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Forum Discussion
Orbi 970 wired backhaul disconnected satellites
Today I received my brand new Netgear WiFi 7 (ORBI 970) 3-pack. This set is replacing my WiFi 6 (ORBI 860) 3-pack. My configuration: - 1 router, 2 satellites (firmware: V9.12.1.2 (latest)) - AP...
When I connect the RBS directly to the RBR, everything works just fine. Status is "good" and the connection says "Wired". So it's clear to my that my new ORBI set isn't working well with my switches, but nothing changed and my previous ORBI WiFi 6 set works perfectly fine. So the switches are not faulty or anything like that. So the only thing I can conclude is that the new ORBI set isn't equipped with decent firmware.
Maybe, however new stuff in Orbi 7 and managed switches are not.
I'd open a support ticket and let NG know.
https://my.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx
https://www.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx
Then clicking on "Get answers about NETGEAR products before I buy" then clicking on "Networking for Home" then "Chat with us".
I'd run the RBS wirelessly for now and bypass the switches.
I've created a support case at Netgear's support page. Thanks for your help/guidance.
I understand what you are saying, but a managed 10 GBE switch, a modern one (newest model form Zyxel), with a regular configuration, which works perfectly fine with the previous ORBI models and also with all my other 10GBE equipment isn't the problem here. Buggy ORBI firmware is. Several firmware updates have already been released for this model to address these problems. So it is very likely that this firmware still needs some attention from the Netgear development department.
I'll be checking with a managed switch very soon. I don't tend to use managed switches here. No need for my home config.
Today I extensively checked the logging of the switches. What happened is that the communication between the router and the satellites causes a broadcast storm. This results in rapidly disconnecting and reconnecting of the ORBI router.
I have disabled spanning tree, loop protection and IGMP on the switches, but this problem still occurs. I can't get any logging from the ORBI router, so I can't compare anything to the logging of my switches. But the switches do not indicate that they are (temporarily) forcing a shutdown of the specific port. So whether it is the ORBI router or some kind of emergency intervention of the switches (that I can't overrule), I have no idea.
What I do know is that my QNAP NAS and Mac Mini both work at 10 GBE on these switches without any problems and I don't have these problems with any of my other devices (50+). Perhaps the ORBI router uses a method of communication that deviates from standard switch protocols and therefore cannot handle communicating through my switches properly. Yesterday I put my ORBI 860 (RBK863S) set back in place and (with the exception of the wireless speed limitations, the reason why I upgraded my set) that one works perfectly fine. Today I also tested an Orbi Pro WiFi 6 (SXK80B3) set, that one also works perfectly fine, both sets connected to the same switch ports as the new ORBI set. So it must be a (firmware) issue with the ORBI 970 set. I can't figure out any other explanation.
Unfortunately, due to the distance between the router and the satellites, it is not possible for me to work wirelessly. So at the moment the entire set is actually of no use to me.