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Mvdput's avatar
Mvdput
Aspirant
May 12, 2020
Solved

Slow Wifi on Netgear Orbi Satellite with ethernet backhaul

I have a Netgear Orbi system with a RBR50 router and 1 RBS50 Satellite. The Satelite is connected through an ethernet cable with the router, so a good and stable backhaul connection. 
My internet speed is 300Mb down.

 

When I am connected with my macbook or iphone through wifi with (5G) the RBR50 I get speeds of about 280Mb.
When I am connected with the same devices through wifi (5G) with my RBS50 Satellite, I get speeds of about 45Mb. I am on the same floor as the Satellite and only a few meters away. 

When I restart the Orbi router and satellite, I initial get high speeds like 280+ Mb but after a while for some unknown reason the speeds lowers dramatically to around 45Mb and stay that low.
I also have a mac mini connected through an ethernet cable with the satellite and there the speed stays high ans stable like expected. 

I also tried some different settings, but nothing seems to resolve the issues, except for a restart of the satellite.

 

I want to resolve this issue. Anyone any ideas?

  • Mvdput's avatar
    Mvdput
    May 22, 2020

    Updated the firmware manually this afternoon. My firmware was 2.5.1.8 and the Orbi router dashboard said there were no firmware updates. However, by accident I saw that version 2.5.1.16 is available which was not detected by my orbi router/satellite.
    Rebooted and tested the speed settings. I get 304Mb as expected. Now wait a few days and see if the speed stays stable or lowers again after some amount of time with these new firmware.

     

    If I test the speed when I suspect an issue. I always test with 3 devices;
    - a macbook pro which is connected to the satellite via wife,
    - an iPhone which is connected to the satellite via wifi
    - a mac mini which is connected to the satellite by ethernet.
    The speed of the mac mini is always around 300Mb, also when the speed over wifi is very slow and around 45Mb. When the wifi speed is 45Mb, both my macbook and my iphone encounter these low speeds. 
    If the speed is low I mostly also move my iphone to the ground floor where the router is so it can connect to the router instead of the satellite and then I always get speeds around 290-300Mb, as expected. So the issue seems to only occur when a device is connected to the satellite via wifi and the satellite is powered on for 1 or more days. Not sure after how much time the speed drops down to around 15% of the original speed.

15 Replies

  • plemans's avatar
    plemans
    Guru - Experienced User
    May 12, 2020

    Check which band you're connecting to. 

    2.4ghz is much slower than 5ghz. If your connecting to the 2.4ghz on the satellites, it is going to be that slow.

    And the orbi's do band steering. They'll move devices from 2.4ghz/5ghz based off rssi strength, bandwidth needs, and history of usage. 

    • Mvdput's avatar
      Mvdput
      Aspirant
      May 12, 2020

      Yes I know, I was always connected to the 5ghz band.

  • FURRYe38's avatar
    FURRYe38
    Guru - Experienced User
    May 12, 2020

    What Firmware version is currently loaded?
    What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT 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 RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router

     

    Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

    Try disabling the following and see:

    Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

    Mvdput wrote:

    I have a Netgear Orbi system with a RBR50 router and 1 RBS50 Satellite. The Satelite is connected through an ethernet cable with the router, so a good and stable backhaul connection. 
    My internet speed is 300Mb down.

     

    When I am connected with my macbook or iphone through wifi with (5G) the RBR50 I get speeds of about 280Mb.
    When I am connected with the same devices through wifi (5G) with my RBS50 Satellite, I get speeds of about 45Mb. I am on the same floor as the Satellite and only a few meters away. 

    When I restart the Orbi router and satellite, I initial get high speeds like 280+ Mb but after a while for some unknown reason the speeds lowers dramatically to around 45Mb and stay that low.
    I also have a mac mini connected through an ethernet cable with the satellite and there the speed stays high ans stable like expected. 

    I also tried some different settings, but nothing seems to resolve the issues, except for a restart of the satellite.

     

    I want to resolve this issue. Anyone any ideas?

     

    • Mvdput's avatar
      Mvdput
      Aspirant
      May 13, 2020

      The latest firmware is loaded.

      The Router is connected to a Ziggo Connectbox. Not sure what the original brand of it is.

      Home size is about 2000 square feet but as I said in the original post, the satellite is connected with the router through the ethernet backhaul. not through wifi.

      MiMO, Beamforming and WMM are enabled from day 1

      Daisy Chain, Circle, Armor are disabled from day 1.
      20/40Mhz coexstince was disabled from day 1

       

      Fast Roaming I disabled last week, rebooted and tested again, problem still occurred.

      Just disabled IPv6, set preamble to short instead of auto.

       

      So only 2 changes made, going to reboot and test. Return later with the results.