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Forum Discussion
How to Block new devices from connecting to Orbi (Not working)
I want to use access control to block any new devices from connecting to my Orbi Router. This was done successfully in the past via access controls so that I can block devices that changed MAC addres...
Kevin,
You have asked me to reset my Oribi to factory settings. Are you basing this suggestion on your personal observation of your own Orbi router that the feature "Block new devices from connecting" is still present and available from the web interface, or is this a suggestion that this should work? There are Netgear support circles are indicating that this feature will be available only from the Orbi app (IOS/Android) and no longer from the web and this is a work in progress. I have a great deal of customization with lots of hosts connected to my Orbi matrix and resetting to factory settings is something that I do not take lightly without some indication that this may fix the problem. Your thoughts are appreciated on the factory reset. What about downgrading the firmware version?
Andy
Hello Andyt650 ,
Thank you for your response!
The photo you provided indicates that SMART Parental Controls is active on your router. In order to remove the SMART Parental Controls you will need to first disable it in the Orbi app by doing the following;
HAMBURGER MENU > SETTINGS > PARENTAL CONTROLS > toggle ENABLE SMART PARENTAL CONTROLS.
After the system needs to be factory reset for this change to take effect. Once the change has taken effect you will be able to access Access Controls to block new devices from connecting to your network via MAC address.
Best,
Kevin
Community Team
Hello Kevin,
For my understanding, why does resetting my router to factory settings after I toggle off Parental Smart Controls from the Orbi app work? If I toggle it off from the Orbi app, that should do it likewise from the router as well (which it isn't). I don't understand how enabling a feature on the app itself cannot be undone on the router unless it is factory reset. It seems this is a bug perhaps and not by design?
andy
kevin,
I have decided to give your suggestion a try by disabling Parental Control from the Orbi app and then resetting the router to Factory Settings. If I have a backup of the current configuration, can I restore the configuration using this file once I have completed the two steps you suggested? I have a lot of custom configurations and would like to have them back once I've performed the two steps without having to recreate them manually if possible. Thanks.
-Andy
I'm in the same boat. This is why I'll never buy Netgear products again.
