ORBI RBK50/RBS50 Tips, Tricks, Hidden Secrets, etc.,

[SW_]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Something to make a new post about if you wanna troubleshoot or give feed back. Curious to know what ISP modem you are using with the RBR when in router mode. I have a C7800 in mode mode only currently connected to the RBR50. 

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Check my sig for the HW.  It's a SB8200 modem.

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

[FURRYe38]

Ah, for got to look at that. 

Well something to collect debug logs on the RBR when in router mode next time you get a chance to troubleshoot that. I represume you did a factory reset on the RBR after the FW was updated at the time? 

[SW_]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Ah, for got to look at that. 

Well something to collect debug logs on the RBR when in router mode next time you get a chance to troubleshoot that. I represume you did a factory reset on the RBR after the FW was updated at the time? 

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Yeah.  Did hard factory reset (nuclear option) before/after FW update just to have a clean factory FW update.

[FURRYe38]

Something I would send debug logs to NG when the next time you get the RBR into router mode and let it fail, collect and see if NG can find out what is happening. Sounds like a possible problem betweeen the RBR and your modem. Only other suggestion would be to try a different modem. Extreme but can point to either a RBR FW issue or modem issue. Narrow it down as best as you can. 

Only other thing I would try, is disconnect everything from the RBR, something like before you go to bed, accept for maybe 1 wired PC. See if the RBR fails again the next morning. Collect any logs if it still happens. This would help rule out any devices causing problems on the LAN side. 

Something to try next time you get a chance. 

[loaderladdy]

@SW_ 

i was excited when I saw this info URL, and doubly so when I saw that the page showed me the SSID of the backhaul Wi-fi channel, and its 64 digit password.

I've been trying for days to get my new EX7300 to connect to my RBR50.  I e worked out that the EX7300 uses the same 5GHz channels as the Orbi for its backhaul connection, and these are not available to use on the EX7300's fronthaul channels.

Anyway, knowing the Orbi's backhaul SSID and pw didn't buy me anything sadly 😞

So, I wondered if you knew how to get the Nighthawk X4S EX7300 to connect to my Orbi before I send it back to Amazon? 

Any help is massively appreciated, because the EX300 is ½ the price of a new Orbi RBS50 satellite, and I need to save cash at the minute 👍🏻

[FURRYe38]

There was a known issue with EX extenders not connecting to Orbi systems. EX8000 and 7700. One user asked NG support about his and they gave him a beta that fixed the 8000. I asked for my two 7700s and got a fix. You'll need to ask NG support to see if they can do the same for your model EX. I can't guarantee they will. So you may need to get into a 7700 or 8000 if they won't make the 3700 work. 

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@loaderladdy wrote:

@SW_ 

i was excited when I saw this info URL, and doubly so when I saw that the page showed me the SSID of the backhaul Wi-fi channel, and its 64 digit password.

I've been trying for days to get my new EX7300 to connect to my RBR50.  I e worked out that the EX7300 uses the same 5GHz channels as the Orbi for its backhaul connection, and these are not available to use on the EX7300's fronthaul channels.

Anyway, knowing the Orbi's backhaul SSID and pw didn't buy me anything sadly 😞

So, I wondered if you knew how to get the Nighthawk X4S EX7300 to connect to my Orbi before I send it back to Amazon? 

Any help is massively appreciated, because the EX300 is ½ the price of a new Orbi RBS50 satellite, and I need to save cash at the minute 👍🏻

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[SW_]

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@loaderladdy wrote:

@SW_ 

i was excited when I saw this info URL, and doubly so when I saw that the page showed me the SSID of the backhaul Wi-fi channel, and its 64 digit password.

I've been trying for days to get my new EX7300 to connect to my RBR50.  I e worked out that the EX7300 uses the same 5GHz channels as the Orbi for its backhaul connection, and these are not available to use on the EX7300's fronthaul channels.

Anyway, knowing the Orbi's backhaul SSID and pw didn't buy me anything sadly 😞

So, I wondered if you knew how to get the Nighthawk X4S EX7300 to connect to my Orbi before I send it back to Amazon? 

