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Forum Discussion
Client Isolation between Router and Satellites?
I upgraded to an Orbi Router (RBR50) and two Orbi Satellites (RBS50) to get coverage for my house, and the backchannel speed is as great as advertised. That said, I am running into odd network issues...
I am using an app on my phone that tests signal strength from the devices its connected to. I put it also on my wifes phone and 2 different iPads.
I could be standing right next to the RBS40 or RBS50 and it would show 40-60% but as I walked towards the RBR50 it went up, to 80% when I was standing near the Router. Its the same on all 4 devices while testing proximity to both satallites.
And, yes, I also "forgot" the wifi network over and over and over again, while standing next to a Satallite, and when I would reconnect to the ORBI SSID, the signal strength would show 40-60% again, when I am standing right next to a satallite. It should have been over 80% or higher had any of the devices connected to the closest satallite.
That is how I tested it.
I have a RBR50, RBS50 & RBR40.. and 2 of them are useless, as every device just connects to the router.
And I can see both satallites in the device list of the RBR50 listed as satalites.
Greystorm64 wrote:
I am using an app on my phone that tests signal strength from the devices its connected to. I put it also on my wifes phone and 2 different iPads.
I could be standing right next to the RBS40 or RBS50 and it would show 40-60% but as I walked towards the RBR50 it went up, to 80% when I was standing near the Router. Its the same on all 4 devices while testing proximity to both satallites.
And, yes, I also "forgot" the wifi network over and over and over again, while standing next to a Satallite, and when I would reconnect to the ORBI SSID, the signal strength would show 40-60% again, when I am standing right next to a satallite. It should have been over 80% or higher had any of the devices connected to the closest satallite.
That is how I tested it.
I have a RBR50, RBS50 & RBR40.. and 2 of them are useless, as every device just connects to the router.
And I can see both satallites in the device list of the RBR50 listed as satalites.
Something is not right. Did you manually add the RBSs to your system via the RBR admin GUI? The RBS40 will not automatically connect itself, since it was not part of the RBR kit.
iOS is a poor platform for WiFi scanning, because Apple locks down the OS too much. Do the scanning on a laptop or an Android phone. You need a scanner that will show you the signal strength of all broadcasting APs, not just the strength of the AP your phone is connected to. Run the scan and verify that your satellites are actually broadcasting a signal, and that they are using the same SSID as the RBR.
It sounds like the satellites are not properly connecting to the RBR. It's unlikely both RBSs are broken, so it's probably a firmware or setup issue. I would hard reset the RBR and RBSs, go through the setup process again, making sure you add the RBSs in the RBR admin GUI, and ensure they are all on the same firmware revision.
I have the exact same issue since the latest firmware update. It is so frustrating because it used to work perfectly. My whole intention with the Orbi system was to always pick up the strongest signal. ALL of my devices now lock on and never switch after the latest firmware, including iphones, xboxes, roku, etc.
The only way I can get devices to connect to the satellite is to generally reboot the orbi, then turn wifi on and off on the various devices and they will connect to a satellite if that is the strongest signal.
I am so disheartened because i recently sold my R7000 for a paltry 50 dollars because I saw no need to use it any longer...Orbi has been spectacular for me. Now it is a mess and I have no fall back option. Learned a lesson...don't get rid of the old router.
The RBS40 did auto-sync with the router and is showing up as a satalite in the device list of the router. Both of them are.
I had to have the RBS40 replaced (working with Netgear support), I recieved it yesterday and it had a very old version of firmware. It did auto-sync with the router and devices actually started showing up in the device list on the RBS40. Not as many as I expected, since its just a couple and there are more devices within close proximity to the RBS40 compared to the RBR50 & RBS50.
I then decided to downgrade the firmware on the RBR50/RBS50 to 2.0.0.74 (from .12) and I upgraded the RBS40 to 2.0.0.56 (from 1.8.0.4).
