RBR850 poor backhaul status

So press the reset button on the RBR for 15 seconds then release. Can you access the RBRs web page at 192.168.1.1 and do you see the default SSID name being broadcast at all after the reset whne the front LED starts to pulsate WHITE? 

Sorry - that entire time I've been tinkering, includign with input from Xfinity. I think that it is now OK - more below. Xfinity had to do something on their end, and then pointed out that when the Xfinity modem is changed to bridge, it will not permit a direct wired connection to the modem - only the RBR router. I ultimately got things to work after Xfinity reset (several times) and I unplugged everything while having a laptop wired directly to the RBR, plus restart of the laptop. Then repeat those steps....

 

Speed wired to the RBR is back to 940/42, and wifi speeds at the satellites vary from 766/40 to 320/35 (downstairs). I will give it another day and check the speeds again.

 

Both satellites now show "Good" on backhaul status.  

 

Thanks for the help - and fingers crossed this is good to go....

FURRYe38 wrote:

So press the reset button on the RBR for 15 seconds then release. Can you access the RBRs web page at 192.168.1.1 and do you see the default SSID name being broadcast at all after the reset whne the front LED starts to pulsate WHITE? 

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Ok glad you got it back up and running. Odd things at the ISP level. 

Let us know how it goes. 

Try changing to manual channel 1 and 40.

Might try changing CTS from 64 to 2347...

Thank you! (Do you ever sleep?)

Just as your post was made, I had ended a tech support call w/ Netgear. The lady had me change my 2.4G channel from "auto" to 11,l and to change the MTU size from 1500 to 1492. Those tweaks *seem* to have made a difference - most importantly on my wife's devices.  (I knew it, she said "everything was fine until you spent 3 hours on the network this afternoon!")

Is there a good resource for other tweaks that may need to be considered next time? I don't even know what the CTS is, or manual channel, but I'm saving those for a future issue...

Thanks! 

I spoke too soon - the third Safari tab I opened stalled.... May need to give this a rest for tonight, but I expect I might need to find out what "manual channel" and CTS are... 

Are these networks always so finicky?

Ya, Orbi systems seems finiky sometimes. I'm going to bed here soon. Night. 

Thanks again for the continued help.  Here's the latest update - 

• Connectivity seems intermittent again - seems to require turning WiFi on and off on each device to get the network recognized and to work
• Basement satellite is now back to "poor" on the backhaul status
• Speed seems to vary. This laptop (which is on the same floor as RBR, with just one wall and <30 ft separating them) was just at 77/42 until I turned off WiFi and turned back on, and then back to ~600/42 - until the laptop was dropped from the network
• The web based router interface shows only a few of the devices in the house that are on the network - not including this laptop, my or my wife's iPhones, her iPad - but including my daughter's laptop, iPhone and Android, and the doorbell. And as I type this, two more devices were dropped from the Orbi network

Now on with "tech support" at 25 minutes and following the second person who has transferred me after repeatedly asking me the same irrelevant questions. "How many satellites do you have sir?" Reply - "Two, the same number you I told you two minutes ago." 

Great - now they hung up on me.

Someone warned me that all mesh systems are weak. I had hoped they were wrong, at least about this one...

Try NG support again, hopefully you'll get a different agent. I'd ask about an RMA. 

Contact a forum moderator as well.

Blanca_O 

Is your modem still bridged? Please confirm that it is. 

Thanks FURRYe38 I did call back and got a different agent and he's now blaming the problem on the cable modem (which is still bridged). Since I was unable to access the internet when directly connected to the modem with a laptop, he said that the RBR is unable to do the same - even though that's not accurate, as the RBR *does* access the internet and produces a WiFi signal - just that it sucks. 

Unfortunately I have to take a breakt to work on my job, so will report back later. I will also reach out to the moderator. Thanks for the contact info!

I would try this, unbridge the modem and configure router mode on the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, set up AP mode on the RBR and then see what happens. If it still happening, then the Orbi AX needs to be reviewed by NG support. 

I would try this, unbridge the modem and configure router mode on the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, set up AP mode on the RBR and then see what happens. If it still happening, then the Orbi AX needs to be reviewed by NG support. 

