Per Netgears suggestion, I updated the firmware on my Orbi system/router on March 23rd, 2021. Since then, the router will periodically stop working and disconnect from the internet/modem. Message in Orbi app states "not connected to any network." Modem is ISP owned, but problen is not on ISP side, as I had a troubleshooting call with them, when this problem first occurred. The only way to get the router back online is to disconnect it from the modem and from power, wait 2 mins and connect it all again. I've had to do this 4 times already since the firmware update occurred.

vajim wrote:Ploppy1 wrote:The update was recommended via the Orbi app. I know in the past, via press releases from Orbi and other tech websites,not updating the firmware can pose a huge security risk. ALL the connection problems started occurring AFTER I updated the firmware. Everything was working fine before the firmware update.Any recommendation from either the pc login or app is just that, a recommendation. You are NOT required to update.Correct, it is not required to update the firmware, but the fact of having security issues with older firmwares is a good reason to update.https://kb.netgear.com/000062883/Security-Advisory-for-Multiple-Vulnerabilities-on-Some-Routers-Satellites-and-Extenders And it is also correct, the latest firmware has a bug (WITH ENABLED "Traffic-Meter") which can lead in an unstable system. But this bug is also present in older firmwares (looks at least from 2.3.5.36 upwards), see:https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-DNS-and-DHCP-and-NTP-Broken/m-p/2071537/highlight/true#M116851 If there is a suitable workaround to fix a current issue, then there is no need to downgrade the firmware. Anyway, it is up to the preferences of the users to update or not.

Ploppy1 wrote:The update was recommended via the Orbi app. I know in the past, via press releases from Orbi and other tech websites,not updating the firmware can pose a huge security risk. ALL the connection problems started occurring AFTER I updated the firmware. Everything was working fine before the firmware update.You have every reason to be disappointed and frustrated with Netgear. The general position in the tech world is as you described. One of the essential steps in cyber security is keeping software up to date. Most of the time, new software is accompanied by a description of the reason for the update and the severity. Microsoft's monthly software releases, for example, list the specific problems addressed and label each update with a severity code. Every once in a while, software will be released announcing an urgent problem with advice to install immediately. Except for those (few) occasions, it is also a generally accepted principal to "not be the first". i.e. wait at least a few days for others to update their systems and see if anything happens, such as the recent fiasco with Windows 10 and printers. First, Netgear provides no useful information with new firmware.Second, people who participate in the community forums have learned that Orbi firmware updates very often lead to unexpected consequences. In this particular case, I would first check out the Traffic Meter setting and see if that fixes things.Open http://orbilogin.net with a web browser. Enter the admin credentials "admin" and your admin password.Navigate to the Advanced Tab, Advanced Settings, Traffic Meter (toward the bottom), and uncheck the box "Enable Traffic Meter."You can't go on the way it is, and reinstalling firmware is more work than checking one box. We seem to have several philosophical positions on the forum:Some users are eager to update to the latest firmware and deal with the consequences.(If it works, great. If there are problems, manually load the previous firmware. No big deal)Some users are "wait and see". I wait to see what gets reported on the forum and have put off letting the Orbi update for up to a month.Some users say, "over my dead body." and would rather never update firmware. "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it."Good Luck

vajim wrote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1LDlwh2TcThanks for the video. I can confirm the Traffic Meter is not showing in my Orbi advanced setup (please see screenshot: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1khqrAtOBoFjDey2L1ogkzn5m7RelhOer/view?usp=sharing). I am using Orbi in AP mode but I guess I should be able to see it anyway.

TM is not available in AP Mode. https://kb.netgear.com/26765/Disabled-Features-on-the-Router-when-set-to-AP-ModeYou can skip this step. simorame wrote:I am using Orbi in AP mode but I guess I should be able to see it anyway.

simorame wrote:FURRYe38 wrote:TM is not available in AP Mode. https://kb.netgear.com/26765/Disabled-Features-on-the-Router-when-set-to-AP-ModeYou can skip this step. Thanks for the advice. After downgrading my Orbi firmware version I thought I had fixed my wifi connection issues, which I described in this thread: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-RBR20-wifi-keeps-dropping/m-p/2076198. I marked it as solved because at first it looked like things were back to normal, but today my phone is unable to connect to my wifi network again. It looks like I'm back to square one. Sorry to hear you're still having problems. I did note AP mode in your posts. For me, IMHO, I would never use AP mode and even try to run the Orbi with another router. There are others here you love it.

Router not working after 3-23-21 update

28 Replies

CrimpOn
Guru
Mar 25, 2021
Was there a reason that Netgear recommended updating firmware? i.e. you called them because of a problem and updating firmware was their response?

Unless there was a serious issue that you called Netgear about, the obvious answer is to manually load the previous firmware on the router. This requires using a computer attached to the router web interface, not the "app".

Just so you are aware, there is a major issue affecting Orbi routers that can be fixed by disabling the Traffic Meter function. (A long story involving Daylight Saving Time and DNS resolution. There are at least a dozen posts on the forum lately about it.) This also requires connecting a browser to the Orbi web interface.

So, if you called Netgear about the Orbi being unable to connect to web sites, the solution is probably turning off Traffic Meter.
- Ploppy1
  Aspirant
  Mar 25, 2021
  The update was recommended via the Orbi app. I know in the past, via press releases from Orbi and other tech websites,
  not updating the firmware can pose a huge security risk. ALL the connection problems started occurring AFTER I updated the firmware. Everything was working fine before the firmware update.
  - FURRYe38
    Guru
    Mar 25, 2021
    The Orbi app is know to cause problems after a FW update. It's recommended to manually download FW files using a wired PC and web broswer to apply them or use the RBRs web page to upate FW.
    
    You might manually re-load FW using the above info, then factory reset and setup from scratch if the traffic meter disaling doesn't solve this for you.
    Ploppy1 wrote:
    The update was recommended via the Orbi app. I know in the past, via press releases from Orbi and other tech websites,
    not updating the firmware can pose a huge security risk. ALL the connection problems started occurring AFTER I updated the firmware. Everything was working fine before the firmware update.

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Router not working after 3-23-21 update