New - RBR750 / RBS750 Firmware Version 7.2.6.31 Released

Ok, RBK752 is online with v.31:

Mixed Mode WPA2 and WPA3 enabled. 

WiFi Protected Address disabled on both phones and the pad.

Two different iPhones connected. 

iOS 15.8 and 16.5 here. 

Windows 11 PC on 5Ghz using BE200 PCI adapter:

SSID: RBK752
Protocol: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Security type: WPA3-Personal
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Description: Intel(R) Wi-Fi 7 BE200 320MHz
Driver version: 23.10.0.8
Network band: 5 GHz
Network channel: 48

I would check the ground floor RBS. You sure it updated or got updated? 

Something I would do to check this, factory reset the system and setup from scratch. Do this with the ground floor RBS in same room or with in 15-20 feet of the RBR when you do this. Walk thru the setup routine using default settings. Go in and check and enable mixed mode. Make sure all RBS are synced with the RBR after setting mixed mode. Check each RBS web page for this. All should report mixed mode on there web pages. If you can get to this point, then you should be good to power them off and place back in there remote locations. 

Follow this PDF

Thank you very much for the detailed instructions! Much appreciated!

Unfortunately, my wife and me are working from home, so i can't "quickly" factory reset everything. I made sure though, to log into all satellite's web pages and check the version: all of them display 7.2.6.31. The RBR shows the same in the upper right corner of its web page.

Again, i will follow the steps you provided once we get the new internet connection, as i will then remove the Fritz!Box from the chain and use the RBR as a router and setting it as DHCP server, not as an AP as it currently configured.

Understand, when you get the chance and some time to do this. 

Let us know how it goes. 

Just a few hours after the upgrade and the problems came back (iOS devices loosing connection occasionally, etc.).

Your tests made me curious… downgrading wasn't an option as i need the IoT network. Since we have two days of bank holiday i decided to "pull the plug" today, reset the RBR750 and three RBS750 to factory defaults and set them up again from scratch. This went quite quick and easy (setting up the router first, afterwards connecting satellites one after another).

Already after setting up the RBR750 i noticed some differences:

- for example neither WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES] nor WPA3-Personal [SAE] were available in the wireless security options before the factory reset! The suddenly showed up

- from the Orbi mobile app i noticed, that some devices now suddenly receive much more bandwidth! For example my iPhone 13 Pro Max went from about 120 MBit/s over 2.4 GHz to 864 MBit/s over 5 GHz. Most of the time it didn't connect to 5 GHz at all.

To me it looks like upgrading the firmware never worked quite well without a factory reset. Even uploading a saved configuration didn't fix those issues – it has to be a factory reset (sigh).

WP2+WPA3 is now setup and running. For now, no more connection loss. Let's see how this turns out in the next days. Of course, i saved another configuration backup, just in case… The only thing that bugs me is that Orbi forgets all customized device name/icon combinations from the connected devices list. They have to be setup manually again after the factory reset. If you like me have a lot of devices, this is a quite tedious process.

Fingers crossed the improved situation will last until i switch to fiber connection.

Ok, Thanks for the update. Mines been online and running well since I posted. Seen it where a FR is needed sometimes after a FW update. Specially maybe coming from old FW to new stuff. 

Ya need to save off a new back up after competing a FW update and a FR. Then you'll have a good backup file for this level of FW version. 

Ya, backup config doesn't save lots of things and ya, a FR clears all user configurations out from the system so it's back to factory defaults. 

Let us know how it goes. 

I think it is time to throw the Orbi out. 

After the update the one Satellite is not showing up as connected, and if it does show up it comes up as Wireless. 
The other Satellite drops its internet unfrequently. 

My wired Satellite that is not showing up as connected has details in the ORBI app and can be accessed using its IP adress. 

So the app seems a bit off. I think I might need to check my LAN-port going to the wired Satellite as that maybe could explain this. If Satellite 2(Wireless) connects to Satellite 1(Wired) and the Wired one goes down. But has nothing that indicates that, not in the app or elsewhere. 

