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Forum Discussion
RBE971 V12.1.10.12 - satellites do not broadcast the IoT SSID (regression from V9.13.x?)
System: RBE971 router plus 2x RBE970 satellites, both on wired backhaul, both showing Good. Firmware V12.1.10.12_5.3.16. IoT network enabled, 2.4 GHz only, WPA2-PSK. Main SSID is WPA2+WPA3.
Problem: the IoT SSID is broadcast only by the router. Neither satellite broadcasts it. The main SSID is broadcast by all three units normally.
Evidence 1, a WiFi scan run from an ESP32 device sitting about 20 feet from one satellite, in a detached outbuilding:
Main SSID from that satellite's BSSID: -39 dBm.
Main SSID from the other satellite: -75 dBm.
Main SSID from the router: -80 dBm.
Backhaul SSID (NTGRBH_...) from all three units.
IoT SSID: exactly ONE BSSID, the router's (its radio MAC with the locally administered bit set), at -80 dBm. No IoT BSSID from either satellite.
Evidence 2, the router's own Attached Devices page: 40 of 40 clients listed as IoT 2.4GHz are connected to the Router, 0 to either satellite. Main-SSID 2.4 GHz clients do attach to satellites, so the satellite 2.4 radios themselves are working.
Impact: every 2.4 GHz-only IoT device in the house has to reach the router no matter where it sits. Two ESP32 devices in the outbuilding are stuck at -80 dBm on the router and drop constantly (measured: 458 availability flips in 24 hours, unreachable for 16 of those 24 hours), while the satellite 20 feet away offers -39 dBm on the main SSID. Power cycling the devices does not help: on a fresh boot they still associate to the router, because the IoT SSID is what they are configured for and the router is the only AP broadcasting it.
A 970-series user reported on V9.13.1.2 that the IoT and Guest SSIDs were available at satellites, which suggests this changed somewhere in the V12 line.
Questions:
(1) Is IoT SSID broadcast from satellites supported on the 970 series, and is this a known regression in V12.1.10.12?
(2) Is there any setting or procedure to get the satellites to carry the IoT network? Both satellites are wired and show Good, and a satellite power cycle changed nothing.
(3) If it is not supported, is a fix planned? With transmit power control removed from the firmware there is also no way to bias clients toward the satellites.
Thanks.
5 Replies
How was the system updated in FW? Automatic or Manually?
RBS first then RBR lastly?
How are the RBS ethernet connected to the RBR? Directly behind the RBR or is there any LAN switch in between? If so, brand and model# please?
What channels are you using on the RBR?
Is Guest Network seen from the RBS?
I'll check into this. I don't use IoT much so I wouldn't have seen this myself.
A few days ago I instantiated an IoT network constrained to 2.4 GHz and of the three devices I changed to the IoT network, 2 connect to a satellite (RBE970) and 1 connects to the router (RBE971) - all seeing XXXXX-IoT SSID. Running V12.1.11.10 updated manually, first to the satellites and then to the router. No probs, works great. Suggest you update to the latest firmware V12.1.11.10
krgoodwin Great feedback, thank you.
jsteele82 Yes update your system to more recent version of FW:
New - RBE970 Series v12.1.11.10 Firmware Release - WW Region | NETGEAR Communities
After updating power cycle the system OFF then back on. Give about 10 minutes with IoT enabled then test again.
After you had enabled the IoT network, how long did you wait after you applied the change to do a wifi scan of the signals at the RBR then RBS?
Can you do another scan if you have not updated the system yet?
Also how did you enable the IoT network? Using the RBR Web page or Orbi app?
Did you give a custom IoT SSID name or use the default one on the RBR?
Hello,
Same problem here.
After extensive testing, IoT devices do not connect to the RBE970 (Satellite) when the RBE971 (Router) is in AP mode; instead, all IoT devices connect to the RBE971, even if the signal is poor and the RBE970 is closer with a better connection.
However, it works better when the RBE971 is in router mode; in that case, the majority of IoT devices connect to the RBE970...
Regards
