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Antipodeansam7's avatar
Antipodeansam7
Apprentice
Aug 25, 2017

ORBI Wifi Speed Drops

Hey Guys, So I have had my Orbi several months now. Every 3-4 weeks the wifi speed drops to below 30 mbs for download. However the speed test on the unit read 190 mps. The wired speeds also drop to even lower levels. The only way to get the wifi and wired speeds back up that I have found is to do a full factory reset, which as you can imagine is a real pain with so many things running off the system in my home. Can anybody think of what might cause this every few weeks? its goes from consistently 190mps + download speeds to 20-30 mps while still reading full speeds at the unit itself using the genie app thing. 

88 Replies

  • DarrenM's avatar
    DarrenM
    Sr. NETGEAR Moderator

    Hello antipodeansam7

     

    I would first check the basics make sure nothing is wrong with the ethernet cords connecting the orbi to the modem and your PCs also when this happens check the modem by connecting directly to it and run a speed test see if its still getting full speeds.

     

    DarrenM

    • Spaceman29's avatar
      Spaceman29
      Guide

      anybody got a fix for this issue atleast.

      i have a 300 mbps connection and right now happy if i get a steady and stable connection of atleast 10mbps.

      The orbi speed was very good but after the firware update i am seeing the slow speeds issue as well.

      Will the moderator advice us to switch back to the older versions to atleast keep the router functioning for what it is supposed to do!!!

  • There have been reports on this forum of people getting slow speeds after doing a speed test through the ORBI QoS page. It appears that doing a nvram reset via telnet commands and then factory resetting the ORBI solves the issue. The important point is to DO NOT do a speedtest via the on-board test mode of the ORBI. Use another website to test your speeds after doing the nvram/factory reset. So far, this advice has worked for me for about 3 weks!

    • Antipodeansam7's avatar
      Antipodeansam7
      Apprentice
      Hey guys, thanks for ideas. Sadly I have tried a few new Ethernet cords, I have done speed teats at the modem which consistently show speeds of about 190mbps which is what I would expect. I agree this speed test does cause problems and has made me reset router. However these regular random drops to around 40mbps continue to happen every week or two even when removing the above factors. So any other ideas what might be causing these regular slow downs that then remain until reset?
      • DarrenM's avatar
        DarrenM
        Sr. NETGEAR Moderator

        Send me a PM with your name, email and phone number I want to get you to support to troubleshoot the issue.

         

        DarrenM

  • Same boat as you my friend. I'm on GoogleFiber with a PC connected to a TV box (ethernet) and it always reaches 90+ Mpbs Down/Up (capped at 100 Mpbs). Every couple of weeks I get speeds below 50 Mpbs or random disconnects either on my iMac 2013, iPhone 6s, MacBook, and or Nexus 7 yet my PC is still fine so it is not my ISP. Even a SpeedTest now is giving me below 100 Mpbs when I usually get over 500 Mpbs Up/Down. This is after a reset, reboot, network box reboot, computer reboot, and re adding the SSID under Preffered Networks. My Airport Extreme and Express are more stable. Can someone send me a beta of the new firmware?

     

    Edit: I've tried all possiblities with Beamforming and MU-MIMO ON/OFF. Beamforming On is my current setting that seems to help a bit.

  • Do you get the same problem if you run your Orbi in AP mode? I've had mine in router and AP mode in the few months I've had it, and it seems more reliable as an access point.

    • Antipodeansam7's avatar
      Antipodeansam7
      Apprentice
      I can’t say I have tried as this is my only router and purchased it as such, so wouldn’t help even if it did. Interesting though, were you having the same problems or different ones?
      • NickC4555's avatar
        NickC4555
        Star

        Different, mine was frequent disconnects. I thought if your modem was a modem/router it might have been worth a try.

  • I'm having the same issue.  After reboot system will run at ~300Mbps for 3-4 days and then drop to ~40Mbps.  Reboot will return to high performance then 3-4 days later back to 40Mbps. Has anyone had any luck resolving this issue?  Firmware 2.1.2.18.  Getting tired of checking and rebooting every few days.

    • dpdurst's avatar
      dpdurst
      Luminary

      Curious how far your Sat is from the Router? I have been on the latest 2.1.2.18 since release. I have had one reboot about 30 mins after the upgrade and have not rebooted since. My internet is 100 D and 5 up wired and I get that same speed on wireless through the Sat. I don't have any Apple devices except a V1 ipad I use for my weather station. My Sat is about 30-40 feet from the router in the living room, Router is in my computer room on the same floor of the house (single story) I have run the QOS stuff a long time ago when they came out and one time since upgrading my internet from 50 meg to 100 meg and really done nothing else. When I see flutuation of speed in my wireless its normally dropping to no less than 85 D and 5 up and then comes back a few tests later to the full 100 D. I do have about 30 devices connected 2/3's are wireless camera's, tablets, phones, printers etc. Could it be a distance thing with the Sat possibly or another floor the Sat is on that is weakening the signal and degrading the speeds?

      • tony4069's avatar
        tony4069
        Aspirant

         I downgraded the software to v2 and that didn’t help, so I reinstalled the latest version software and then did a reset. It worked ok for about a week.  I did a speedtest earlier just to confirm that it’s working fine and... 18mbps down, 3.5 up.  Checked again just using the modem - 54down/22up which is around what it should be.  