There are devices now appearing in the device lists of both Satallites. Again, not as many as I would expect. I have 40+ devices and over half of them are much closer to a Satallite than the router, but most of them are still connecting to the router. (I know this, because tthe RBR50 Device list actually displays WHAT Router or Satallite each device is connected to in the last column.
Still having drops, and performance really sucks inside the house on the wifi. Internet performance from the RBR50 is very constant to 150+ up/down... even on 5ghz band inside house... I am lucky to get 30mb up/down.. old router, I was doing 150mb on 5ghz.. just had too many dead spots, thus why I switched to the Mesh network.
I have 3 PC's hardwired to the RBR50.. and they ALL consistently get 150mb+.... so, its still the wifi. and I am validating 5ghz vs 2.4ghz.
What tool/app would you recommend to measure the wifi signal and what AP/Router I am connected to. I have been looking for one, but haven't been successful. I can put it on PC's or Android Tablets (we are a mixed family :).
Thanks again for all the guidance. The case is still open with Netgear support, I asked for an update today. They replied that no one is currently working on it, as it needs to be escalated to highest level of support (R&D).
tkshaffer - sorry to hear about the troubles you are having. I understand how disheartened you are.
I an cutting the cord inhouse and really need a solid wifi network. (internet if far sufficient).
I have also put some Alexa's around the house and have started some automation stuff... light switches, power plugs, my security system - auto-locking doors, cameras that can be displayed on Alexa shows.. etc... but the wifi performance is so unpredictable.
I had the Quantum FiOS gateway from Verizon/Frontier as my router before Orbi.. I still have it... I have been considering putting it back in just as the internet router, turning wifi off and putting the RBR50 in bridge mode... but that wont fix my wifi.. and I don't really have an issue with the internet performance. I orginally considered getting a big NighHawk router with an AP or 2, but I really didn't want to introduce complexity for my wife & kids with multiple access points and multiple network SSID's. I like the Orbi in that is totally transparant.. WHEN it works the way its advertized to!
Heres to hoping it get fixed soon, because I think I just went past my 30 day no-question asked return option for the Orbi's..... so I am stuck with them
Sounds like some progress. I have Acrylic WiFi on the PC and inSSIDER on the PC and Mac. On the Android, there are several choices. "WiFiAnalyzer" from VREM Software Development is recommended by many and seems to work OK.
Most of these apps will indicate in some way which AP your device is connected to.
- It speaks to how solid the orbi was that I never even considered the need to keep my old nighthawk. I am currently experiencing expected behavior and devices utilizing appropriate satellites after the latest reboot so we will see. I want to hang on for at least another firmware release before repurchasing another router and just using this as an access point. Like you I apprecited the straightforward nature of the orbi and I know it CAN be great as I have experienced it. Patiently waiting.
st_shaw wrote:Sounds like some progress. I have Acrylic WiFi on the PC and inSSIDER on the PC and Mac. On the Android, there are several choices. "WiFiAnalyzer" from VREM Software Development is recommended by many and seems to work OK.
Most of these apps will indicate in some way which AP your device is connected to.
Thanks for this information. I tried both Acrylic (which had several malware/browser hostage issues) and inSSIDER. Definitley liked the inSSIDER. I was able to walk through the entire house, testing for dead spots and watching signal strength. Very nice tool.
Based on the data, I have no dead zones in or around my house.. and the signal strength throughout the house stays between 21&38... which is very good. its great near the RBR & 2 RBS's. It still doesn't give me the information if devices are actually connected to them and using them to get back to the router.. only that the RBS's are producing a great strong signal.
THanks again. Very very helpful
Greystorm64 I'm glad you got the tool working. It will help you a lot.
It's odd, because I didn't have any of the issues you mentioned with Acrylic. It is possible to get Acrylic Pro to show you WiFI clients and which AP they are associated with, but it requires using one of a very few WiFi adapters that support this capability, and most current WiFi adapters don't support it.