Re: Orbi drops wifi for iPad Pro, iPhone 7 and Macbook Pro intermittently

st_shaw · ‎2017-06-13

@BobertSaget wrote:
Hi John, I also have a limited background in this but I know there are others on these boards who are experts.

All I know is that a Wi-Fi signal is not supposed to drop like that. It is clearly unstable and there appears to no logical frequency, trigger, or length to the drops. Myself and many others have frequent disconnect issues especially coming from the satellite which gets it's data completely through this backhaul.

There has not been a single posting that shows a stable backhaul and Netgear is being completely silent about it.

If the backhaul is supposed to drop like that, or if it has nothing to do with the disconnect issues, I wish Netgear would just let us know so we can move on and try to find the true root cause.

I too would like for Netgear to let us know.

I believe most WiFi scanner apps send a broadcast "probe request" then use the response packet(s) back from nearby AP(s) to determine the RSSI. So, I believe the only thing the spotty graphs prove is that the Orbi is not responding to every "probe request" from WiFi sanning devices. This could be because the backhaul radio is bad. Or, it could be by design, because the backhaul is not designed for client connections.

Unless Netgear explains how it's supposed to work, we don't know.

ikjadoon · ‎2017-06-13

Thank you hugely DrCal. The screenshots are perfect. Thank you for taking the time to figure out, test, and upload the screenshots. You deserve a dozen kudos.

What's hard to understand is that your backhaul ['s return packet] looks the same or even worse than mine did and I was having frequent disconnections on all devices closer to the Satellite. On top of that, more than a few times (before it totally conked out), I'd have 0 satellites connected. Seemingly, those sound like backhaul/Satellite issues (whereas my router clients were fine).

But you aren't having disconnection issues (which is the important data point).

Thank you for the information, st_shaw. With that theory...I want to believe. If there are no disconnections, then we're all good. We're home free. Maybe the backhaul doesn't like responding to probe requests, so it denies the return packet every few seconds--however, the connection itself is stable with the new FW?

Olots · ‎2017-06-14

I just ordered an Orbi system from Amazon and it is setting at my front door. Reading the posts I am worndering if I should unbox the units or just return them. I have several MAC Book Pros and other Apple devices in the house working now. Thoughts??

Robofski · ‎2017-06-14

If I'd seen this before buying mine I wouldn't have bothered!

Spend most of my time at home on an iPad (as do wife and kids) and the frequent drops even if they only last 10 seconds or less are mighty annoying!

The lack of input from Netgear is disappointing.

st_shaw · ‎2017-06-14

Two MacBook Pros, iPad, iPhones, Android, Sonos, Rasperry Pi's, etc. here. Zero problems with Orbi.

MachineLearner · ‎2017-06-14

Full range of Apple devices here, and no problems with Orbi. Better performance than previous Airport Extreme routers. We keep Apple devices on current versions of OS, which I highly recommend. Some Nest products and other IoT devices seem to have issues, especially older versions of these products.

MachineLearner · ‎2017-06-14

Olots,

Check the forums for other competing products and see what you think. They all seem to have some issues. Some seem to have more issues than others with specific devices.

MAC24X7 · ‎2017-06-15

Sames issues as reported on this thread. Maximum time before failure, 12 hours: Minimum time before failure, less than 10 minutes. About an hour with TS. Sent replacement from NETGEAR. Firmware version: V1.10.1.2

Got a replacement from NETGEAR. Operating in the Access Point Mode behind a COMWORST router. My network schema is not the home standard of 192.168.1.x. During the advanced setup to change to AP mode, the default choice is automatic with a warning that static is not recommended. The first time around of setup on the replacement, I selected automatic. It failed within minutes, rather than hours. I reset the router to factory and started again. This time I chose static in the AP mode, setting it as a static node on the network, as I have done with other routers that I hacked into the AP mode. I have taken the satellite out of the equation. My theory is that the router in the auto AP mode loses its lease from the Master COMWORST router and kills the connection. If my theory is correct, I'll set up the satellites and see how long that lasts. Will report back.

MAC24X7 · ‎2017-06-15

So much for that theory. I changed my SSID back to Orbi10. Same result. Obviously, this product is not ready for prime time. It's outta here!

MachineLearner · ‎2017-06-15

MAC,

Having two routers makes things more complicated, for no added value. If you are going to pay for the Comcast router (monthly), can't you just get simple wireless access points (like Ubiquiti WAPs) to extend it? Or, ditch the Comcast router and get a simple cable modem and the Orbi or other router/ mesh system.

ML

Donnnn · ‎2017-06-16

It's probably best to turn off DHCP and wifi on the comcast cable modem. Let the new router do DHCP.

Better yet, ruturn the comcast device and buy a cable modem like the Netgear CM300. I have no choice but to use Comcast for internet, but I have none of their equipment in my house.

