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Access Control blocking 1 device and unable to change to allow
Hi Guys
Just out of the blue, my work laptop is being blocked by Access Control on my Orbi router (RBR50)
I've tried both options of slecting the device and choosing "Allow" and clicking the radio button / edit / allow
Both just revert straight away back to "Blocked"
Ive also tried diconnecting the device from the network, going to the bottom and removing all from the list (in the devices not connected) but as soon as it comes back it gets "blocked"
if i plug direct in the router its working fine so its only the 5G/Wireless" option that is being blocked
Only way to allow it to access the internet is to turn off access Control.......any fixes other than resetting the router back to factory setting and resetting up as I really dont want (or should have to) do this
This is an older thread, but hopefully will help someone. After several different approaches, I believe I've finally figured out this issue. Turns out, the older Genie software has an Allowed Device quantity limit, which includes both connected and unconnected devices. Once you reach that limit, the software will not Allow any other devices (ie, added to that list). Inane in today's age of wireless everything, but (almost) understandable when Genie was written.
The work-around solution is to clear out any outdated devices from your Unconnected listings - a list which simply grows and gets forgotten throughout the life of the router. Clear up 5 entries, gain 5 more entries for the Allow list. If you reach a point where you hit another "Blocked" device that can't flip over to "Allowed," you'll need to delete some more (hopefully) outdated devices. If you run out of Unconnected Devices to delete from the list and are still facing this issue, it's a sign that you need a newer router.
I've since swapped to a newer device that does not run on Genie. But, for those that might still need these routers, I hope this helps resolve the issue.
21 Replies
Are you using Parental Controls? Please check this in the Orbi app, you can't see this in the web GUI!
If parental control is active in the app then you need to use that to block or allow access.
Hi all, I have a solution that worked for me just now.
For most of today, four devices on my network randomly stopped accessing the internet. It took me ages to find out why and I finally found them all in the blocked devices list on my Orbi - RBR40, running latest firmware - V2.7.3.22.
Same as the OP, I couldn't remove the last device - it just kept coming back. So I ended up blocking another device (printer) on my network, then allowing the one that kept getting blocked. That worked. So I finally unblocked the printer and now everything is working again, without a factory reset. It's almost as if it 'needs' one on the block list and until it has another device added, the stuck one remains there...
Hopefully Orbi fixes this with an update, but for now this worked for me.
Good luck!
- THANK YOU!! That got the original issue solved but now the newly blocked item is in the same boat as my old blocked item. So it helped. Kind of. Now I’m back with the same problem but for an older device that I don’t really use. So it’s a workaround but not ideal. This whole access control thing really needs to be resolved by these companies.
This is an older thread, but hopefully will help someone. After several different approaches, I believe I've finally figured out this issue. Turns out, the older Genie software has an Allowed Device quantity limit, which includes both connected and unconnected devices. Once you reach that limit, the software will not Allow any other devices (ie, added to that list). Inane in today's age of wireless everything, but (almost) understandable when Genie was written.
The work-around solution is to clear out any outdated devices from your Unconnected listings - a list which simply grows and gets forgotten throughout the life of the router. Clear up 5 entries, gain 5 more entries for the Allow list. If you reach a point where you hit another "Blocked" device that can't flip over to "Allowed," you'll need to delete some more (hopefully) outdated devices. If you run out of Unconnected Devices to delete from the list and are still facing this issue, it's a sign that you need a newer router.
I've since swapped to a newer device that does not run on Genie. But, for those that might still need these routers, I hope this helps resolve the issue.
I have this same problem with a RBT750 that I bought for my mother. When i first set it up I did not realize Access Control was turned on and right off the bat her MBP and Vizio TV were blocked. Considering these were among the first 3 devices connected to the router it seems unlikely that this is caused by some old legacy limit on devices allowed by the genie software.
I was able to turn Access Control off but about a month later i got panicked messages from my mom that she couldn't watch her Prime shows or connect to the internet. I assume a firmware update turned it back on. I tried allowing the devices under Access Control but they were immediately blocked again. Even turning off Access Control didn't seem to work at first but I eventually got it working after trying a few times.
This is unacceptable behavior for a router that's supposed to be easy to set up and use with the App. The fact that I can't control Access Control within the app is even more annoying. My elderly mother isn't going to understand how to use the web interface.
Has there been any official response for this issue from Netgear? It seems like this has been a problem for years. I'm not sure if I'll be able to return it so I might have to sell it and take a hit.