OK - apart from undoing what I did before in switching to bridged mode (a process which took hours - factoring in the calls to Xfinity, resetting the Orbi network including 2 hours on hold with "tech support"), I don't know how to (1) disable all wifi radios on the modem, or (2) set up AP mode on the RBR.  If this is just a 5 minute process, no sweat - I'm willing to try it. But if it's a repeat of the effort involved in merely switching to bridge mode, I'm wondering if the Orbi mesh system is really even worth it. I've dropped close to $1k on something that seems to be incredibly difficult to get to work.

The message to the moderator has gone unanswered

I researched this solution (swtich off bridge, change to AP, etc.) on the Xfinity community and found several people posting that they took this approach but had one or more problems.

I'm thinking that a switch of the Xfinity modem may be one thing to try. I am headed to BestBuy to pick up the Netgear CM 1150V in the hopes that using it instead of the Xfinity provided modem/router will solve my problems. Will report back after I've connected it - fingers crossed.

https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LOcJ8GdDo&app=desktop

After reading about more Xfinity problems, I decided to try to double-down on the Netgear equipment, and at the same time isolate the radio and other issues. So I purchased and am now running a Netgear CM1150V cable modem. Xfinity is supposedly still working on adding back my voice phone, and supposedly sending a firmware update to the modem, but here are the current details:

• RBS web UI shows all of the devices in the house, and the RBS upstairs at "Good" and the RBS downstairs alternates between "Poor" and "Good". Again.
• Speeds:
  • Orbi app - 915/38
  • RBR - 936/34 wired to laptop, and WiFi speeds in the same room from 280/35 (laptop) to 886/28 (iphone)
  • RBS upstairs - 450/36 WiFi
  • RBS downstairs - 314/41 wired to RBS and 293/38 WiFi
• Stability - remains to be seen

I will report back in a bit on stability.  In the interim, if I'm a glutton for punishment, in case there's a chance it is the RBR that's the problem for stability (given my prior experience in having a stable connection via an ethernet connection to the RBS in the basement), are the options to (a) swap out for another RBS, (b) get another Netgear router to work with the RBS, or (c) something else?

Whats the distance between the RBR and RBS Downstairs? 

Mine in the basement can fluctuate from poor to good as well when wirelessly connected. Though I have my RBR and 2nd level. Both RBS are mostly connected via ethernet to avoid wifi problems with basements and distance. 

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FURRYe38 wrote:

Whats the distance between the RBR and RBS Downstairs? 

Mine in the basement can fluctuate from poor to good as well when wirelessly connected. Though I have my RBR and 2nd level. Both RBS are mostly connected via ethernet to avoid wifi problems with basements and distance. 

 

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I would say about 35ft horizontally, with only one wall on the floor of the RBS, and then one floor below. It's much closer than the distance between the two devices shown here (https://www.netgear.com/home/wifi/mesh/rbk852).  

I'm not sure if you work for Netgear, but in any event, I'm not trying to shoot the messenger.  But while running ethernet between the RBR and two RBS devices would be great, it's at least impractical, if not impossible. And it defeats the purpose, and claimed benefits, of the system. If I wanted to run ethernet through my house, I don't think I would need a mesh system, or at least not one that costs as much.

Fingers crossed that this current setup is stable - but I've already had one hiccup on the same floor as the RBR at about 25 feet away.

Understand. However in some cases, wireless may not be a great option. Building materials and distance can effect ANY wifi router system. So reason being there NG offers and supports the wired connections as well. For those who can or wish to use it. And yes, we all know not everyone can have wired connections. :smileywink:

I can't stand when someone asks me for help or advice and then doesn't keep me posted, so in that spirit, here's the latest:

• backhaul status on both satellites more often than not is now "Good"
• devices do not seem to be dropping from the mesh network, even the older iPhone my wife uses
• speeds vary by device and location, but top speed on the mesh seems to cap out at about ~5-600Mbps/35Mbps using the Ookla app, and ~750/43 using the Orbi app speedtest
• Perhaps most surprising to me is that the devices seem more likely to connect to the satelites on another floor (I assume closer as they are directly above or below) than the router on the same floor with just some drywall in between them.  (At the moment, I have 11 devices on the network, and the only one connected to the RBR is the doorbell, which has a direct line of sight - apart from the front door that is between the two.)

Thanks again for the assistance!

Thank you for letting us know.