Connection Dropouts and Configuration Issues with Orbi WiFi 7 (BE) Mesh System

Hi everyone, I recently upgraded my home network to the new Orbi WiFi 7 (BE) Mesh System, and while the performance looked promising at first, I’ve been running into a few technical problems that I can’t seem to resolve. The setup process was fairly straightforward, but after a couple of days of use, I started experiencing frequent connection dropouts. Both my wired and wireless devices randomly lose internet access for 30–60 seconds at a time before reconnecting. This happens multiple times throughout the day, and it’s especially frustrating when I’m on video calls or streaming.

Another issue I’ve noticed is that the satellites don’t always stay connected to the main router. Even though they’re positioned well within range (about 25–30 feet, line of sight), one of the satellites sometimes disconnects and takes a few minutes to rejoin the network. When this happens, devices connected to that satellite automatically switch to a weaker signal from another satellite, causing noticeable slowdowns. I’ve tried repositioning, rebooting, and even factory resetting, but the problem persists.

On the configuration side, I’ve had some trouble with device prioritization. The Orbi app lets me set up QoS and prioritize certain devices, but those settings don’t seem to stick consistently. For example, I assigned priority to my work laptop, but when I run speed tests during heavy network usage, it doesn’t appear to be receiving any extra bandwidth. It’s as if the system ignores the prioritization rules.

Firmware updates have been another pain point. The app shows that I’m running the latest firmware, but when I check the Netgear website, I see a newer version is available. When I try to update manually, the process either fails or the router reverts back to the previous version after a reboot. I’m concerned this could be contributing to the instability, but I don’t know how to force the system to stay on the latest build.