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Forum Discussion
Orbi Satelite - No Devices Connecting
For the past few days, no devices have been able to connect to my Orbi Satelite (RBS50). I used to have plenty of devices that are near the satelite connect to it but now reception is poor and it doe...
There have been suggestions that the sequence of Orbi startup has an effect on how devices decide which they will select.
Do you have a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet? Whereas most WiFi devices are programmed to select a WiFi access point and then remain connected to it until the connection simply "fades away", mobile devices are often programmed to constantly query nearby WiFi access points and change to another one if it seems to have a better connection.
I experimented with my Orbi. First, I enabled "Fast Roaming" on the Advanced Tab, Advanced Setup, Wireless Settings (the bottom check box). I opened the Orbi "Attached Devices" web page on my tablet and saw that I was connected to the router. I then walked downstairs and sat near the satellite. Within two minutes the Attached Devices web page refreshed to show the tablet connected to the satellite. Went back to the router, and the tablet moved back. Our cell phones and tablets do this routinely.
I have no idea how long it takes for a device to "move" if Fast Roaming is not checked. i.e. what does "fast" mean?
The Attached Devices web display refreshes automatically every so many seconds, so I do not know exactly how long it took for the tablet to "roam".
I understand this does not answer the question directly. However, if a mobile device does in fact "roam", then the satellite must be working and the question is why other devices did not connect to it. If a mobile device does not "roam", that would lead in a different direction. This may sound like a complicated experiment, but does not take very long.
As CrimpOn states, mobile devices should be able to roam and connect to the best signal from either the router or satellites. IoT devices, Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, etc do not expect to roam, so they will bind to the first signal they see. When you reboot the satellite, non-roaming devices will connect to the router or another satellite if the signal is strong enough. They will not reconnect to a better signal unless they loose the signal they are attached to. Also note that if the router reboots, each of the satellites will likewise reboot, so the first WiFi signal that will be turned on that clients can bind to is from the router, it can take several seconds for the satellites to become available for clients.