Orbi system - Faulty LAN / switching design - Will NG ever fix it?

Mstrbig , All of my switches are either the Netgear ProSafe Gigabit gs108 or gs105. I have never had issues with them. I am moving later this year and was investigating wired backhaul since the new place will allow me to setup that way now. Nice to tell builders where to run Ethernet cables. In my research I came across Furry's and others posts and experiments in these threads about 802.3az with wired backhaul. 

I told Furry once I move I will report back on the newer revisions of the gs108v4 and gs105NA since the newer revisions of Netgear ProSafe Gigabit all support 802.11az now and see if Orbi has the issues others have reported.

I can say wired backhaul is a whole new and better advantage for mesh systems. some think it defeats the purpose of mesh and why not go separate routers or extenders. I've done them all, and the mesh system wins out every time. Good luck with the move.

I mean, it's still a "mesh" system even with wired backhaul, right?  The key thing is communication between the nodes that facilitates smoother handoff when the client is moving around.  This is the main reason I'm looking at mesh as an upgrade.  I currently have a router from the ISP with one SSID for both bands, then a powerline AP and a wired AP (Nighthawk in AP mode) both of which use the same SSIDs, one each for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.  Since all 3 devices are from different manufacturers, they don't do any sort of coordination as clients move around and they tend to "stick" to a crappy signal until you go in and manually pick a better network.  I just want my network set up so that the mesh "knows" that it has a better receiver available and quietly boots the client over on its own, like a cellular network.

Thw0rted that's the dream right. I find the Orbi is pretty good with roaming clients. I have Fast Roaming Enabled. Just be advised the clients also need to play their part. They have to support all three of 802.11k, 802.11r, and 802.11v.  These specifications are over 7 years old so hopefully all clients efficiently support them by now. 

Apple put together a good explanation here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202628

I did a bit of reading about this, and I think 11r only applies if you use Enterprise network security ("RADIUS", maybe?).  The other two are supposed to be "hints" to the client, right?  Anyway, the clients I'd be most concerned about are modern iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows devices.  At the very least, I'm pretty sure they can't do worse than they are right now...

You are correct 802.11r predominantly benefits enterprise solutions, WPA2-Enterprise with Radius, but the specification also included enhancements to WPA2-Personal with efficiencies in establishing a new encryption key. 

For both WPA2 Enterprise and WPA2 Personal re-associations. In both cases, the eight messages passed between an AP and a client device for authentication, association, and the four-way handshake are reduced to four messages. 

Another thing to note is for all three of these specifications if you have mixed clients where some support them and other don't it is recommended to disable fast roaming since the older clients don't understand. 

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Thw0rted wrote:

I mean, it's still a "mesh" system even with wired backhaul, right?  The key thing is communication between the nodes that facilitates smoother handoff when the client is moving around.  This is the main reason I'm looking at mesh as an upgrade.  I currently have a router from the ISP with one SSID for both bands, then a powerline AP and a wired AP (Nighthawk in AP mode) both of which use the same SSIDs, one each for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.  Since all 3 devices are from different manufacturers, they don't do any sort of coordination as clients move around and they tend to "stick" to a crappy signal until you go in and manually pick a better network.  I just want my network set up so that the mesh "knows" that it has a better receiver available and quietly boots the client over on its own, like a cellular network.

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I had 3 powerful routers in my home all brodcasting the same WIFI name. They worked quite well, but nowhere near as good as a mesh system. The backhaul makes all the difference, whether wired or wireless. The handoffs are way smoother. And wired backhaul, if possible, eliminates virtually all interference between the router and satellites. My system is ISP modem > orbi RBR50 > 12 port netgear switch > 2 Orbi RBS50 satellites and various hard wired devices > 8 port switch on each satellite, connecting various wired devices in each location. The system is super fast with no issues. WIFI speeds, from my phone, in the same room as the nodes are 478 down, 54 up (ISP plan 500/50). Of course the speed drops the further away I get from a node. But that is normal. 

Im still interested in your findings and report. 

superczar Thw0rted I'm for one am reporting that I have had ZERO issues with my RBK50 system wired with NON managed switches. I have tested both D-Link DGS105/108 series and HP Pro Curve 1400/1800 series switches with no issues. I do have a D-Link DGS-1100 managed switch that also supports Green ethernet which can be disabled. However I usually don't use that switch normally as I prefer to use the back RBR ports as much as possible and keep switch use to a minimum. 

Right now have a 24 pt HP procurve that services the main home network and different rooms in the home a long with NAS and general wired PC and printer connections. One another segment I have a DISH hopper system that connects to a DGS108 behind the RBR. Joeys, xbox, microcell and 2 RBS are connected behind this switch. One RBS in the basement is connected behind two DGS-105s daisy chained behind the DGS-108. These are my two switch segments behind the RBR. Have had no issues with RBS not connecting, causing ARP storms or Obi app reporting incorrectly. 

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GMoGoody8 wrote:

I told Furry once I move I will report back on the newer revisions of the gs108v4 and gs105NA since the newer revisions of Netgear ProSafe Gigabit all support 802.11az now and see if Orbi has the issues others have reported.

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Well we can hope. Seems that Orbi is continuing to not work great with these green ethernet switches. Kind of a mixed bag I think. Seen some say it works for them, others have posted that changing out for a non green ethernet switch resolved there problems. Not sure why Orbi and NG haven't made the FW more compatible. Possible green ethernet introduces problems NG doesn't wan't to play with. 

Hoping the Close and build goes well for you. Always a good feeling when things are done. Mine was completed 2015. :smileywink:

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GMoGoody8 wrote:
Definitely will let you know. Construction hasn’t started yet on the home. Closing is set for the winter. Since it’s how I want my network setup it will be the first thing I try.

Maybe you won’t have to wait as long with Netgear pulling a miracle and fixing the issue in their firmware before I close. 😂

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