Devices don't switch between router and satellite

[vtrusty]

does anyone else fail to have their devices swap between router and satellite?

i swear this used to occur seamlessly out of the box, but after a couple updates i can literally start right next to my router, go all the way to my basement satellite and the device still won't transfer over. Instead, my single and speed are super weak while still being connected to the router upstairs. after 15 minutes of waiting i eventually have to power off and on the WiFi for it to pick up on the closest device.

moving 2.4ghz power down to 50% hasn't seemed to do anything.

-vtrusty

[mccx]

I'm having the same issue.  Bought the devices new a couple weeks ago, starting with v1.9, then updated to v1.10, same result.   I also tried the v1.11 beta firmware but the main router is rebooting every 10-15 mins, so I had to revert back to v1.10 to make it stable, but the not switch issue still exists.  As a matter of fact, some devices won't even connect to the satellite even if it's right next to it, they will just connect to the router no matter what.

This is some what frustrating.

[mccx]

Also, how do we tell if the device is connect via 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz?   From some older screenshots, I see they show under attached devices, but with the latest firmware, it just show wireless.

[DukeSilver]

- Go to the debug page and enable telnet
- Telnet into the router
- Execute the following:

     nvram set enable_adv_attached=1
     nvram commit
- Exit telnet

- Go to debug page and disable telnet

[mccx]

Thank you!  It worked.

[mccx]

I also want to provide some feedback.  I have been playing around with different version of the firmware and now I'm running:

Router: v1.10.2

Satellite: v1.11.2 beta

And I have been having very good results.   The router no longer restarts every 10-15 mins.   The satellite is also working fine, picking up close devices and devices are able to switch between router and satellite.   Also, most of my devices are now connecting via 5Ghz.

[vtrusty]

what does that command do, basically bring back additional device info that was stripped in the newer firmwares?

[st_shaw]

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@DukeSilver wrote:

- Go to the debug page and enable telnet
- Telnet into the router
- Execute the following:

     nvram set enable_adv_attached=1
     nvram commit
- Exit telnet

- Go to debug page and disable telnet

---

This no longer works on newer firmware.  For me anyway.  I'm on V1.10.1.2.

[vtrusty]

i guess we just chalk this up as a feature that's currently not working? do we have any Netgear admins that monitor the forum? I would love to have one of them chime in for some insight.

[DukeSilver]

I executed those steps a few months ago. The configuration changes have persisted across firmware updates.  I am on latest firmware and still see the radio connection for each client. 

[st_shaw]

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@DukeSilver wrote:

I executed those steps a few months ago. The configuration changes have persisted across firmware updates.  I am on latest firmware and still see the radio connection for each client. 

---

Just to clarify my comment a bit...  This configuration change used to show whether a device was connected to the router or satellite. This no longer works.

The change does, however, show whether the client connection is 2.4 G or 5 G.

[vtrusty]

yea I think that piece came up as a secondary issue, the original thread was about devices not swapping between the satellite and router, which I think is still not properly working

[ukwildcat4life7]

Although the beta firmware has improved many features I am now experiencing problems where my devices are not swtiching between router and satellite... I only have one satellite in my setup; this used to work just fine until this update..l have noticed it happening with IOS devices as well as Roku's and Firesticks.....anyone else seeing this problem since upgrading to the V2.0.0.72 firmware?  any advice or input appreciated...

[st_shaw]

Why should Rokus and Firesticks be switching between Orbis? Aren't these devices usually stationary (connected to a TV for example?)

If your are not eperiencing data loss, then there's really not a problem.

There are a couple things to try.

1. Power cycle your devices. Many devices will not switch to the closest Orbi unless they are power-cycled. When you reboot Orbi, thee devices will connect to the first Orbi they see, not the closest one, and stay there.

2. You could toggle the new Fast Roaming setting and see if that helps.

3. You could reduce the power of the 2.4 GHz radio to reduce the region where the signal from the two Orbi units overlap each other. Ideally, you want only a small area of overlap, but this could be difficult to achieve depending on where the units are placed.

4. You could similarly reduce the power of the 5 GHz radio to reduce the region where the two Orbis overlap.