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lagunatic's avatar
May 21, 2026

Orbi app - Network Map changes?

Feels like a really dumb question, but I can't find another thread exactly discussing this.  Everything works just fine either way the iOS Orbi app displays, this is just a curiosity question:

 

I set up a new 773 mesh a couple weeks back. Router/Sat's are all running on firmware v10.5.20.10. Due to cabling restrictions, the 771 router is on the far right of the house on the 2nd floor in the office, 2nd floor sat sits in the middle of the house and the 1st floor sat is in the far left on the main 1st floor. Each are about 50' apart.  The sats are not Ethernet connected, just wi-fi'ing back to the router. Connection status for the two sats is always showing 'Good'. For the first few days the iOS-based Orbi app's Network Map visually showed the two 770 sats separately connecting to the 771 router.  After about five days the Network Map on the Orbi app (v2.52.0.42) on an iPhone 17 Pro Max changed to show the 1st floor sat connecting to the 2nd floor sat which then connected to the router (also on the 2nd floor). It has since reverted to showing both sats connecting separately to the 771 router. 

 

Is this the 773 auto-sensing over time that it's changed to a daisy-chain sat-to-sat-to-router config given their relative distances and signal strength to the router? ... or is this just an expected change in how the iOS app may periodically display the Orbi network topology and I'm not intermittently daisy-chaining (which I understand I can't manually configure)? I haven't changed a thing, location/distance of sats/router, no power resets, etc. when the Network Map changes its visual routing orientation in the app.

 

Thanks in advance!

4 Replies

  • FURRYe38's avatar
    FURRYe38
    Guru - Experienced User

    Possible changes due to noise, signal and interferences, maybe causing one of the RBS to drift from the RBR and connecting to the RBS. 

    Are the RBS 50 feet from each other or from the RBR? RBS should be at least 30 feet from the RBR and from each other starting distances. 

    Can swap RBS around to see if this still happens? 

    Try using Manual channels 1, 6 or 11, and 40 or 48 and see if this is still seen. 

    • lagunatic's avatar
      lagunatic
      Guide

      The 1st/2nd-floor RBS's are roughly 50' from each other and the RBR is no closer than 40' from the RBS that's on the 2nd floor.  Will give the manual channels setting and/or re-postioning a go.  Thanks for the reply!

  • CrimpOn's avatar
    CrimpOn
    Guru - Experienced User

    As you probably realize, the "Daisy Chain" pattern reduces performance because every data packet passing through the intermediate satellite must take up WiFi air time twice (once for each hop).  Enough to notice?  maybe not.

     

    Fortunately, Orbi satellites that use WiFi connection are portable and easily moved.  it might be interesting to experiment with moving the satellites around a bit to see if you can get them to consistently connect directly to the router, while not creating any undesirable gaps in WiFi coverage.  Any unit that is "up against a wall" is sending a lot of coverage out of the building.

    • lagunatic's avatar
      lagunatic
      Guide

      Yes, will definiely give re-postioning a go.  Thanks for replying!