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Guest Wifi network stuck on old DNS configuration Orbi RBR750 in AP mode
Hello everyone,
I'm running into a strange DNS issue on my Orbi setup and I'm hoping someone here can help.
My setup:
- Main router: Freebox Pop (ISP router in France)
- Orbi RBR750 configured in Access Point (AP) mode
- Two RBS750 satellites
The problem:
I recently updated the DNS configuration on my Freebox Pop (changing my NextDNS profile and migrating to a self-hosted AdGuard instance). The new DNS settings are correctly applied and working on the main Wi-Fi network, all devices resolve DNS through the updated configuration as expected (192.168.1.2 or Cloudflare, as pictured).
However, the Guest network on my Orbi system seems to be stuck on the old NextDNS configuration. Devices connected to the Guest SSID still resolve through the previous DNS settings, and the change from the upstream router is not being reflected at all. This is surprising since the RBR750 is in AP mode and should simply pass DNS through from the Freebox.
Again, this only happens on the Guest network, the main network works perfectly.
What I've already tried:
- Rebooting the Orbi RBR750 and both RBS750 satellites
- Rebooting the Freebox Pop
- Rebooting my iPhone (test client)
- Disabling and re-enabling the Guest network on the Orbi
- Changing the Guest network's name
- Changing the DNS settings on the Freebox multiple times
- Flushing the DNS cache on my Mac
None of these have had any effect, the Guest network continues to use the old DNS configuration.
Has anyone encountered this before? Is there some kind of cached DNS configuration specific to the Guest network on Orbi devices (even in AP mode) that I need to clear manually? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Pictures attached for illustration.
Thanks in advance!
If you set a static IP address configuration for AP mode, you can set a specific or custom DNS address to use on the RBR while its in AP mode.
Static IP Address Configuration for AP Mode | NETGEAR Communities
While in AP mode any connected clients get DNS either from the custom DNS set on the RBR explicitly or if dynamically, will come from the host router up stream that is set there or automatic detected from the ISP. I believe any Guest Network side of things would also be automatic from the host router. Not sure if setting static and explicit DNS on the RBR in AP mode changes for the Guest Network side of the RBR.
If anything factory reset the RBR and setup from scratch with a ethernet PC and set up DNS there, then change to AP mode and test.
10 Replies
Can't attach pictures actually sorry
Yes, over 3 months ago the Forum software lost the ability to paste images into posts. Really annoying.
Please explain how the Freebox provides DNS information to client devices. Typically, devices issue a DHCP request and the DHCP server (Freebox) responds with a DHCP offer which includes a lot of information, including:
- The IP address offered to the device
- The IP subnet to be used (typically 255.255.255.0)
- The IP of the internet gateway (typically the LAN IP address of the router)
- The IP address of DNS servers (typically the LAN IP address of the router)
Does the Freebox tell devices to use itself to resolve DNS, or does it tell devices to use the AdGuard server?
Hi and thank you a lot for answering me :)
I'm not really sure to get the question. Here are 4 links to screenshots:I'm not sure this will fully answer your question. We can rule AdGuard out of the equation, as I'm currently testing a simpler setup to debug the situation with just Cloudflare and Quad9. Could you rephrase so I understand exactly what you want to know? I'll give it a try anyway, correct me if I didn't get the full meaning:
In my Freebox Pop configuration (Paramètres de la Freebox → Mode avancé → DHCP), I can explicitly set the DNS servers that the Freebox pushes to clients. It's not automatic: there are 5 fields (Serveur DNS 1 through 5) where I've entered my own values:
- DNS 1: 8.8.8.8 (Google)
- DNS 2: 9.9.9.9 (Quad9, as fallback)
So the Freebox pushes whatever DNS servers I configure in that DHCP section. It doesn't force clients to use itself as a resolver, it just relays what I tell it to relay in the DHCP offer. And as I mentioned earlier, when I connect to the main network I get the DNS servers I've set, but not on the Guest network, without changing anything on the Freebox.
Thank you again, let me know how I can better answer you, maybe running terminal commands.
When you log in through the browser and not the app to the orbi, its showing ap mode?
What what is its settings page showing?
Did you change the IPv6 dns settings as well?
If you set a static IP address configuration for AP mode, you can set a specific or custom DNS address to use on the RBR while its in AP mode.
Static IP Address Configuration for AP Mode | NETGEAR Communities
While in AP mode any connected clients get DNS either from the custom DNS set on the RBR explicitly or if dynamically, will come from the host router up stream that is set there or automatic detected from the ISP. I believe any Guest Network side of things would also be automatic from the host router. Not sure if setting static and explicit DNS on the RBR in AP mode changes for the Guest Network side of the RBR.
If anything factory reset the RBR and setup from scratch with a ethernet PC and set up DNS there, then change to AP mode and test.
Hi :) Thanks also for helping out :)
I'm not sure if I can tell if the schema explains if it's in AP mode, I attached the screenshot. (I'm gonna try to set the Orbi in router mode to see if I can sort this problem out in this mode, then go back to AP mode.)
Which settings page? Freebox or Orbi?
I don't have explicit IPv6 dns options on the Freebox
What what I can see, the RBR has a IP address of 192.168.1.1 so this is the RBR default IP address for Router mode. If you want the RBR in AP mode, this IP address won't be 192.168.1.1.
Review the AP mode guide I linked...
There may be a language issue. The screen show shows the Internet Port having Address IP external as 192.168.1.1. When in router mode, the default LAN IP address is 192.168.1.1
This is still unusual, as most routers seem to default to 192.168.1.1 for their LAN address. so I would expect to see the Freebox holding that IP for itself and assigning a different IP to the Orbi.
I have a suspicion that the problem is caused by the way the Orbi 750 handles Guest WiFi. Even when in AP mode, the Orbi uses DHCP to assign IP addresses to devices on the Guest WiFi network and I have a suspicion that the Orbi also handles DNS resolution for devices on the Guest WiFi network.
I just connected a phone to the Guest WiFi on an Orbi 750 and the phone was assigned IP address 192.168.2.10
The only way I see to confirm this hypothesis is to connect something to the Guest WiFi that can capture the actual DHCP conversation between device and router. (That will take me a bit of time.)
Thanks for your input. Here is my network configuration choice:
- My router is 192.168.1.254,
- RBR is 192.166.1.1,
- RBS1 is 192.168.1.3
- RBS2 is 192.168.1.4
- Synology NAS/Adguard is 192.168.1.2
I'm not sure how the app shows the network mode, but I'm 100% sure that I'm in AP mode in the web admin, I'm on the latest firmware V7.2.8.5.
I have a first clue. I just reset the RBR, switched it to AP mode, activated the guest network, the DNS on my Mac reflected the config from the Freebox router. Then I changed the DNS settings in the Freebox Router, reflected right away in the main network, not in the guest network.
I read your second message first... and the solution was in the first one. Actually yes I was able to override the DNS settings in the advanced settings of the AP mode... I totally forgot that option was there!!! That was the solution. thanks a lot.
Nonetheless, the difference between Main and Guest remains a mystery, thanks all of you for you time and helpGlad you got it working. Please mark your thread as solved so others will know. Be sure to save off a back up configuration to file for safe keeping. Saves time if a reset is needed.
https://kb.netgear.com/000062080/How-do-I-back-up-the-configuration-settings-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-System
Enjoy. 📡
