I purchased an RBK852 pack a little over a year ago. Everything has been working fine until recently. I started having some odd connection issues yesterday that improved, and today, my RBS850 rebooted out of nowhere and was showing an amber status light after connecting back to the router.
I've done exhaustive troubleshooting including resetting both the router and the satellite multiple times. The satellite is reporting a poor backhaul status both in the spot it normally worked flawlessly and right beside the router.
Yes, and seemingly no matter where I place it, the behavior is unchanged.
It's also not appearing to behave according to the documentation. For example... it was showing connected in the router's status page at 5G with good backhaul but a magenta status light. I could connect to its IP and browse its internal pages but the status page was showing the backhaul as 2.4G.
Thanks for the suggestion - I'll reach out and see what happens.
The firmware was loaded by manually downloading and applying a few weeks ago. Everything was working fine until about yesterday. I did try a manual reload on the satellite but that didn't appear to fix anything. I'll try later tonight to do that to the router as well since I can't spend a lot of time troubleshooting while working.
My SO is claiming that he's having issues with his call software even with the satellite out of the equation so I'm wondering if something is up with the router itself. He claims this problem fixed itself by plugging into the router directly... although I'm not seeing it when working wirelessly.
I am seeing a similar issue on just one RBS850 which is using hardware backhaul on the Cat6 link via Netgear 1 GigE Switch to the RBR850 base station. This connected to the Cable modem, which I know is working since when the system is offline I still can connect via the Wan port via Orbi app on iPhone via Connect Anywhere. Which I have used to reboot the system. Normally I need to reboot then go to that base station then un-plug it to get it operational again until it goes bad. Which you have to redo this process all over again.
It running the current most firmware. I double-checked this. I know there something wrong since It consistently this same RBS850 Satellite that goes offline.
To troubleshoot this more, I have moved it to the second 1GigE hardwired connection point 20 feet from the other location also on a clean Cat6. checked it out with one of my tools. This morning I switched out an older Netgear switch with new Netgear 2 port 10 Gig 8 port 1Gig switch. After the network went offline last night again.
What I find odd, is Orbi system will block all Network traffic on the Wireless and Wired network for both the Main Router and the working Satellite and any hard-line device. It stops routing to the internet. Again I know the network is up since I can use the Anywhere service to access the router.
I am close to running the Wifi mesh on it own VLAN and not use it as my main firewall, router, DHCP server and just have it be the Wifi services for the house.
This Seems like poor Software architecture design since the hardline network and router fuction should be running independently of Wireless and Base Station Backhaul. Now I need to decide what to do with this RBS850 since looks like it what driving the failures.
I am seeing a similar issue on just one RBS850 which is using hardware backhaul on the Cat6 link via Netgear 1 GigE Switch to the RBR850 base station. This connected to the Cable modem, which I know is working since when the system is offline I still can connect via the Wan port via Orbi app on iPhone via Connect Anywhere. Which I have used to reboot the system. Normally I need to reboot then go to that base station then un-plug it to get it operational again until it goes bad. Which you have to redo this process all over again.
It running the current most firmware. I double-checked this. I know there something wrong since It consistently this same RBS850 Satellite that goes offline.
To troubleshoot this more, I have moved it to the second 1GigE hardwired connection point 20 feet from the other location also on a clean Cat6. checked it out with one of my tools. This morning I switched out an older Netgear switch with new Netgear 2 port 10 Gig 8 port 1Gig switch. After the network went offline last night again.
What I find odd, is Orbi system will block all Network traffic on the Wireless and Wired network for both the Main Router and the working Satellite and any hard-line device. It stops routing to the internet. Again I know the network is up since I can use the Anywhere service to access the router.
I am close to running the Wifi mesh on it own VLAN and not use it as my main firewall, router, DHCP server and just have it be the Wifi services for the house.
This Seems like poor Software architecture design since the hardline network and router fuction should be running independently of Wireless and Base Station Backhaul. Now I need to decide what to do with this RBS850 since looks like it what driving the failures.
The issue is not the Switch, since again I have a second Satellite that does not see the same issue it is further from the router. Also tried two network switches
The old I was running since last night, Netgear GS116E and the new one Netgear GS110 MX
Note I have changed the network cable connecting the Satelite to the ethernet port, back haul hardpoint port aka different location, the switch they connect to.
