This topic has been marked solved and closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
After a factory re-boot recommended by on-line support, the problems disappeared only to return within a day or two, just as they had done before. They relate specifically—very specifically–to what apps work on my Samsung QE75 television, namely that although all the apps work initially, within a day or two some fail to work. Most noticably this happens with Amazon Prime (even though the television is a registered device on that app) that returns either nothing or an error code of 5004. The APPLE tv app initially works, then suddenly fails to recognize me as a user and after re-loading my user name and so forth then only works after a fashion. It takes an interminably long time to load a movie, for instance (several minutes -- see details of download speed below). Other apps work fine (for now). Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Curzon Home Cinema, among them. Moreover, the Apple tv and Amazon prime work fine on other devices using the Orbi as a wireless connection—iPad and iPhone for instance. Importantly the problem occurs whether the Samsung television is connected by Cat 6 Ethernet to the Orbi or by wi-fi. Speed is not a problem. The Orbi app speed test regularly returns values of close to 300 mb download and 50 mb upload speeds. The BT line is a FTTH link to a BT modem that's connected thereafter to the Orbi router using the provided (short) Cat 6 cable. Sometimes I have recorded values at around 50 mb, but for the most part the speeds are in the range specificed for the service.
Samsung diagnostics have been able to make the television work via my iPhone. However, two calls to them led to the suggestion that the ISP is responsible for firewalls that might lead to thes problems. Tellingly perhaps they have not been able to connect remotely to the television to undertake diagnostic. Unfortunatly, my ISP is unehlpful. Becuase I am using a non-BT router, they declare they are unable to provide any technical support (so the sum of three telephone calls suggest emphatically).
Many, many hours have been spent grappling with thes problems. Sometimes this has been done under advicefrom a generally helpful Netgear telephone support but who I now feel they have run out of ideas. I have spent more time than is reasonable in reloading apps, delecting cache, changing addresses, shutting down the modem in the prescribed manner, re-booting the router, changing wi-fi settings (it's not a wi-fi problem as the above attests) and on and on to the point where I have lost confidence in the Orbi. Certainly if I hadn't destroyed the original boxing the Orbi would be on its way back to the retailer. I have got the point at which I throw myself on the mercy of the community and call out for help!
Zzio got in touch after my last (rather grumpy) message with some beta upgrades to the software. I downloaded and the Orbi system worked immediately. I waited three days, during which I tested all the apps systematically, and I am happy (ecstatic!) to report that it is working well, indeed incredibly well. So there you have it, after a month and maybe thirty hours of fault-finding, it works. Early adoption is often quite difficult, but not THIS difficult.
So thanks to ZZio for persisting when I did not. And thanks to all the others who contributed suggestions and support. The Community has been a great resource (technical and emotional).
It's difficult to be gracious about Netgear. Why the tech support team in India didn't seem to have the beta upgrade, I can't fathom. Ironically they asked me for a copy of V3.2.10.1. This has led me to question whether Netgear supports them appropriately.
The ISP is British Telecom (BT), their Homehub service, which is a fibre to the home service. They typical provide a modem and a router. Their router works perfectly well within the system (including all the ancillary connections). It is supposed to run at 300 mb and does. I can substitute for the Orbi and everything on the TV works fine (except slower) and the wi-fi for telephone use is much less effective.
The modem is Echolife GPON Terminal (HG8110H-20) that delivers a telephone line (feeding an ageing Bang and Olufsen wireless telephone) and a port that feeds––via a short internet cable—the Orbi RBK852 Router.
Outputs from the Router are as follows:
By ethernet cable
to an iMac
to the Samsung television
to a NetGear switch (Nighthawk S8000)
And then from the Switch to:
An AppleTV (for driving speakers)
An Apple TV (for a second set of speakers)
To a Rako Bridge (this drives a wireless lighting and curtain control system in the appartment
The problems persist even without any cable outputs from the Orbi router.
Wirelessly we run two iPads and two iPhones. The Orbi has been really very effective in improving phone reception via Wi-Fi (4G reception is very poor here). We drive a Blink security camera wirelessly (currently not in use).
And there's the satellite Orbi, which appears to work perfectly well.
The Orbi is connected to the Internet via a login: PPPoE (a password is not used).
The TV is connected currently to the Orbi by Ethernet, but the problems are identical if it is connected by wi-fi. It's about 30ft away from the Orbi. This distance didn't prove to be an obstacle for the BT router.
All this sits in a 2500 sq ft appartment with concrete walls, but this is not a challenge to the Orbi if we can judge by the very good phone-wi-fi coverage.
The iPads and iPhones work with all the APPS: Netflix, ITV Hub, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Apple TV, Curzon Home Cinema, Amazon Prime using the Orbi wireless.
After a re-set of the Orbi (and resetting the Moden) all the apps work well for about a day. Then Amazon Prime stops working, it gives error 5004 (which relates, I believe to authentication -- but the Samsung is a device recognized by the Prime). Then the Apple TV works but fails to recognize me as a user and all my account details have to be re-entered; before this loading is slow (so I can pick a movie) but then I pick a movie and it doesn't work (I don't get any error messages).
Is this enough detail? Naturally, happy to provide more. I'm intrigued to hear your views.
