NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
New Orbi 370 RBE371 can't connect to Google Home
12/2025
Installed a new Orbi 370 today. Got most devices connected. Tried a bunch of times to get the Google Home connected. The chromecast works. I enter the SSID and password into the Google Home app so it can set the Home's network and I see "Connection problem during setup".
Rebooted Orbi. Reinstalled Home. I tried the normal and IOT networks on Orbi. I changed the IOT network to just 2.4 ghz. Nada. The home has been working with linksys I am replacing. The home is about 5 years old.
Orbi RBE371 firmware V12.1.3.11_5.1.12
I do keep the same ssid. I fixed the problem. I moved to another room thinking there may be signal interference (unlikely). I removed all home definitions from Home in the app by clicking my google account icon. Presto. Next connect attempt worked.
The orbi 370 is fast. However not appreciating that I can't hide the ssid. I can't change the channel also. All of the routers in my are are stacked on the same channel....
5 Replies
When I replace a WiFi router, my practice is to set up the new system with exactly the same WiFi credentials (SSID/password) as the previous system. That way
- All the WiFi devices in the house connect automatically without me having to reconfigure anything, and
- If I decide to "go back" to the previous system, every device automatically connects to it the same way.
I do keep the same ssid. I fixed the problem. I moved to another room thinking there may be signal interference (unlikely). I removed all home definitions from Home in the app by clicking my google account icon. Presto. Next connect attempt worked.
The orbi 370 is fast. However not appreciating that I can't hide the ssid. I can't change the channel also. All of the routers in my are are stacked on the same channel....
You can change the wifi channels on the RBR using the RBRs web page UI in a web browser.
SSID names can not be hidden on Orbi systems.
Hidden SSIDs are not recommended any more; it only hides the SSID from a casual user, anybody who knows what they are doing can find the SSID with Wireshark, Kismet, or other tools.
Also - clients have to do directed probe requests more frequently to verify their SSID, making worse roaming, slower connection times, and reduced reliability for IoT devices. You can easily find people saying this causes more battery drain on phones etc too. Orbi is not the only vendor to disable hidden SSIDs now, as it plays havoc with band steering, MLO, fast roaming, and more.
Do it with security protocol guest networks, VLANs, and good passwords depending on the specific need. I doubt there is a single network vendor who recommends hidden SSIDs these days.
