Right to the point: my Orbi system has 2 satellites and 1 main tower. The internet drops/slows down (to the point where internet browsing is not possible) 2-3 times per day randomly without warning on the satellites (both at same time), but the main tower would be fine. Also netgear please DO NOT mark this as solved with firmware update 1.12.0.18, because all of my towers are on that version and still disconnecting. ISP is Comcast. We are using the Arris Surfboard SB6190 modem. I have tried using ethernet on the satellites, but ethernet is also effected by this issue. It cannot be interference because the connection works fine most of the day, and the issue seems to be at random without a trigger. I suspect there's a problem with the connection between the satellites and main tower, but would still like some advice. I think we upgraded to the orbi around 6 months ago.

I got tired of messing with it and waiting around for a fix. It sounds like they're getting close, so hopefully it works out for those who want to stick it out.. I've decided that I've spent too much time already though. That said; I've been using the Google Wifi for a week now. Signal is rock solid, it's plenty fast (Not quite as fast as Orbi.. 300mbps for Google, instead of 800mbps for Orbi. Devices that need my full gigabit internet speeds are wired in since neither gave me the full potential anyways), and the software is well polished and easy to use. I no longer have mobile devices saying that I'm connected to Wifi but have no internet. I no longer have satellites connecting and disconnecting. My Google Home devices no longer stop working requiring a restart and my streaming devices no longer get pixelated. I really do hope that the new firmware fixes things for Orbi though. The system is nice when it works and I'd like to pass it along to a friend and neighbor, but won't be doing that if it would just cause them headaches.

I can second this for 1.12.0.18. We have the RBR50 and RBS50s. Certain clients started dropping off of our wireless pretty frequently and it is causing a huge disruption.After the issues started showing up, I tried various configurations between router and sats. I have tried factory resetting all devices and force installing the new firmware update one at a time without any change. Tried turning off guest wifi and toggling beam forming & MuMIMO. WIth the same dropping problem. Even tried bringing the devices much closer with the same effect. I have my devices set in AP mode, i have tried toggling back and forth to force them into AP mode.I even tried getting on these wireless devices and doing a standard dhcp test on wireshark to esnure there arent any other conflicting dhcp servers and tried changing the password to be certain that there wasnt some lingering server. After pulling logs from the FIrewall and the devices, I was able to piece together some information.It appears that the sats run into an IP conflict every hour so one sat is kicked and the devices connected through that have to wait for the sat to pull a new IP from the DHCP server/firewall. The lease time is 1 day, but the Orbi sats seem to always lease for one hour. After that hour, it looks as though there is a problem through the lease and renew process where the sats fall back out of their assigned IP and try to self assign 192.168.1.250. where I have these devices statically assigned in the 192.168.128.2xx range from the DHCP server. I also pulled a log on the sats where it started assigning the wirelessly connected devices to 192.168.1.xxx range before getting back to the DHCP server and then reassigning all of the IPs correctly. This is more than enough information to hopefully get an emergency patch tomorrow?Aug 2 00:16:13Orbi Sat1Client IP conflictMAC: 9C:3D:CF:F0:9A:8D also claims IP: 192.168.1.250Aug 2 00:16:13Orbi Sat2Client IP conflictMAC: B0:B9:8A:64:F7:08 also claims IP: 192.168.1.250

Same problem with satellite disconnects as the original thread poster. 3-pack Orbi in router mode with satellites losing connection/internet at least a couple of times a day. ISP is Comcast/Xfinity. Can have up to 37+ devices connected at one time including multiple Apple & Android devices, pc's/laptops, Xbox, Kindle, Philips Hue lights, Belkin Wemo plugs/lights, Nest cameras, Arlo Pro cameras and DirecTV boxes. Originally purchased the 2-pack back in October 2016, but ended up installing that in a relative's house and purchased the 3-pack (from Costco) when that was released to cover dead spots on opposite sides of the house where additions were built. All had been working well for the past 9 or so months until firmware 1.12.0.18. Previous to 1.12.0.18, the only issue was the outdoor Nest cameras disconnecting maybe once or twice a day for about 10 minutes which was resolved by unchecking implicit beamforming (left MU-MIMO checked). Now with this firmware, the satellites to lose connection once or twice a day. To get the satellite connection back, it needs to be turned off then on again. Once a satellite is turned back on, after the progression from solid white to flashing white for a minute or so, the light turns to solid blue and stays that way with no internet connection. Then need to press the synch button to eventually get the satellite connection back. Main router does not lose the internet. With firmware 1.12.0.18 and only MU-MIMO checked, Nest outdoor cameras are having intermittent issue with disconnecting for 10 minutes or more again though not every camera and not every day. Same result when both implicit beamforming and MU-MIMO are checked with firmware 1.12.0.18. I also have two Arlo Pro base stations, one connected to the router and the other to one of the satellites. Ever since firmware 1.12.0.18, the internet connection led flickers 3-5 times every few seconds or so then goes back to solid then back to the intermittent flickering/blinking. The internet led remained solid green before the 1.12.0.18 firmware update. In fact, another way to tell when the satellite loses connection is when the internet led of the Arlo Pro base station connected to it turns to orange. Very frustrating. Netgear needs to resolve this ASAP.

