Hi, I installed my Orbi’s the other day , all devices are getting a strong stable wireless connection except the Sky Q’s.
Connecting them to the orbi network (my virgin hub is in modem mode) is okay , but on all 3 boxes the network connection is unstable , it switches from a ‘cross’ to show the network isn’t working to a ‘tick’ every 10 seconds or so?! This means I cannot access lots of features on the the Sky Q (I have 1 2TB box and 2 minis) . I have tried to reset everything else already.
Please help.
Model: RBK50| Orbi AC3000 High-Performance Tri-Band WiFi System
Okay thanks for the information. Yes my hub 3.0 is in modem mode. And my Hub 3.0 has the most updated firmware, what do you mean by turning off WiFi radios and DHCP? How do I do this?
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 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 leaving it in router mode 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
No need to turn off DHCP on Super Hub 3, once set it modem only mode this automatically turns off as far as I can remember.
As for turning off radios he is referring to the wireless on the Super Hub 3.
To be honest I would say set Orbi up in Ap mode and hard reset the virgin Super Hub 3
Always found Orbi to work far better in Ap mode myself.
Some modem/routers you have to turn off DHCP and wireless separately. The comment above was to ensure they were off.
The thread I attached above discusses the pros and cons of the Super Hub... I have no direct experience with them, but this thread also talks to how sucky the routing capability is in it.
If the article has merit and you have spent good money on an Orbi, why not use the routing in the device doing your wireless...
Okay thanks to the idea. Would setting the Orbi up as an acess point still be a good idea if they were close together? (See video) If I were to set them up as an access point, should I turn of the wireless on the virgin hub? (On the left of the prints ris my virgin hub 3.0 and on the right is the orbi router)
Hi Aronius - not sure if you managed to resolve your Sky Q issues, but there is another factor at play that could be impacting both your Sky Q TV streaming (which uses Sky's on mesh network in 5GHZ) and your Orbi's wifi performance. Unfortunately both devices hog the 36-48 5GHZ channels as they use an 80MHZ channel width (so even if the Sky and Orbi are on different channels in the set up, this is just the center channel and they use the other 3 channels around it). Doubled up with the fact that the 5GHZ channels 36-48 are already getting very congested in the UK , especially in urban areas like London, leads to lots of interferance (e.g. where I live I can pick up at least 10 other wifi networks in my house and a few of them are similar strength signals to my Orbi and Sky networks). The only thing I've found that can help is to try the following:
1. If possible place you Orbi some distance away from your Sky TV main box (not easy I know if your broadband is from Virgin as likely the cable comes in near where your TV is).
2. Force the Sky Q system to use a narrow 40GHZ band using the 'engineers menu' options on your main Sky box. To get to this scroll to the "Settings" menu and before selecting it type in 001 on the remote and then hit the select button. You should see a message pop up at the top of the screen warning you are in the advanced menu. Goto "Network" and you should see an option "5GHZ wifi channel width'. You now have two options, and will need to experiment to work out which one is best for you as it will depend on other wifi networks in your area (if you have a wifi scanner like WiFI explorer of inSSIDer that should make things easier to work out which is best combition for you):
(a) Set the Sky Q to 40 MHZ/Ch.36 and set your Orbi to channel 48
OR
(b) Set the Sky Q to 40 MHZ/Ch 44 and set your Orbi to channel 36
I found this had no impact at all on my Sky Q performance as 40MHZ is more than enough bandwidth for streaming TV, even 4K HDR.
3. Final option only works if you don't use Sky broadband and have your main Sky Q box connected via ethernet to your network. You can use the same menu options as per point 2 above and disable the 2.4GHZ wifi on your Sky Q mesh network as it's not needed and will reduce congestion on the 2.4GHZ band in your home.
Unfortunately the ideal solution would get either Sky or Netgear to make additional 5GHZ channels available. I've been lobbying Netgear for over a year on this point (see https://community.netgear.com/t5/Idea-Exchange-For-Home/Please-provide-more-5GHZ-wifi-channel-option...) so please like this post if you would like to see this feature and add in some supporting comments as the more customers that ask for it should increase the chances of it being added. You can do the same with Sky forumns.
There is also one more advanced thing you can do and seperate the 5GHZ and 2.4GHZ wifi networks on your Orbi, so you can make sure your high performance devices always make use of the 5GHZ channel. Because of the interfereance from Sky Q I found that my iphone and other devices would keep on connecting to the 2.4GHZ channels even when there was a reasonable 5GHZ signal and the only way to force the iphones to use the right channel was to resort to this option. I as have Virgin Vivid 350Mbs that was the only way I could get the full speed on wifi networks - I can only get 30-40Mbs on a strong 2.4GHZ connection so was losing c90% of the speed. Doing this is not something Orbi offically recommend but it can be done, so only do this if you are happy to give it a go. You always revert back if needed. See this thread for full details on how to do this https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/How-to-set-a-separate-SSID-for-the-5-GHz-network-on-your-Orbi/...