It is simple to provision most modems on comcast without tech support. The only trick is to log into the new modem as admin before going to the comcast provisioning page.

broncoblair · ‎2017-06-18

So just bought the Orbi for work. Everyone uses macs. Same issues with dropouts. We've noticed that it's only on the 5ghz band. If you option click your wifi and click disconnect from your network then reconnect, it will do so usually in 2.4.

I ended upgrading my Macbook Pro to Sierra. The issue stopped. But that's ridiculous. We have different people coming in all the time with different operating systems, no one should have to upgrade their OS to use wifi ? Absolutely obsurd. They were not helpful in fact i am pretty sure the people on the phone were googling this very forum to give me advice. I have to make a quick choice in selecting another router before Monday so that we can resume business. Our Apple Airport Extreme bit the dust. I'd buy another but its range just isnt as good as we need it. Now I am scared to buy another router that is going to have these sorts of issues.

Netgear has really screwed up. I bought one of these for home as well before I knew the issues and my girlfriends laptop, kept dropping. She can't upgrade her OS because of the age of her mac. Therefore she can't use the wifi at their current firmware. This is outrageous ! I simply cannot believe they haven't offered back firmwares so that people can use these routers until something is fixed.

MachineLearner · ‎2017-06-18

broncoblair,

We have a house full of Apple products too, and like you have been shielded from these issues by using Airport Extreme routers till now. If you google OS X Yosemite wifi issues you'll find some interesting reading. It seems there have been fairly common issues with earlier versions of Apple OS X with many non-Apple routers. We have had zero issues with Apple products that are on current versions of their OS (OS X Sierra or current version of iOS) with our Orbi system. I understand that may not be realistic in all cases.

I would recommend you check the community forums for other products you consider before you buy again. They all have their issues. Eero seems to work pretty well for Mac users, based on what I've read.

js

thebishop · ‎2017-06-19

At last the time have come, enjoy everyone:

https://kb.netgear.com/000038846/RBR50-RBS50-Firmware-Version-1-11-0-20

The first link is to an incorrect older version, it should be:

http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBK50/RBR50-V1.11.0.20.zip

and

http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBK50/RBS50-V1.11.0.20.zip

Having run an earlier version of this firmware I have good reason to believe this will finally sort this issue out. Now for validation!

ikjadoon · ‎2017-06-19

Yes! I'm cautiously optimistic. Do let us know how it goes, those who are affected.

But, gotta say, that changelog is worse than "bug fixes and improvements". This literally just translates to "you are now running the latest version". What a "bug fix", hahaha.

---

And solid catch on the links--that's a definite slip-up. But, I guess they assume most people will be auto-updated.

thebishop · ‎2017-06-19

Unfortunately, see the related firmware thread, the latest update does not contain the relevant fixes... Unexpected, but the wait is back...

TooTallXL · ‎2017-06-22

So far so good with the firmware update. The disconnect/lag issues we had with iPhone 5c/6/7 and iPad Mini 4 seem to be resolved with a fairly continuous test case over the past 24 hours. Each of those devices were unable to stay reliably connected for more than 10-15 minutes with the previous firmware dispite attempts to change signal strength, channel, and other advanced settings.

MAC24X7 · ‎2017-06-22

Gave up on Orbi for awhile. Tech support via Banglore is more than I have time for. My home network is 100% Netgear gigabit switches and configured Netgear WiFi routers as access points. Been solid, but WiFi showing its age. When they get their act together, I'll try Orbi again.

dodgeitri · ‎2017-06-25

Having the same issue. Believe the problem is going to be ios unable to chose from 2.4 or 5 based on signal strength so it bounces back and forth. Had the same issue with another router and assigning different SSIDs to each cleared the issue. Adding an option to be able to assign 2.4 & 5 different SSIDs would be the fix here also. Returning my unit, may think about getting it again if that feature is added.

st_shaw · ‎2017-06-25

Try dropping the power way down on the 2.4GHz band.

dodgeitri · ‎2017-06-25

I've tried that, you're just going to run into the same issue in different locations. I tested it in my old router by setting up matching SSIDs, it has a roaming feature that would fix it but it's easier to just have separate IDs. I also like knowing what's connected to what.... I don't want my firetv to connect to 2.4 because it's slightly stronger than 5 based on its location.

DarrenM · ‎2017-07-11

Hello Everyone

We have release firmware version 1.12.0.18 this firmware has fixes for disconnects and many more I posted the release notes below.

https://kb.netgear.com/000044171/RBR50-Firmware-Version-1-12-0-18

If you are still having issues after updating your Orbi unit you may want to factory reset the Orbi and test again. If you are still having disconnect issues or other issues with this firmware please create a new thread or contact our support team.

http://www.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx

Thanks

DarrenM