Same thing here. One minute phone works fine, then it shows full signal but no internet connection and later it goes back to the internet connection being ok. It was happening every 5 minutes. After reading this I unplugges the sattelite and never had the same issue again. So there is definitely something wrong with the way satellite connects to the base. Last year I promised myself never buy NETGEAR stuff again, and here I am... should've kept my promise...

What is everyone else getting with this magical PM that Netgear are sending? I'm sure the rest of us would love to know,

Orbi satellite dropping connection

570 Replies

bk3lly
Aspirant
Sep 18, 2017
Same dropped connection issue here as well! My streams get pixilated and interupted. Notice it much more now that football season started and I'm streaming games. Absolutley infuriating. They need to release a firmware fix ASAP!
- lovingbenji
  Star
  Sep 18, 2017
  ... or enable the Ethernet backhaul that will (I hope) correct the issue for people who can connect the 2 parts to Ethernet
  - jameswalkertx
    Star
    Sep 19, 2017
    Hello,
    Same issue here with my system and they have really gotten bad the past month. I have 1 router and 3 satellites and they constantly drop the signal and restart. Sometimes every 6-10 minutes and sometimes I will go hours with no problems. I am thinking about changing to Linksys Velop or Eero Gen 2 by Friday, so support if you hear me please reach out to me so I don't have to trash your product. I paid way to much for this crap and have got 5 of my neighbor's on the Orbi system and now they are having the same issues.
    
    I am currently running Firmware V2.0.0.72
    
    Thanks.
pedrore
Guide
Sep 23, 2017
I have one RBK50 with one RBS50 satellite. I've been paying more attention to it since the V2 firmware update so not sure if these disconnects were happening before but I have seen several from my satellite over the 2 days since updating firmware.
NoWiFi4U
Star
Sep 28, 2017

I too am having issues with my orbi wifi system. the information below.

-Bought the 3 Orbi system (RBR40, 2x RBS40) from Best Buy about 9 months ago. It was working great for the first 6 months or so. I then had issues with one of my satellites dropping off daily. I would have to reset the orbi satellite and it would reconnect.
- the main Orbi is in the center of the house. 1 is on one side (kids rooms) and the other is on the other side of the house (master bed). The master bed Orbi is the only one I constantly have issues with.
- I have also tried doing a factory reset on the main router with no luck.
- Current firmware is V2.0.0.56. I have tried clicking the check for updates, but there are no updates.
- The orbi with the issue (master bed) is approx 26 ft from the main Orbi router. 1 wall separates the two. I have tried moving the orbi satellite with no improvement.
- I am not sure what other info you need but will provide additional info if requested.

I also sent DarrenM a PM. :)
- HockeyStick
  Star
  Oct 03, 2017
  I'm running firmware version 2.0.0.74 and twice today I experienced no internet connection when one my satellites was powered on and supposedly functioning normally. I have to unplug the satellite, and then boom, my connection returns because my devices switch to a connection to the base.
  
  What a piece of junk.
  - bowmah
    Guide
    Oct 04, 2017
    My Satellite has hardly dropped to the point where the blue light comes on. It has been blue for almost 20 hours now. Unplugged it and it came back to life. This is on: V2.0.0.72
    
    Noticed .74 is ready for update, will try that. How can this happen with so many months of happy connecting? :(
bluefish10
Guide
Oct 13, 2017
Ok, this is getting ridiculous. We held off of installing the beta in the hopes that the next official update would fix things. But no, it's still going on. Absolutely ridiculous. For anyone looking for a fix right now, the one thing that actually works is unplugging the satellite in question. This means if your device gets disconnected, unplug the satellite closest to that device. Sad that netgear can't figure this out, I'm sure this issue is quite widespread.
- HockeyStick
  Star
  Oct 13, 2017
  This means if your device gets disconnected, unplug the satellite closest to that device.
  
