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Orbi 960 and Wifi Calling issues
All, I have the Orbi 960 system. Router and two satellites. This solution is in AP mode. Router connects to my .97 network which is VLAN 20 in my house as it's WAN gateway to my pfSENSE router/Firewall. My internet service from the pfSense is Ethernet to the ONT for Verizon FiOS. I Have a complete managed switch network with several vlans.
Vlan 10 i is my wireles subnet which is the .86.0 network. The router connects to this switch for the Wireless side. The satellites are all Wireless backhaul. R960 is in the lower level media room on top of the lutron cabinet which all connections from the house terminate there for coax and ethernet cabling. Firewall is here and the two netgiear switches for each VLAN/Subnet (97 and 86 networks).
There is a satellite on the mid floor and one o f the top floor in the master bedroom Great coverage though the house and outside Townhouse is an end unit ~3000 Sq. ft.
ISSUE: Wifi calling tends to work for a few minutes and then starts to garble and not work. Have to turn wifi off on the phone and go direct cell. I've rebooted the Orbi system. I've turned off.
20/40 MHz coexistence is turned off (recommendation from another thread. Didn't make a difference.
I've change channels for each of the freqencies from defaults to avoid contention. didn't make a difference.
There is no such thing as SIP on the configuration to turn off as I believe it's not there in AP mode.
Firmware is latest as of this posting.
Anyone else have this issue/solved?
Thanks.
-James
15 Replies
Might be your complex VLAN configuration and firewall.
Something to try is to connect the RBR to the ISP modem/ONT in router mode with out the Firewall or any VLAN configurations and test the system as an out of the box configuration with the ISP services first. Isolate the Orbi with the ISP services to help get a better direction on where the problem maybe coming in from.What Firmware version is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6A STP is recommended.How many RBS are deployed?
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 🛰Does this happen with the RBS turned OFF?
Does this happen with both wireless and wired devices?
What channel configurations are currently set on the router?Be sure to disable any MAC Address randomizers on phones and pads while at home:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/2220016/jump-to/first-unread-messageTry disabling the following and see:
Armor, Smart Parental Controls or Circle, IPv6, Traffic Meter.RE:
Might be your complex VLAN configuration and firewall.
No. there's nothing complex about it at all. It's 2 lans each with their own subnet hitting the pfsense as a router on a stick if traffic has to go between the vlans. Otherwise each vlan has it's own gateway address and port on the router for outbound WAN.
What Firmware version is currently loaded?What Firmware version is currently loaded?
Another poster offered up the current firmware link. Orbilogin.net was showing latest and updated as 7.2.6.31 which is 5/24 vs. posters 7.2.15 dated 2/25 So for some reason orbilogin is not really showing the latest and the FAQ for that version says it fixes wireless instablility. So I"m updated to that now and retesting.Thanks.
-James
Let us know how it goes.
Just to clarify..... the latest firmware for the 960 Orbi is v7.2.7.15, released Feb 24, 2025.
https://kb.netgear.com/000066594/RBRE960-RBSE960-Firmware-Version-7-2-7-15
WiFi calling should not be affected by the pfSense Firewall and VLAN setup. If phones perform other typical functions over WiFi, they should make phone calls. (i.e. web browsing, email, streaming video, running other phone apps, etc.)
How is WiFi calling being tested? (putting the phone in Airplane mode and then making a call?)
Are you "moving around" when the garbling happens?
What smartphone is this?
Thanks for responding.
When I do the firmware test in orbilogin.net it shows 7.2.6.31 released 5/24. Curious why it won't show the version you linked?
I will go and update to the latest you posted.
Phones are not in airplane mode. Just connected wireless. These are both iphone 15 prox max wiht latest IOS 18.3.2 on t-moble and I turned off private Mac addressing so it wouldn't change.
It doesn't matter if we're sitting still on a call or moving around, the calls start to garble and other party can't hear. Switching off wireless to cell only allows us to continue with the call. All other surfing, wireless functions work well.
I don't see anything in any of the pfsense logs that would cliue me into an issue.
-James
