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Forum Discussion
RBR10 satellite very slow
I just upgraded my FIOS to "500 Mbps" service. The new router provided is an Arris NVG468MQ. I have an Orbi RBR10 connected to it in the home office at the front of the house, and an Orbi satellite in the back of the house about 40 feet away.
Using the Arris built-in Wi-Fi, I get ~300 Mbps, from the connected Orbi router about the same, but from the satellite at the back of the house (master bedroom) it's only getting about 25 Mbps. (can't connect to the Arris at all from there). The house is 1700 sq ft, single story.
I thought maybe there was some kind of interference between the devices, so I disabled Arris Wi-Fi and set up the Orbi as an Access Point, but get the same results.
From the office I tested speed with a laptop, an iPad, and a Galaxy S21 Ultra.
From the master bedroom I tested using the same iPad and S21 as well as Firestick.
I'm using the latest firmware on both Orbi units, and have rebooted both several times.
What else should I try?
3 Replies
Two suggestions:
- See how the Orbi web interface describes the connection between RBR10 router and RBS10 satellite on the Attached Devices page. See page 95 of the user manual:
https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBK12/RBK12_13_14_UM_EN.pdf
If the status is not reported as "Good", then either the distance or some object(s) are interfering with the WiFi signal between router and satellite. - Since the RBS10 is totally mobile, try moving it to locations closer than the present location and see how the smartphone or tablet connect.
Generally speaking, WiFi units perform better when they are "not buried" (i.e. not close to the floor) and where there is no substantial material (especially metal) in the direct radio path. A refrigerator, for example, is an excellent WiFi blocker. (A brick chimney hidden inside the wall of a 1928-era house cast a dramatic WiFi "shadow".)
On the RBR10 product, the user facing 5G WiFi channel and the "backhaul" channel connecting router to satellite are both on channel 157. It might be interesting to use a "WiFi Analyzer" on the Galaxy S21 to see how many WiFi systems are using channel 157.
Thanks for the reply!
re 1) checked the status, it reports as "Good"
re 2) it is a little buried - it is in a closet, so to get to the back of the house it has to shoot through / around some walls
I switched the 2.4 Ghz channel from 3 to 1, reenabled the FIOS-provided router's Wi-Fi (since it didn't seem to have helped disabling it), moved the Orbi router a couple feet higher in the closet, and moved the Orbi satellite to another location in the master bedroom, and some combination of those seems to have improved things. đ
Now getting 300+ in the office, and 100-150 in the living room and master bedroom. Good enough!
Thanks - Brad
bhorstkotte wrote:
it has to shoot through / around some walls
(I don't know if this is my OCD or some other other psychological problem......)
There is no "around" for WiFi. People have posted, "the satellite is located behind the TV set and seems to get poor signal." And what is the TV set constructed of?? Metal.
100-150 Mb/sec is 10 times what we all thought was Nirvana 15 years ago. Certainly enough to stream more than one 4K video.
Probably a good idea to keep the 2.4G channels on the AT&T and the Orbi far apart.
- See how the Orbi web interface describes the connection between RBR10 router and RBS10 satellite on the Attached Devices page. See page 95 of the user manual:
