RBR/RBS 860 sudden inconsistent connectivity issues

Hello,

I have the same problem and I fixed it. Hereafter the message I would like to send to Netgear but I can't find any way to get in touch from Luxembourg: I tried every phone number swith no answer at all. It just doesn't work. Can anyone advise to who and how I could send this message :

Subject: RBR860 – Severe Ethernet throughput regression on firmware 7.2.8.8 – resolved by downgrade to 7.2.6.31

Hello,

I would like to report a reproducible Ethernet issue affecting my Orbi 860 system (1x RBR860 + 3x RBS860).

Firmware 7.2.8.8: Wi-Fi works normally, but Ethernet traffic is severely affected.

Symptoms:

• A PC connected through an Aruba Instant On 1830 switch starts a Speedtest at close to Gigabit speed, then throughput rapidly collapses to almost zero.
• An Ethernet-connected TV is effectively unusable for streaming.
• The same PC connected directly to the RBR860 can work normally.

Extensive troubleshooting was performed:

• Aruba ports negotiate correctly at 1000 Mbps.
• 0 received packet errors, 0 collisions and 0 pause frames.
• STP disabled for testing: no improvement.
• EEE/802.3az disabled: no improvement.
• Link restricted to 100 Mbps: Speedtest starts at approximately 95 Mbps and then collapses in exactly the same way.
• During the throughput collapse, continuous pings to 192.168.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 continue successfully. Latency rises briefly under load and then returns to normal, despite the large TCP transfer remaining stalled.
• Different Ethernet devices are affected, including the TV.

I then downgraded the complete Orbi system (RBR860 and all three RBS860 units) from 7.2.8.8 to 7.2.6.31, without changing the cabling, switch, network topology or client configuration.

The problem immediately disappeared.

The PC now maintains normal Ethernet throughput through the same Aruba switch and the TV now works normally over Ethernet.

This provides a reproducible A/B test strongly indicating a firmware regression introduced after 7.2.6.31.

I have disabled automatic firmware updates temporarily because later firmware versions make my wired network unusable. However, I do not want to remain on 7.2.6.31 because it does not contain the latest security fixes.

Could you please:

1. Escalate this case to the RBR860 firmware engineering team.
2. Confirm whether this Ethernet throughput regression is a known issue.
3. Advise whether a newer firmware or beta/hotfix is available that contains current security fixes without this Ethernet regression.
4. Confirm whether diagnostic logs would be useful and provide instructions for collecting them.

I can reproduce the issue reliably by upgrading to 7.2.8.8 and make it disappear by downgrading to 7.2.6.31.

Thank you.