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Forum Discussion
OldAndInTheWay
Apr 26, 2022Aspirant
Orbi RBS750 has no WiFi signal
Hi gang - I bought an Orbi AX4200 RBR750 with 1 RBS750 satellite almost a year ago. My hardware warranty expires soon, so I'm hoping to get an answer quickly in case I actually have hardware issues.
RBR firmware is at v4.6.3.16, and I'm assuming the RBS is at the same level but can't find where to confirm that.
I have the RBR set up on the main floor and the RBS in my home office upstairs. I have my laptop and a wireless sensor network base station connected via CAT 6 cable to the satellite. With 500 mbps fiber to the house, that gives me absolutely stellar performance from my laptop. I also enjoyed dropout-free solid WiFi for months with no issues. However...
Recently the WiFi performance has been spotty so I used the WiFi Analytics function in the Orbi app to check coverage. I was surprised to find absolutely zero radio signal from the satellite (-75dbm and no increase as I got closer). Obviously the backhaul radio is working fine, as the devices I have connected directly to the satellite are working great -- but I got no WiFi signal.
Um, as I was typing this post I watched the signal strength jump from -75dbm to -25 dbm. That pretty much explains the spotty WiFi in my house, but what's going on with the RBS750?
I have tried restarting the RBS several times, once I left it off for a day. I have not tried updating firmware yet. Is this something that could be fixed with a firmware upgrade, or do I need to pay for Netgear support to report a hardware issue?
Thanks for any feedback!!
2 Replies
I would try updating the firmware on it as well as factory resetting it. Maybe something in the firmware/settings is corrupt.
https://www.netgear.com/support/product/rbk752.aspx
- OldAndInTheWayAspirant
I will definitely try updating firmware, but I believe it was operator error that got me confused. The Orbi app doesn't actually measure RF signal strength based on the closest transmitter, it only measures the signal strength of the transmitter it's currently connected to. When I was seeing -75 dbm I was connected to the router, 2 floors away. When I measured -25dbm in the same spot, it was because I was connected to the satellite, 2 feet away.
Lesson learned. I'm leaving this here so maybe someone else can benefit from my mistake.