Re: Orbi recently became very slow.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-24

We have been having ~115M-120M speeds on my Orbi up until the past week or so. Now I am seeing ~20M max and a TON of timed out connections. The speed is poor on both wireless and wired connections.

I did the following testing to isolate the cause down to my Orbi using my laptop and a wired connection.

I connected my ethernet directly to the ISP cable modem and measured ~150M. Next I connected my previous router in between my computer and the cable modem and measured ~150M. Lastly I then replaced the old router with the Orbi and measured ~20M.

I logged into the Orbi's web UI and saw it was running the 2.1.4.10 firmware. I checked the support dB and see that 2.1.4.16 has been otu since early July. I used the web UI to have the device check for the upgrade and it said it was current. Since I saw no caveats in the forums about the .16 firmware I pulled it and manually updated the satelite and the Orbi. I then repeated the steps above and saw no improvement.

I checked my speedtest logs and see that as recently as Sept 4 I got 112M with the Orbi so something has changed in the past 2-3 weeks that has totally killed my Orbis performance.

I have checked the connected devices and see none that I do not recognize. I have logging enabled and do see several reports of "DoS Attack: RST Scan" from a couple IPs that start as soon as the Orbi logs begin. If that were the cause of the slowdown I would expect them to also affect my older router (unless Orbi is easily bogged down dealing with spurious inbound traffic).

Does anyone have ideas why my Orbi is having such poor wired and wireless performance or suggest things to check?

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-09-24

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

After doing a FW update, was the ISP modem and Orbi system powered OFF for 1 minute, then power on the modem and let it sync, then power on the Orbi router then satellite and try a speed test via wired PC?

Is QoS enabled on the Orbi router?

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

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

You may need to do a factory reset on the system and setup from scratch as a last resort.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-24

Quick update on the log entries. It appears to be "normal" traffic due to the World of Warcraft launcher. (See https://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/topic/20761776661#post-3 for an official response from Blizzard). So thats one less thing to consider as a possible cause.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-24

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

Arris SB6183 Surfboard

After doing a FW update, was the ISP modem and Orbi system powered OFF for 1 minute, then power on the modem and let it sync, then power on the Orbi router then satellite and try a speed test via wired PC?

The cable modem was, the Orbi was not. I only powered the Orbi off when testing with the 2.1.4.10 firmware. I will try this once I finish this reponse.

Is QoS enabled on the Orbi router?

Both "Enable WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) settings" and "Enable Upstream QoS (Optimized for Gaming)" are enabled.

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

All this testing was done on an ethernet wire, not on wireless. I intentionally avoided wireless tests to rule out Wi-Fi related sources like dead spots, materials, etc. When I do the test on my Galaxy S9 sitting 3 feet from the Router (no obstructions of any kind), I get the same poor results.

What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.

As already noted this was all done on a wire (Cat5E), not wirelessly. However to cover all the bases, on 2.4GHz Im using Auto and on 5GHz Im using channel 48 (unused). I will try the changes you suggest later if you think it relevant even though I'm using ethernet.

Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

There are 2 with Wi-Fi on. Both of them register signals of ~-85dB vs my Orbi at ~-40dB on 2.4GHz. No neighbors are on 5GHz.

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).

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try them after I redo the power cycle dance for a full minute on both the cable modem and the Orbi (all with Wi-Fi disabled entirely).

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-09-24

There any ethernet switches in the mix?

I would try a full power OFF of the Orbi system including the modem as well.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-24

After doing a FW update, was the ISP modem and Orbi system powered OFF for 1 minute, then power on the modem and let it sync, then power on the Orbi router then satellite and try a speed test via wired PC?

I powered off both the modem and the Orbi for 5 minutes while I went and got a drink. I then followed your steps and got only a marginal speed improvement. I now measure ~30M instead of ~20M when using ethernet. My ping times jumped from 5-7ms to 28ms.

I also did your other changes to MIMO, etc. I only see a checkbox for 20/40Mhz Coexistence under 2.4GHz which was already checked. I assume thats what you meant by "40Mhz only". IPV6 was already disabled. I also disabled SSID broadcasting on both 2.4 and 5GHz since I could not find the setting to totally disable Wi-Fi.

One new finding to report is that the Upload part of the tests fail now:

A socket error occurred during the Download test. A firewall could be blocking the connection or the server might be having some issues. Please try again later.

