Re: Intermittent Failure on Orbi RBS20 and 2 RBS20 Satellites

kpimichael · ‎2020-12-10

I am 70 years old and have worked with computers my whole life, but I bought an ORBI 20 and two RBS20 Satellites for my 5000 Sq foot home and cannot get it to work without losing connections on 2.4 or 5 on both macs and pcs. It is intermittent which makes it even more sporty. I have never worked with a mesh network and probably have set things up wrong. So i am hoping one of you young geniuses can spot the problem.

I wanted only one network, so that people could move seamlessly through house and not have to change ssid's. What i experience, on both macs and pcs that the wifi connection either drops or shows connected but not to internet. When i check router and modem connections, they are all fine...getting plenty of throughput...about 200 mbs solid...never a drop. Thats on physical Cat6 connection to the Orbi Router So it is related to the Wifi in some way. It has been frustrating and i have no one to talk to about this...so i am hoping someone out there will have mercy on me 🙂

I will try to give all the information that i think someone would require.

ORBI RBR20 Router running V.2.5.1.16 with a dedicated ip address at top of the range 254

(2) ORBI Satellites Running V2.5.1.16 they are picking up addresses 11 and 07 from DNS because i could not find a way to set them to static 😞

Network Map looks like this RBR20 to Satellite to Satellite all connections show Green using the Iphone app.

Router is on bottom floor (mac address:C9) and has wood and drywall distance of 25 to 30 ft to Satellite 1 (mac address:93) which is also on bottom floor. Satellite 2 (mac address;:15) is on top floor with only wood flooring and distance of 25 feet between it and Satellite 1.

I have taken Insidder and Netspot pics of what the network TELSTAR5 looks like at a high level...since i am not used to seeing 6 transmitters going at the same time...i am not sure how to make sense of what i see...except that i have minimal interference from other networks...i assume that i must be causing the problem to myself.

Thanks in advance for the help

CrimpOn · ‎2020-12-10

Hah, you kids think 70 is old.

The Orbi "app" has limited capability, whereas the Orbi web interface has tons of options.

Open a web browser to http://orbilogin.net

The credentials are "admin" and the administrative password.

On the Advanced Tab-> LAN Setup, IP addresses can be assigned to any device (including satellites) by entering their MAC address into the table.

Your observation is correct. Each Orbi unit broadcasts WiFi on both 2.4G and 5G channels (3 units = 3 WiFi access points @ 2.4G and 3 @ 5G)

The "unknown" access points are the "backhaul" links between the router and satellites.

I have used Netspot to make a "heatmap" of the WiFi in my house (which is why I purchased Orbi in the first place, because some parts had miserable signal strength).

One step that might be interesting is to log into the Orbi router "debug" page and turn on telnet:

http://orbilogin.net/debug.htm

Then, telnet into the Orbi router (by IP address, with the same admin credentials) and type this command:

satelliteinfo wifi

This should describe how the satellites are comunicating with the router.

kpimichael · ‎2020-12-11

Well, i turned 71 while working on this. 🙂

I set the satellites to fixed ip addresses based on mac address... So thanks for reminder of how to do that. I went into router via telnet using the satelliteinfo wifi command. Here is the result: root@RBR20:/# satelliteinfo wifi
[
{
"mac address" : "38:94:ED:AC:1F:93",
"hop" : "1",
"bridge mac" : "38:94:ED:AC:1F:93",
"backhaul conntype" : "5GHz",
"backhaul rssi" : "-60",
"backhaul macaddress" : "3E:94:ED:AC:1F:95",
"backhaul phytxrate" : "702",
"backhaul phyrxrate" : "650",
"backhaul parentmac" : "38:94:ED:B3:79:C9"
},
{
"mac address" : "38:94:ED:AC:11:15",
"hop" : "2",
"bridge mac" : "38:94:ED:AC:11:15",
"backhaul conntype" : "5GHz",
"backhaul rssi" : "-60",
"backhaul macaddress" : "3E:94:ED:AC:11:17",
"backhaul phytxrate" : "866",
"backhaul phyrxrate" : "866",
"backhaul parentmac" : "38:94:ED:AC:1F:93"
}
]

Still, it evades me as to how this relates to the problem of why 2.4 and 5 wifi...just drops at random times on both Macs and PCs...even though the wifi radio signal is strong...and internet connection at the router is always good.. Are the channels fighting each other or two strong?

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-12-11

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

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 channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

Try disabling the following and see:
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

One User Experience/Configuration:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Most-Stable-Orbi-Configuration/m-p/1941087/highlight/true#M970...

Has a power off for 1 minute then back on been performed since last update?

kpimichael · ‎2020-12-11

Thanks for reply.

Answers to questions you asked.

What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
The problem is not with the modem. It is rock solid and has no internet problems. I run a monitor on it so i know. The Orbi router always keeps an internet connection..i run a bridge off it to cat6 devices and..it does not drop...except maybe during a software upgrade. The problem is solely with wifi radio it seems.

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? about 4000 sq feet plus porches and patios so about 5000. This was in my orginal post
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)?

See my answer in the orginal post... but about 30 ft. between each device

What channels are you using? 6 & 48 You can see from the netspot pic that i do not have any interference from other homes.

Any Wifi Neighbors near by? 1 or 2 but i live 4 acres from the nearest one...and netspot pic shows minimal interference.

Try disabling the following and see:
IPv6 is disabled. I need diasy chain as i understand it because i do not have wired backhaul

Cannot set Coexistence to 40Mhz only because i have a mix of old and new devices. Have rebooted router and satellites more times than i can remember

I set to short preamble and tried. Did not seem to make a difference.

Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes.

Has a power off for 1 minute then back on been performed since last update? Yes

My Setup (Cable 900Mbps/50Mbps)>CM1200(LAG Enabled)>RBK853 v3.2.16.22(Router Mode)

Additional NG HW: C7800/CM1100/CAX80/CM2000, Orbi CBK40, RBK853, R7800, R7960P, EX7500/EX7700, XR450 and WNHDE111

CrimpOn · ‎2020-12-11

@kpimichael wrote:
Well, i turned 71 while working on this. 🙂
I set the satellites to fixed ip addresses based on mac address... So thanks for reminder of how to do that. I went into router via telnet using the satelliteinfo wifi command. Here is the result: root@RBR20:/# satelliteinfo wifi
...
Still, it evades me as to how this relates to the problem of why 2.4 and 5 wifi...just drops at random times on both Macs and PCs...even though the wifi radio signal is strong...and internet connection at the router is always good.. Are the channels fighting each other or two strong?

This information verifies that the two satellites have "Good" connections, to each other and to the Orbi router.

I agree that this provides no clue as to what would cause both 2.4G and 5G WiFi to "drop".

Does WiFi drop "across the board" (router and both satellites), or only on one of the units?