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Forum Discussion
Orbi RBR20 Keeps Rebooting
I recently bought and installed an Orbi RBR20 Router with 1 satellite, and updated to newest firmware v2.3.5.26 .
It was working fine for about week. But now the router is randomly rebooting itself (wifi signal disappears from router but not satellite, hardwired connections report no connection DNS errors, power cycles through the router). The reboots seem totally random, sometimes every 30 minutes, sometimes not for hours. Each reboot last 30 seconds to 1 minute. Usually everything comes back online, wifi signal reappears and hardwired computer connects. So far I've had to hard power cycle the router only once after a reboot that failed to come back online.
I've done a bunch of research on these forums and I've found two threads that match almost exactly my problem:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-RBK50-keeps-rebooting/td-p/1414120
Its clear this is not an internet connectivity issue or just a wifi interference issue. The actual router is powering off and powering on at random intervals.
What could be causing this? Any solutions?
Thanks for any help, Larry
30 Replies
What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?
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 RBR and RBS 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
Try disabling the following and see:
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?
I'm not sure of my modem, I don't have ccess to it, in landlords area of the building.
House is 2300 sq feet
Satellite was 30 feet away.
No wifi neighbors around.
I Factory reset then did all the things you suggested.
Channel on 1 for 2.4 and 40 for 5
I've enabled Beamforming, MIMO and WMM. I've disabled Armor, Circle, DaiseyChain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and I've set the 20/40 to 40 only.
Then I rebooted everything.
At first this caused the system to reboot everytime someone connected to the satellite. After unplugging the satellite I had good connection and no reboot problems for 18 hours (longest yet since problem began.)
Now I've had 2 reboots again in the last 2 hours. So back to the same problem.
So your landlord runs you a cable from his modem or router?
Would need to know if his modem has a built in router or not or if he runs your service from a router. What IP address are you seeing on the RBRs WAN internet port with in the RBRs web page? Under Advanced Tab.
Possible bad connection with what ever is in front of the RBR.
If you turn OFF the RBS, just run the RBR alone, does it still reboot?
When you saw the 2 reboots, was the RBS ON or OFF?
Similar Problem-
Brand new out the box Orbi RBR20 - keeps rebooting intermitently, the Router restarts. I did have a Wifi device that kept trying to connect(GE CONNECTPLUS WIFI MODULE) , have removed that and not seen this again (yet!).
Serial 5eh68c5e10dd0
Firmware - 2.3.5.26
Try a factory reset. Hold the reset button for 15 seconds the let go. Walk thru the set wizard with a wired PC.
What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the RBR is connected too?
Please don't post the serial numbers of your Orbi systems.
Amdahl wrote:Similar Problem-
Brand new out the box Orbi RBR20 - keeps rebooting intermitently, the Router restarts. I did have a Wifi device that kept trying to connect(GE CONNECTPLUS WIFI MODULE) , have removed that and not seen this again (yet!).
Serial 5eh68c5e10dd0
Firmware - 2.3.5.26
This product is about as frustrating as they come. I had the ISP set our cable modem to bridged mode so the Orbi could act as a router and the network stability was terrible. It was constantly dropping connections and resetting them. We decided to put the cable modem back into routed mode and use the Orbi as an AP. This was no better for wireless clients. We brought the Orbi upstairs to be closer to the Satellite and although it shows the status from the web interface (and app) as good with a good backhaul status the Orbi shows as purple connection status between it and the satellite.
Still wireless clients only stay connected to it for a maximum of two minutes however my laptop connected to the passthrough Ethernet connection CAN surf and stay connected so the issue is not with the Internet connection. I am not sure if there is something askew with its auto selection of 2.4 Ghz wireless channel that causes it to kick everyone when it decides to look for a less saturated channel constantly but suffice to say I have never had issues like this with any other wireless product including mesh offerings from other manufacturers.
I am having the exact same problem with a days-old RBR20 - spontaneous rebooting of the router. Could it really be sensitivity to the line voltage? I'm in a relatively new house, and haven't seen the lights flicker or any other sign of spikes or sags.
I guess I'll try swapping one of the satellite power bricks with the router.
I upgraded to Orbi from a very unreliable Nighthawk R7000 but decided to give Netgear another chance. Very disappointing...
Power fluxuations used to bother me until I purchased a substantial UPS for my "office" (modem, Orbi, switch, desktop computer) and small UPS for my Orbi satellite and Tivo (being Linux, the Tivo takes forever to restart after a power outage).
Besides being a "good practice", UPS would also rule out power "fluxuations" as a cause of the problem.
To be straight - you shouldn't need to buy a UPS for a router. It should be designed to handle minor power-line fluctuations without rebooting. I have many devices plugged in - computers, TVs, and other electronic devices that don't have such problems with the power. I could understand it if rebooted say, during an electrical storm, but we have very stable power here where I live.
With the substituted power brick (borrowed irom an Apple AirPort Extreme) the router has gone 24 hours without a spontaneous reboot.
The Apple AirPort Extreme power supply seems beefier and better made. It also has a slightly better current rating. No surprise - it's Apple.
Well, after about 25 hours with the substituted power supply, the router rebooted itself again. It's going back. I'm tired of debugging Netgear's products for them.
- Same problem for past few months. Been working fine the first year. Then after update I have needed to reboot every morning. My house is newly built too. So frustrating.
