Orbi RBR850 DHCP issues

I should mention my connected devices are nest thermostat, nest cams, wemo light switches, xbox, ps4, sony tv, macbook air, ipads, iphones, hubitat 

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?

How are the RBS connected to the RBR, directly behind the RBR or thru the switch? 

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saurin13 wrote:

Any ideas on whats happening? why are the random DHCP issues? Is it better to set the orbi in bridge mode and use a different router for DHCP?  Does orbi just suck at DHCP and I should switch over to the new Eero Pro when it comes out?

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What you are describing is not normal and does not reflect what most Orbi AX owners have reporting here.  I recommend continuing to investigate rather than just give up on Orbi.

Switches, particularly managed or green ones, have caused connectivity problems but you said that your satellites are wired to the base without any intervening switches.  You are also having IP address failures for wireless devices (like your TV).  If there is no intervening switch, e.g., TV --> Orbi Base or TV --> Orbi Satellite --> Orbi Base, then this erroneous behavior is new and unexplained.  Do not confuse your persistent IP address failures with the other "intermittent DNS failure" issue reported in this forum because the latter is very infrequent and doesn't explain large scale IP address / DHCP failures across a variety of devices as you're experiencing.

Is it possible that you are simply having widespread connectivity loss (i.e., not specific to DHCP)?  When your laptop or TV cannot get an IP address, are they still able to see the wireless network and connect to it with the SSID password but then fail to get an address via DHCP?  If the latter, we can start by giving one of the devices a static IP (taking DHCP out of the picture) and then see if the device has stable wireless connectivity and internet access.

Can you also isolate your problems to wireless vs. wired devices or does this also occur for wired devices?  That can help us focus troubleshooting steps, e.g., change wireless channels and set CTS/RTS Threshold to 2347.

Note that many Nest thermostat owners have reported Orbi AX connectivity difficulty so for now leave them out of the analysis.  We can start with your Sony TV and Mac laptop.

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saurin13 wrote:

I have an Orbi RBR850 Wifi 6 mesh system with 3 satellites using an ethernet wired backhaul.  I have netgear GS108 switches on the LAN as well.  

 

Starting a couple of weeks ago, I could no longer connect to the internet - both for wired and wireless devices. Devices would show a 169.254.x.x. IP address.  For a few days its working, then again today my wireleless laptop (macbook air) showed a 169.254.x.x ip address. I rebooted the base (did not touch anything else), and everything works now.  

 

I am connected to the WAN through FIOS gigabit.  

 

Any ideas on whats happening? why are the random DHCP issues? Is it better to set the orbi in bridge mode and use a different router for DHCP?  Does orbi just suck at DHCP and I should switch over to the new Eero Pro when it comes out?

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The Orbi AX systems have perfectly stable DHCP systems. 

If you're getting a 169.xxx.xxx.xx in your computer, it means your computer more than likely didn’t communicate with your router.  reasons:

Cable unplugged or defective cable, IP address not refreshed, Anti-Virus blocking the connectivity, DNS unknown, DNS and/or device network needs resetting.

When I experience this issue, I shut down the device, bring it back up, delete and re-configure the device's network, flush DNS, enable DHCP, make sure proper DNS severs are chosen. This can also happen, if using 3rd party DNS servers. Sometimes because of traffic, they cannot be reached.