RBK853 Satellites are EXTREMELY slow. At this price, I'm sure something is wrong

[Cjohn7]

Hi all,

Just bought a brand new RBK853 system. 

My ATT fiber is 1GB.  The ATT Modem/router Wifi gives out about 200-300 mbps when next to the router.

I am running the Orbi in AP mode because my ATT Pace 5268ac modem/router doesn't have bridge mode and I really only need the orbi for better Wifi coverage.

I have the Modem/Router's Wifi disabled and put the Orbi RBR850 in AP mode.

Firmware is latest 3.2.16.22

I have a 3-story house and the router is in my basement (due to ATT fiber line restrictions)

The Wifi from the orbi router(AP) is great... ~600-800 mbps in the basement

The Wifi from the orbi router when on the 1st floor is ~300 mpbs

The Wifi from the orbi router when on the 2nd floor is ~80 mpbs

So I want to put one satellite on the 1st floor and one on the 2nd floor

However the satellites speed are HORRENDOUS.

So I did a few tests.  

Test with a satellite in the same room as the router (AP). the satellite connected good (blue light)

1) Wired my laptop to the satellite and speedtest showed ~100 mpbs

2) Then tried wireless on the laptop.  Same speed about ~100 mpbs

3) iPhone 12 Pro ~120mpbs

Not good...these satellites I know are being sold as 5GHZ backhaul which should be almost same speed as the Router

so I need the satellites on the other floors, so I moved one to the 1st floor and tested. The satellite connected good (blue light)

1) Wired laptop ~20mpbs

2) Wireless laptop ~20mpbs

3) iPhone 12 Pro ~3.4 mpbs to ~20 mpbs

This is obviously not going to work.  How are these satellites supposed to achieve the speeds being advertised

I tried different settings on the RBR to no avail.

1) I turned off 20/40 mhz coexistence

2) I changed channels on 2.4 and 5ghz

3) This firmware has no options for daisy chain or MU-MIMO or any of the previous advanced settings

I paid close to $1000 for this system and will have to return it if this isn't going to work as advertised.

I have looked at all threads in here and tried everything suggested by FURRYe38.  Nothing helped.

Just a note, I reverted back to my ATT modem/router's Wifi.  I use two dinky AirTies wifi extenders (one on 1st floor and one on 2nd floor).  Those dinky extenders are producing better wifi extension (~50-80 mpbs on both floors) than these Orbi satellites.

I cannot for the life of me see how that can be with a $1000 system vs. a $40 wifi extender

Please help, I really wanted this system to work.

Thanks much,

Chris

[FURRYe38]

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite

What i'm getting with my 12 Max phone using v16.6 and RBS are wireless connected:

[Cjohn7]

My house is 4200 sq ft.
During my last test I only had one satellite set up on the 1st floor. I would say its at least 30’ away.
Connection to RBR was good. Speed very slow.... a crawl. Speed test sometimes would just spin trying to find nearest server.

Previous test was having satellite in same room as RBR. line of sight. Speed was only 100mbps.
Both satellites were behaving same way. So I don’t think its a defective hardware issue.

Seems the satellites just aren’t providing any strong speed even close to the RBR.

I’ve tried factory reset on both RBR and RBS and still same issue.

Thanks,
Chris

[Mstrbig]

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@Cjohn7 wrote:
My house is 4200 sq ft.
During my last test I only had one satellite set up on the 1st floor. I would say its at least 30’ away.
Connection to RBR was good. Speed very slow.... a crawl. Speed test sometimes would just spin trying to find nearest server.

Previous test was having satellite in same room as RBR. line of sight. Speed was only 100mbps.
Both satellites were behaving same way. So I don’t think its a defective hardware issue.

Seems the satellites just aren’t providing any strong speed even close to the RBR.

I’ve tried factory reset on both RBR and RBS and still same issue.

Thanks,
Chris

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Check your network connection cable to the ISP modem. If it is CAT5, you will be limited to the 100Mbps. If it is Cat5, upgrade to Cat5e or Cat6. 

The satellites are a different issue. Maybe interference. try changing WIFI channels.

