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Forum Discussion
Ngearvictim
Mar 19, 2021Guide
Orbi (RBR50) DNS keeps failing.
Hi, I'm have an RBR50 running Firmware V2.7.2.104 that has been working fine for a couple years now. Very recently, devices connected to the Orbi have started getting failed DNS queries, causing th...
- Mar 21, 2021
Ran into this issue as well. This Reddit thread has the best workaround I've found for the bug(s) that Netgear pushed out with its most recent release for this model.
https://www.reddit.com/r/orbi/comments/m5l3vk/orbi_dropping_dns/
There are several options. I think the best one is to use the debug.htm page to enable telnet, log in, and modify the DHCP settings to tell clients to contact external DNS servers directly thus bypassing the failing proxy on the router. This change sticks until the router is rebooted which is rare for me. All devices will renew theri DHCP lease within 24 hours (or less) to get the new setting. I recommend forcing devices to renew their DHCP lease to get the new settings sooner. You can unplug the LAN connection, toggle wifi on/off, reboot a device, or issue the command to renew specific to your device/OS. However if you have one computer plugged directly into a LAN port, one simpler way to reset all the wifi attached device's DNS config is to change the wifi name configured on the Orbi, wait a few minutes, and then change it back. I judged "a few minutes" by monitoring my phone to see when it decided the wifi connection was lost. Once back to the original name, my (Android) phone took a couple of minutes to accept the wifi was stable.
There are also reports that the bug is an interaction issue between the DNS process (dnsmasq) and the traffic measuring/metering feature, and that disabling the traffic measuring feature will avoid the bug. Since I don't *need* the measuring feature, I disabled it just in case a thunderstorm glitches the power, there's a chance the Orbi will remain reliable afterwards without the effort/distraction of the reconfiguration workaround.
ewmgomes
Apr 21, 2021Tutor
I got the beta firmware 2.7.2.106.
I turned on the traffic meter again (just for challenging, I do not use that).
Let see if the issue comes back.
- lukedudeApr 21, 2021Tutor
I'm having the same issue on my RBR850 but every time I roll back to the old firmware it immediately rolls forward to V3.2.18.1_1.4.14. I did a factory reset (per instructions from the tech I called) and it still goes right back to the latest broken firmware with the DNS issue. Does anyone have advice for me?
- CrimpOnApr 21, 2021Guru - Experienced User
lukedude wrote:I'm having the same issue on my RBR850 but every time I roll back to the old firmware it immediately rolls forward to V3.2.18.1_1.4.14. I did a factory reset (per instructions from the tech I called) and it still goes right back to the latest broken firmware with the DNS issue. Does anyone have advice for me?
Does the RBR850 have the option to either (a) disable the automatic Daylight Saving Time adjustment or (b) disable Traffic Meter?
- lukedudeApr 21, 2021Tutor
CrimpOn wrote:
lukedude wrote:I'm having the same issue on my RBR850 but every time I roll back to the old firmware it immediately rolls forward to V3.2.18.1_1.4.14. I did a factory reset (per instructions from the tech I called) and it still goes right back to the latest broken firmware with the DNS issue. Does anyone have advice for me?
Does the RBR850 have the option to either (a) disable the automatic Daylight Saving Time adjustment or (b) disable Traffic Meter?
Yes it has both of those options but my DNS issue persists even if I have both disabled
- FURRYe38Apr 21, 2021Guru - Experienced User
Netgear has set up a community forum specifically for the Orbi AX product. Most of the people who watch that forum are more likely to have experience with Orbi AX and know how to work it better than those of us who follow this "general Orbi" forum. Might be more likely to find someone who has a solution if the question is posted there:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/bd-p/en-home-orbi-axThank you.
lukedude wrote:I'm having the same issue on my RBR850 but every time I roll back to the old firmware it immediately rolls forward to V3.2.18.1_1.4.14. I did a factory reset (per instructions from the tech I called) and it still goes right back to the latest broken firmware with the DNS issue. Does anyone have advice for me?
- WillRXRApr 22, 2021Star
Hi,
It appears that this is a common problem that NETGEAR has failed to adquately address for months now.
I also had the problem but have been successful at eliminating the issue by manually rolling back to the penultimate version of the firmware and turning off automatic updates. My ORBI system appears to be working well, but, of course, I'm anxious that some features in the newer firmware dealt with security and as a result, I'm missing those.
Regardless, I can suggest only that you follow the same procedure as I did. It does seem to work. It is annoying and time-consuming. I understand that, but it's less expensive than buying a whole new router system. Should NETGEAR fail to both acknowledge and repair this issue, I suppose that eventually we'll have no choice.
Hope that this helps.
Wil