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RBR50 satellites (RBS50) drop WiFi connections frequently, randomly
I have an Orbi RBR50 and two RBS50 satellites, and I cannot seem to get reliable connections (with a phone or laptop) when close to either satellite. The Orbi devices are a couple of years old, c...
You may want to manually update FW on the RBS first then RBR lastly.
PhillipD wrote:I have an Orbi RBR50 and two RBS50 satellites, and I cannot seem to get reliable connections (with a phone or laptop) when close to either satellite.
The Orbi devices are a couple of years old, currently running firmware V2.5.2.4; but I have upgraded the firmware several times over the past couple of years, with similar connection issues with each version. There is only one somewhat close neighboring house, and if I scan for wireless networks, the only other wireless network that I see is that neighbor's and it's only showing about 1 out of 5 signal strength.
This is in a long narrow house about 60ft long by 24ft wide (2 stories), with conventional wood stud and sheetrock construction (no metal studs or concrete walls). The internet is provided through a Surfboard SB6141 cable modem router. The RBR50 is about in the center of the house on the second floor; one RBS50 is close to one end of the house on the second floor, and the other RBS50 is at the opposite end of the house on the first floor (and this one is intended to also provide signal for the back patio and the front deck at that end of the house). Each satellite is approximately 25ft from the router. I have tried moving the satellites to a few different locations in the general area where they are located, sometimes a bit closer to the router.
If I'm physically close to either satellite device (with a phone or laptop), the connection to the internet is very unreliable; it will randomly drop connection and then re-connect again shortly afterwards. I'm not sure, but I think the satellite is still keeping its connection to the base router, but it is dropping connections to devices (phones or laptops). When the loss of connection is happening - if I watch the WiFi connections on one of the cell phones, it will often switch back and forth between the primary and guest wireless networks (I have both saved on the phones), and sometimes for short periods it will show connected, but no internet; and then after a little while, it will recover and work again for a few minutes. If I'm close to the primary router, then the wireless connections are solid and stable. I encounter similar unreliable connections on both phones and also on both laptops if they are close to either satellite. When the connection is valid for a few minutes, it seems to be a good connection to the internet - for example, I can do a speedtest at fast.com and it shows me similar speeds as when I am connected sitting within a couple of feet of the primary router.
There are typically about 20 devices connected to the WiFi - 2 phones, 2 laptops, Amazon Echo devices, Roku devices, smart TVs, ceiling fans with WiFi controls, Ring doorbell, etc.
I have read several posts about similar issues, and I have tried changing many of the options suggested in some of those - such as 20/40MHz coexistence, implicit beamforming, MU-MIMO, channels, changing the transmit power control, etc. I have not been rigorously scientific about making these changes and combinations of the settings, but nothing has seemed to help.
When I have the satellites powered on, the backhaul status shows as "good"; but these days I have mostly resorted to leaving the satellites turned off. This gives me less signal strength at the ends of the house and even less outside the house, but does seem to provide a stable connection everywhere.
What is the ideal distance that a satellite should be from the router? What settings should I change to provide a reliable connection from the satellites? Is there an inherent issue in this router/satellite configuration that can't be resolved? Are there any troubleshooting steps that I can take to track down what's causing the disconnects through the satellites?
Thanks for the suggestion.
I manually upgraded the firmware to V2.6.1.40, from the link that you provided, upgrading the satellites first and then the router, and rebooting the satellites. I then discovered that there is a V2.7.1.60 (for US only), so I downloaded and installed that version (satellites first and then the router). After that, the web interface for the router informed me that there was a later version and offered to upgrade the devices. I found that version (V2.7.2.102) on the Netgear site, downloaded the two packages, and upgraded the satellites and the router. After that, I decided to generate a new backhaul password, and then remove, reset, and re-sync each satellite. (The downstairs satellite failed the re-sync a couple of times until I moved it somewhat closer.) With each of these versions, the satellites were still disconnecting at times.