  For anyone with the problem, ^ this is the ONLY solution. Netgear hasn't done squat to fix this, and its been eons. This, and never buy another Netgear product again. If you are even considering the Orbi, DON'T BUY IT!
  - GubbenPatrik
    Aspirant
    Oct 14, 2017
    Still, there is the option go install firmware 1.11.0.20 (or earlier), and the system will work as expected. I'm now happy with my Orbi.
bluefish10
Guide
Oct 13, 2017
Great, I accidentally marked someone's comment as the solution.

IT IS NOT THE SOLUTION. THIS ISSUE IS NOT SOLVED.

and of course stupid netgear website doesn't have an option to unflag a comment as the solution.
DerekBerube
Tutor
Oct 24, 2017
I have had my system setup such that the Orbi satellite routers have a static DHCP reserveration. The satellites no longer drop; however, the Internet DOES SLOW DOWN for devices connected to the satellite (either RBW30 or RBS50). Devices connected directly to the main router (RBR50) DO NOT manifest this problem.

I've been engaged with technical support for almost a month now to no avail.
Ady1892
Aspirant
Nov 04, 2017
I am also experiencing the same random dropouts on my:
RBR50 (Firmware Version: V2.0.0.74)
RBS50 (Firmware Version: V2.0.0.74)
Having moved house a few months ago I has assumed my broadband connection was acting up, but after many phone calls to my ISP I now realise it as actually the Orbi that is acting up.

I am now having to reboot my Orbi router and satellite on a dily basis.

After spending almost £400 on Orbi I would expect much much better performance/support - just not good enough.
Toy4wd
Tutor
Nov 11, 2017
Started happening to me today. After a reset keeps dropping. Ready to switch over completely to the Norton Core as both running for a few months now and have had no issues with the core thus far. Continue to be disappointed with Orbi.
tcaradonna
Guide
Nov 14, 2017
Like others, I too am running latest firmware and finding satellite dropping issues are destroying the internet.

Life is once again foiled by...yet another Netgear piece of garbage.

Why, oh why do I let Netgear treat me so?
- mm06905
  Guide
  Nov 14, 2017
  I have been having the same issuss of droping wireless signal. It has been driving me nuts.
  I have 1 Base RBR50 2/ 50 satalites and 1/ 30 Support worked with me once and it seem to help but it is back again. I have the latest firmware. Please Help as I am having trouble working from home. I have a lot of money tied to this system. This should be addressed ASAP.
  - Retired_Member
    Nov 14, 2017
    Ever since 1.10.x long term stability has gone through the floor. Some of these firmwares seem to run fine for weeks at a time, and then all of a sudden, bleh, the sats reboot, loose connection etc.
    
    Is it possible there is some sort of internal corruption occuring?
Achazen
Aspirant
Nov 15, 2017
I have been having the same issues. Satellite constantly drops signal, particularly at night, the led ring on top of the satellite is rarely not some color or another. The main router has never had an issue - it is only the satellite. Running firmware 2.0.0.74
- mastervisa30
  Luminary
  Nov 15, 2017
  Hi got my orbi RBK53 today,it has
  Firmware Version 2.0.0.74
  I just want good coverage and wireless speed.
  What firmware is most stable today?
  And how do i uppdate my two sattelit and router?
  Im new on netgear so need that help i can gett.
  Can i accses my router when im not at home?
  
  Thanks help tips :)
  - Dustin278
    Apprentice
    Nov 15, 2017
    mastervisa30 wrote:
    Hi got my orbi RBK53 today,it has
    Firmware Version 2.0.0.74
    I just want good coverage and wireless speed.
    What firmware is most stable today?
    And how do i uppdate my two sattelit and router?
    Im new on netgear so need that help i can gett.
    Can i accses my router when im not at home?
    
    Thanks help tips :)
    Yes this is the most recent firmware and has been stable for me - there is a BETA for the KRACK fix 2.0.0.76 but I have not yet updated and will wait for the official firmware.

Forum Discussion

Orbi satellite dropping connection