         

        The modem and Orbi are next to each other and the satellite is about 30m away.

  • My router is about 30' from both of my Sats and they are about 30' from each other.  One Sat upstairs and one downstairs.  As I noted in above post, my network speed drops about 8x after 3-4 days.  So far it has always returned to high performace after a reboot of the router and Sats.  Modem is always solid at ~300Mbps download.  Comcast.

    • So, it doesn't look like the Advanced Wireles settings made any difference. And I definitely don't have to factory reset anymore to get my speed back up.

       

      But I now have to reboot every single day - after a reboot I get my full 300+ Mbps on WiFi for less than 24 hours.

       

      I have been working from home a lot with PS Vue streaming going most of the day. Maybe this is making the speed degredation happen faster.

       

      I find it impossible to beleive that Netgear can't figure this out and fix it. It seems obvious there is a memory leak or something similar.

       

      This is insane. 

       

      Not sure how much longer before I jump ship.

      • rickydphipps's avatar
        rickydphipps
        Star

        I've decided I can't wait for Netgear to fix this. I'm throwing them in the trash.

         

        I'm rolling the dice and going with Eero Gen 2. It looks like it has everything Orbi has. And everything I am seeing indicates their support support is excellent. They respond in their forums, and even answered all the shopper questions at Amazon. They seem to be engaged and care.

         

         

        (It looks like they just layed off a bunch of people, so hopefully their story that this is about ditching some non-core projects is legit.)

         

        I will try to remember to post my experience here for anyone who is interested.

         

        Good luck everyone.

         

        Rick

  • FURRYe38's avatar
    FURRYe38
    Guru - Experienced User

    After resetting and checking speeds, your speeds are back for a period of time then drop?

    Are you doing anything with QoS, Traffic Meter or Access Controls after resetting and speed testing?

     

     

    • Antipodeansam7's avatar
      Antipodeansam7
      Apprentice
      Yep exactly that, sometimes a few weeks, sometimes a couple of days, other times an hour. Nope I don’t touch anything in the interface after speeds are back up (I check using ookla), I know it has caused some people issues using the QoS and traffic.
  • FURRYe38's avatar
    FURRYe38
    Guru - Experienced User

    Whats the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem/ONT?

     

     

    • rickydphipps's avatar
      rickydphipps
      Star

      Thanks for the update, Antipodeansam7.

       

      I'm really sorry to hear this continues to drag out for you. I hope they get it resolved. If they did, I wouldn't mind digging my Orbi out of the closet. The speeds was awesome when it worked. As of now the Eero Pro that I bought has been rock solid, though I have given up about 50-100Mbps of throughput. But at the end of the day, it's still plenty, and I will take that over dealing with -300Mbps every few days.

       

      I'm still subscribed and watching, so I'd be grateful if you post your progress, even if you finally break down and replace the Orbi.

       

  • The latest firmware 2.1.4.16 also has wifi speed drop issues. Speed drops to 30mbit, a reboot fixes the problem. It's only on the 2.4 GHz band, wired clients to the router or sat and 5ghz is stable for me
    • Antipodeansam7's avatar
      Antipodeansam7
      Apprentice
      Mine has happened on every firmware version on both bands and my wired devices. The router reads 190mbps on the interface speed test (which I never do until the issue has already occurred) but the output to all devices drops down to between 10-60mbps and stays there
      • Cmo1's avatar
        Cmo1
        Apprentice

        Same issue here. After latest firmware wireless speeds are very insistent.  Anywhere from 100 to 600 Mbps down and a solid 40 Mbps up.

  • Retired_Member's avatar
    Retired_Member

    i have had my orbi for about a year and a half now, and i have had the same issue.

     

    the orbi is GREAT, with the exception of the wifi speed dropping off every 2-3 weeks....

     

    i have the spectrum 400mbs package, and i see declines down to 30-40 mbs.

     

    i reset the router (which is a pain) and the speed goes back up without fail.

     

    if you have figured out how to fix this issue, please let me know, i would love to hear your fix.

     

    i tried everything, including reseting the "beam-alignment" (i forgot what it is called) on the router, all to no avail.

     

    thanks

    • FURRYe38's avatar
      FURRYe38
      Guru - Experienced User

      What FW is currently loaded?
      What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?

      What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
      What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials.

      Test with only just the RBR routers wifi, turn off the satellites and test to see if wifi drops off. Then try just adding 1 satellite and test.

      What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.
      Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

      Try disabling the following and see:
      MIMO, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).


      Retired_Member wrote:

      i have had my orbi for about a year and a half now, and i have had the same issue.

       

      the orbi is GREAT, with the exception of the wifi speed dropping off every 2-3 weeks....

       

      i have the spectrum 400mbs package, and i see declines down to 30-40 mbs.

       

      i reset the router (which is a pain) and the speed goes back up without fail.

       

      if you have figured out how to fix this issue, please let me know, i would love to hear your fix.

       

      i tried everything, including reseting the "beam-alignment" (i forgot what it is called) on the router, all to no avail.

       

      thanks