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Forum Discussion
Satelite is not adding or staying active
I bought the ORBI wifi 6 system last year and must say not happy anymore. The system was working until about 6 months ago. Many issues I am seeing. I am on Fiber internet and wired speed I am getting is 950mbps. Wifi was about 450mbps but for the last 6months, it has been pathetic. One of the satellite constantly losing connection to the main router. Then speed drops to 100mbps regardless where I am. I have reset the satellite but then it will not allow me to re-add. Sorry but this is really a painful issue. I called Netgear and they told me that I have to purchase a 2-3year support package before they even would look at the issue. I am pretty sure it is hardware issue. I followed the message board and they said that I can try to update firmware. I did try and that of course did not work. Personally I am just fed up with the system but nothing I can do anymore. One of the satellite works. I will have to just deal with this until the units fail altogether. I have netgear switch and have no issues but this is the 2nd time i am having issues with their wifi products.
Not happy at all. I have wasted hours trying to reset and get the satellite to work. I have changed the SSID today but now it will not even connect to it.
Every time I tried to re-add, it gets added for sometime then within days, it will start flashing white light first then it goes to magenta or blue. Then the app shows 1 satellite is offline. I used to have google wifi and never had any issues like this. One more thing: The Netgear Orbi App for iphone is bad. I have not seen this type of interface before. Not user friendly.
As i said, I will just have to let the units fail. It cost me $350 which now I am regretting..
21 Replies
What Orbi model system do you have? There are many Orbi 6 models...
What happens if you swap RBS locations with each other?
What WiFi devices do you have connected? Brand and model...
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?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router 📡 and satellite(s)🛰️? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR 📡 and RBS 🛰️ to begin with depending upon building materials when wired or wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite 🛰Does this happen with the RBS turned OFF?
Does this happen with both wireless and wired devices?
What channel configurations are currently set on the router?When you factory reset the RBS, did you reset the RBR as well?
Thanks for your reply. See my response below:
What Orbi model system do you have? There are many Orbi 6 models...(The model is have RBR750 for Router and RBS350 for satellite)
What happens if you swap RBS locations with each other? (I did have the satellites in different floors after it was setup. It worked fine until about 6months ago. The speed shows up at 150mbps or sometimes 250mbps. Before it was stable at 455mbps).
What WiFi devices do you have connected? Brand and model... (I have 2 separate SSIDs created. I have smart device tied to the 2nd SSD, such as Roku sticks, garage door opener. Other devices are hardwired so I would think wifi should be much more stable and should provide more speed. FYI: i have never seen wifi speed upstairs over 400mbps. The router had to be installed at the basement since the builders will not move it as per their policy).
What Firmware version is currently loaded?
For router: version is V7.2.6.31
Satellite 1: version is V4.6.14.3
Satellite 2: version : V7.2.6.31
I tried to manually upgrade the firmware on one of the satellite but it will not work. It keeps saying invalid file. Another steps where I spent few hours.
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too? (The modem is from Quantum Fiber/Centurylink. Their technician was here and tested the modem and told me modem is working fine. I tested it by connecting directly to the modem. I was able to get stable speed (it varied between 550mbps and 750mbps).
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended. (All the cables I have are cat6 and cat6e. I changed those months ago. Like I said, it was working until about 6months ago. There was a power outage since then the satellites have been acting up.)
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? The house is about 4400sq feet. it's a modified 2 story home (it has 3 levels).
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? (The router is in the basement since modem is there. The 1st satellite is in the main level where the kitchen is but is away from appliances. 2nd satellite is in the Loft. The devices are more than 30 feet apart for fact).
Does this happen with the RBS turned OFF? (I did leave 1 of the satellite powered off. The other satellite did work but speed remained under 250mbps.
Does this happen with both wireless and wired devices? (at times its' mostly wireless. sometimes it is on wired. I did connect my laptop to the satellite and max speed i got was like 250mbps).
What channel configurations are currently set on the router? (The first SSID is set to 02 channel at 2.4ghz and 5Ghz is set to 40. I had it set to AUTO before but wanted to test it by changing it).When you factory reset the RBS, did you reset the RBR as well? Yes. I did a factory reset on all 3 devices (Router and the satellites). Wifi speed varies and I am aware of that but I cannot figure out why one of the satellite continues to fail. It will either show up as Flashing white or Blue or Magenta then will go lightless. I find it quite frustrating as I have tried multiple options by reading the threads here or somewhere else. )
The problem is most likely that one satellite remains on version 4 firmware while the router and other satellite have been updated to the latest (version 7.2.6.31) firmware. The first step is to update that satellite firmware.
As of now, my laptop is connected to the Satellite and I just did a speed test. It says 57mbps ... That is just laughable. The wifi on my phone is giving me 150mbps connect to the main router. One of the reasons I bought this Mesh system as my understanding was if I connect a device to the satellited via Ethernet cable, then i should get much more speed than 50mbps. Apparently, it's not anywhere near. This satellite has issues and when I called Netgear support few months ago, they told me they cannot do anything since my device had 90 day Warranty. That is very disappointing policy. It was not even a year when I called.
I will just have to wait till the satellited stops working.
