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Forum Discussion
80211g
Nov 15, 2021Aspirant
Orbi AX RBR850 AP Mode Cisco Switch Network Loop
I have an Orbi AX RBR850 that was in AP mode for a very long time and things worked well until a few weeks ago. Nothing on my home network changed but all of a sudden the RBR850 kept dropping wifi every few minutes and continues to do so. I'm using the latest firmware (I'm on 4.6.3.16).
To simplify things for testing I don't even have a satellte connected - just the main router in AP mode connected to a Cisco 3750 switch (IOS 15.0.(2)SE10.
Internet Modem -> Cisco 3750 -> RBR850 in AP Mode -> (wifi clients)
IGMP is disabled on the switch and I have confirmed that in the switch config file:
no ip igmp snooping
Yet I continue to have the problem of wifi clients dropping after a few minutes. When I power cycle, or otherwise unplug the network cable from the RBR850 that's connected to the Cisco switch, after the link negotiates on the switchport connected to the Orbi, ALL the other ports on the Cisco switch drop connectivity for a few moments and then come back up normally. However after that, the Orbi still can only keep wifi clients connected for 1-2 minutes before they drop again.
What else can I test or check here to understand the problem? As I mentioned things were working fine in AP mode and I made no changes to my home network. I suppose the Orbi could have automatically updated its firmware during that time. I can leave the Orbi plugged into the same switch and change it to Router mode and things work fine (although now they are double-NATed which is partly why I'm using AP mode). In routing mode I also can't connect to my other hardwired devices when on wifi because of the NAT/routing. I need AP mode for my purposes and it no longer works.
Thanks!
10 Replies
I would connect the RBR in AP mode directly to the host router, with out the switch in the middle, to see if the problem still happens.
What is the CAT# of the cables that your using? CAT6 is recommended...
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?
Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and Orbi system been performed since last update?
Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last update? A complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch.
- 80211gAspirant
Orbi directly connected to router works fine. Problem is with the the Orbi and the switch.
No wifi nearby.
Using Cat7 everywhere.
Tried factory reset multiple times, left power over 5+ minutes both times.
I would try a different LAN switch. Possible that this switch is causing problems if the RBR works with out it in the middle.
IF there are any FW updates for that switch, try that.
Check to see if there is any "Green Ethernet" features on that switch as well, if there is, disable that.
NG GS-105/108v4, D-Link DGS-105/108 and HP ProCurve 1400/1800 series switches work for Orbi systems.
- jayeshmApprentice
It's entirely on the NG side i bet. This is exactly similar to my solution and despite multiple tries, and following all the instructions put here, i keep getting terrible performance from them. If i stick with older firmwares, i get DNS timeouts. If i get the new ones, my wireless satellites will randomly restart at odd times of the day or night and a bunch of other issues. I have wasted hours on this front.
I switched back to my older wifi 5 Unifi setup with firmwares that i know work well, and its been rock stable. I have also ordered the Asus XT8 since it was recently on sale here from a portal ( 4 pcs) and will see how that goes.