I retried 4 times and always get that same error. My earlier tests did not have that problem.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-24

There any ethernet switches in the mix?

None.

I would try a full power OFF of the Orbi system including the modem as well.

I unplugged both and waited 5 minutes (at least). The results are only marginally better at ~30M.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-24

Quick update: The "One new finding to report is that the Upload part of the tests fail now:" went away once I reenabled SSID broadcasting. My ping times have also returned to sub 9ms.

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-09-24

Ok, I would do this, turn off all other devices accept for your one wired PC. Factory reset the Orbi router and set it up from scratch. Leave the SSID name and PW as default for now. Skip adding the satellites. Just get thru the wizard or even skip it and go directly to testing speeds with your wired PC using default settings. You should see to spec speeds here.

What browser are you using to take speeds tests?

What speedtests sites are you using? Try your ISPs speed test site if they have one to compare with.

Besure your PC security software is disabled and browser plug-ins are disabled as well before testing.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-24

Hmm, I do not see my previous reply to this.

I'm using Chrome 69.0.3497.100 on both a Win10 laptop and a Win7 desktop.

I turned off AV, the firewall and diabled my 5 brower addons. It did not help the speed problem.

Previously I said I could only think of 2 more options to try:

1: Revert the firmware to an earlier build (maybe even 2.3.x.x). I'm not sure that is possible without possibly bricking the Orbi though.

2: Replace the ethernet cable between the Orbi and the cable modem. It is the Orbi provided one but I had not used that cable w/the other router when I tried it.

Since that reply I have replaced the ethernet beween the Orbi and cable modem twice without any speed improvements. I have also repeated my old router and cable modem test both with the Orbi ethernet and the other 2 I used with the Orbi. In all cases the older modem reported just over 175M.

I have tested with the direct Ookla speedtest page and Cox's reskinned and hosted Ookla page with basically the same results: Orbi will get just under 30M every time. Even the built in Orbi test which takes longer to run reports ~29M on 3 runs.

I am only left with the least favorable option now unless someone has another suggestion. For now I am going to hold off on reflashing the firmware for a few days to give everyone a chance to mull this over and come up with other ideas.

Many many Thank Yous for your very quick responses and suggestions so far.

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-09-25

I would try this since I don't believe you have as of yet, factory reset the RBR router and set up from scratch. Just run thru the set up, I would first skip configuring the wifi and adding a satellilte. Just get thru the wizard, then do a speedtest via ethernet with the connected PC and see what the results are. If after this the speed is still low, I would revert back to prior working FW and try that...If that still fails, possible HW failing on the RBR...

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-25

I would try this since I don't believe you have as of yet, factory reset the RBR router and set up from scratch. Just run thru the set up, I would first skip configuring the wifi and adding a satellilte. Just get thru the wizard, then do a speedtest via ethernet with the connected PC and see what the results are.

I mentioned I had done a factory reset in the missing post I mentioned earlier. As of now I have done 3 resets as you described. The only change I see is that I went from my initial ~20M speed to ~30M after the first reset.

If after this the speed is still low, I would revert back to prior working FW and try that.

Previously I had 2.1.4.10 installed and the speed was good up until last week. I am doubtful that restoring it will resolve the issue though. I can certainly try it or I can go back to 2.1.3.4 even. I will hold off on doing this another day just to see if anything else can be done. (I'm leary of reverting router firmware due to bricking 2 in the past with firmware reverts. Maybe Orbis are more tollerant though.)

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-09-25

You can down grade, just manually download the files and use IE11 or FF browser when doing it.

If nothing help with this, I presume there is a problem with the Router portion of the system and would need to be looking into further by NG support. Only other thing I can think of would be to take it to a different location, say friend, family or neighbors and see if the problem follows. If it does, then you'll have your answer. Not much else I can think of other than to RMA it.

@Christian_R

Christian_R · ‎2018-09-25

Hello @IAmBruceK,

Please let us know if downgrading the firmware resolves your issue.

~Christian

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-27

First off, thanks again to @FURRYe38 for the ideas and quick responses!

Before attempting to revert my firmware I got help from Netgear Technical Support. A beta firmware that L2 support provided fixed the issue.

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-09-27

Awesome. Enjoy.

@IAmBruceK wrote:

First off, thanks again to @FURRYe38 for the ideas and quick responses!

