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Forum Discussion
Router not working after 3-23-21 update
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 O...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
Ha_Ku_Na wrote:
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.
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:
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.
Thanks
Excellent write up.
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
I'm in the 'wait and see' camp as well. Some updates (of any kind/brand/hardware) can be so problematic that the manufacturer actually ends up pulling the update.
I don't know if NG is any worse, because I haven't owned any NG routers for quite a while until I dove into mesh with the RBK52w. Prior to that, I've been running Asus, D-Link, and Linksys 'regular' routers.
Just prior to the RBK kit, I was on the Asus 68U with a TP-Link extender to get to my daughter's room and her Roku.
The last NG router I had was a something4500 years ago.
Honestly, I've had various problems with all brands of routers over the years to some extent, but so far. For example, the gui for the 68u pretty consistently failed to be missing a device or two in the 'attached devices' page even though I knew they were connected and running - and it's a complaint I frequently see here in the Orbi forums. But for me, I don't care if it shows up as long as it's working.
What I don't like the most about NG is the lack of information about their product operation and updates. As said above, their decriptions of updates REALLY s*ck - I think the worst I've seen of any company.
Another example is the RBK kit mentioned above. I was having modest speeds out of the satellites so upgraded to AX because there was a deal - originally, I was just going to find a used RBS50 to replace one of the RBW30s.
I recenlty found out that despite NG's product description, manuals, etc. that backhaul was 5ghz, 2.4ghz was used as backhaul if necessary. BUT, a problem is that the satellites would fall back on 2.4 EVEN WHEN THERE WAS SUFFICIENT 5 SIGNAL (you can find the info elswhere in the net). I disabled the 2.4 backhaul capability of the kit, then bang - all good.
I'm keeping the AX though, because I already have it and the deal was decent, but it is REALLY irritating - enough so that when it comes time to change again (fairly requent for me), it will never be NG again - likely back to Asus.
CrimpOn wrote: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."
For now, as I wrote in the other thread, I tried fixing my connection issues by switching back to the previous firmware version and it seems to work. Prior to do that, however, I looked for the "Traffic Meter" settings but could not find them anywhere, even after changing the language from Italian to English. Is it maybe because I'm using a different Orbi model?
simorame wrote:
CrimpOn wrote: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."
For now, as I wrote in the other thread, I tried fixing my connection issues by switching back to the previous firmware version and it seems to work. Prior to do that, however, I looked for the "Traffic Meter" settings but could not find them anywhere, even after changing the language from Italian to English. Is it maybe because I'm using a different Orbi model?
- Some users are eager to update to the latest firmware and deal with the consequences.