Any help is massively appreciated, because the EX300 is ½ the price of a new Orbi RBS50 satellite, and I need to save cash at the minute 👍🏻

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@loaderladdy,

I don't have the HW to test it out so I don't know.  With that being said, I would return it to Amazon and get a new Satellite instead to avoid the headache from current/future firmware updates.  Keep it simple and avoid mixing the two if you could help it.

[VectorSigma]

Is anyone able to modify the OpenVPN settings? It would be great to set up user specific access. 

[loaderladdy]

Am suspecting the Orbi also uses something like Access Control on the 5GHz backhaul channels. I don’t see why the Orbi would still be invisible to the Orbi’s high-channel backhaul on the 5GHz band, when I can use a WiFi scanner like Acrylic WiFi and see all the Orbi’s 5 GHz broadcasts on my Windows 10 laptop.

So, any idea if there is a way to add an allowed WiFi connector like the EX7300 to become an Access Controlled for the backhaul channels?

Else, I’ll investigate the EX7700 and EX8000 options

Thanks again

[FURRYe38]

Possibly there is a incompatibility in HW and chipset features of the EX3700 and the Orbi. Orbi limites the connection only for RBS or EX supporting backhauls like EX8000 and EX7700s. This is something you need to contact NG support and see if they can update the EX3700 FW to make it compatible if that the case. They had to do the same thing recently for the EX8000 and 7700. 

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@loaderladdy wrote:
Am suspecting the Orbi also uses something like Access Control on the 5GHz backhaul channels. I don’t see why the Orbi would still be invisible to the Orbi’s high-channel backhaul on the 5GHz band, when I can use a WiFi scanner like Acrylic WiFi and see all the Orbi’s 5 GHz broadcasts on my Windows 10 laptop.

So, any idea if there is a way to add an allowed WiFi connector like the EX7300 to become an Access Controlled for the backhaul channels?

Else, I’ll investigate the EX7700 and EX8000 options

Thanks again

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[SW_]

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@SW_ wrote:

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

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Gave Router Mode another shot given AP Mode (v2.5.0.38) has been rock solid for the past few days.  This time I disabled Circle, BitDefender, and Access Control features.  To my surprise, Orbi wired/wireless networks are still holding up for the past couple days, without the usual daily reboots or network/WiFi hickups.

All the IoT devices are working normally, which is a first for me.  Just to be safe, I've disabled auto firmware update until there's a good reason to upgrade from here onward.  Finally, I'm able to retire my Asus Router!

[VectorSigma]

Is anyone able to modify the OpenVPN settings? It would be great to set up user specific access. 

[FURRYe38]

Ah, good to hear. Glad it's working for you. Mine worked solid as well for over 5 days. I presume probably those security apps may have been a cause of what you were seeing. Aside the custom device naming issue, v38 seems stable. Sometime a reset is needed. 

Enjoy. 

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@SW_ wrote:

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@SW_ wrote:

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

---

Gave Router Mode another shot given AP Mode (v2.5.0.38) has been rock solid for the past few days.  This time I disabled Circle, BitDefender, and Access Control features.  To my surprise, Orbi wired/wireless networks are still holding up for the past couple days, without the usual daily reboots or network/WiFi hickups.

All the IoT devices are working normally, which is a first for me.  Just to be safe, I've disabled auto firmware update until there's a good reason to upgrade from here onward.  Finally, I'm able to retire my Asus Router!

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[loaderladdy]

@FURRYe38

I invested in the EX7700 as you advised, but I still cannot get the EX7700 extender to connect to my Orbi RBR50. It broadcasts fine, but will not connect to the router, and I e tried everything I know.

Is there a special trick to connecting the EX7700 to the Orbi network? If so, can you share the magic formula please?

The first thing I did was update the EX7700 firmware to the latest version.

[SW_]

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@SW_ wrote:

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

---

Gave Router Mode another shot given AP Mode (v2.5.0.38) has been rock solid for the past few days.  This time I disabled Circle, BitDefender, and Access Control features.  To my surprise, Orbi wired/wireless networks are still holding up for the past couple days, without the usual daily reboots or network/WiFi hickups.

