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Forum Discussion
Orbi RBS/RBR 50 Version 2.1.3.4 and Apple homekit iDevices and Philips Hue problems.
I have updated to firmware version 2.1.3.4 and have noticed some homekit instability. I have several iDevices Switches which have become intermittent and no other changes than the router firmware. I was re-initializing one in an effort to get it to join, and on the second unsuccessful try, it said it is "not compatible with my router". The one I reset along with other ones work one moment and don't work the next. They used to be very very stable. Also getting problems with Philips Hue devices.
121 Replies
- Does disabling Beamforming, MiMo Daisy Chain or fast roaming do anything?
Did you factory reset both router and satellite after upgrading?Thanks for the suggestions
I would like to see how many other people have these problems before I tear apart my entire setup which was working absolutely perfectly before this firmware update.
One thing I might try is revert to the previous firmware as I am quite confident that will fix 100% of my problems....
:smileywink:
I have the same problem - it's with SOME Homekit devices (all whcih worked 100% fine with the previous firmware); they now show not reachable fairly often... :(
Thank you for mentioning, hopefully this will get fixed. No problems since the rollback to former firmware...
- Exact same issue here. Everything works nice except the Homekit issue. Devices randomly unavailable.. closing homekit and reopening seems to fix it temporarily.. but the next moment they could be unavailable again.. so went back to firmware 2.0.1.4. Please Netgear fix this!!
RBS/RBR 50 Version 2.1.3.4
Same issue here my Kuna camera now stays connected but my HomeKit Accessories continually dropping off with no reponse. My automations are not working because of it. Hate to go back because 2.1.3.4 fixed my camera connection issues.
Hopw they have something in the works
No word from Netgear, no acknowlegement of the problem, and the firmware we're having problems with is still available as an "upgrade".
Every time someone downloads the firmware, tries to troubleshoot, then eventually reverts back to the older firmware - it wastes someone's time and causes frustration.
A quick path to minimize this frustration would be preferable.
iDevices advised that Netgear Orbi is currently on their "not compatible" list due to the firmware.
Running firmware 2.1.2.18 and no problems with Apple Homekit or Phillips Hue system.
Oh my. This is not what I wanted to read. I was following the other thread, saw that people were largely happy with the new software and finally "upgraded" tonight. Decided to do some additional reading to see whether people are using Beamforming, MU-MIMO and Fast Roaming, but found this. Well, here's to hoping that maybe I'll get lucky.
There is still, as far as I can tell, no response or acknowledgement from the Netgear moderator.
I can understand if a firmware update comes out and has to be recalled due to issues. I can even understand if it happens twice in a row - as it appears to in this case.
But what I don't understand is a company making every effort to get people to pay $50 for support and not giving realistic responses otherwise. We are not the ones who should be paying $50 to take the effort to report these things.
I'm so glad I saw this post! Thanks Bill and others.
There's a new bug in every firmware eh?
I upgraded to 2.1.3.4 and almost immedately my HomeKit devices were unresponsive. Having had many issues with the Orbi in the past I suspected the recent update may be the culprit. I unplugged the Orbi and switched to the AT&T Gigafiber modem/router. Immediately my HomeKit devices were back to normal.
This was the most recent in my long list of Orbi issues. Six months of new bugs doesn't make me a happy customer. If I could return it I would, but when I called the support they flatly refused to take it back.
Downgrading to firmware 2.1.2.18 also fixed the problem, but I'm over Orbi. I'm going to switch to one of the many other mesh networks. Does anyone have recommendations?
There's no way the others could be this bad...
- Orbi has the fastest backhaul which is why I chose them. If you already have a router check out ubiquiti. They’re small business class and require a separate controller install (windows Mac or Linux) to configure but work really well. They also have great support. Stay away from Linksys Velop as I have heard people have similar problems to orbi.
- Please note that I was experiencing no issues with my Orbi system prior to the firmwear upgrade - nor am I now after changing back to the previous version of firmware. I've been getting good throughput and connectivity.
I have been able to contact Netgear through twitter - it took a bit, but apparently now it has been forwarded to a Tier 3 technician. If anyone has stayed on the new version of software, which is having problems, that might be helpful to them.
My routers automatically updated from 2.0.1.4 to 2.1.4.10, aannndddd what a surprise, HomeKit still doesn't work.
Yeah, it doesn't appear they fixed it....is this like three firmware releases in a row with significant problems?
Wait, are you guys really having luck with 2.1.2.18? My HomeKit devices are showing up with a "!" next to them indicating they're not responding, but I'm still able to control them.
Wait, never mind. I'm only experiencing this on my phone - iPad seems to work perfectly. Not sure what's going on.
Just confirming what other posters have said here.
I have about 7 Leviton Decora switches and 3 iHome iSS50 sensors all on Homekit with my Orbi.
Firmware 2.1.3.4 was nothing but trouble ... accessories were intermittently non-responsive. Sometimes restarting the home app would fix it, other times recycling WIFI on my iPhone or iPad would help.
Rolled back to firmware 2.1.2.18 and its now totally stable. Amazing.
Also, I can also confirm what others have said re: firmware 2.1.4.10. It does not address this problem.
Yesterday, as mentioned, I upgraded to firmware 2.1.4.10 to see if the issue had been fixed. It had not. So I downgraded to version 2.1.2.18 and all worked well. Howver, this morning, I noticed some troubles. Upon checking, I see that my system automatically upgraded to 2.1.4.10 automatically, It appears that they have decided to push out this software automatically (which I haven't seen them really do previously). This is somewhat disturbing since this issue is apparently being dealt with by tier 3 support.
-they have not provided any update.
-they did not pull the firmware with the problem.
-they did not update the release notes or any other information I could see to alert people of the problem so they could avoid the grief.
-they automatically deployed yet a newer version of firmware, which still contains the problem.
-no mention in the release notes.
I have had less than a month’s experience with my Orbi RBK500 system, and I think it’s stable running v2.1.2.18, with a wired backhaul too. I have four Lifx smart bulbs that work brilliantly (pun intended) with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. I had tried 2.1.3.4 and the newer 2.1.4.10 but both of these gave me “unresponsive” against the Lifx in HomeKit. Right now, everything seems to be working, including roaming, so I will stick with 2.1.2.18 until the bugs are fixed.
By the way, I prefer to install my firmware changes manually, satellite first and when all seems to be working, I switch both Orbis off and on again, check the attached devices on the satellite, and if there’s anything that should, or should not, be running on the satellite, I power cycle these devices until they are running where they should be. Finally, I use the Netgear Genie’s Network Map to check signal strength to verify that the Orbis and attached devices are optimised. (If the signal strength is significantly less than 100%, it’s an indicator that the attached device is on the wrong Orbi).
Good luck
Thank you i have tried manual as well more like a flash but it will not allow and says the firmware is incorrect plese get firmware again and make sure it is the correct firmware for this product and i was trying to do satlite first
Having the same issues, apple home kit is not responsive or slow, wifi thermostat same thing and Leviton Wifi Switches.
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