 Could you just work!? 

Have reset everything and put it back up. 

How was the system updated? Automatic? Manually? Update all?

Did you update the RBS first then RBR lastly? 

Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since the FW was update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.

I updated mine and was working fine. I only have on RBS and it was wirelessly connected. 

How is the ethernet RBS connected? Directly to the back of the RBR or is there a LAN switch or patch panel in between them? 

What kind if CAT# cable is being used? CAT6 is recommended.

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 ‌‌🛰

I posted that if user see issues after FW is loaded, a Factory Reset and setup from scratch maybe needed. 

Power off has been done. Reset off ALL(RBS and Satellite) has been done.

I did update the RBR first and then the Satellite. But as stated, did a reset.

One of the RBS is wired through a patch panel. The other one is wireless, now, after having taken the wire out of the first satellite and then putting it back in I have a straight line of connection RBR ---> Satellite 1(Wired) ----> Satellite 2. Before this Both looked connected to the RBR wireless. The Satellite 2 is in another building(6m) between Satellite 1 and 2.

CAT6 is used on most places. Or Cat5e, should be enough? 

Distance between RBR and RBS is 30 feet or more, bus the first one is wired. I have set the preamable to 50% or what it is called.  

Be sure you update any and all RBS first before you update the RBR. Take a chance of the RBS becoming disconnected from the RBR and a hassle to get updated if something happens.

CAT6 is recommended. 

Thanks for the feedback and info. Yes, other devices that can broadcast there own wifi signals can interfere and cause problems on any wifi router system. Keeping far appart channels between them is a good start. Hope it keeps working well for you.

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. 📡

---

Foo42 wrote:
After testing the new firmware for some time now i‘d like to give a quick update how it turned out:

After the factory reset and setup from scratch it worked quite reliable for a few days. Then suddenly some devices were thrown out of the network. Additionally, a lot of my Philips Hue light bulbs disconnected every now and then (sure, they are on separate Zigbee network not part of the Orbi network) and became unresponsive. After some research on the interwebs it dawned to me: the current Zigbee channel and the 2.4 GHz WiFi interfered with each other causing the network problems for some devices and the light bulbs. Changing the Zigbee channel on the Hue bridge finally did the trick. All light bulbs are now stable and stay connected. No more devices getting kicked out or getting slow. This is the first time i do not experience any problem with my Orbi mesh. Fingers crossed it stays like that.

---

No worries, I didn't mean  to post that line. Sorry. 

Your good.  Enjoy. 

I changed to a CAT-6 cable. But after talking to some neighbours it seems like we have a local problem with the optic cables. 

Should not make my satellite go up and down all the time but hey, now it has been stable for a couple of days so I should not complain.

The only thing missing now is perfect handover between units but as I have heard that is hard and only one brand does this flawlessly. 

For users having problems with there Orbi units after updating to v.31, We recommend that if you have done most troubleshooting efforts to clear the issues seen after loading v.31 and still experience problems, you'll need to downgrade back to v.21 version. RBS first then RBR lastly. It's recommended after downgrading, to perform a Factory Reset and setup from scratch to ensure there no lingering FW from v.31 on the system. Also disable the Auto Update feature on the RBRs web page soon after to avoid the system re-updating back to v.31. 

We have made NG aware of the issues with v.31 and have ask them to consider pulling back FW v.31 for all Orbi AX and AXE systems. 

Thank you. 

We have made NG aware of the issues

 Could you please point out what is meant by "the issues"?

My RBR750 and three RBS750 have been running perfectly fine for weeks with the .31 firmware. As noted in previous posts all have been updated according to the rules thankfully mentioned a bazillion times on this forum.

Suddenly, the last few days, satellite 2 (see diagram below) seems to loose connection occasionally and devices can't connect to the main SSID when in reach of satellite 2 or 3 anymore, although the SSID is still visible. I have to pull the power plug on satellite 2 and cold boot it once or twice a day to fix it temporarily. Satellite 3 routes through satellite 2, so it is disconnected as well when satellite 2 crashes but reconnects once satellite 2 rebooted.