All the IoT devices are working normally, which is a first for me.  Just to be safe, I've disabled auto firmware update until there's a good reason to upgrade from here onward.  Finally, I'm able to retire my Asus Router!

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My Orbi system has been quite stable thus far.  Router Mode has been up and running for 7+ days since the switched over.  See attached file for more details.  YMMV.

[FURRYe38]

I believe there is a special build of FW to make the EX7700s work with Orbi AC...

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@loaderladdy wrote:

@FURRYe38

I invested in the EX7700 as you advised, but I still cannot get the EX7700 extender to connect to my Orbi RBR50. It broadcasts fine, but will not connect to the router, and I e tried everything I know.

Is there a special trick to connecting the EX7700 to the Orbi network? If so, can you share the magic formula please?

The first thing I did was update the EX7700 firmware to the latest version.

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[FURRYe38]

Did you factory reset and setup from scratch or update thru the UI manually and continue to operate the system? 

Saw same good operation with mine. Of course, I manually update, factory reset and setup from scratch. 

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@SW_ wrote:

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@SW_ wrote:

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

---

Gave Router Mode another shot given AP Mode (v2.5.0.38) has been rock solid for the past few days.  This time I disabled Circle, BitDefender, and Access Control features.  To my surprise, Orbi wired/wireless networks are still holding up for the past couple days, without the usual daily reboots or network/WiFi hickups.

All the IoT devices are working normally, which is a first for me.  Just to be safe, I've disabled auto firmware update until there's a good reason to upgrade from here onward.  Finally, I'm able to retire my Asus Router!

---

My Orbi system has been quite stable thus far.  Router Mode has been up and running for 7+ days since the switched over.  See attached file for more details.  YMMV.

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[SW_]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Did you factory reset and setup from scratch or update thru the UI manually and continue to operate the system? 

Saw same good operation with mine. Of course, I manually update, factory reset and setup from scratch. 

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@SW_ wrote:

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@SW_ wrote:

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

---

Gave Router Mode another shot given AP Mode (v2.5.0.38) has been rock solid for the past few days.  This time I disabled Circle, BitDefender, and Access Control features.  To my surprise, Orbi wired/wireless networks are still holding up for the past couple days, without the usual daily reboots or network/WiFi hickups.

All the IoT devices are working normally, which is a first for me.  Just to be safe, I've disabled auto firmware update until there's a good reason to upgrade from here onward.  Finally, I'm able to retire my Asus Router!

---

My Orbi system has been quite stable thus far.  Router Mode has been up and running for 7+ days since the switched over.  See attached file for more details.  YMMV.

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Yes, I did a factory reset, nuclear option, and setup from scratch.

[FURRYe38]

Ok, was curious. Seems to prove a reset does help with some issues seen on v38. 

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@SW_ wrote:

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Did you factory reset and setup from scratch or update thru the UI manually and continue to operate the system? 

Saw same good operation with mine. Of course, I manually update, factory reset and setup from scratch. 

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@SW_ wrote:

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@SW_ wrote:

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

---

Gave Router Mode another shot given AP Mode (v2.5.0.38) has been rock solid for the past few days.  This time I disabled Circle, BitDefender, and Access Control features.  To my surprise, Orbi wired/wireless networks are still holding up for the past couple days, without the usual daily reboots or network/WiFi hickups.

All the IoT devices are working normally, which is a first for me.  Just to be safe, I've disabled auto firmware update until there's a good reason to upgrade from here onward.  Finally, I'm able to retire my Asus Router!

---

My Orbi system has been quite stable thus far.  Router Mode has been up and running for 7+ days since the switched over.  See attached file for more details.  YMMV.

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Yes, I did a factory reset, nuclear option, and setup from scratch.

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[loaderladdy]

Thanks for the answer.
I ended up working around the issue with what I’d purchased, although it’d have been easier to buy a new RBS50 satellite, and the cost around about the same. So, what did I do to resolve the issue?

