Re: RBR50 occasional disconnects

orbi_newbie · ‎2020-09-28

Hello,

I just installed a new RBR50/Orbi AC3000 with one satellite. Firmware is current, V2.5.1.16. I have a variety of devices regularly connected wirelessly including a MacBook, a few iPhones and iPads, and 2 Chromebooks. Most of the wireless devices choose the 5GHz band with one iPhone curiously always ending up on 2.4. I notice the devices tend to "jump" between the router and the satellite throughout the day. I also have a printer and W10 PC hardwired in.

This Orbi was a replacement for an older Netgear WNDR3700 which recently started dropping its internet connection (requiring a reboot)...thinking the router was the problem, and knowing it was older and not getting firmware updates, I went with the Orbi replacement.

Today was our first "real" test of the new Orbi and unfortunately it lost its internet connection 3 times today. Each time the router "recovers" on its own, but the interruption is obviously annoying to everyone trying to be on a Zoom/Skype call or simply have a connection.

Netgear support didn't have much advice for me except to try other channels in both my 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands (11 and 44 respectively), and to try and determine the best channel amidst all my neighbors using WiFi analyzer software like NetSpot. Noticing the some of my neighbors were already on 11 (2.4 GHz) I switched to 6, but that didn't help - we still suffered a disconnect on channel 6. I also tried the MacOS Wifi scanner utility, but it doesn't pick up as many access points as NetSpot, and it's not reccommending anything earth-shattering in terms of channels.

My ISP has not had any service interruptions and in fact checked my modem (Motorola E31U2V1 I believe) and said it was operating fine. They also advised me to try other wireless channels.

Any advice is appreciated, as I'm running low on ideas and I would very much like/need to get through a day without disconnections.

Thank in advance for your help

Mstrbig · ‎2020-09-29

Try these settings
Disable Circle, Armor, Daisy Chaining, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and uncheck 20/40Mhz Coexistence.
Enable WMM, Implicit BeamForming, Mu-MIMO
Set Short preamble mode. Save settings, reboot Orbi.
If wired, what cable size was used, as wrong size can cause slow speed.

orbi_newbie · ‎2020-09-29

Thank you for replying.

Already disabled: Circle, Daisy Chaining, Fast Roaming, IPv6
Already enabled: WMM
Just enabled this evening: Implicit BeamForming, Mu-MIMO
I had some questions as I read about each of these settings and I'm trying to learn (sorry). Some sounded like they offered obvious benefits, like Mu-MIMO and beam forming. Others were less obvious given the problem I'm trying to solve (periodic disconnects).

Does daisy-chaining matter/have effect with only a single satellite?
Why force short preamble? Just trying to understand how that would help.
20/40 Mhz coexistence seems like it exists to help _reduce_ interference...why disable that?
Why disable Armor? I guess I'm gunshy to disable security features.

To answer your question, my two wired devices use CAT5/CAT5e, but neither is crucial to me (printer/old PC), and frankly, next time there's a disconnect I should verify whether they are even affected at all, because I'm not sure. Either way, the wireless devices are what I need to solve for at the moment.

Is it problematic to have the satellite only around 15-16 feet from the router (through a floor/ceiling, they are on different floors)? Could they interfere with each other?

Thank you for your patience.

orbi_newbie · ‎2020-09-29

Sorry, minor correction: daisy chaining is currently _enabled_, as i wanted to ask first before disabling it

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-09-29

For signle RBS systems, daisy chain should be disabled.

orbi_newbie · ‎2020-09-30

Ok, i have disabled daisy chaining backhaul (defaults to hub and spoke now, I think?) per both of your recommendations, since I only have a single satellite.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-09-30

Yes.

orbi_newbie · ‎2020-10-01

We had no disconnects yesterday, but 2-3 today unfortunately, with the settings I mentioned earlier in the thread.

For fun I tried leaving the satellite off just to see if it and the router could be interfering with each other, and we still got disconnected.

This is very frustrating. I've never had a router behave like this.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-10-01

"Why disable Armor? I guess I'm gunshy to disable security features." Is this still enabled? If so, lets disable this or do a factory reset on the RBR and setup from scratch. Armor has been known to cause problems before.

@orbi_newbie wrote:
We had no disconnects yesterday, but 2-3 today unfortunately, with the settings I mentioned earlier in the thread.

For fun I tried leaving the satellite off just to see if it and the router could be interfering with each other, and we still got disconnected.

This is very frustrating. I've never had a router behave like this.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-10-01

FYI, Im using v70 FW and no Armor or Circle. RBK50 is in AP mode for my system. Seeing no wifi issues since going on line last week. Been pretty good.