Before attempting to revert my firmware I got help from Netgear Technical Support. A beta firmware that L2 support provided fixed the issue.

dmhayes007 · ‎2018-09-27

did they give any idea on when this beta firmware will be available? my ORBI is crap after this latest firmware update. I have it turned off and using an old wifi router because the ORBI was unusable it was so slow.

IAmBruceK · ‎2018-09-27

Sorry, no they did not.

In my case my firmware did not update before my problems started. If your performance dropped after a firmware update you may want to consider pulling the older firmware from the support site and reverting to it like FURRYe38 suggested to me.

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-09-28

You can ask for the beta to test out. I saw some people posting about how much better it was.

@dmhayes007 wrote:

did they give any idea on when this beta firmware will be available? my ORBI is crap after this latest firmware update. I have it turned off and using an old wifi router because the ORBI was unusable it was so slow.

Blanca_O · ‎2018-10-07

Hi All,

An official released is available for RBK50. Kindly update the firmware to 2.2.1.210.

https://kb.netgear.com/000060273/RBR50-RBS50-Firmware-Version-2-2-1-210

Regards,
Blanca
Community Team

soldenburg · ‎2019-01-11

Did this thread ever get a resolution? I am having extremely similar issues to OP.

Hard wired to modem everythign is dandy - 120mbps

Hard wired to wifi - 20-30 mbps

Wifi - 20-30 mbps

Have tried a plethora of different settings, too many too name. No firmware update is available. Tried changing passwords to kick every other device off of wifi, have tried many devices, many operating systems.Tried hard reboots, tried using MULTIPLE MODEMS EVEN.

At this point I'm about ready to throw in the towel and go out and buy something different tomorrow, for the money I spent on this system I'm really disappointed in the quality.

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-01-12

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

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials.

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?
What WPA security modes are you using? Try WPA2 and AES only.

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).
Disney Circle: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/WARNING-Firmware-2-2-1-210-is-junk/m-p/1667485/highlight/true#...

If you updated to recent FW v.210, try enabling Daisy Chain. Some have mentioned that this seems to be working in reverse order, enabling means disabled actually. Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

Try a Manual FW load:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Firmware-2-2-1-210-released-as-of-10-3-18/m-p/1647303/highligh...

@soldenburg wrote:

Did this thread ever get a resolution? I am having extremely similar issues to OP.

Hard wired to modem everythign is dandy - 120mbps

Hard wired to wifi - 20-30 mbps

Wifi - 20-30 mbps

Have tried a plethora of different settings, too many too name. No firmware update is available. Tried changing passwords to kick every other device off of wifi, have tried many devices, many operating systems.Tried hard reboots, tried using MULTIPLE MODEMS EVEN.

At this point I'm about ready to throw in the towel and go out and buy something different tomorrow, for the money I spent on this system I'm really disappointed in the quality.

soldenburg · ‎2019-01-12

On 2.2.1.210.

Already tried the Daisy chain setting.

I think something is fried in the main access point. Hard line being that slow indicates as much.

I have given up and purchased a Google WiFi. Instantly getting 100+ Mbps down. Shame on Netgear for treating this product so poorly with half assed software and firmware. For a $400+ system I expected at least 4-5 years of life. To get barely get one year out of it is appalling.

Was a loyal Netgear guy for routers but not anymore. Truly a travesty.

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-01-12

Did you do a re-load of FW on the satellite then factory reset and setup from scratch to see if this might have helped?

You might contact NG support for a help and information. Might ask for an RMA.

@Blanca_O

Good Luck.

@soldenburg wrote:
On 2.2.1.210.

Already tried the Daisy chain setting.

I think something is fried in the main access point. Hard line being that slow indicates as much.

I have given up and purchased a Google WiFi. Instantly getting 100+ Mbps down. Shame on Netgear for treating this product so poorly with half assed software and firmware. For a $400+ system I expected at least 4-5 years of life. To get barely get one year out of it is appalling.

Was a loyal Netgear guy for routers but not anymore. Truly a travesty.

soldenburg · ‎2019-01-12

I did do a complete system factory reset on the access point and all 3 sattelites.

I would have reached out for support from netgear directly but couldn't find a way beyond community support, and searching led me here to this thread, which I now see was a few months old and the OP did say a manual firmware load fixed his issue, but we're now a few firmware verisons ahead.

Also, I am not comfortable manually loading different firmware on it - that's beyond the amount of effort I'm willing to put into this.

I purchased the system on black friday 2017, so I've had it about 13.5 months so far. Figure any limited warranty is out the window at this point.