Here is what I submitted to Netgear Technical Support on this issue:
"""
Almost all modern routers (including the stock Verizon FIOS router that I got 4 years ago, and have since replaced with my Orbi) supports local device name resolution using a dnsmasq feature called addn-hosts. There seems to be no way to persistently set this feature in the Orbi via the web user interface, however you can temporarily enable it (until a reboot of the router) using the method described here: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Idea-Exchange-For-Home/orbi-add-dns-server/idc-p/1632085#M1731
Lack of local DNS support is a serious feature gap in this otherwise excellent home product. And enabling it would be trivial for Netgear. Simply adding an option to the LAN setup page for "Enable Local DNS Resolution" and using that to trigger addition of the following line to /etc/dnsmasq.conf: addn-hosts=/tmp/dhcpd_hostlist This is a one line change to a configuration file, that could be done via a simple web interface option setting.
"""
After a few weeks, here is the resolution I received from Netgear Technical Support:
"""
Hi Perry, Thank you for your waiting. According to our Senior Technician Team, as of the moment, the feature similar to "using a dnsmasq feature called addn-hosts", is not available on at the moment on Netgear Orbi router. I apologize. We will need to submit this feature request to Engineering Team. As they are the one who evaluates features to be added on all Netgear devices. They base the features on the customer's wants and needs for a certain router to use. So the more the request the higher the chance that this feature is to be added. In order to endorse the case to the appropriate team we will need to close the case so as to tag this accordingly. On the time frame it will be added on the router, we do do not have the appropriate time information, however you will be notified with this through email or via support site which www.netgear.com or via community site, https://community.netgear.com/. It will surely be added through firmware so make sure your firmware is always updated It was a pleasure assisting you. Kind Regards, Darling NETGEAR Support
"""
As suggested, I opened this thread on the Community Site, so that when/if this feature is implemented by Netgear Engineering, we can discuss. I would have added this to the other thread on Orbi Local DNS (linked above) but it was closed due to inactivity.
Re: Support for addn_hosts in dnsmasq on Orbi RBR50
Thanks for the suggestion. When NG Technical Support redirected me to the Community Forum to post this, they did not tell me where in the forum I should go.
Re: Support for addn_hosts in dnsmasq on Orbi RBR50
Reposting this idea here, in case it helps someone out and Netgear doesn't implement support for this in the Orbi firmware itself.
In case anyone is interested in a bit of an extended hack, here's a script that you can use (using the expect utility in Linux) to log into the Orbi and configure dnsmasq programatically. This way when the Orbi reboots, you simply re-run the script.
It allows both usage of /tmp/dhcpd_hostlist which uses the name each client identifies with (which often can be unset) but it also allows you to put a hosts file on a FAT32 formatted USB stick and put that USB stick into the Orbi Router which on the RBR50 is accessible via /mnt/sda1
Script:
#!/usr/bin/expect
set addn_hosts "addn-hosts=/mnt/sda1/hosts\naddn-hosts=/tmp/dhcpd_hostlist\n"
set host "192.168.1.1"
set user "admin"
set password "********************"
set timeout 20
spawn telnet $host
expect "login:"
send "$user\n"
expect "Password:"
send "$password\n"
send "grep -qF addn-hosts /etc/dnsmasq.conf || (echo \'$addn_hosts\' >> /etc/dnsmasq.conf && echo 'addn-hosts added')\n"
send "pidof dnsmasq\n"
send "kill \$(pidof dnsmasq)\n"
send "/usr/sbin/dnsmasq --except-interface=lo -r /tmp/resolv.conf\n"
send "pidof dnsmasq\n"
If you don't want to supply a separate hosts file (in the format of ip_addr hostname, with each mapping being a separate line), then you can just remove the addn_hosts=/mnt/sda1/hosts from the addn_hosts variable in the script. This will make it so the only hosts file used is /tmp/dhcpd_hostlist
But if you format a USB drive as FAT32 (or vfat) and put a hosts file on it, you can then arbitrarily configure the Orbi DNS server with whatever local DNS names you want.
Re: Support for addn_hosts in dnsmasq on Orbi RBR50
Thank you for the pointer. I wasn't aware of this alternate firmware. That said, I think I'll try to stick with the stock firmware if the worst thing I need to do is telnet in an set up a single line in dnsmasq.conf with a hosts file. Seems less invasive than swapping firmwares (for now). Thanks!
Re: Support for addn_hosts in dnsmasq on Orbi RBR50
Thanks for posting this. I found your post while searching for a solution to my router/modem not allowing NAT loopback. So I need my Orbi router to resolve my duckdns DNS name to a local IP Address.
I do have a little bit of Unix/Linux experience and I have used VI before. My question is: Where (in which folder) do I put your script? And also, is it possible to add your script to a crontab for automatic execution, either on a set schedule or "@reboot", or maybe add it to rc.local?
Re: Support for addn_hosts in dnsmasq on Orbi RBR50
In looking at your script a little closer, I think I have figured out that you do not actually run this on the Orbi router directly, but instead from a machine on the same network, correct? So, that negates all of my questions.
In looking at your script a little closer, I think I have figured out that you do not actually run this on the Orbi router directly, but instead from a machine on the same network, correct? So, that negates all of my questions.
Sorry.
Yes @carlovn66 that is correct. I run this script on a Fedora Linux host that is on the same network as the Orbi device.
One note is that with the very latest firmware on the RBS50 and RBR50, the login prompt has changed and that breaks the above expect script which looks for "login:" and "password:". Below is a revised script that accounts for that change:
#!/usr/bin/expect
set addn_hosts "addn-hosts=/mnt/sda1/hosts\naddn-hosts=/tmp/dhcpd_hostlist\n"
set host "192.168.1.1"
set user "admin"
set password "********************"
set timeout 20
spawn telnet $host
expect "telnet account:"
send "$user\n"
expect "telnet password:"
send "$password\n"
send "grep -qF addn-hosts /etc/dnsmasq.conf || (echo \'$addn_hosts\' >> /etc/dnsmasq.conf && echo 'addn-hosts added')\n"
send "pidof dnsmasq\n"
send "kill \$(pidof dnsmasq)\n"
send "/usr/sbin/dnsmasq --except-interface=lo -r /tmp/resolv.conf\n"
send "pidof dnsmasq\n"