The firmware version is 3.2.18.1_14.14 on the RBR850 and on the RBS850 3.2.18.1
It more likely a thermal event, memory corruption or state getting getting corrupt on the Satilite that fixes itself on shutdown and reboot, then overtime happens again. It is repeatable in this unit.
I work for a large semiconductor company, currently on a number of large scale supercomputers with much more complex networking foundations during the day. Which why I just want this to work at night so my kids and Wife do not **bleep** me out for it not working ; )
I had to do fault isolation first, to the unit itself, remove the other variables from above. Note it been going on over a few firmware versions, I always have to reboot the Orbi they, power cycle each satellite post power cycling the router to get the system stable until the next failure happens.
Does the status report Wired if you take the RBS and directly connect the RBS to the back of the RBR with out any switches in the middle? Make sure the RBS works here first and reports correctly.
Try swapping RBS around to see if the problem follows. If it does and direct connection with 1 RBS still doesnt' work right, possible faulty RBS...
Already did that, again as I said even put that RBS on a new network port this was a week ago and still failing regularly. I have a stable network right now so I can work type this post. They have QOS issue when backhaul sync fails, which cascades to the router fuction also failing for both wired and wireless connections. I am sure if I put this in AP mode and put firewall/router on the system hardline would work un-interrupted upon backhaul failure, then just my Wifi would go down.
Right now I am looking at the following two options replace RBR at full retail since it now out of warranty or put in a hardline only Firewall/Router. If the system does not stay stable.
So you did connect the RBS directly to the RBR with no switch in the middle and the problem followed?
I would presume if so, the RBS would be fautly, not the RBR.
Be aware that some switches with "Green Ethernet" may not work well with Orbi systems. I don't use these and thus don't encounter problems with wired RBS.
If the RBS IS failing to connect fully or show WIRED when directly connected to the RBR, then contact NG support and ask about what your options are.
There is a beta you can try as well though not sure if this would fix this.
Yes the RBS looks to be the issue. I am going to put a network sniffer on the network next time the RBS fails to see if can see something strange. HW Router/Firewall would be to isolate wireless network so if it failed the main hardwired network would still operate. my Office PC's Game Consoles, AppleTV's, Stereos, and 3 TV's are all on hardlines, so they would not be interrupted if a failure happens on the Orbi network.
The Switch is not a green power one. I do not like to use those as well.
Put the Orbi RBR850 into AP mode things are more stable, had Airport Extreme in the closet so I could set it up as the router for now. I think there is a lot more going on than a switch issue. Looking through the threads it happens way too offten and across generations of products.
Check stability with out your switches first. Again, some switches don't work well with Orbi, especially Green Ethernet featured ones. The ones you listed have this. Check the spec sheets.
IF the RBS work with out the switches in the middle, then this isnt' a Orbi issue.
If the problem follows the RBS with or with out the switch, then the RBS maybe just faulty. Try a full re-load of FW on the RBS, factory reset the RBS, remove the prior connection from the RBR and re-synce the RBS FIRST wirelessly to the RBR, then connect the RBS wired to the RBR directly or thru your switch.
NG GS-105/108v4, D-Link DGS-105/108 and HP ProCurve 1400/1800 series switches work well for Orbi systems.
Thanks for the suggestion - I'll reach out and see what happens.
The firmware was loaded by manually downloading and applying a few weeks ago. Everything was working fine until about yesterday. I did try a manual reload on the satellite but that didn't appear to fix anything. I'll try later tonight to do that to the router as well since I can't spend a lot of time troubleshooting while working.
My SO is claiming that he's having issues with his call software even with the satellite out of the equation so I'm wondering if something is up with the router itself. He claims this problem fixed itself by plugging into the router directly... although I'm not seeing it when working wirelessly.
Also I did test it with direct connection from the two RBS to RBR. This is an ongoing issue, over multiple firmware updates. I factory set twice now reloaded the firmware. I am going to see how goes in AP mode how long the up time is, before it fails again. Understand I can get it to work for period with router on but I see network failure after 12- 24 hours and sometime longer 72 to 180 hours always the same RBR failing. Then I would reboot the system then have to individually power cycle the RBR to get them to come back. Last night I power cycled with the app on the old switch and one node never sync’d for 14 hour until I woke up and power cycled it. Then this time it failed quickly in 2 hours. Hence when I tried changing out the switch. Find it ironic the only switch from Netgear that work from old bay networks design.
