Loosing internet connection with the Orbi

[dlinglis]

I am getting really frustrated with the Orbi system!

Multiple times a day we loose communication.  This is happening on the laptops (PC) as well as our iPhones.  We cannot get the internet to load but the computer or phone will show a wifi connection.  If we turn off the wifi and back on again on the device to reconnect it all works again for a while.

This was NOT a cheap system and we spent the extra money to have a strong, reliable signal.  Our old router never had this problem but we had too many dead/weak spots in the house so we upgraded to a whole house system

What is going on and how do we resolve this?

[whsbuss-1]

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@dlinglis wrote:

I am getting really frustrated with the Orbi system!

Multiple times a day we loose communication.  This is happening on the laptops (PC) as well as our iPhones.  We cannot get the internet to load but the computer or phone will show a wifi connection.  If we turn off the wifi and back on again on the device to reconnect it all works again for a while.

This was NOT a cheap system and we spent the extra money to have a strong, reliable signal.  Our old router never had this problem but we had too many dead/weak spots in the house so we upgraded to a whole house system

What is going on and how do we resolve this?

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I had somewhat the same issue running in AP mode. I ended up changing the ethernet cable and my issue went away.

[rhester72]

Ditto (precisely).  Not sure if they had a bad run of Ethernet cables or what.

Rodney

[dlinglis]

I am using the new ethernet cable that came with the Ordi.  Guess I will try a new one!  Fingers crossed that this fixes it!

[dlinglis]

Well, I tried a new ethernet cable and we are still having the same issue 

Any other suggestions?

[DarrenM]

Hello dlinglis 

You may want to try and reposition the satellite unit if it is to close to the main unit it can cause issues like drops because the devices you are using keep trying to find the best connection.

DarrenM

[anschmid]

If the Wifi is still connected by the issue is you can't get to the Internet it could be a DNS issue meaning the website lookup is not working

What is your configuration under Basic -> Internet -> Domain Name Server (DNS)? 

Did you chose get from ISP or did you put in your own DNS servers?

Also if you just put in your Orbi system it's always a good idea to shutdown every single device in your home that is using the Internet for like 5 min including the router and then starting with the modem followed by the router slowly start every back up. DNS caches sometimes keep information stored.

[Vinterbird]

Hi,

I have a buinch of dropouts as well, would I need to turn off my Satelite unit in a 915 square feet house? I have the Router unit in the living room where the modem is, and the Satelite in the basement below.

[anschmid]

If you got any problem in your network the first step I'd do is to reset the whole network. The way to do this is to power everything that is using your network either wireless or wired down and leave it for like 5 min. Then you start with powering up your modem, router, AP points and then the rest of the equipment in your house. This will ensure that any residual routes, configs or settings a device might remeber are cleared and they get all new settings. If you got iPad/iPhone put them in Airplane mode should do the job and then bring them back online to grabe new Wifi settings.

[Vinterbird]

@anschmid wrote:

If you got any problem in your network the first step I'd do is to reset the whole network. The way to do this is to power everything that is using your network either wireless or wired down and leave it for like 5 min. Then you start with powering up your modem, router, AP points and then the rest of the equipment in your house. This will ensure that any residual routes, configs or settings a device might remeber are cleared and they get all new settings. If you got iPad/iPhone put them in Airplane mode should do the job and then bring them back online to grabe new Wifi settings.

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Will give that a go as well.

But is that small a house overkill for the Orbi? I'm getting constant dropouts on all Android devices in the house (two phones, three tablets), and if the devices are constantly bouncing between the two Orbi units I guess that would cause them to drop the connection all of the time?

Anything that is wired has been rock solid so far.

[st_shaw]

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@Vinterbird wrote:

But is that small a house overkill for the Orbi? I'm getting constant dropouts on all Android devices in the house (two phones, three tablets), and if the devices are constantly bouncing between the two Orbi units I guess that would cause them to drop the connection all of the time?

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Probably overkill.  However, you can adjust the power levels in the Orbi GUI and that should help. It's under advanced wireless settings.

The 2.4 GHz travels farther, so you might need to set power level lower for 2.4 GHz than for 5 GHz.

You could also turn OFF the 2.4 GHz if your devices are all 5 GHz.