The other option of last resort is to use powerline adapters or ethernet cables for your Sky Q boxes and disable the Sky mesh network completely and use the advance menus in Sky discussed above to turn off both 2.4ghz and 5ghz wifi radios. You will have to reset all the network settings on your Sky system if you go this route.
Since this thread , I've actually had 2 sky engineers out to try and fix this but each one has not been successful. To get you back to speed...
I have the top Virgin package for broadband , the Virgin hub is in modem mode and connected to a Tri Band AC3000 Netgear Orbi router. The router is also connected to a RBS50 Orbi satallite. I also have a Sky Q silver box which is directly wired (via Ethernet) to the Orbi Satellite, the Satellite has a dedicated 5GHz band to communicate back to the orbi router via channel 108. I also have a Sky Q mini which is connected via Ethernet to a unmanaged switch, the switch is then connected to the Orbi router directly. The switch also connects to a TV and Xbox which works outstandingly. And finally, I have another Sky mini which has no Ethernet connection and therefore operates on WiFi.
I started having problems when the Orbi mesh and Sky Mesh was clashing... so I changed the Orbi 5GHz channel to 48 and the Sky 5GHz channel to 40MHz ch36. Although they still clash this improved my 5GHz speeds on WiFI.
Now here is the strange bit: When I go to the Orbi app and the network devices map all my Sky Q devices show as a wired connection to the main Orbi router. This is of course wrong as the main Sky Q box is connected via Ethernet to the satellite and one of the Sky Q's isn't even connected via Ethernet!
Any ideas? As sometimes the box's flip out and many times programs show up with black pictures and internet options don't work like sky cinema etc.
I am going wire all my Sky Q products to the Orbi’s (Sky q main would be connected to the satellite, and the minis to the main router). Would this fix the problems I’m having? As it’s been going on for a while and is a real pain lol!
Since this thread , I've actually had 2 sky engineers out to try and fix this but each one has not been successful. To get you back to speed...
I have the top Virgin package for broadband , the Virgin hub is in modem mode and connected to a Tri Band AC3000 Netgear Orbi router. The router is also connected to a RBS50 Orbi satallite. I also have a Sky Q silver box which is directly wired (via Ethernet) to the Orbi Satellite, the Satellite has a dedicated 5GHz band to communicate back to the orbi router via channel 108. The RBS does not communicate with the RBR wirelessly when the RBS is ethernet connected to the RBR. It now communicates with the RBR via ethernet wire.
I also have a Sky Q mini which is connected via Ethernet to a unmanaged switch, the switch is then connected to the Orbi router directly. The switch also connects to a TV and Xbox which works outstandingly. And finally, I have another Sky mini which has no Ethernet connection and therefore operates on WiFi. Both RBR and RBS needs to be connected to the same switch. What is the mfr and model# of this un-managed switch?
I started having problems when the Orbi mesh and Sky Mesh was clashing... so I changed the Orbi 5GHz channel to 48 and the Sky 5GHz channel to 40MHz ch36. Although they still clash this improved my 5GHz speeds on WiFI. The Orbi system is meant to be the only wifi system with in the home. Having other wifi signal in close proximity as you can see, causes problems. Try the Orbi system with the ISP wifi turned OFF.
Now here is the strange bit: When I go to the Orbi app and the network devices map all my Sky Q devices show as a wired connection to the main Orbi router. This is of course wrong as the main Sky Q box is connected via Ethernet to the satellite and one of the Sky Q's isn't even connected via Ethernet! This is normal for when the RBS and other devcies are connected via ethernet, even though they are wirelessly connected to the RBS, the end point data flow ends up on the wired ethernet connection to the RBR which sees this as a wired connection, not wireless. Any ideas? As sometimes the box's flip out and many times programs show up with black pictures and internet options don't work like sky cinema etc.
I am going wire all my Sky Q products to the Orbi’s (Sky q main would be connected to the satellite, and the minis to the main router). Would this fix the problems I’m having? As it’s been going on for a while and is a real pain lol! Simplify your configuration and try the Orbi system wifi as a stand alone wifi system and turn OFF your other wifi radios on the Sky Q devcies. Your surroundings are noisey with having too much wifi going on.
When I said “The router is also connected to a RBS50 Orbi satellite .” ... I meant that it is wirelessly connected, there is no Ethernet connection between the Orbi router and the satellite. With this is mind should I still disable the ‘daisy chain’ on the RBR?
Why do the satellite and router both need to be connected to this switch? It is a 5 port TP Link switch (see attached) which had a Xbox, tv and Sky Q mini wired to the switch, the switch is then wired to the orbi router. I didn’t think this had anything to do with the satellite?
And I don’t deliberately have 2 WiFi systems in my house, I have the Orbi WiFi and my Sky Q WiFi, and the Sky Q main box communicates with my two sky minis via 5GHz/2.4ghz WiFi. Many people must have the Orbi system and Sky TV in the same house but I can’t find the problem I’m having anywhere else.
