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Crazy_Canuck's avatar
Crazy_Canuck
Aspirant
Oct 21, 2024

After Power Cycling RBR / RBS 850 - Cannot Connect To Main Wifi - Only To Guest Wifi

Hello - I have a very frustrating issue where, after rebooting / power cycling my RBR850 and my RBS850s, nothing can connect to the main Wi-Fi - only to the guest Wi-Fi. I have looked all over the web and while I see a lot of people complaining of this issue and requesting solutions - I have not found any solutions to these questions or on any website including netgear.com

 

  • I am at the latest F/W version on the router and satellites - v7.2.6.31
  • I have approximately 70 - 80 devices connected at any one time (when the main Wi-Fi is working).
  • My house is 3 levels (top floor, main floor, basement) and around 2,800 square feet (and yes, I realize a router and 4 satellites is overkill, but my wife and I work from home, and we need to ensure we have coverage)
  • I have never had to move my satellites (and would prefer not to every time I have to reboot the router)
  • When working properly - the backhaul status is good on 3 of the 4 satellites and one is poor - but everything is connecting and working properly on all the satellites.
  • I do not have a hardwired / ethernet connection for the backhaul between the satellites and the router (mainly because I don't have either the access or ability to drill holes in walls and floors to run the cable)
  • I am seeing a blue light on all the satellites; on occasion I do get a magenta light, and I simply reboot that satellite, and it comes back with a blue light.
  • I have installed UPSs on all the satellites - attempting to avoid having power outages power-cycling the satellites and making me do this whole procedure again (and again, and again, ...)
  • At this point - all my devices (cameras, security, ... etc) that have a hardcoded main network are down and unable to connect and I have changed all the other devices to the guest Wi-Fi so we can at least connect and do work.

 

The issue is really hit and miss as sometimes everything works great and the main Wi-Fi works, and all my devices connect automatically.

But more often than not - the connections cannot be made.

 

I have tried:

  • Unplugging power for modems and Orbi devices.
  • Power cycling the modem (Hitron CODA56 Multi-Gigabit DOCSIS 3.1 Modem using Xfinity) waiting 1 minute, waiting 2 minutes, waiting 5 minutes.
  • When the modem is up (after each attempt at the different times) - I plug in the router waiting 1 minute, waiting 2 minutes, waiting 5 minutes.
  • Then I go to each of the satellites, powering one at a time waiting 1 minute, waiting 2 minutes, waiting 5 minutes.
  • I have done factory resets on all the devices and performed the same steps above.\

Recently I waited five minutes between power up and everything worked great, and I thought I finally figured out the secret - but this was short lived victory as the next time I recycled I ran into the same old issue again.

 

Due to this issue - I am considering a new mesh network as I need to have this working for my wife and I during the week.

 

Has anyone found the 'golden' solution? Is there a setting or settings I can try on the wi-fi configuration? I am open to trying anything. Please help - this is driving me nuts.

10 Replies

  • Been some posters posting about issues with v.31 FW. Can really commend v.31. v.21 is most stable and works best. 

     

    Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?

     

    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 ‌‌🛰

    • Crazy_Canuck's avatar
      Crazy_Canuck
      Aspirant

      Thanks for the response - I am going to downstage to .21 and see if that resolves the issue. For the other questions - around 2,800 sqft, all satellites are around 30ft  and yes I have did a factory reset last weekend.

      • FURRYe38's avatar
        FURRYe38
        Guru

        After you get the system downgraded, might try turning OFF one RBS temporarily and observe.