[Cjohn7]

I am using a Cat6 cable. The router is working as expected. Very fast wired and wireless speed.

The satellites have no speed though. I tried different channels and different locations.
Fastest was only 100-120 mbps when the satellite was in same room as router.
But when moved further the speed drops to unusable speeds.

Thanks,
Chris

[FURRYe38]

When you are moving away from the RBR, did you disable the wifi radio on your device for 5 seconds then back on to see if it picks the closer RBS? It's up wifi devices to pick and choose where they connect and some will keep the connection with the farther signal until there forced to disconnect then re-connect after enabling of the wifi radio. 

[Cjohn7]

Yes, i made sure I was connected to the satellite. Both wireless and wired to the satellite. Same result. Very slow speed.

[UnCapitano]

Hey Cjohn7,

I won't quote Furry, because for the most part, his intent and suggestions are good, but they rarely address what really goes on within the other user's home.  

You mention that you have the router connected in the basement.    I have a 1700sq ft home, but with lots of walls and obstables.  When I first installed the set, I had the router in one corner of the house, but I was trying to service the three furthermost locations in the house.  That didn't work.

So, I researched and came up with a better solution...  First of all I moved my router to the middle of the house.  Remember that Orbi is not a true mesh, so the communication between nodes is always satellite back to router.  I had an Asus system that was true mesh, but didn't perform nearly as well as the Orbi does.

Now, if your house is ethernet wired, I suggest running a wired backhaul to the satellites.  It would seem to me that your connection from router to satellite is just barely ok.   My house is NOT ethernet wired. In order to better serve the clients at the satellite locations, I ran a set of MoCa adapters in the house.  Now, all of my router to satellite connections are wired using the cable line backbone and there is little signal loss.  

the ones I am using are the gocoax MoCa 2.5 adapters.  You can find them on Amazon.  So, I now run one adapter at modem/router location.  If you plan on running just two of them, I would put the second one connected to the satellite on the second floor.  I actually added two more, but one I am using as a dedicated drop so that my kids can play Fornite with no lag.

This solved the issue I think you're dealing with.  However, my master bedroom, where I am mostly WFH had enough interference from electronics and a firewall that I needed to add another satellite.  I added it high on the wall and as close to the router (albeit in the bedroom) as I could.  This satellite is using a wireless backhaul.  So, I normally get anywhere betwee 400 and 600Mbps on the computer in the master bedroom, and around the same on my phone. 

I just tested the newest firmware and those numbers are lower now, which leads me to believe that it is a firmware difference.  However, the solutions I suggested are valid.  I'd see if AT&T can move your modem drop to a location on the main floor and centered in the house.  That would be the start, followed by adding wired backhaul where possible.

Hope this helps.

My speedtest on the computer

[Cjohn7]

Thank you for your suggestions.  

I wish I could move the router, but this would require drilling through my ceiling and through the flooring on the main floor, which is something I don't want to do.

My biggest compaint here is that my current mesh network using the ATT modem/router along with 2 Airties mesh extenders is performing MUCH better than this $1000 Orbi system. That just doesn't make sense.

I place the Orbi satelites in the exact same positions that the AirTies extenders were.

If the Airties doesn't have a problem with those locations, why would an expensive Orbi?

I might have to just return this system and stick with my existing network.  The Airties are giving my 100-130 mpbs.  Which is plenty fast for streaming anything.  I just hate that I'm paying for 1GB fiber service any only getting 130 mbps through wifi.

The Orbi router is phenomenal...gives my 600-800 mpbs wifi. Its the satellites that just don't work at all.  Very disappointed.

I have tried moving the satelittes all over the house. Not one location provides decent speed.

[UnCapitano]

I totally understand, but the satellites can only deliver as much as they receive. From the sounds of it, they’re having a hard time receiving signal. I’d try the wired backhaul and see if that will yield the speeds you’re looking for. If it does, you know it was the locations. If it doesn’t, then it’s something with the satellite transmission. Your example of not getting much faster speed when wired into the satellite tells me you’re not receiving much.

A good test would be to unplug the satellite on the first floor and then do a speed test with your phone, tablet or laptop. I’d compare those speeds before singling out the satellite units.

