Orbi keeps rebooting several times a day even with new firmware V2.1.4.16

[cityguru]

I have recently installed a RBK50 system (RBR50 + RBS50) as well as added a RBS50Y, before inputting any settings the first thing I did was let it upgrade to the lastest firmware version V2.1.4.16, the sattelites as well upgraded to V2.1.4.16.  The Orbi is restarting itself or several times a day, usually about 3 to 4.

At first I thought It was just WIFI and there was some sort of Channel issue. So I did a scanner and manually changed the channel from Auto to 11 which nobody was using. However it was still happening.  I started to realize its not just Wifi when I noticed my Ethernet devices which were physically attached to the Orbi started losing their connections as well at the same time of the Wifi loss.  So now I knew it was not just Wifi.

I then checked the logs of the Orbi by going to Administration and then Logs and sure enough the first thing I see is time stamped right around the outage occured was 
"[Initialized, firmware version: V2.1.4.16]" so clearly the system rebooted.

I further went to confirm the above by going to Advanced -> Advanced Home and then clicked the Show Statistics button which confirmed to me that the system has now only been up for a minute. So based on all of the above I can say confidiently that this Orbi is simply rebooting or re-initialzing itself randomly.

So then I checked on forums and I see this is somewhat of a common thing which was SUPPOSED to be fixed from last firmware however clearly its not as I see others are experiencing the same thing.  Here are some other things I have done

1. Went into Schedule to change Time Zone to my time zone
2. Manually specified non-conflicting channel
3. Checked Orbi to see positioning are not too far (all I can see they come up green on the App in the network chart - however if it was due to distance, thats a bug, having a sattelite too far away should not be rebooting your network, but anyway thats not the case here)

4. Disabled Daisy Chain

5. Beamforming Mimo and Fast Roaming Disabled (Btw this is disabled by default so I just left it that way).

6. I even went ahead and Manually downloaded V2.1.4.16 firmware and did a manual update to see if that would help but it did not.

Look in the end, not having something checked, or having something enabled shouldnt be an acceptable reason for your network to reboot.  Its crazy how many bugs and firmware issues I have seen posted on here and many for the same thing. I think that however this was coded is missing a ton of exception cases, where when the code doesnt know what to do the system just crashes.  I know in programing you always need to have these "Else" statements and failovers otherwise the system or app crashes and I think thats whats happening here.

So it just seems to me that Netgear either cant control the stability of this product or doesnt care. Does anyone have a solution, my thinking was an older Stable version or more stable version that I can revert back to.  So any recommendations on an older version? And any instructions on how to disable the Auto Update? 

I want this to work, and I really have no interest returning this.  Does anyone if any of the Business models are perhaps running a different and more stable firmware?

[FURRYe38]

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

Any ethernet switches in the mix? If so, Mfr and model#?

How was the FW updated? Auto or manually? Manually is preferred.

Has a full factory reset been performed on the Router and satellites? If not, I would do this, then set up from scratch.

I test one up for my freind a few months back, you can review and set up yours like I did if you like:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-firmware-update-v2-1-4-16-availability/m-p/1592753/highli...

[cityguru]

The Orbi gets its internet connection from an ActionTec MI424WR from Verizon FIOS

I have one switch which is a TP-Link TL-SF1008P. The switch is an unmanaged switch

The firmware was updated both ways. As I mentioned in my post It had automatically upgraded after first setup out of the box.  When I was experiencing these issues, I then additionally tried to MANUAL update the firmware as well.  In short I have done both methods.

By the way, what does the modem or switch have anything to do with the Orbi setup?  As long as their is no feedback loop why would it matter.  I feel its clear here that the software is clearing rebooting. I cant think of any reason for the Orbi to restart its software other than a bug.

The only thing I have not done is a Factory reset after the upgrade, but I figured one of two things

1. If its so necessary than either fix it so you shouldnt have to or force it on users with a warning pop up

2. Its not like it had any settings or custom configurations in it to wipe out or that couldnt be preserved from one firmware to the next, this was an out of the box install, why would a factory reset even be needed if your doing an out of the box?

[FURRYe38]

I you have this ISP device:

https://www.actiontec.com/products/wifi-routers-gateways/fiber/bhr-rev-i/

Then it's possible.

Modem Combo Units:
Couple of options to try,
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 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, LAN to LAN and configure AP mode on the Orbi router.

[cityguru]

I get what your saying, but these are steps if I was losing internet or losing an internet connection.  A router can lose internet and still function.  I should be able to plug in the Orbi into a Watermelon and it should remain up and running.  Internet wont work of course but there is no reason the software in the Orbi would reboot.

Look the key thing here is that I am not looking to solve internet related issues.  I am looking to solve the Orbi from rebooting its software. Something that it should not be doing regardless of what the modem is.

So you know the Wifi radios on the Actiontec were disabled.  However the point Im making is that this is not the Orbi losing internet connectivity, this is the fact that the Orbi is actually rebooting its software and I know this from the logs and system uptime.

Unfortunately what your suggesting is really only related to resolving internet connectivity issues where this is a much larger problem.

DHCP failure, Incorrect MTU, IP address conflicts and much more will definitely cause internet related issues, and could cause your WAN port to try and refresh, however your LAN and the device itself should never be effected even in the above worst case scenerios.  However you can fix everything that comes before or after the ORBI it wont make a difference if several times a day the Orbi is simply rebooting or reinitializing its firmware.

[FURRYe38]

Lets try a full factory reset on the router and set up from scratch.

Also try this as well:

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

Any other wifi broadcasts near by?

[cityguru]

I can try the Factory reset later, however as I wrote in the first posting

MIMO, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming have all been disabled.

I also mentioned that I already changed my Wifi to another channel so there isnt any conflict with neighbors.