[stavrosg]

I shut off the 2.4ghz for my connectivity issues (fingers crossed) . Everything looks snapier from my browsing point of reference. I am montiroing the phones and smart TVs now

[trippw]

After 3 months of struggling with daily power resets, exchanging my router twice for 2 new Orbi Routers, and testing multiple beta firmwares I think I have finally solved the internet dropping problems (with no help from the level 2 netgear "experts").

I was about to give up on the router when I noticed looking through the log reports that the time/date was wrong on my router. It seems silly, but after correcting the date/time on the router (which I never set in the first place) my internet has been rock solid! I have gone 3 days without having to power cycle my router (a big improvement over power cycling multiple times per day.  It is too soon to say it is a fix but it is worth a try if you are still having problems with yours.

Here is how to fix:

1) go to orbilogin.net

2) punch in your username (typically "admin") and the password (it will be "password" if you have not changed it)

3) Click the Advanced Tab

4) Click Administration

5) Click Logs (Check at the top to make sure the current time that is listed is correct.. for me it was incorrect initially and needed to be fixed)

If you need to change the time go to:

1) Click on "security" under the advanced tab

2) go to "schedule"

3) at the bottom use the drop down menu to select the correct time zone (note you may have to check the box that says adjust for daylight savings time) 

4) verify the correct time is listed then click the apply button

I hope this will help with the problem.  Like I said to early to say it is a fix but it has worked for me thus far.  I wish the netgear technical support could have been more helpful.  I have tried every solution under the sun the last 3 months but this seems like a relatively simple thing that has fixed the problem for me (thus far). 

[Popsie]

Hi

I am having an issue with opening browsers when connected to my Orbi. This problem only happens on one PC running Windows 10. The PC shows as connected to the Orbi and the Internet as it is sending and receving packages of data but I cannot open any browser. The error message states that there is a DNS problem. I can connect to the internet on mobile devices and my smart TVs

If I change my connection back to the ISP connection I can immediately connect and the browsers will load

Please help!

[ajshurts]

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@Popsie wrote:

Hi

I am having an issue with opening browsers when connected to my Orbi. This problem only happens on one PC running Windows 10. The PC shows as connected to the Orbi and the Internet as it is sending and receving packages of data but I cannot open any browser. The error message states that there is a DNS problem. I can connect to the internet on mobile devices and my smart TVs

If I change my connection back to the ISP connection I can immediately connect and the browsers will load

Please help!

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What firmware version are you on?  I was plagued by this issue in an earlier firmware.

[Popsie]

Hi Thank you for replying I appreciate it

The version I think is V2.1.1.16. I ran it and did an update when i purchased

[Popsie]

hi I checked the Version of Firmware on my Orbi and it is actually V2,1.2.18

[linkwrt]

You can check ethernet cable with a tester, or you can use diagnostics from lan adapter.

[JayKC]

I am having the same issue as well. It just started today on my Windows 10 Laptop and only seems to occur in a certain area of my home when connected to a laptop dock. Did you ever find a fix for this? I just installed my Orbi system a few days ago, the firmware is up-to-date. 

[FURRYe38]

What model Orbi are you using?

Whats the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem?

Set up a IP address reservation ON the Orbi router for the Windows PC.

How far away is the PC from the Router or Satellite?

What is the distance between the Satellite and router?

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@JayKCwrote:

I am having the same issue as well. It just started today on my Windows 10 Laptop and only seems to occur in a certain area of my home when connected to a laptop dock. Did you ever find a fix for this? I just installed my Orbi system a few days ago, the firmware is up-to-date. 

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[JayKC]

Thanks for the quick response. Here are my details. I've also confirmed this is just an issue when my PC connects to my HP Laptop Docking station. If I remove the laptop from the dock, Orbi network will work. If I am connected to the dock, the Orbi network won't work, but my ISP Wifi will. I'm not sure what happened, as my laptop work working on Orbi wifi for a few days prior to this.

What model Orbi are you using? RBR20 and RBS20 (satellite) 

Whats the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem? Google Fiber - GFRG210

Set up a IP address reservation ON the Orbi router for the Windows PC. Not sure what I should do here, what IP address to do I assign? Just the one it's currently connected to?

How far away is the PC from the Router or Satellite? Less than 10 feet away from router 

What is the distance between the Satellite and router? Separated by a floor, maybe around 12 feet+

[FURRYe38]

Sounds like this docking station needs to be looked at.

Set up an ip address reservation under Advanced/Setup/LAN Setup/ADD

You can set any IP address or use one that the router has an IP address for.

Give a name for this device.