RBE770 v1 satellite stops accepting WiFi clients – reboot immediately fixes it – V10.5.20.10_2.2.51

Hi all,

I am experiencing a recurring issue with my Orbi 770 system and, after quite a bit of troubleshooting, this does not appear to be a normal roaming, coverage or client-side issue.

Before suggesting the usual troubleshooting steps, please read the details below, as I have already checked and tested quite a few things.

HARDWARE / SETUP

Router: RBE771 v1
Satellite: RBE770 v1
Firmware on both: V10.5.20.10_2.2.51

Both labels state RBE771 / RBE770, with no "v2" designation.

System is running in AP Mode.
Main internet connection: 1 Gbit fibre.
ISP router WiFi is disabled.

The RBE771 is downstairs.
The RBE770 satellite is on the first floor in my office.
Devices on the second floor normally rely heavily on the satellite.

The satellite reports its status as "Good".
The satellite backhaul is shown as 5 GHz + 6 GHz.

A desktop PC is connected by Ethernet directly to the RBE770 satellite.

THE ACTUAL PROBLEM

After the system has been running for a while, sometimes one or several days, all wireless devices stop connecting to the RBE770 satellite.

They all move to the RBE771 router downstairs instead.

This affects different kinds of clients and different bands. I have seen 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz and WiFi 7 / MLO-capable clients all connected to the downstairs router while zero wireless clients are connected to the satellite.

This causes a real problem for devices upstairs, especially on the second floor, because their connection to the downstairs router is weak and they start losing connectivity.

The important part is this:

The satellite itself does NOT appear to go offline.

While the problem is occurring:

- RBE770 still appears in the Orbi interface
- Backhaul status still shows "Good"
- My Ethernet-connected desktop behind the RBE770 continues to have a working network/internet connection
- Only the wireless clients appear to stop using or being accepted by the satellite

So the RBE770 is still forwarding Ethernet traffic and maintaining its backhaul connection.

REBOOT TEST

Today I deliberately tested this.

Before rebooting the satellite:

- Virtually every wireless client was connected to the RBE771 downstairs
- The RBE770 had no wireless clients
- My wired desktop was still connected through the RBE770
- Satellite status was still "Good"

I then rebooted only the RBE770 satellite.

I did NOT reboot the router.

After the satellite came back online, wireless clients immediately started connecting to the RBE770 again.

So the behaviour is reproducible:

RBE770 stops serving/attracting wireless clients
->
Satellite-only reboot
->
Clients immediately reconnect to the satellite

This strongly suggests to me that this is not simply a case of "sticky clients" refusing to roam.

If it were normal roaming behaviour, rebooting only the satellite should not suddenly cause multiple unrelated devices to start using it again immediately.

WIRELESS / MLO SETTINGS ALREADY CHECKED

I have also checked Advanced Wireless Settings.

Current relevant settings include:

Enable 20/40 MHz Coexistence: enabled
2.4 GHz Preamble Mode: Automatic
5 GHz Preamble Mode: Automatic

Under MLO Backhaul:
"Enable 200 MHz Bandwidth" is NOT enabled.

So before anyone suggests disabling the 200 MHz MLO backhaul option: it is already disabled.

The Orbi interface does nevertheless show the satellite backhaul as 5 GHz + 6 GHz, which I understand is normal for the WiFi 7 enhanced/MLO backhaul architecture.

I have deliberately not started randomly changing every wireless parameter, because rebooting only the satellite restoring all wireless clients is a much stronger indication of a satellite-side software/radio issue than a basic RF configuration problem.

OTHER THINGS ALREADY INVESTIGATED / TESTED

During earlier troubleshooting I have also:

- Rebooted both router and satellite
- Tested different security settings, including WPA3
- Checked Smart Connect behaviour
- Checked satellite placement
- Verified the satellite reports "Good" connectivity
- Tested client behaviour on different floors
- Observed clients on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz
- Confirmed that the issue returns after the system has been running for some time
- Confirmed that rebooting the satellite temporarily solves the problem

Previously I also experienced situations where devices upstairs would insist on connecting to the router downstairs rather than the much closer satellite.

The important difference now is that I have been able to verify that, when the fault occurs, essentially all wireless clients disappear from the satellite at the same time, while Ethernet through that same satellite keeps working.

FIRMWARE / V1 VERSUS V2

I am aware of firmware 12.1.7.23.

However, my hardware is the original RBE771 / RBE770 v1, not the RBE771v2 / RBE770v2.

Therefore I will NOT attempt to flash 12.1.7.23 onto these units.

My current public v1 firmware is:

V10.5.20.10_2.2.51

There is another recent thread describing very similar behaviour:

"Satellites won't connect iPhone / Sonos to WiFi after 12 hours"

That user also appears to be running the RBE770/771 v1 series on V10.5.20.10_2.2.51.

This is one of the reasons I suspect there may be a firmware issue affecting the satellite's wireless/fronthaul functionality.

WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR

I would particularly like to hear from NETGEAR staff or anyone with direct experience of this issue.

Specifically:

1. Is this a known issue in V10.5.20.10_2.2.51 on the RBE770/RBE771 v1?
2. Is there a known condition where the satellite's 2.4/5/6 GHz client radios or fronthaul stop functioning while the backhaul and Ethernet bridge remain operational?
3. Is there a newer beta or engineering firmware build for the RBE770/RBE771 v1 that addresses this?
4. Is a new public firmware release for the 770 v1 series currently being tested?
5. Are there specific debug logs or radio-status pages I should capture while the fault is occurring, before rebooting the satellite?

I am happy to reproduce the problem again and collect debug information while the satellite is in the failed state.

What I do NOT want to do is schedule a daily reboot of the satellite as a workaround. A WiFi 7 mesh system should be able to keep its satellite radios operational continuously.

If NETGEAR engineering has a test build available for the RBE770/RBE771 v1, I am more than willing to test it and provide feedback.

Thanks.