What do you mean by your last point? I am going to try to wire my last sky mini to the Orbi router so all my Sky Q products are wired and then I can disable the WiFi on the sky boxes, is this okay?
@Aronius wrote: Thankyou for the detailed reply! 🙂
When I said “The router is also connected to a RBS50 Orbi satellite .” ... I meant that it is wirelessly connected, there is no Ethernet connection between the Orbi router and the satellite. With this is mind should I still disable the ‘daisy chain’ on the RBR? To test operation, yes disable Daisy Chain.
Why do the satellite and router both need to be connected to this switch? It is a 5 port TP Link switch (see attached) which had a Xbox, tv and Sky Q mini wired to the switch, the switch is then wired to the orbi router. I didn’t think this had anything to do with the satellite? I was under the presumption that your RBS was wired to the switch. My bad.
And I don’t deliberately have 2 WiFi systems in my house, I have the Orbi WiFi and my Sky Q WiFi, and the Sky Q main box communicates with my two sky minis via 5GHz/2.4ghz WiFi. Many people must have the Orbi system and Sky TV in the same house but I can’t find the problem I’m having anywhere else. You have two wifi systems under one roof. This can be problematic. Does the ISP require this wifi for your TV services? One thing to ensure if you have to have the ISP wifi running, set channels between the Orbi system and the TV system far appart, i.e. Orbi set 2.4Ghz to channel 11 and TV wifi to channel 1. Same with 5Ghz, use channels far appart on each system. Keep the devcies more than 6 feet away from each other. Not everyone has SKY TV services. Maybe in your region.
What do you mean by your last point? I am going to try to wire my last sky mini to the Orbi router so all my Sky Q products are wired and then I can disable the WiFi on the sky boxes, is this okay? Yes, give this a try. By shutting off the SKY TV wifi, if thats possible and maintain there services thru the Orbi, this would be simplifying the system.
Okay. I will disable the daisy chain setting later and see how it works out. If I get another satellite I assume I will have to turn it back on?
For the actual TV shows and programs, Sky does not require internet just a satellite signal 📡. But for features like Catch up TV, sky cinema , demand ext it requires broadband. However, where the second WiFi is created, is where the Sky box communicates with sky minis. Basically instead of having lots of sky boxes you have sky minis which connect to the main sky Q box via WiFi (they run of the main sky box, all recording are shared so you can start a show right where you left off on any box). This is very helpful as then only one cable from the satellite dish is required to go into the the main sky Q box and it makes life easi. (The minis only require a power cable and then everything on TV is accessible!)
However as I said if I Ethernet all my Sky q devices to the Orbi’s , they can communicate with the main Q box like via the Orbi WiFi instead , theoretically. So I will do this and get back to you, hopefully it will work out and I can turn of the Sky Q WiFi!
I have already set my Orbi WiFi to channel 48 5GHz and the Sky Q WiFi to channel 36 5GHz, they still collide with eachother but not as much as before.
@Aronius wrote: Okay. I will disable the daisy chain setting later and see how it works out. If I get another satellite I assume I will have to turn it back on?
Daisy Chain is required only when a new satellite will connect to an existing satellite rather than directly to the Orbi router. Enabling Daisy Chain actually turns on another pair of WiFi channels for that link. The intention is to allow customers to extend WiFi farther than a satellite can reach by itself by "daisy chaining" onen satellite off another (and perhaps another!)
Most customers who deploy more than one satellite are able to make them "star" off of the router, and thus do not need to activate Daisy Chain. (My personal belief is that Netgear ships Orbi's with Daisy Chain enabled because "Even if it's not the most efficient, it will always allow customers to add another satellite.")
So, I ended up drilling a lovely hole into my walls and had one Sky mini etherneted via cat7 into my Orbi RB50 router, another mini etherneted into a unmanaged switch and then into the Orbi router, and then the main Sky Q etherneted on cat6 into the Orbi satallite. I then turned off the wireless signals from all the sky produects. Finally I had one 5GHz network in the house! The WiFi works lovely now 🙂
However, I still seem to get this strange probem with the main Sky Q box and both minis where programs still show up with black images. It irritates me as I know it would look much better with the pictures! Have a look at the attached link please. (It will lead you to some photos)
I think I made the Sky box into the DMZ, see attached photos via link. The sky q IP address is 192.168.1.14 , so I put this as the DMZ?
If I did it right, this did not seem to make any difference.
I have circle enabled on the Orbi, however the sky boxes do not have any kind of filter on.
What is internesting, (in the photo folder there is a file called 'Ping test') , the first IP tested is the main sky Q box, the next two are the minis and the last is a smart TV. With the smart TV and all other tested devices the ping replied... however with all the Sky devices there was no reply and 'request time out is shown'. Any idea why this is/how to fix it?
Only other way to narrow this down would be to put the ISP modem back in to router mode and then configure AP mode on the RBR and see if the picture images appear. If they do, then Orbi may be not providing all information for the box. If they still don't appear, then something in the Sky box needs to be looked into. Something to contact Sky Box about.
