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mDNS/Bonjour issue on RBE971 running firmware V12.1.11.15_5.4.12
Similar mDNS/Bonjour issue on RBE971 running firmware V12.1.11.15_5.4.12
I'm experiencing what appears to be a very similar issue on my Orbi RBE971, despite running the newer firmware V12.1.11.15_5.4.12.
Two Elgato Key Lights intermittently disappear from Bonjour discovery on my Mac Studio, even though both remain connected to Wi-Fi and accessible through their direct HTTP control interfaces.
I've performed extensive troubleshooting and have the following findings:
- Both lights respond successfully to ping and direct HTTP requests, even when they disappear from Elgato Control Center.
- Bonjour discovery from the Mac intermittently finds only one light, or sometimes neither.
- An iPhone using a DNS-SD discovery app can successfully discover both lights.
- When the Mac connects to my separate 2.4 GHz IoT SSID, both lights become discoverable immediately.
- When switching back to the main SSID on either 5 GHz or 6 GHz, one of the lights consistently disappears from discovery.
- Packet captures using tcpdump confirm that the Mac sends mDNS multicast queries, but no mDNS responses from the missing light are received during the failure. The other light responds normally.
- Restarting the Elgato software, refreshing macOS's mDNSResponder, and power-cycling the affected light did not resolve the problem.
- Rebooting the Orbi router immediately restored both lights, including when the Mac was connected to the main network on 6 GHz.
This behavior suggests a potential issue with multicast/mDNS handling between wireless clients. I recognize that my packet captures don't conclusively establish where the traffic is being lost.
Given the similarities to the original report, I'm wondering whether this could be related to the same underlying issue, despite the newer firmware.
Could a NETGEAR moderator or engineer please investigate or escalate this to the firmware team?
In particular, I'd appreciate clarification on whether Wi-Fi-to-Wi-Fi multicast forwarding is a known issue in this firmware and whether a permanent fix is available.
I'm happy to provide additional diagnostics or packet captures privately if needed.
Thank you!
4 Replies
Additional troubleshooting findings — both network connectivity and Control Center behavior
I wanted to provide an update following further testing.
We've now isolated two different failure conditions:
- Network connectivity failure: On one occasion, the original Key Light became completely unreachable from my Mac on the main SSID (100% ping loss and HTTP timeout). Switching only the Mac to the IoT SSID immediately restored connectivity and control, without rebooting or resetting either light.
- Control Center failure despite successful network communication: At other times, both lights are discoverable through macOS Bonjour, and I can physically turn the original light on and off using direct HTTP commands from Terminal. Both also work in the iPhone Elgato application, yet the Mac Control Center application fails to recognize or control the original light.
I've since reinstalled Control Center, cleared its local settings and caches, and verified Local Network permissions. The problem persists.
Two additional details:
- The issue began about seven weeks ago on a previous Mac Studio and continues on a new Mac Studio configured from scratch. The original Key Light worked reliably for years; the newer light was purchased only after the problems began.
- An earlier extended Bonjour monitoring log showed frequent device removals, but further investigation revealed that many coincided with macOS sleep/wake events. Those entries should not be considered independent evidence of router multicast failures.
I'm now investigating this with Elgato support as well.
I'm not certain whether these represent separate issues or an interaction between Orbi's wireless-client communication and Elgato's discovery software.
I'd particularly appreciate NETGEAR engineering's input on why switching the Mac from the main SSID to the IoT SSID can immediately restore IP connectivity to a device that otherwise becomes unreachable.
I recommend you reach out to NG support and open up a case about this. If there is a problem, support will been to get the details and get in to those that need to see it.
Could a NETGEAR moderator
Keep in mind most moderators are volunteers.
Some had been involved in Orbi Beta testing, and have active/personal connections to Netgear QA and/or RD.
Strange that the IoT SSID dont show issues.
Thanks for the response.
One important clarification: Both Elgato lights remained connected to my main SSID throughout all testing. I only switched the Mac Studio between the main SSID and the 2.4 GHz IoT SSID.When the Mac was connected to the IoT SSID, both lights immediately appeared in Bonjour discovery and Control Center. Switching the Mac back to the main SSID (on either 5 GHz or 6 GHz) caused the discovery issue to return.
Even more interestingly, rebooting the Orbi router restored both lights on the main SSID, but within approximately 30 minutes, Control Center began intermittently losing individual lights again. Sometimes one disappears, sometimes both, and occasionally they return within seconds.
The lights remain reachable through direct HTTP requests even when Bonjour discovery fails.
This makes me suspect an intermittent issue with multicast/mDNS handling between wireless clients, potentially related to how the main and IoT networks handle discovery differently.
If anyone here has contacts within NETGEAR QA or firmware engineering, I’d really appreciate having these findings reviewed. I have packet captures available if helpful.
Thanks again!
