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Forum Discussion
Orbi AX6000 firmware V3.2.16.6_1.4.4 WiFi access sporadic
Home Setup
Calix 716-GE1 ONT -> Orbi RBR850 -> Netgear XS512EM -> Netgear GS110EMX -> Orbi RBS850 x2 (All CAT7 cables and wire runs)
Ever since firmware V3.2.16.6_1.4.4 was auto (forced) installed, WiFi access / availability has been sporadic. This is even with "Reverting to Factory Default Settings" and a clean manual setup of settings.
My family can get constant WiFi availability if I manually install firmware V3.2.15.25_1.3.15 / V3.2.15.32_1.3.25
Of course, this only works until sometime overnight when a forced auto update back to firmware V3.2.16.6_1.4.4 occurs.
I've tried blocking the firmware update url and it only blocks my other devices, so it may be the ftp site that is getting through.
I've also tried disabling some of the nvram settings and commiting without any luck.
My WiFi network is critical as my wife and I are lucky enough to be able to work from home, and our 3 kids are all attending virtual school from home.
I can't believe that Netgear Orbi's would not have a feature as basic as disabling auto firmware updates.
The Orbi Mesh network is great when the previous version firmware is running. I'm seriously considering going back to 3 Asus RT-AX88U's running Merlin firmware as I never had an issue with WiFi availability and had control of the settings for my network.
As a customer, I would assume that having control of critical network devices would be a priority for Netgear. Instead, it appears that they are only working hard at blocking any attempts to disable auto firmware updates.
8 Replies
Has a power off for 1 minute then back on been performed since last update?
Or try a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?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 wirelessly connected. https://https://https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satelliteAny Orbi system doesn't have any FW update option to not enable it. It's enabled be default and NG only pushes major FW udpates. Minor ones are notifications and are at users descresion to install or not.
Thanks for your response. See the responses below after your questions.
Has a power off for 1 minute then back on been performed since last update? Yes, and just did it again. Will monitor WiFi access for a few days and will hear from the kids if there are issues.
Or try a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? Yes, and just did it again. Will monitor WiFi access for a few days and will hear from the kids if there are issues.
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 wirelessly connected. At least 30 feet with a floor between them and they are a wired backhaul across CAT7 wire and 10Gps Switch Ports.
You may also run into problems with your model switches you have in between the RBR and RBS.
These are managed switches.
Also both switches have green ethernet features:
"Energy Efficient Ethernet (IEEE802.3az)
support for maximum power savings"Something that can cause problems for wired RBS if in between.
Make sure you disable all IGMP protocols on the switches.
If you can, also disable Green ethernet as well.