However same idea here with Wifi or channel conflicts.  Lets say you have a Wifi conflict or same channel, it should at worst disrupt your Wifi, right? But it should not effect your Ethernet connected devices. You see what I mean.  But the entire Orbi restarts its software. So same thing I was saying before, Wifi settings should have no effect on physical ethernet connected devices. 

[FURRYe38]

Won't know till after the full reset.

For wifi, if there is some interferences, if the router is set to Auto channel, then only wifi should be disrupted if the router encounters interfereneces on Auto and will stop and should find a different channel to use. The entire router should not reboot.

IF the router if fully rebooting, then there is a different problem. Lets start with a factory reset and a clean setup from scratch...

[cityguru]

Still rebooting. I did a hard reset with the paper clip in both the router and satellite . Then since then the only thing i changed was the SSID and password .

Sure enough an hour later the router rebooted again. So I went ahead and disabled the daisy chain setting (mimo was already disabled by default ) and still today it keeps rebooting randomly.

Now keep in mind when I say the router is rebooting its not a power issue where it does a full reboot from nothing. It looks like the firmware itself is rebooting which obviously reboots Ethernet and Wifi. I know the software is rebooting because I see in the logs Firmware Initilialized also under connection statistics I see the uptime clock is back down to just a few minutes so it obviously rebooted.

Anyway this is absurd , this is not a Wifi conflict issue as its effecting physically connected devices as well. This is clearly a firmware issue or some sort of memory leak issue.

Honestly if this cant be fixed im going to switch to Google Wifi , this is really becoming a joke

[FURRYe38]

I would probably return the unit or ask NG support for an RMA...

[cityguru]

I think your right at this point i think this hardware is just defective. Im just wondering if it was a bad early batch. Anyone here have the RBR50 with latest firmware V2.1.4.16 and not experiencing the same thing ?

[RocketSquirrel]

---

@cityguru wrote:
I think your right at this point i think this hardware is just defective. Im just wondering if it was a bad early batch. Anyone here have the RBR50 with latest firmware V2.1.4.16 and not experiencing the same thing ?

---

Yes. My Orbis never reboot using that same firmware. I think you got a lemon. Either that or you are having power glitches so brief that only the super-sensitive Orbis are feeling them.

[cityguru]

Yeah it wouldnt be power glitches as I have other devices on the same power strip and they never lose power. I even changed the electric jack it was connected to , just to be safe

[FURRYe38]

Return this system and get another to try...

[cityguru]

Were there any hardware revisions by any chance. I would like them to send me something from a newer production line. Perhaps what I have is from an earlier batch, wondering if there is any way to tell.

[FURRYe38]

Not that we know of, there seems to have been production years from what others have mentioned.

[whygodwhy]

I'm having the exact same problem (see logs below). Has there been any progress or resolution on this? It's driving me insane.

[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:34:20
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:33:59
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:33:57
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:33:56
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.6] to MAC address e4:b2:fb:26:6a:1e, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:28:53
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:27:14
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:27:05
[Time synchronized with NTP server] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:26:30
[Initialized, firmware version: V2.2.1.210] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:26:10

*12:25pm - Disconnection*

[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:11:02
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:10:09
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:10:00
[Time synchronized with NTP server] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:09:27
[Initialized, firmware version: V2.2.1.210] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:09:07

*Dropped connection*

[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:47:57
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.8] to MAC address e4:b2:fb:23:2b:d0, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:40:18
[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:40:18
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:40:02
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.6] to MAC address e4:b2:fb:26:6a:1e, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:39:40
[Time synchronized with NTP server] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:39:36
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:39:29
[Initialized, firmware version: V2.2.1.210] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:38:35

[FURRYe38]

What FW is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too? By the looks of the log, you may have a modem with a router built in.
Is the Orbi system operating in Router or AP mode?

---

@whygodwhy wrote:

I'm having the exact same problem (see logs below). Has there been any progress or resolution on this? It's driving me insane.

[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:34:20
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:33:59
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:33:57
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:33:56
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.6] to MAC address e4:b2:fb:26:6a:1e, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:28:53
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:27:14
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:27:05
[Time synchronized with NTP server] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:26:30
[Initialized, firmware version: V2.2.1.210] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:26:10

*12:25pm - Disconnection*

[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:11:02
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:10:09
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:10:00
[Time synchronized with NTP server] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:09:27
[Initialized, firmware version: V2.2.1.210] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 12:09:07

*Dropped connection*

[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:47:57
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.8] to MAC address e4:b2:fb:23:2b:d0, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:40:18
[admin login] from source 10.0.0.5, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:40:18
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.5] to MAC address f8:28:19:b5:5f:bf, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:40:02
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.6] to MAC address e4:b2:fb:26:6a:1e, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:39:40
[Time synchronized with NTP server] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:39:36
[DHCP IP: 10.0.0.4] to MAC address b0:b9:8a:51:34:8b, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:39:29
[Initialized, firmware version: V2.2.1.210] Tuesday, November 27, 2018 11:38:35

---

[whygodwhy]

Correct, I am connected to a Verizon Quantum router. I've had the same issue whether it's in router or AP.

It's a moot point, anyway. I just got a refund from Amazon and I'm switching to Google WiFi. This really shouldn't be so difficult. I appreciate your reply, though 😃

[FURRYe38]

Next time try this. Even with your next system:

Modem Combo Units:
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 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.

Good Luck. 

---

@whygodwhy wrote:

Correct, I am connected to a Verizon Quantum router. I've had the same issue whether it's in router or AP.

It's a moot point, anyway. I just got a refund from Amazon and I'm switching to Google WiFi. This really shouldn't be so difficult. I appreciate your reply, though 😃

---