" satellite, will it also connect to the remote satellite? There are some devices that always stick to the satellite that they connect to the first time.
Thank you ekhalil. Below are answers to the items you addressed:
In the Orbilogin.com Attached Devices page, the subject satellite indicates connection type of 5G. However, how can I tell what bands the satellite is broadcasting if my devices are detecting the Orbi home network name, not a specific Orbi device? That is, my devices don't indicate which part of the Orbi network it is connected to. In fact, the only way I know what device is connected to which part of the Orbi network is by reviewing the Attached Devices page on Orbilogin.com.
Devices that prefer to use the router 30 feet away rather than the subject satellite 5 feet away include: Wii (2.4G), Toshiba tablet (2.4G), and an older Samsung phone (5G).
When I turn on those devices near the subject satellite, they connect to the router. However, why would a device "stick" to the satellite that it connects the first time when the connection is supposed to transfer seamlessly between the router and the satellites as I walk from one end of the home to the other?
During my troubleshooting, I determined that there are a couple devices that are able to connect to the subject satellite: a new Samsung TV (5G) and an Apple iPad (5G). As a result, I determined that the devices that prefer to connect to the far-away router are older (although the iPad is old.)
My Orbi network has the strongest signal strength (power) of all nearby networks (I live in a condo/apartment building.)
Regarding the radio range there should be overlap because of the short distance between the router and satellites, and the few walls in between.
TFORREST wrote:
Thank you ekhalil. Below are answers to the items you addressed:
In the Orbilogin.com Attached Devices page, the subject satellite indicates connection type of 5G. However, how can I tell what bands the satellite is broadcasting if my devices are detecting the Orbi home network name, not a specific Orbi device? That is, my devices don't indicate which part of the Orbi network it is connected to. In fact, the only way I know what device is connected to which part of the Orbi network is by reviewing the Attached Devices page on Orbilogin.com.
.......Do you have any wifi scanning SW? If you have a Macbook it has a built in wifi scanning. The wifi scanner shows you all broadcasted networks and their relative power. This wifi scan give you an idea about the radio condition in your home.
TFORREST wrote:
........
Devices that prefer to use the router 30 feet away rather than the subject satellite 5 feet away include: Wii (2.4G), Toshiba tablet (2.4G), and an older Samsung phone (5G).
When I turn on those devices near the subject satellite, they connect to the router. .......
.....This shows that the router is too close to the satellite, you might need to increase the distance between those base stations
TFORREST wrote:
........... However, why would a device "stick" to the satellite that it connects the first time when the connection is supposed to transfer seamlessly between the router and the satellites as I walk from one end of the home to the other?
.........This is a device decision, different devices behave differently according to their design, those devices are called "Sticky Devices". :)
TFORREST wrote:
.......
During my troubleshooting, I determined that there are a couple devices that are able to connect to the subject satellite: a new Samsung TV (5G) and an Apple iPad (5G). As a result, I determined that the devices that prefer to connect to the far-away router are older (although the iPad is old.)
.......Good conclusion. Yes, newer devices has better wifi Sw and support new roaming enhancement standards 802.11k, 802.11v and 802.11r.
TFORREST wrote:
.........
My Orbi network has the strongest signal strength (power) of all nearby networks (I live in a condo/apartment building.)
Regarding the radio range there should be overlap because of the short distance between the router and satellites, and the few walls in between.If the distance is too short between your base stations then don't expect a good distribution of devices between the base stations. You will also notice that devices will keep moving between the base stations which is not good for the orverall performance of the system. Please either get the base stations further from each other or reduce the transmittion power for the base stations.
Thanks...the two recommendations I received included lowering the power level from 100% to 75%. I performed that step and want to see how things work before taking further steps.