After the upgrade to V2.7.2.102 and the re-sync of both satellites, I then tried changing the power setting for both frequencies to 100%, then to 25%, and then back to the 50% that I've had it set to for a while. I also tried changing the 2.4GHz channel from "Auto" to 6. And I also changed both satellites to a fixed IP address (reserved address in the advanced LAN setup). None of this has seemed to help. If I have the web UI for the router open, refreshing the "attached devices" page shows the "backhaul status" for the satellites varying among "Good", "Config Sync", and "Disconnected".
Sounds as if you've tried all the usual troubleshooting steps. Is there a reason you have both frequencies set to 50% power? Normally, that is only done on one (usually 2.4 Ghz) to force dual freq devices to stay on one freq. Here's a few other steps to try:
1) Try keeping 2.4 Ghz at 50% power and setting 5 Ghz to 100%. Let that configuration settle at least overnight.
2) If step 1 doesn't give you a stable system, try turning off the guest network. Again allow that to settle for several hours.
3) What type of phones/laptops do you have? If Apple, what OS? Recent iOS updates have added a "private mode" that sends out random MAC addresses to prevent bad actors easy access to your devices. This mode should be turned off in most secure (home) environments.
4) Finally, try a factory reset of the satellites and router and do a system reconfiguration from scratch. This is the "nuclear option" but it does seem to solve the most difficult issues. DO NOT reconfigure from a backup config file! One of the reasons the factory reset usually works is it clears out "cruft" from the ORBI's memory. Using a backup config file can reintroduce corrupt files back into a clean system.
BTW, did you tell your phones to forget the network and reinitialize them? How about power cycling your modem after the firmware updates? Good Luck!
Try a factory reset on the RBR AND RBS.
I would try using just 1 RBS with the RBR. See if just one RBS will work with the RBR alone.
Be sure that Daisy Chain is disabled.
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
PhillipD wrote:Thanks for the suggestion.
I manually upgraded the firmware to V2.6.1.40, from the link that you provided, upgrading the satellites first and then the router, and rebooting the satellites. I then discovered that there is a V2.7.1.60 (for US only), so I downloaded and installed that version (satellites first and then the router). After that, the web interface for the router informed me that there was a later version and offered to upgrade the devices. I found that version (V2.7.2.102) on the Netgear site, downloaded the two packages, and upgraded the satellites and the router. After that, I decided to generate a new backhaul password, and then remove, reset, and re-sync each satellite. (The downstairs satellite failed the re-sync a couple of times until I moved it somewhat closer.) With each of these versions, the satellites were still disconnecting at times.
After the upgrade to V2.7.2.102 and the re-sync of both satellites, I then tried changing the power setting for both frequencies to 100%, then to 25%, and then back to the 50% that I've had it set to for a while. I also tried changing the 2.4GHz channel from "Auto" to 6. And I also changed both satellites to a fixed IP address (reserved address in the advanced LAN setup). None of this has seemed to help. If I have the web UI for the router open, refreshing the "attached devices" page shows the "backhaul status" for the satellites varying among "Good", "Config Sync", and "Disconnected".
To tucsontico - I set 2.4 Ghz at 50% power and 5 Ghz to 100% a day ago. I also moved the satellite at the east end of the house from the southeast corner to the northeast corner, and similarly for the satellite at the west end. Either or both of these changes seem to have helped a little - the connections are still dropping, but less often.
To FURRYe38 - I have in the past, several times, tried with only 1 satellite powered on, for a week or more at a time; it hasn't really helped with the 1 satellite that was still on. I checked again, and Daisy Chain is disabled (and I'm sure I have always had it disabled). The satellites are a little less than 30 feet away from the router, more like 25-27 feet, but they are as far away as they can be inside the house. I have not yet tried a full reset, although I did try that over a year ago - I may try that when I can find a quiet time when I can disrupt the home network and then re-enter all the information.
