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guptosan's avatar
guptosan
Aspirant
Jul 09, 2020

Orbi RBR50 5Ghz Stopped Working

I bought a Netgear certified refurbished RBK50 (RBR50 + RBS50) in August 2019. Support ended in Jan 2020. Throughout this 1 year, this has been a nightmare - unreliable connection, random dropouts, freezing. Now finally the Router (RBR50) has stopped broadcasting 5Ghz signal altogether. 

 

Devices connect to the Router only at 2.4 Ghz. 

Devices connect to Satellite  at both 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz channels.

 

When I just run the router and disconnect satellite + stop 2.4Ghz broadcasting - there is no detectable SSID for the network.

 

Problem with using the Router at 2.4Ghz only and Satellite at both bands is that everything keep connecting to the router at 2.4 Ghz band at 30-40 Mbps, as opposed to the usual 300-350 Mbps with the 5 Ghz band.

 

Wasted $200 on a product with absolutely crappy support! 

3 Replies

  • What Firmware version is currently loaded?
    What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?

    Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? 
    Press the back reset button for 15 seconds then release. 

    Use a wifi analyzer on the Pad to see if there is a 5Ghz SSID signal need on the app...

     

    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. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router

     

    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 may not 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. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).



    • guptosan's avatar
      guptosan
      Aspirant

      FURRYe38 Thanks for the reply. I tried all of your suggestions. No change. 

       

      To answer your questions and elaborate:

       

      What Firmware version is currently loaded? 2.5.1.16
      What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too? AT&T Pace 5268ac

      Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? Yes, several times.
      Press the back reset button for 15 seconds then release.
      Use a wifi analyzer on the Pad to see if there is a 5Ghz SSID signal need on the app...not sure what you meant. I used MacOS's Wireless Diagnostic scan tool. There are 14 networks around:  10 of them 2.4Ghz and 4 of them are 5.0 Ghz.  

      What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? 2800 sqft
      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. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router Yes the are 33 feet apart. The router is upstairs near staircase and satellite dowstairs diagonally. No direct field of sight but no wall either. Although that has nothing to do with the router itself not broadcasting 5Ghz client (5Ghz backhaul seems to be working fine).

      What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz. Yes channel 11 for 2.4
      Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many? There are 14 networks around:  10 of them 2.4Ghz and 4 of them are 5.0 Ghz.  

      Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or may not be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings Yes, done so.

      Try disabling the following and see:
      Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s). Yes, done so.

       

      Any more suggestions?

       

       

      • FURRYe38's avatar
        FURRYe38
        Guru

        What mode is your modeming working in? The modem has a built in router and wifi. 

         

        So do you not see any 5Ghz SSID coming from your Orbi at all?