Oh, and if you want to try something different try two Amplifi Aliens as they are supposed to be really good. I also tried the Asus Zenwifi units. The Orbi beat all of them.

[Cjohn7]

I think I might try the MoCa approach and see if that helps (my house is not ethernet wired).

Regarding testing without the satellites, I have done that many times.  The router in the basement provides about 400 mbps when connected from on the 1st floor.  

Now if I put a satellite in the same location I was standing on the 1st floor, speed drops to less than 50 mbps, sometimes less than 5 mpbs.

Not sure how I could get 400 mpbs connect to the router on the 5GHz band, but the Satellite backhaul doesn't have a good connection from the same spot. Something seems fishy.

But I just ordered a couple MoCa adapters and will try that out and see. If that doesn't work, I'm boxing this back up.

Thanks for the help!

[jdesm]

Hi,

I think I'm having the same issue.

I've been happily (or somewhat) using my AX Orbi's for the past 10 months. I had them as AP mode, switched them to router as my ISP-router was having issues delivering DHCP service properly, and that ran beautifully as router for the past couple months.

A couple weeks ago, I did 2 things - update to 3.2.16.22, and (because it prompted me for a free trial I thought I might as well) enable Armor.

Last week, I noticed all devices connected to my satellite (both wired and wireless) were getting super slow speeds - ie, 10mbps instead of the usual 900+

I rebooted everything (modem, Orbi router and satellite) and everything looked like it was back to normal... except it came back, again, my laptop connected to satellite over ethernet is down to 10mbps and much packet loss to router. Devices in the same room, connected to satellite get 10mbps, those connected to router get 400-700mbps.

If I unplug the satellite, all devices immediately go from the 10mbps back up.

This is on a wireless backhaul which has been working for months with zero dropouts, I did not move either device which sit probably about 20ft apart with a floor and a wall.

I'll try to reset and maybe restore settings, reset and set everything back by hand, maybe downgrade.. if anyone has ideas I'd mostly welcome them.

Again, nothing's changed, apart from the new firmware and Armor. I tried disabling armor and it doesn't fix the issue.

[FURRYe38]

What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?

What is the distance between the router and extender(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.

I would disable Armor, then power OFF the RBR then back on. 

Try a reset as well if this doesn't resolve this. This time don't enable Armor. 

You can find other speed diagnosis steps in the community faq: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/Community-FAQ-My-Orbi-speeds-are-slow-inconsistent-and-don-...

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@jdesm wrote:

Hi,

I think I'm having the same issue.

I've been happily (or somewhat) using my AX Orbi's for the past 10 months. I had them as AP mode, switched them to router as my ISP-router was having issues delivering DHCP service properly, and that ran beautifully as router for the past couple months.

A couple weeks ago, I did 2 things - update to 3.2.16.22, and (because it prompted me for a free trial I thought I might as well) enable Armor.

Last week, I noticed all devices connected to my satellite (both wired and wireless) were getting super slow speeds - ie, 10mbps instead of the usual 900+

I rebooted everything (modem, Orbi router and satellite) and everything looked like it was back to normal... except it came back, again, my laptop connected to satellite over ethernet is down to 10mbps and much packet loss to router. Devices in the same room, connected to satellite get 10mbps, those connected to router get 400-700mbps.

If I unplug the satellite, all devices immediately go from the 10mbps back up.

This is on a wireless backhaul which has been working for months with zero dropouts, I did not move either device which sit probably about 20ft apart with a floor and a wall.

I'll try to reset and maybe restore settings, reset and set everything back by hand, maybe downgrade.. if anyone has ideas I'd mostly welcome them.

Again, nothing's changed, apart from the new firmware and Armor. I tried disabling armor and it doesn't fix the issue.

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[jdesm]

Thanks. I was literally about to try and reset satellite with a pin and it started working again. As I'm unsure this will last (last time it worked for 5 days before it got slow again), I will try to disable armor/reboot as soon as I can (I've got a fairly hefty backup running I don't want ot interrupt) and report back. I did also enable Traffic meter so will try to disable that as well (I don't really need it, I'm just a stats freak).

