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Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)

razz2525
Aspirant

Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)

I have just added a 2nd satellite to my configuration this morning and still my iPhone X keeps disconnecting from WiFi.  I realize that I'm on cellular yet again.  It drops several times an hour, and my son reports the same with his iPad.  My Samsung does not seem to be affected.  None of my devices are wired except for the Orbi router being plugged directly by ethernet into the internet port in the wall (we removed the fIOS router because it was so much worse than the Orbi).  
 
I have a 1900sq foot house, single story but it's a much older L-shaped house so the router is in a bedroom where the signal has to "round" a corner to reach the rest of the main house.  Even a technician said that the wifi signal in many corners of the house have issues, so I suspect it's a material in the walls that's interfering.  So I bought a 2nd satellite that's supposed to extend my wifi network by 2500 so it's overkill but I figured it would solve the dropped connection in those corners the tech said were bad.  For example, I'm sitting right next to the plug-in satellite with my iPhone and the wifi signal still drops.  I have the new add-on satellite on one end of the house across the hallway from the router itself and another plug-in satellite out on the main area of the house near most of the devices (gaming consoles, my Dell work laptop and Macbook, doorbell camera, wireless thermostat, etc.).  
 
CTS/RTS Threshhold set to 2341 and 2345 respectively with long preamble, daisy chain enabled (because of the 2 wireless satellites), beamforming and MIMO enabled, I'm in router mode, not in AP mode, dynamic IP and DNS settings, 13 devices are connected wirelessly (in my home) to the router and 2 satellites.  Router Firmware is V2.3.5.26.  Satellite-1 wall plug-in firmware is V2.3.5.6 and the brand new satellite-2 (RBS50 AC3000) firmware was just updated to V2.3.5.30.  I have looked at other solutions on this board for the iOS disconnection issue and I'm still having trouble finding the setting where I set coexistence to 40Mhz only.  I see 6 neighbor WiFi connections.  
 
Anything else I'm forgetting?  I should say my Macbook never has an issue with dropped connections, just the mobile devices like my iPhone and iPads (and sometimes my Samsung Galaxy 9 phone does struggle but it doesn't completely disconnect).  It's just frustrating because we use a lot of data and we find out too late that we're actually blowing through our cellular data plans when we thought we were on wifi all along.  Thank you!  
 
Model: RBR20|Orbi AC2200 Tri-band WiFi Router
Message 1 of 7
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)

What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?

What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.

 

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. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

 

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?

 

There is newer FW available for the 5 series Orbi:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/New-Firmware-v2-5-0-38/td-p/1813835/jump-to/first-unread-messa...

 

 

Message 2 of 7
Retired_Member
Not applicable

Re: Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)


@FURRYe38 wrote:


What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?

 

 


do you even read the posts......"I have a 1900sq foot house, single story but it's a much older L-shaped house so the router is in a bedroom where the signal has to "round" a corner to reach the rest of the main house."

Message 3 of 7
razz2525
Aspirant

Re: Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)

What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?

 

I honestly do not know. I'd have to call Frontier.  There is no modem in the house.  Frontier brought a router that worked horribly.  I replaced that with the Orbi router which connected to a pre-existing ethernet port that connects to a small box installed in my garage (that has no mfr or model # on it).  It's a Verizon box.  I have only internet service, no cable.  

What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.

 

The new RBS satellite is literally 6 feet from the router.  The 2nd plug-in satellite (RBW30) has has a majority of connected devices to it is probably 25-30 feet away but it's around the corner from the router's location.  

 

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?

 

Channel 1 and 48.  Wifi neighbors are 6.  

 

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

 

Ok I recently installed Armor but the wifi connections were dropping prior to that so Armor doesn't seem to have affected anything. What's recommended for keeping wifi connections secure then?  I will disable Daisy Chain.  Fast roaming is disabled.  Still don't know where this setting is for 40Mhz only which I mentioned in my original post.  I only see a checkbox to disable coexistence. There is no option for 40Mhz only in Basic or Advanced wireless setup.  If someone could tell me exactly where this is in the menu, I can try it. 

 

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?

No I have not reset anything since I updated the second satellite's firmware this morning. I simply rebooted the router and all the satellites and added daisy chaining which I will now disable.   

 

 

Message 4 of 7
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)

"The new RBS satellite is literally 6 feet from the router." This is toooo close. 30 feet is beginning distance. 

 

Unchecking the check box for 20/40Mhz coexistence sets 40Mhz only. 

 

I would factory reset the RBS first and re-add it to the RBR.

 

A factory reset of the RBR maybe needed as a last resort. 

Message 5 of 7
larryli235
Aspirant

Re: Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)

I had the same problem starting last week. My home setup is:wired like this: Rogers modem (wifi on) --> Orbi RBR20 (wifi on) -->Linksys EA6900 (as switch, wifi off).-->Desktop

The wired ethernet to desktop has no connectivity issues. My wife's android phone has no issue. All ios devices and a windows laptop that are connected to Orbi wifi has intermittent connections problem. As soon as I turned off the Linksys router, the Orbi wifi works fine. But I need it on. Now I have turned off the the wifi on my ISP modem and turned the Linksys router back on. Everything is working so far. Monitoring with fingers crossed. 

Message 6 of 7
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR20 iOS dropping wifi connection issue (only iPads and iPhones)

The modem should be bridged if possible and it's wifi turned OFF.

This would be a double NAT condition which isn't recommended. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
Couple of options,
1. Configure the modem for transparent bridge mode. Then use the Orbi router in router mode. You'll need to contact the ISP for help and information in regards to the modem being bridged correctly.
2. If you can't bridge the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, configure the modems DMZ/ExposedHost or IP Pass-Through for the IP address the Orbi router gets from the modem. Then you can use the Orbi router in Router mode.
3. Or disable all wifi radios on the modem and connect the Orbi router to the modem, configure AP mode on the Orbi router. https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LOcJ8GdDo&app=desktop


@larryli235 wrote:

I had the same problem starting last week. My home setup is:wired like this: Rogers modem (wifi on) --> Orbi RBR20 (wifi on) -->Linksys EA6900 (as switch, wifi off).-->Desktop

The wired ethernet to desktop has no connectivity issues. My wife's android phone has no issue. All ios devices and a windows laptop that are connected to Orbi wifi has intermittent connections problem. As soon as I turned off the Linksys router, the Orbi wifi works fine. But I need it on. Now I have turned off the the wifi on my ISP modem and turned the Linksys router back on. Everything is working so far. Monitoring with fingers crossed. 


 

Message 7 of 7
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