The first thing I would do to make sure there is nothing askew inside the RBR850 is to do a proper and complete factory reset. Chances are you have already done this, but just to be sure make sure you do it by the numbers.
@ekhalil -- seems like I remember a similar issue (with the RBR50) with authentication that by changing a value (via telnet) the RBR authenticated more often preventing disconnects or timeouts?
Yes, I have done a factory re-set. This led to a normalisation of service: All apps worked. However, within two days, services reverted to the same point as previously: Some apps worked and others did not.
By 'proper and complete' I assume you mean resetting the modem with total disconnection of power and inserting a paper clip into the underside of the Orbi for ten seconds (with the resulting flashing orange indicator, if my memory serves).
If you think it worthwhile to do it again, I'll happily try. This will revert to normal service and we'll have to wait a day or two before performance degrades again.
I think the answer is in extending the lease time. Are you able to log onto the hubs; management pages and go to advance settings then Home Network > IP addresses and try changing the lease time to 21 days.
Hi I'm not sure whether I've got to the right place. I've tried to follow your advice but have been unscuccessful.
Advanced > Internet Port > Connection Status in which the following data are given
Connection Time
21:27:36
Connection Status
Connected
Negotiation
Success
Authentication
Success
IP Address
86.185.165.114
Subnet Mask
255.255.255.255
I got to this location by taking instruction from the User Manual. It is the only place where the word 'lease' appears in the Manual but there it suggests that under Connection Status the following should also appear (but it does not).
QUOTE
Default Gateway. The IP address for the default gateway that the router communicates with.
DHCP Server. The IP address for the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server that provides the TCP/IP configuration for all the computers that are connected to the router.
DNS Server. The IP address of the Domain Name Service server that provides translation of network names to IP addresses.
Lease Obtained. The date and time when the lease was obtained.
Lease Expires. The date and time that the lease expires.
END QUOTE
On this basis, I can't follow your advice. Of course it may well be that what appears in Connection Status is conditional on some other setting, but I haven't been able find reference to it.
I hope I'm not being a bit dim, but I'm a bit stuck now to know how to follow your advice.
I think our messages must have crossed. The Connection Staus page made no mention of 'lease'. Nor can I find it anywhere else (in either the User Manual or the web pages)
I will be away for a few days in connection with my work so maybe in the meantime something may come through. I will read the article also.
Much appreciate your continuing interest.
In the meantime just to say that Siriole is a word made up of two Welsh words: 'siriol' (which means 'serene') and 'lle' (which means 'place), so 'serene place' ..... I hope we're on the way there!
I would make contact with NG support to let them know what your seeing with your ISP service. Ask the ISP if there router is required with there services or not.
You can try this, use the RBR in router mode, no PPPOE, and get the IP address from the ISP router and input this IP address into the DMZ or IP Pass-thru on the ISP router to see if t his helps any.
Since my attempt to modify the lease time—I'm still not convinced it has worked—there has been a gradual improvement (so maybe something did happen). I can occasionally download Amazon Prime, and Netflix is largely trouble free though like iPlayer the downloading time (or more properly the start-up time) of any action is sometimes very slow and the apps's display of choices is very slow to load (remembering that the television is linked by Ethernet cable to the Orbi). I seem to be in a no-man's-land of what to do next. I guess what would be useful is a Netgear-supported method of changing the lease time. I'm coming around to the view that Netgear don't have here yet a consumer product—yes, it looks like one, but no ordinary-joe/jane should buy one of these, it seems altogether too much in need of technical competence to make it work. Maybe Netgear will do something!??
Glad to hear someone with a similar problem. 'Bridge' mode is not really what I paid £700 for, really. I guess we share the view that Netgear needs to provide us with a product that doesn't require so much technical know-how and successive lash-ups before it works!
Since my attempt to modify the lease time—I'm still not convinced it has worked—there has been a gradual improvement (so maybe something did happen). I can occasionally download Amazon Prime, and Netflix is largely trouble free though like iPlayer the downloading time (or more properly the start-up time) of any action is sometimes very slow and the apps's display of choices is very slow to load (remembering that the television is linked by Ethernet cable to the Orbi). I seem to be in a no-man's-land of what to do next. I guess what would be useful is a Netgear-supported method of changing the lease time. I'm coming around to the view that Netgear don't have here yet a consumer product—yes, it looks like one, but no ordinary-joe/jane should buy one of these, it seems altogether too much in need of technical competence to make it work. Maybe Netgear will do something!??
In the event the firmware 'upgrade' was a downgrade to V3.2.8.5.
We tested the television system before the change and after the change. Nothing was different; exacly the same problems were evident: Can't upload Amazon Prime, can load Apple TV but it takes forever to download a movie from my library (or any other movie for that matter). Other applications work (Netflix, Curzon Cinema, iPlayer (BBC)--but slowly, Netflix).
I've decided to 'throw in the towel' and seek a refund from my devices. I think I have acted in good faith to get the devices work--the product doesn't seem ready for market.
Thanks folks out there for all your interest and advice. I've spent a month working hard on a remedy for this. I am going to return to my cheap ISP's router and forgo extraordinary wireless performance for the sake of having a good internet connection.
