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ORBI 370 Poor Download Speeds
Hi -
Just replaced my 8 year old ORBI RBR50WiFi 5 system. My WiFi speeds are no better most of the time than with that older model. Have 2 satellites, each on a different floor from my router and exactly where the old system was set up.
I have 1GB fiber, get close to that wired and very occasionally on my iPhone 16 Pro when I am next to the router. Speeds vary from 300-400 down/100-300 up when I am more than 10 feet away or on a different floor from the router (closer to satellites).
Netgear has had me set the channels to 161 and 11, force the firmware upgrade manually (after doing the auto one), and completely reset the system with the paper clip. Nothing helps consistently after being at this for a week.
There are about 20 WiFi networks near me (standalone house in a city), but I have never had any major issues with interference. No one else is on the channels I am on.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.
20 Replies
Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried everything I could - ensured bridge mode, the AP mode, etc. Nothing helps to improve the speed at the satellites. Or even the wireless network consistently near the router.
It's not that it's unusable, it's that it's no better than WiFi 5 for me. Pretty disappointing.
Please try setting the network to Mixed Mode(WPA2/WPA3 Transition Mode), and forget the network on your iPhone and try again. Let me know if you see improvement. Please set the 5GHz channel back to "auto". "auto: will ensure you are on the best 5GHz channel with less noise around you for better performance and connectivity
Thank you. I did as you directed. Speeds are closer to 700 up and down right near the router.
Moving to satellites and waiting for the phone to connect to them, I get low 300s at best.
Is this a satellite issue?
Moving to satellites and waiting for the phone to connect to them, I get low 300s at best.
Is this a satellite issue?The speed could be limited by the backhaul connection between the satellites and the router. You can check this by connecting a PC to a satellite with ethernet, and then running speedtest on the PC.
Is there anything on the pathway between the router and the satellites that could be blocking the signal? For instance
- a chimney
- a plumbing stack
- appliances (stove+vent, refrigerator, etc)
You could try some different locations for the satellites.
If you are prepared to spend more, you could exchange the 370 for a 770. That adds a 6 ghz channel, which could give more spectrum for the backhaul (which can use 5 ghz+6ghz).
There are about 20 WiFi networks near me (standalone house in a city), but I have never had any major issues with interference.
FWIW, I see a lot of competing wifi networks also, but none interfere. Although my devices detect them, their signal strength is low. This isn't easy to check in an iPhone, but there are some free network analyzer packages you can get for Windows PCs that will give you signal strength. No idea on what's out there for Macs.
But I am thinking this is not interference.
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. CAT6A STP is recommended.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 both wireless and wired devices?
What channel configurations are currently set on the router?Be sure to disable any MAC Address randomizers on phones and pads while at home:
NETGEAR Mobile Applications and Android/Apple/Windows Devices FAQ | NETGEAR CommunitiesTry disabling the following and see:
Armor, Smart Parental Controls or Circle, IPv6, Traffic Meter.Some near by networks can cause some interfernece issues. Especially in city environments.
Thanks. It’s ATT Fiber, the modem is BGW320. Wired speeds are near 1GB. The wireless speeds are the issue.
FW is the most recent.LAN cable is CAT7.
Router is on a different floor than the satellites. Definitely 30+ feet away. We have a very open floor plan home.
Channels are 11 and 161 as advised by Netgear.
Turned off rotating MAC addresses on my iPhone 16 Pro. No difference in speeds.
And if you turn OFF the RBS and connect the phone near the RBR say 10 feet away and use Ooklas installable speed test app, speeds are not good?
Please try channels 1 and 40 on the RBR.
Your ISP Modem already has a built in router and wifi. This would be a double NAT (two router) condition which isn't recommended. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
https://kb.netgear.com/30187/How-to-fix-issues-with-Double-NAT
Couple of options,
1. Configure the modem for transparent bridge or modem only mode. Then use the Orbi router in router mode. You'll need to contact the ISP for help and information in regards to the modem being bridged correctly.
2. If you can't bridge the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, configure the modems DMZ/ExposedHost or IP Pass-Through for the IP address the Orbi router gets from the modem. Then you can use the Orbi router in Router mode.
3. Or disable all wifi radios on the modem and connect the Orbi router to the modem, configure AP mode on the Orbi router.
New: Static IP Address Configuration for AP Mode | NETGEAR Communitieshttps://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LOcJ8GdDo&app=desktop
Try option #2 first...
