I'm really at my wits end fighting with this Orbi System. I've read all the relevant forum posts I could find and am still struggling.
I have 200 Mb/s service from Xfinity. Orbi RBR50 is connected to a CM700 modem. Firmware is 2.3.5.30. Satellite is ~30 ft away from the router. Security is WPA2-PSK [AES] only.
All is great with my wired connections, I always get the full 200 Mb/s.
When things are running well I get consistent 180+ Mb/s WiFi speeds.
About every 2-3 days though, WiFi speeds drop to ~40 Mb/s on all my WiFi devices... even when on 5G right next to the router.
When the slowdown occurs, wired devices remain consistent at ~200 Mb/s.
After a reboot, WiFi speeds instantly return to ~180 Mb/s
I've tried a "hard reset" of the both the satellite and main Orbi.
I've tinkered with the channel settings... I have very little interance from neighbors.
I've tried tinkering with all the advanced options - Daisy Chain, MIMO, Beam forming, 20/40 coexistence, etc.
None of this has worked... like clockwork after 2-3 days it's back to "slow mode" of only 40 Mb/s... and after a reboot jumps right back to 180 Mb/s.
I'm capturing the logs (attached)... nothing looks remarkable?
We have the usual assortment of connected home devices -- 3 apple tv, 1 roku, 2 ring cams, 4 amazon echos, 4 ipads, 2 iphones, imac, 2 pc laptops, wink hub, 2 yamaha AVRs, Rachio, HP printer, 1 google home, sony bluray player, comcast DVR...
I'm out of ideas... and really frustrated with this Orbi system.
1. What 5 GHz channel do you have set in Orbi? 2. Do you see the issue only with devices attached to Satellite or also to the Router? 3. Are you using wired or wireless backhaul (connection between Router and Satellite)? 4. Attached Google Home -and probably Amazon Echos- broadcasts wifi on the same channel as Orbi if Guest mode is enabled in those devices. Can you please disable Guest mode to test. If any of your other devices also does this then please switch it off for testing.
Which of your devices are wired? Will you be able to disconnect all wired devices, reboot Orbi Router and see if you’ll still see the same issue with wireless devices after few days?
I suspect that one of the wired devices is causing loops in the system which will affect the wireless devices. Another question: are you sure that the devices are not moving to the 2.4 GHz band which is limiting the throughput on those devices?
Yes, the slowdown affects all devices, regardless of the band.
I'm not sure I follow how wired devices could be causing this? What is a "loop in the system"?
I should add, I have a NETGEAR GS308-100PA switch connected to the orbi, and my wired devices are connected to that switch. Speed of my wired devices never slows down, it's always ~200Mbps.
@mkfein wrote: Yes, the slowdown affects all devices, regardless of the band. .....
If you're sure that your radio is ok and you don't have interference on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands from your neighbours then please check your other devices.
@mkfein wrote: ...... I'm not sure I follow how wired devices could be causing this? What is a "loop in the system"? ......
Loops are caused by devices which has both Ethernet and wireless interfaces to the router or devices that are faulty or misconfigured. If you have such devices please disconnect them from the network temporarly and see if you see improvemets.
I would factory reset the RBR and RBS. Walk thru the setup wizard. After the system is setup, I would turn OFF the RBS and switch. Just test the wireless alone on the RBR.
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 when wirelessly connected.
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 enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings
Try disabling the following and see: Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).
See if the RBR fails at two days. If it does, I would recommend returning the orbi system or ask NG support for an RMA.
@mkfein wrote: Like clockwork... 2 days after the last reboot and my WiFi speed is back down to 40 Mbps.
Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm past Amazon's return window. How do I get in touch wiht NG support?
I did a hard reset 2 weeks ago, and setup the whole system fresh... which didn't solve the issue. I'd prefer not to do that again, unless there's something specific that I should change?
When the system slowed down last night I double checked the band and link rate of connected devices. Devices that were attached to the hub on 5GHz at a link rate of 800 Mbps maxed out at 40 Mbps. A quick reboot and everything was back to 180+ Mbps. So frustrating.
After a week+ trying to register my router, support is telling me the hardware is no longer under warranty... But, offered me "free phone support". So, I guess I'll give that a shot?
In the mean time, I have now realized that the slow down only affects the main router. Devices connected to the satellite maintain speeds of >175 Mbps.
@mkfein wrote: After a week+ trying to register my router, support is telling me the hardware is no longer under warranty... But, offered me "free phone support". So, I guess I'll give that a shot?
In the mean time, I have now realized that the slow down only affects the main router. Devices connected to the satellite maintain speeds of >175 Mbps.
What advanced wireless settings do you have? >>ADVANCED>> Advanced Settings >> Wireless Settings Can you please try disabling Implicit Beamforming if you currently have it enabled.
Beamforming should be enabled. Along with WMM. MIMO is only needed if you have any MIMO supporting devices. Fast Roaming is a user option that you can choose to use.
Its not going to be beamforming or any other feature, unless that feature is causing some sort of memory leak over time. My Orbi system does the same, and I suspect its my multicast devices (Google Chromecasts) that just blast the network with packets constantly. If turning on a feature would fix your problem, you'd have slowdowns right after factory reset, not 2 weeks after. This implies a memory / resource leak of some kind that needs to be correctly. Orbi tech support will be useless, because they are not capable of changing firmware where the problem lies.
I'm really at my wits end fighting with this Orbi System. I've read all the relevant forum posts I could find and am still struggling.
I have 200 Mb/s service from Xfinity. Orbi RBR50 is connected to a CM700 modem. Firmware is 2.3.5.30. Satellite is ~30 ft away from the router. Security is WPA2-PSK [AES] only.
.......... and I suspect its my multicast devices (Google Chromecasts) that just blast the network with packets constantly. .....
I also think that the issue buillds up gradually after reboot then this can be cause dby one of more of the attached devices.
The best way to find those "bad" devices is to do an elimination procedure, start by disconnecting all devices and see if you see the same issue then gradually attached the devices to Orbi. This can be a lengthy procedure but I can be the only way to find out those devices.
I tried isolating the issue to specific devices without success. I don't even have any google chromecast devices.
I actually managed to get my system to be stable for about a month... then Netgear pushed a new firmware update (V2.3.5.30) and I'm back to having to reboot every 2-3 days. About ready to bag the Orbi and try a competitor.