I used the EX7300 in AP mode and attached it via an Ethernet able to the RBR50, which acts as the DHCP server. The AP mode uses a different SSID than the main Orbi network, but that’s OK because I only wanted it for its backhaul speed between my remote kit and the RBR50.

I then attached the EX7700 to the remote switch I use for my other computer kit and joined it to the new EX7300 AP SSID. Again, the RBR50 provides DHCP management for the remote network.

Why did I go through all this palaver?

I was using a Develo Powerline 1200 network, but, because the house was built in 1904 and the wiring is old, the best speed I could get out of the powerline network was about 25mbps. I now get full 350mbps+ because of the 866mbps backhaul between the 2 EX7x00 extenders.

As I said, easier to buy and add a new RBS50, but, the outcome, based on my feedback back to Netgear hopefully is a statement from Netgear stating that the EX range isn’t designed to be compatible with the Orbi range.

Thanks for trying to help out anyway

[FURRYe38]

Roger that. Enjoy. 

[SW_]

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@SW_ wrote:

I want to change the setup from "SB8200 -> RT-AC87U -> Orbi"  to "SB8200 -> Orbi".

---

Gave Router Mode another shot given AP Mode (v2.5.0.38) has been rock solid for the past few days.  This time I disabled Circle, BitDefender, and Access Control features.  To my surprise, Orbi wired/wireless networks are still holding up for the past couple days, without the usual daily reboots or network/WiFi hickups.

All the IoT devices are working normally, which is a first for me.  Just to be safe, I've disabled auto firmware update until there's a good reason to upgrade from here onward.  Finally, I'm able to retire my Asus Router!

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If you're interested in hidden Orbi Router Auto Firmware Update feature, it is still available in v2.5.0.38.  See attached file.

[SW_]

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@SW_ wrote:

@jay2utee wrote:

... In real-world situtations, how hard is it to achieve the maximum 1700Mb backhaul? ...

Under the best circumstance, both are in line of sight, you'll unlikely to achieve the theoretical max link rate.  At best, you'll get half of that if you are lucky.  I had tested this with my RBK53 earlier to see if Orbi backhaul could replace my existing wireless media bridge, which has a similar link rate of 1734Mbps.  It was disappointing to say the least.

For example, using the same wired connected client:

• Copy a large 10Gig file via Orbi backhaul gives me about ~40MB/s
• Copy a large 10Gig file via my existing wireless media bridge gives me ~70MB/s
• Copy a large 10Gig file via Ethernet gives me ~90MB/s

Given the fronthaul is at 866Mbps, if your guess is half, then you would be right in the ball park.  Always go with Eithernet whenever possible. Wireless is just an alternative if wiring isn't an option.

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After successfully switching my Orbi setup from AP Mode to Router Mode, I repeated the same test above with the latest FW version, v2.5.0.38.  The result has improved from ~40MB/s to ~60MB/s, which is quite close to my previous Asus wireless media bridge, ~70MB/s.  See "Data received/sec:    57.1 MB" in the attached file.  I'm happy to pay ~10MB/s penalty to simplify my network setup, i.e., retire my Asus routers and replace Asus wireless media bridge network with Orbi Backhaul.

[SW_]

To avoid impacting/degrading Orbi performance, don't monitor the "Attached Devices" page for devices refresh/status update for long period of time.  Clicking/Parking on the "Attached Devices" page will kick off new background processes, net-scan, d2d, etc., which can hog CPU resources, resulting in performance impact, i.e., Orbi speed and performance.

Check out the attached picture.

[CrimpOn]

Does the Orbi not measure well?  Those processes (d2d, net-scan) show 0 CPU.  A lot less than Bitdefender.

I did the same experiment, and found that my CPU load varies dramatically over time while the Attached Devices screen is up: from 8% to 56%, but mostly under 20%.  I do not think the Attached Devices scan runs continuously.  (There might even be a parameter for how often it runs.)

I completely agree that a CPU load over 60% seems high.  Would not seem to have room for additional devices.