Supposed upgrade from Nighthawk 83 mesh to Orbi RBK82 mesh - Lost Custom WiFi
I thought I would upgrade from an a Nighthawk mesh system to the more expensive Orbi. The Nighthawk has the ability to create a custom 2.4Ghz network for connection of IOT devices. As I'm going through the setup for the Orbi, things are working pretty well and I was able to get most things configured as I had them on the Nighhawk. Most things on the web app were very familiar so I was able to quickly go through and configure items the same as I had them on the Nighthawk. The last thing I wanted to set up was the IOT network so I went to the Advanced Setup entry on the Advanced tab and looked for Customize WiFi network. This has been a feature on the Nighthawk for about a year now so I fully expected to find it on the more expensive Orbi ... but to my surprise it was missing. So I did a search on the Netgear Community, and it appears that this feature only appears on the newest 960 series. I believe this feature was delivered as a firmware update on the Nighthawk ... but it has been a long time and I can't remember. I've had IOT devices that will not re-establish connection like after a power outage unless there is a dedicated IOT network.
It seems several have connected to IOT devices by temporarily shutting off the 5GHz signal or reducing the power. So those that have done that, have you been in a position where you have lost power and had IOT devices that didn't reconnect? If so, did they automatically reconnect after shutting off the 5GHz signal?
And I don't want to hear any responses about this being the fault of IOT manufacturers ... I would agree regarding new devices, but there are hundreds out there that will only work with 2.4GHz and they are going to get upgraded so the Router manufacturers need to support this. As it is, I guess I'm going to have evaluate whether I need to return the RBK852 and go back to the apparently more capable and cheaper Nighthawk. I'm hoping someone has come up with a better solution than what I've seen as I review past threads.
It seems several have connected to IOT devices by temporarily shutting off the 5GHz signal or reducing the power. So those that have done that, have you been in a position where you have lost power and had IOT devices that didn't reconnect? .
Once a device has been connected to a WiFi system using a valid SSID/password, it will reconnect any time the WiFi signal appears. After a power outage, for example, it will wake up and look for a 2.4G WiFi channel with the correct SSID and then use the stored password to connect. I have experimented with what happens when an Orbi WiFi system loses power, and every time, every WiFi device in the house reconnects to WiFi. Devices with only 2.4G radios connect at 2.4G. Devices with both 2.4G and 5G radios connect the way they were before the power outage. What people fight about is the initial connection.
The contentious issue is whether it is essential to be able to either (a) temporarily shut off the 5G signal, or (b) create a separate SSID for the two different bands. That argument has raged on for several years and shows no signs of dying out. A person who is firmly in that camp is unlikely to be happy with a WiFi system that does not support one of those two options. Take it back.
Re: Supposed upgrade from Nighthawk 83 mesh to Orbi RBK82 mesh - Lost Custom WiFi
That has not been my experience. I have had multiple devices that have failed to connect after a power outage ... even after a successful connection on 2.4GHz. It isn't every time power goes out, but whenever it happens, it essentially seems to lock up the device where if you try to force it to reconnect to the network it won't. When I've called tech support for the device, I typically get walked through the whole setup process again. Granted most of the time there is no issue ... but with having a seperate IOT network like the MD83 has simplifies the setup process and is just more reliable. I've definitely had this issue with Chamberlain MyQ garage door openers, Ecobot vacuums and Amazon plug. With Amazon plug it is particularly annoying because the only way to set it back up deletes the plug from any programs you have where you need to recreate them.