My mesh is connected like this:

                           RBR750
                            /  \
                           /    \
                          /      \
                   RBS750 (1)   RBS750 (2)
                                   \
                                    \
                                     \
                                    RBS750 (3)

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 ‌‌🛰

Had you seen this issue prior to updating FW? 

Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.

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

No offense, but i won't answer all those questions. And i did a factory reset before and after installing the .31 firmware. This can be read in this thread in my earlier posts. Anyway, i don't expect anyone to remember all the details i've wrote weeks ago 🙂

On a side note: i don't have time to do a factory reset every 2-3 months. I had several Apple Airport base stations before which i never had to reset, restart or power off. They just worked. My experience with the Orbi is very… rough?! At least in a total different direction compared to the Airports. If it works, then all is fine, but if not, it's a disaster. Of course this experience will lead to my decision which next router/satellite combo to buy. I just can't afford to spend a lot of time trouble shooting after a lottery of does the new firmware work or not?. And a manufacturer that doesn't hear its customers needs/can't deliver a quality product is not worth supporting in the longer term. As i am a software developer myself i know what i'm talking about. 

Now back to the topic and again: could you kindly point out what is meant by "the issues" in your second to last post? Thanks in advance.

IF your seeing issues after v.31 was loaded before and after a factory reset, and it continues, then revert back to v.21 as it's the most stable. 

We can't remember all that was posted on various users so reason why we ask questions, maybe repeating however important. 

Let us know how it goes...

---

Foo42 wrote:
Quick heads up: instead of a factory reset of the whole system i did the following and everything is back to normal (for now):

1. i removed both satellites that became unresponsive all the time and factory reset them.
2. i restored the router with the settings backup i made directly after upgrading to the .31 firmware
3. i reconnected both satellites one after another until they synced

Fingers crossed it will last until NG provides a firmware update that is more stable and reliable.

---

For users having problems with there Orbi units after updating to v.31, We recommend that if you have done most troubleshooting efforts to clear the issues seen after loading v.31 and still experience problems, you'll need to downgrade back to v.21 version. RBS first then RBR lastly. It's recommended after downgrading, to perform a Factory Reset and setup from scratch to ensure there no lingering FW from v.31 on the system. Also disable the Auto Update feature on the RBRs web page soon after to avoid the system re-updating back to v.31.

We have made NG aware of the issues with v.31 and have ask them to consider pulling back FW v.31 for all Orbi AX and AXE systems.

Thank you.

Update: yesterday the "journey" started over… my setup:

                           RBR750
                            /  \
                           /    \
                          /      \
                   RBS750 (1)   RBS750 (2)
                                   \
                                    \
                                     \
                                    RBS750 (3)

Both RBS750 (2) and (3) started to become unresponsive again. RBS (2) was marked red/disconnected in the web-UI and it took down RBS (3) as well. This happened before. So in order to check if RBS (2) has a hardware issue, i exchanged ( 2)  and (3) which reversed the mesh connection:

                           RBR750
                            /  \
                           /    \
                          /      \
                   RBS750 (1)   RBS750 (3)
                                   \
                                    \
                                     \
                                    RBS750 (2)

After some hours of usage, the problem appeared again.

In the end, i removed the RBS750 in between the RBR750 and the other RBS750:

                           RBR750
                            /  \
                           /    \
                          /      \
                   RBS750 (1)   RBS750 (3)
                                   \
                                    \
                                     \
                                    RBS750 (2)

 and now everything is back to normal.

This tells me that Netgear f***ed up the mesh connection logic. Once there is no direct connection to the RBR, the performance becomes messy. Also, please note, that RBR750 (1) never was affected by the connection problem. So it's not a global issue, but only between two satellites.

netgear now bring on the fix quickly and well tested, otherwise you will loose more customers soon.