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Forum Discussion
Intermittent DNS Errors and WiFi Issues
I have had the Orbi AX6000 for a few months now. While there are many things I love about it (great wifi coverage, great speed, looks nice, software, ease of setup, etc.), there are two very frustra...
I have the same issues - and they are NOT related to DHCP. If I change the DNS manually on the devices to ignore the Orbi DNS resolver, and use either my provider modem or just straight to Google or CloudFlare DNS, everything works SWIMMINGLY. I LOVE my signal coverage, and the flexibility of the mesh. I LOVE the speeds I get...but DNS...just SUCKS.
And what's worse is that there are NO DHCP OPTIONS on the Orbi to set DNS for clients to use something else. I turned off Armor because I thought maybe it was burping on DNS lookups while it checked to see if the site was 'ok' or not.
And it fails on sites like YOUTUBE, for crying out loud. A wait of 5 seconds and a reload, and DNS lookups start working again, but depending on the device, app and local DNS caching of the bad response, it's a right pain in the rear end.
I'm thinking of setting up a pi-hole and enabling DHCP from that device JUST to get DNS resolvers to be anything BUT this device.
Problem was CONSTANT with 3.2.15.5 - just upgraded to .16.6 - crossing my fingers that this is fixed....but GOD this bug is irritating as hell.
Thanks for the reply rgautier . Here is a quick update of where I sit with my two issues-
-I figured out that the WiFi signal drop was my fault based on not having the satellites spread out far enough. I tested this by first having just the router running wiht no satellites, and had no issues with my wifi devices looking like they have a wifi connection but with no internet access. I then turned on the furthest satellite, and still had no issues for a few days. When I turned on the third satellite, I started having the same issues again. I repositioned the satellites and router so they had a wider distance, and the issues haven't come back. I guess when they are too close together, the wireless device bounces between them somehow I guess which causes some sort of interference? Regardless, moving them around a bit further than what they recommend fixed it for me.
-The DNS issue continues despite a shift in ISP and a rebuild of the router settings from scratch. I still have my old nighthawk and tried that one again, and no DNS issues at all (just crappier range and speed). I go back to the Orbi, and have DNS issues immediately across different devices on either wired or wireless (including work stations, laptops, raspberry pi, even my Nintendo switch!!). I went back in on some of my devices and manually set the DNS to Google and the issues diseappar. Now it's been a complete pain to try and manually shift the DNS settings across my devices, where I can, but that is completely painful. I've never run Armor or Circle, so it's not that. I see these issues pop up from other people and they seem to be run through the same steps with no success either (unless I'm missing something, but please tell me!). This is very obviously a router issue, and it's super frustrating given the veyr high price point of the router. I've never had a router that can't handle a simple DNS process, and it's ridculous that it can't be addressed. I love the coverage and the speed, but DNS errors are irritating at best, and a complete pain when it causes you to have to start over on web pages where you have to fill something out. Is there anyway to at least get this posted as a known issue to Netgear??? If anyone has a fix here I've missed on the board, I would be very appreciative!