WARNING DO NOT PURCHASE RBK50/ AC3000NETGEAR WILL NOT REPLACE THESE FAULTY UNITS THE EXTERIOR OF THE UNIT IS FAULTY AND DETERIORATES IN HUMID CLIMATES AND BECOME STICKY IT CAN NOT BE CLEANED $650.00 WHAT A WAIST OF MONEY

Fortunately the stickiness is only cosmetic and doesn't hamper the actual performance of your Orbi. It's a common issue with some rubber and plastic products. Here are some suggestions on how to clean sticky rubber: https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Clean-Sticky-Rubber/

TrickyRic wrote:Anything applied to this surface will not adrere to the surface. Not true. I glued a plastic wall mount to the back of mine, it has supported the weight of the router just fine for the 3+ years I've had it.

Maybe I just got lucky but none of the components in my RBK53 system, 1 router and 2 sats, are "melted", "sticky", or even close to be "tacky". On the other hand, none are close to having a smooth, slippery-type surface, such as shiny plastic or glass; they just feel sort of "rubbery". I bought my RBK53 from Costco in 2017 and they have been used exclusively in my house in SWFL (so clearly a humid environment - although the A/C is on a heck of a lot).

Yeah, it's a royal pain in the ***. Mine have been sticky roughly since a year after I bought the RBK50 combo some three years ago. Nothing much I can do about it too. Luckily they're both out of sight so I don't notice it much and they function just fine, but for the amount of money you spend it definitly should be better.

Well Mikey I'm guessing you work for Netgear.You don't know what your talking and neither does the fool in the video.You just googled it I suspect.Its common knoweledge that alcahol actually breaks down plastic neoprene and rubber.Unless the Orbi is made of some new material a Netgear material scientist dreamt up.?Alcohol it not a fix it but will make the deterioration worse.

warning do not buy ORBI exterior melting

11 Replies

Retired_Member
Jul 24, 2020
Yeah, it's a royal pain in the ***. Mine have been sticky roughly since a year after I bought the RBK50 combo some three years ago. Nothing much I can do about it too. Luckily they're both out of sight so I don't notice it much and they function just fine, but for the amount of money you spend it definitly should be better.
- Mikey94025
  Hero
  Jul 26, 2020
  Fortunately the stickiness is only cosmetic and doesn't hamper the actual performance of your Orbi. It's a common issue with some rubber and plastic products. Here are some suggestions on how to clean sticky rubber: https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Clean-Sticky-Rubber/
  - TrickyRic
    Aspirant
    Jul 26, 2020
    Well Mikey I'm guessing you work for Netgear.
    You don't know what your talking and neither does the fool in the video.
    You just googled it I suspect.
    Its common knoweledge that alcahol actually breaks down plastic neoprene and rubber.
    Unless the Orbi is made of some new material a Netgear material scientist dreamt up.?
    Alcohol it not a fix it but will make the deterioration worse.

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warning do not buy ORBI exterior melting