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Solved
Orbi RBRE960E not renewing/releasing DHCP assigned by ISP - causing internet to go offline
Orbi:RBRE960E
Firmware: V7.2.6.31_5.0.24
Previously, I was with Spectrum and their 1GB cable connection, which rarely had issues. 1 week ago, I switched to 2.5Gbps fiber connection with a new ISP (Syntrio). Now, approximately every 24 hours (give or take 1-2 hrs), my internet connection goes dead.
My ISP reports there to be no issues with their ONT while my internet is down. The ISP tells me the Orbi should be 'requesting/releasing' the DHCP about half-way through the 24 hour period...but it appears the Orbi is not doing that as it should be. So, once I hit the 24 hour limit, my internet goes offline. Cycling the power on Orbi and the ONT resolves the issues as the DHCP is renewed/released.
If I plug in my laptop/desktop directly into the ONT, this issue does not happen. Therefore, I'm almost positive this is an issue with the Orbi.
I'm looking for advice from anyone that has experienced a similar issue and suggestions on anyone for a fix.
Does the front LED on the RBR turn PINK when this happens?
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.v.31 had problems reported from posters. I recommend updating to more newer code: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-WIFI-6-AX-AND-Wi-Fi-6E-AXE/New-Orbi-RBR-RBS-850-860-and-960-series-Firmware-Version-7-2-7/td-p/2435724
If you do update, I highly recommend doing a power OFF of the Orbi system and your ISP modem/ONT for 1 minute then back ON.
I would get with the ISP and ask them if there seeing any interruptions on the ISP Modem/ONT during these time frames to help see if they can stop these interruptions from there side.
6 Replies
Does the front LED on the RBR turn PINK when this happens?
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.v.31 had problems reported from posters. I recommend updating to more newer code: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-WIFI-6-AX-AND-Wi-Fi-6E-AXE/New-Orbi-RBR-RBS-850-860-and-960-series-Firmware-Version-7-2-7/td-p/2435724
If you do update, I highly recommend doing a power OFF of the Orbi system and your ISP modem/ONT for 1 minute then back ON.
I would get with the ISP and ask them if there seeing any interruptions on the ISP Modem/ONT during these time frames to help see if they can stop these interruptions from there side.
I had assumed the Orbi "dashboard" would correctly identify which firmware was installed and if a new version was available. It did not. So, I've downloaded the latest release and the router & satellites are now running V7.2.7.15_5.1.16.
Let's see if this resolves the issue. I appreciate your help!
Would be great if the latest firmware resolves this issue. It might be worth a few minutes to open the Orbi web interface, Advanced Tab, and click on Connection Status to observe the DHCP lease provided by the ISP. That would document when the lease should be renewed.
Investigating this sort of DHCP issue is not trivial**. Some years ago, I documented how my Orbi interacted with Spectrum cable internet and found that:
- Spectrum issued an IPv4 lease of one Day (actually 86,400 seconds). The Orbi attempted to renew the lease when it reached 50% (12 hours), and Spectrum renewed it.
- Spectrum issues an IPv6 lease of one Week (604,800 seconds), and the same pattern was followed. When half of the lease remained, the Orbi requested renewal and Spectrum did so.
** This involves a number of steps:
- Insert a managed switch between the Orbi router WAN port and the ISP device.
- Connect the Orbi WAN port to port 1 of the managed switch and the ISP device to port 2.
- Set up port mirroring to copy every Ethernet packet that passes through port 1 to another port (3 is fine)
- Connect port 3 to an Ethernet port on a computer that can run Wireshark (or some other data collection program).
(I used an Ethernet-USB adapter to add another Ethernet connection to my PC.) - Open Wireshark and set it to use promiscuous mode to capture every data packet that appears on this new Ethernet port.
- Define a capture filter to save only the DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 conversations. (otherwise Wireshark will collect gigabytes of stuff. Although, looking at "what's going on" is often entertaining.)
- Wait. To document a failure that happens when the DHCP lease expires, the process has to run until after the lease expires and the Orbi loses internet. In my case, it ran for over a week to document the DHCPv6 lease renewing every 3.5 days.
Clearly not a process the average Orbi owner would find interesting or worth pursuing.
Updating to the latest firmware resolved the DHCP release issue. I'm good to go. Thank you!
Glad you got it working. Be sure to save off a back up configuration to file for safe keeping. Saves time if a reset is needed.
https://kb.netgear.com/000062080/How-do-I-back-up-the-configuration-settings-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-System
Enjoy. 📡
