Orbi RBR50 Red Oval Lights

[RinkRat55]

My ORBI RBR50 Router has been disconnecting now about once a month for several months (4?). This time I cannot get it back. It shut off in the middle of the night for reasons we cannot determine. I have powered it off and on, power cycled it, had my internet service provider send a reset signal to their modem, and talked with their tech support for 30 minutes, all to establish that our wifi is fine from the ISP. I've done these steps multiple times.

Took a few days off troubleshooting but am in the same place today. I cannot get it to light up anything but red after each restart. I have a satellite on the second floor, too, but I've given up running to that one each time I restart. I am leaving the satellite unplugged and powered off for now. I have had this network working with great success for years, and usually my only problems have been when I touch a cable going to or from it. It is cabled to my ISP's modem right now, and had a cable connected it to our Eufy security system. I have been allowing our old wifi network (through the ISP) to coexist with it, since it goes down often enough that I wanted a backup, especially with my husband working from home, and often 2 college students studying from home. Perhaps this is the problem, but it was fine for years. My son had connected an old Asus wifi router and turned it on several weeks ago, thinking it was needed (he's 12), and thus we had our house's very first wifi network available as a second backup. I just let it stay a few weeks ago (I'd previously disconnected it each time he did it), since it apparently makes him feel better and he keeps doing it. I have now powered it off and ran through the above procedures again. Still red lights.

I cannot use the Orbi app because I cannot access my router because it's not functioning properly - red. The power light is green. I've read through other community posts, but they are highly technical, and I can't seem to do anything to connect to my Orbi. I recently tried cabling my laptop to the orbi (using the cable that used to connect the Eufy, since I now have it going from my ISP's modem). I could see the network on Wifi but it said "No internet" when I tried to select it. When I tried typing the IP address directly into the browser, it said it wasn't a safe connection and people may be trying to steal information. I installed a VPN on my laptop and phone about a month ago, and it hadn't seemed to cause problems. Can anyone help me, using beginner language? I am incredibly frustrated and exhausted.

[michaelkenward]

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@RinkRat55 wrote:

My ORBI RBR50 Router has been disconnecting now about once a month for several months (4?).

You might get more help, and find earlier questions and answers specific to your device, in the appropriate section for your hardware. That's probably here:

Orbi - NETGEAR Communities

Orbi devices are different from the standard Netgear routers covered in this section.

I will ask the Netgear moderator to move your message.

In the meantime you could visit the support pages:

Support | NETGEAR

Feed in your model number and check the documentation for your hardware. Look at the label on the device for the model number.

You may have done this already. I can't tell from your message.

I mention it because Netgear stopped supplying printed manuals and CD versions some years ago and people sometimes miss the downloads.

[RinkRat55]

Thank you so much for this information! I don't know how I got to the wrong section, but I'm glad to know there's a better place for me. 

[michaelkenward]

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@RinkRat55 wrote:

Thank you so much for this information! I don't know how I got to the wrong section....

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Probably because Netgear has created a messy set up for this community.

[CrimpOn]

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@RinkRat55 wrote:

Can anyone help me, using beginner language? I am incredibly frustrated and exhausted.

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There are a number of issues at play.   Some serious, some "mildly irritating".

The issue of the Orbi web interface being unsafe is in the "mildly irritating" category.  Like every consumer router since 1990, the Orbi has an ordinary (insecure) http web interface (http://orbilogin.net)  Modern web browsers recoil in horror at connecting to an "insecure" web site.  They prefer https at all times. Even if the user types in "http:", the browser will search for an https web site with the same name and go wack-o if it cannot find one.  There is a link, usually in small type, that will allow the user to say, "go ahead, dammit. This is my own f**ing router." After the first time, the browser will remember and quit complaining.

As long as the Orbi is connected directly to the ISP device (which is obviously a combination modem/router/WiFi device) there is no harm in having the ISP WiFi system activated.  Yes, there will be some signal interference and competition for bandwidth.  It will not be "optimal".  But, optimal would require having all your neighbors turn off their WiFi systems as well.  Likewise, connecting that old Asus WiFi router does not present a serious problem.  More WiFi signals competing, but "oh, well."  If it works, that's great.

The "issue" is the router displaying a magenta (i.e. red) LED ring.  Ignore the Orbi app.  It is of no use in this situation. I suggest wiring the laptop directly to one of the Orbi LAN ports and connecting to the web interface.  If http://orgilogin.net does not work, I would try http://<ip address of Orbi>, which is usually http://192.168.1.1.

Ignore warnings about security and bring up the Orbi web interface. Click on the Advanced Tab and then look at the "Internet" box.  Does it have an IP address, subnet mask, and gateway?