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Forum Discussion
Weird behavior with RBR50 Dropping Speed
I have the RBR50 router and 1 RBS50 satellite. My ISP (EPB in Chattanooga) plan is for 1 GB up/down. Most of the time when I do a speed test (using the Orbi app, so the test is directly from the router) I get ~910-920 Mbps. I'm fine with that. The problem is that a few times a day, I notice some lag and connectivity issues. When I use the Orbi app on my phone to do a speed test, it now reports ~90 Mbps, which is quite a drop. Rebooting the router has no effect. Every time, guaranteed, what does fix it is if I unplug the cable from the back of the router and right back in. (This is the cable coming from the wall - it's fiber, so there's no modem - but I only unplug the router end.) After doing that the speed test immediately jumps back up to about ~900 Mbps. Every time.
I've tried two different cables (both are Cat-5e, which should be fine), and both have the same result: unplug from the back of the router and right back in, and my speed immediately jumps to what I'd expect.
My RBR50 and RBS50 were on 2.7.4.x, and just got updated tonight to 2.7.5.4. I'm hoping that fixes the issue, but we'll see.
Anyone seen any issues like this or have an explanation?
3 Replies
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.Any RBS deployed? If so, how many?
Be sure to disable any MAC Address randomizers on phones and pads while at home:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/2220016/jump-to/first-unread-messageHas a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.
If you continue to see problems, then a complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch with a wired PC and web browser maybe needed. https://kb.netgear.com/22697/How-do-I-install-my-NETGEAR-router-using-the-router-web-interface
Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200.
https://kb.netgear.com/24089/How-do-I-specify-the-pool-of-IP-addresses-assigned-by-my-Nighthawk-router
https://kb.netgear.com/25722/How-do-I-reserve-an-IP-address-on-my-NETGEAR-router
I would power OFF the ISP modem for 1 minute. Factory reset the router and power it off. Power ON the ISP modem and let it sync. Then power ON the router and walk thru the setup wizard again using a wired PC and a web browser.
Press the back reset button for 15 seconds then release.
https://kb.netgear.com/31486/How-do-I-reset-my-Orbi-system-to-factory-default-settings
Or use the ERASE button on the routers web page to factory reset the router:
https://kb.netgear.com/000062081/How-do-I-erase-the-configuration-settings-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-System
FURRYe38 wrote:What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.I have fiber coming into the house and have no modem. I've replaced the cable between the ethernet jack on the wall (which is where it comes in from the outside) twice and the problem persists. Both cables were CAT5e. I have 1Gbps service, so the cables should support that. And when it works, I typically get ~920 Mbps.
Any RBS deployed? If so, how many?
One RBS50.
Be sure to disable any MAC Address randomizers on phones and pads while at home:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/2220016/jump-to/first-unread-messageIt's turned on for my iPhone, but the problem occurs on Windows laptops as well.
Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.Done all that, although as mentioned above, I don't have a modem, so I skipped that step.
If you continue to see problems, then a complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch with a wired PC and web browser maybe needed. https://kb.netgear.com/22697/How-do-I-install-my-NETGEAR-router-using-the-router-web-interface
Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200.
https://kb.netgear.com/24089/How-do-I-specify-the-pool-of-IP-addresses-assigned-by-my-Nighthawk-router
https://kb.netgear.com/25722/How-do-I-reserve-an-IP-address-on-my-NETGEAR-router
I would power OFF the ISP modem for 1 minute. Factory reset the router and power it off. Power ON the ISP modem and let it sync. Then power ON the router and walk thru the setup wizard again using a wired PC and a web browser.
Press the back reset button for 15 seconds then release.
https://kb.netgear.com/31486/How-do-I-reset-my-Orbi-system-to-factory-default-settings
Or use the ERASE button on the routers web page to factory reset the router:
https://kb.netgear.com/000062081/How-do-I-erase-the-configuration-settings-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-SystemI haven't tried a full factory reset yet.
What I can't figure out is why simply unplugging the ethernet cable from the back of the main Orbi and immediately plugging it back in works. No restart, no unplugging of the ethernet cable from the wall - only from the back of the Orbi. Since the problem happens multiple times a day, I've tried to methodically narrow down the cause and solution.
- I originally tried rebooting it and unplugging the cable at both ends (from the wall and Orbi), which worked.
- Without rebooting, unplugged both ends of the cable (from the wall and the Orbi), which worked.
- I tried unplugging only from the wall, which did not work.
- The next thing I tried was unplugging from the back of the Orbi and the wall (without rebooting), and it worked.
- Next time, I only unplugged it from the back of the Orbi, which worked, and has every subsequent time. Immediately. Speed before unplugging ~90 Mbps, and after unplugging/reconnecting ~910 Mbps.
I'm beginning to think that it may be a hardware failure. The poor Orbi sits in our basement, and we had to redo a lot of drywall, it got quite a bit of drywall dust before I thought to loosely cover it to keep the dust out. I used compressed air to blow it out after everything was done, and I don't get any dust coming out anymore, but the damage may have been done.
Have you turned OFF the RBS and ran testing with just the RBR alone?
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
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 wired or wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite 🛰️Next would be a factory reset and setup from scratch.
Test with Mac Address randomizer disabled as well.
