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I posted in another thread, but I can't reply there, so since this is the same issue, I'll reply here, because what I had to do to "fix" Netgear's mistake was complicated.
My thanks to @FURRYe38 for the private replies. They didn't fix anything, but they gave me enough info to figure out an approach to try.
Okay, in the big 600+ posts and counting thread about this issue, I posted my situation. Yes I was salty and annoyed, which is probably why I can't reply in that thread any more, but several people posted suggestions and then FURRYe38 private messaged me with three suggestions that did not work but they pointed me in a helpful direction.
I have a small home network an RBR850 and one RBS850 with only a couple dozen devices connected at most. After my family went to sleep, here is what I did...
2. I downloaded the user manual and saved it on my laptop so I'd have it for reference.
3. Properly shutdown all devices on the network, except for my laptop and mobiles that auto switched to cellular after the wired and WiFi network were down.
4. Next I plugged the RBR850 into power and held its reset button for 15-20 seconds (until the LED below the reset button slowly blinked orange). Then I unplugged the power again.
5. Next I plugged the RBS850 into power and held its reset button for 15-20 seconds (until the LED below the reset button slowly blinked orange). Then I unplugged its power.
6. I grabbed my laptop, turned off WiFi, and plugged in the USB-C to wired Ethernet adapter. Then I connected my laptop to the RBR850 (LAN port) and also connected the RBS850 by wired Ethernet to the RBR850.
7. I next plugged in the RBR850's power and waited for the LED to become solid white.
8. I checked my laptop's Network settings and saw that it was getting an IP from the RBR850, so I opened a browser (Chrome to be safe) and pointed it at 192.168.1.1 and the Orbi setup welcome page greeted me. I entered a password and security questions, WiFi setup, and skipped setting up a satellite, and ignored its warning about having no Internet access.
9. I then manually updated the firmware using the file from Step 1 above.
10. After the RBR850 rebooted (wait for solid white LED), I logged in on my laptop (still via wired Ethernet) to confirm the RBR850 was updated.
11. Now, I plugged in the power for the RBS850, which was still connected via wired Ethernet. I waited until its front LED was solid white and then went to the RBR850 Attached Devices list where the satellite was finally showing up but as "Out of Sync." (presumably a firmware mismatch)
12. I used the IP address for the RBS850 from the Attached Devices list and logged directly into the RBS850 where I manually updated the firmware using the correct file from Step 1.
13. After the RBS850 rebooted, it had the correct firmware and it connected to the RBR850.
14. I unplugged all the wired Ethernet connections and turned on the laptop's WiFi. I was able to log into the RBR850's web page and its Attached Devices list still showed the RBS850 connected, now only via WiFi.
15. So, I put everything back where it belonged happy that my RBS850 was again talking to my RBR850.
16. Everything was working, so I downloaded the Orbi app on my iPhone again and tried to connect to my Orbi. After logging into my Netgear account, the Orbi app asked me for my RBR850 login info, and connected via ANYWHERE ACCESS. I was able to restore my Armor protection but the Orbi app fails to connect locally. It only works via ANYWHERE ACCESS.
I am glad I have stuff working again after weeks of broken features, but I wasted hours of my time and am now forced to use ANYWHERE ACCESS, which seems far less secure and safe, all because Netgear broke something. They try to blame Apple for their Private Relay and Limit IP Tracking features, but I've used those for months and everything worked perfected until Netgear's firmware push about a month ago.
So, finger's crossed my network doesn't get broken again by another forced update. I still like my Orbi's, they're fast and reliable, but dang has Netgear annoyed and frustrated me. My thanks to everyone on the forum for helping me! I hope this detailed reply helps someone else restore their network too. Good luck!
Were you able to get your RBS and app working again?
@Josh_W wrote: I still have no ability to link my satellites back back to my router. It seems like the patch has been applied but the router is all that is connected. How can I make it see the satellites again?