The provider is Orange (France) - Livebox 5, I believe it's Sagemcom. I do have double NAT because their box can't be switched to just modem, so I've opened up (as many folks who want a different router) the DMZ to the Orbi and route from there on a different IP range (had huge issues with AP mode, Orange box wasn't delivering DHCP properly, devices were losing network access on and off all the time, etc).

On the location - you're right, they're not quite 30 feet apart more like 20ft with a ceiling and a wall - moving them to 30 feet would be slightly awkward as my fibre output comes to center of house and 30feet brings pretty much to one of its corner (I guess maybe just a router could have worked but before I was getting fairly poor coverage in the corner rooms upstairs with just the router). That said, it's been working just fine for just under a year so I'm thinking it's unrelated?

[FURRYe38]

Ok, distance can be a factor. Too close can cause related problems. 

Good Luck. 

[FURRYe38]

Any progress on this? 

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@Cjohn7 wrote:

I think I might try the MoCa approach and see if that helps (my house is not ethernet wired).

Regarding testing without the satellites, I have done that many times.  The router in the basement provides about 400 mbps when connected from on the 1st floor.  

Now if I put a satellite in the same location I was standing on the 1st floor, speed drops to less than 50 mbps, sometimes less than 5 mpbs.

Not sure how I could get 400 mpbs connect to the router on the 5GHz band, but the Satellite backhaul doesn't have a good connection from the same spot. Something seems fishy.

But I just ordered a couple MoCa adapters and will try that out and see. If that doesn't work, I'm boxing this back up.

Thanks for the help!

---

[Cjohn7]

I am currently out of town for Thanksgiving break. Will be back home tomorrow (sat).
I am planning in trying out the Moca adapters this weekend and will give an update.
Is the wired backhaul just plug and play? If I boot up the satellite in wireless mode, then plug in the ethernet connection, will it just automatically switch to ethernet backhaul?

[jdesm]

OK, soooooo....

I discovered, by plugging things in and out, that I could still ping my NAS in the garage even when I unplugged the cable to the garage on the Orbi... was a bit puzzled, and...

I thought it'd be good to connect my small Sonos speaker in the garage the other day. I already had a speaker plugged into the satellite in my upstairs office...

And the 2 Sonos were essentially trying to take over as backhaul themselves, only not very well, especially when passing lots of traffic by. It was random, hence the intermittent issues.

I unplugged the Sonos (actually, I plugged both out of ethernet), and now... issue's completely gone! I'm back to maxing out my internet line, getting 950mbits over the backhaul again.

So, I'm obviously an idiot who blamed the Orbi too quickly... though I'm very surprised about the Sonos speaker behaviour now, so I think I'll head over to their forum... 🙂

Thanks for the help!

[FURRYe38]

Yes, it's recommended to wirelessly connect the RBS first, then plug in the ethernet cable. 

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@Cjohn7 wrote:
I am currently out of town for Thanksgiving break. Will be back home tomorrow (sat).
I am planning in trying out the Moca adapters this weekend and will give an update.
Is the wired backhaul just plug and play? If I boot up the satellite in wireless mode, then plug in the ethernet connection, will it just automatically switch to ethernet backhaul?

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[Cjohn7]

I still haven't gotten the MoCa connections yet.  I have located all the coax cables in the attic leading to each bedroom outlet on the 2nd floor.

However, I cannot for the life of me find where the coax outlets on the main floor and the basement end at.  

They are not in the attic, and there is no distribution panel outside of the house, nor in the basement utility room.

Not sure how they wired this house.

I need the basement coax to be connected to all the other outlets since this is where my router is.

I will need to keep searching.

Will update if I ever find these cables.

[FURRYe38]

[Cjohn7]

I am pretty sure I'll have to return the orbi though.  The satellites just don't work for me the way they are supposed to.  I bought this specifically for the tri-band dedicated backhaul....but it's no good here.

[FURRYe38]

You might try another 8 series to see of you notice same problem or not. If so, I would presume there maybe some environment variable thats causing this. 

Possible your current system maybe just faulty as well.