NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.

Forum Discussion

mb2577's avatar
mb2577
Aspirant
Nov 10, 2021

Orbi RBK353 keeps rebooting

Hi.

 

I insalled an Orbi RBK353 system at the end on May and after a couple of weeks it started to lose wi-fi with the LEDs going through the process of updating the configuration setting, according to the LED status page on the Netgear website.

 

As time went on it started happening more frequently and now it can 'reboot' up to 5 times in a row and now it is a couple of times a day. It always seems to happen when you actually need the wi-fi.

 

My router is upstairs, satellite 1 is downstairs in the kitchen and satellite 2 is in an integral garage.  Satellite 1 (kitchen) always seems to have an amber dot on the Orbi app but this never seems to affect anything whereas satellite 2 always has a green dot on the app even though it is behind closed doors. 

 

I have factory reset the Orbi but it keeps happening.  I have checked the time zone and it is correct.

 

When the system is working it is great but I wanted a mesh system to have wi-fi in the garage 

 

Can anyone offer more suggestions?

 

Thanks, mb

5 Replies

  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Guru
    Nov 10, 2021
    mb2577 wrote:

     

    I insalled an Orbi RBK353 system at the end on May and after a couple of weeks it started to lose wi-fi with the LEDs going through the process of updating the configuration setting, according to the LED status page on the Netgear website.

     

    When you say "Netgear website", do you mean the browser graphical user interface (GUI)?

     

    What firmware version do you have on the device?

    A number is more useful than "the latest". (It may not be by the time people read this.) There can also be newer versions, or "hot fixes", that do not show up if you check for new firmware in the browser interface.

    It might also help if you told people what the modem is in front of this router, if there is one. The model number could be useful. Is it, by any chance, also a router, with a set of LAN ports on the back?

    The reason for asking is that a lot of people turn up here trying to put a router behind a modem that is also a router. That can complicate troubleshooting.

    You might get more help, and find earlier questions and answers specific to your device, in the appropriate section for your hardware. That's probably here:

    Orbi - NETGEAR Communities

    Those things are very different from the standard Netgear routers covered in this section.

    In the meantime you could visit the support pages:

    Support | NETGEAR

    Feed in your model number and check the documentation for your hardware. Look at the label on the device for the model number.

    You may have done this already. I can't tell from your message.

    I mention it because Netgear stopped supplying printed manuals and CD versions some years ago and people sometimes miss the downloads.

    • mb2577's avatar
      mb2577
      Aspirant
      Nov 10, 2021

      Hi.

      This is the link to the Orbi LED status light.

      https://kb.netgear.com/31030/What-do-the-LEDs-on-my-Orbi-router-and-satellite-mean

       

      The firmware of the router is v4.4.0.10_2.10.63 which is the latest version as of writing this. The modem I use is a Virgin Media Hub 4. This was installed on Monday 08/11/2021. Previously the modem was a Virgin Media Hub 3. But the satellites still keep playing up.  Both modems are used in modem only mode.

       

      The modem does have LAN ports but all my ethernet cables are plugged into the router including my mac. Only the Orbi router is connected to the modem. When the satellites drop out my mac is still connected to the internet so I'm assuming the modem is ok. The support pages suggest makeing sure the time zone is correctly set so that it only updates during the night, which it is.

       

      Thanks.

      • michaelkenward's avatar
        michaelkenward
        Guru
        Nov 10, 2021
        mb2577 wrote:

         

        Both modems are used in modem only mode.

         

        Does this mean that you have been into the browser graphical user interface and configured it in "bridge mode"?

         

        There is more to "bridging" a modem than plugging into the right LAN ports. (I assume that the Orbi is plugged into the Virgin hub.) You have to go in and tweak the settings.

         

        I ask because of one recent conversation here where a user insisted that they were using a modem/router in modem mode, but after much toing and froing it turned out that they had got it wrong. That wasted a lot of time.

         

        Fortunately, it looks like Virgin hubs can work in modem only mode, unlike the horrible BT Homehub.

         

        As this is a new hub, did you reset the Orbi router when you swapped modems? This isn't a simple swap out process. You need the Orbi to forget any past association with the old hub.