NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Orbi LBR20: Apple PowerBooks don't see the WiFi network SSID
I am using the ORBI LBR20 with standard, out-of-the-box configuration. All of my devices can see the SSID and connect to the WiFi network, except my older Apple Powerbooks (I still use two of them) don't even see the SSID. The Powerbooks can see another WiFi network from a router in my home and from my neighbours' routers, but not from the Orbi LBR20.
The PowerBooks work with 802.11g 2,4 Ghz. What does the Orbi do differently from other routers that prevents its network from being seen by the older PowerBooks?
Ah, So maybe not AES supporting which is possible. Try WPA and TKIP setting on the LBR?
14 Replies
Can you check on the Orbi web interface on the Wireless Menu whether the box "Enable ax" is checked on the 2.4G WiFi network?
It could be that a device this old is not compatible with the more modern protocol. (My understanding is that 802.11ax is backward compatible with older devices, but that some devices get confused.) Might be a good idea to check in Apple forums for information about this older product.
I added Orbi's WiFi network manually to the PowerBook's list of preferred networks, turned AirPort off then back on, but it still connects to my other router's WiFi.
On the PowerBook, I also use the app iStumbler, which scans for networks. It does not show the Orbi's WiFi, but several others which the PowerBook's own network scanner doesn't show.
The Orbi seems to advertise its network SSID in a way that the PowerBook's AirPort Extreme card can't pick up.
Did this Power Book go down the rabbit hole with Alice? This is just weird.
On many of my devices, setting a WiFi network to "Connect Automatically" makes the device connect to that specific network even if there are other devices available that it recognizes. Would it be possible to "Forget" the network that it has been connecting to?
Also, it might be interesting to enable the Orbi Guest WiFi network (temporarily) with no password and see if the Power Book detects that SSID.
CrimpOn wrote:Also, it might be interesting to enable the Orbi Guest WiFi network (temporarily) with no password and see if the Power Book detects that SSID.
Thanks for this hint. I just did that – enabled the Guest network without broadcasting the SSID and without password. The PowerBook is able to connect to it. So, we now know that with WPA2-PSK [AES] enabled, the PowerBooks don't even see the network. This is a bit strange because WPA2 is a supported security method OS X 10.4.11, but apparently there is something about the newer methods that confuse the PowerBook.
My plan now is to set up an older Belkin router as an access point and check if that connects to Orbi. If it does I will then have the PowerBooks connect to the Belkin router as intermediary.
Seems like it or something maybe in the newer generation signals of orbi maybe something that older hardware isn't able to pick up. I think you'll need to use a different wifi router that is more able to provide signals to your older stuff. I don't see any other options for the LBR that would help fix that.
