So, as you discovered, we posted the new version on the support -> download site for you to apply to your systems. the auto-firmware push will happen soon, but we're giving you a window to manually apply the firmware upgrade before it gets pushed.
The only difference between .72 and .74 are a some bug fixes.
So, as you discovered, we posted the new version on the support -> download site for you to apply to your systems. the auto-firmware push will happen soon, but we're giving you a window to manually apply the firmware upgrade before it gets pushed.
The only difference between .72 and .74 are a some bug fixes.
Orbi Product Team
Amit, can you please comment on the stability of the "Implicit BF" and "MU-MIMO" options in v.74?
In past firmware releases, DarrenM warned peope away from enabling those, saying they would be fixed/improved in a later firmware realease... Are those two options now fully ready-to-rock in v.74?
I'm in the midst of the update now - I manually uodated the firmware (that went fine), and did a full factory reset and NVRAM-clear so far...
I'm not too deep into rebuilding my settings yet, but I did notice that the 3 options for Implicit Beamforming, MU-MIMO, and Fast Transition are all UNchecked by default - IIRC, those were all checked by default in .72
That has got to be a mistake in their clearing routine. I've found those options very stable on .72, and if they are not on .74 I'll revert back to .72 until the next release.
The options are still there in .74. They're just not checked by default.
I'm in the midst of the update now - I manually uodated the firmware (that went fine), and did a full factory reset and NVRAM-clear so far...
I'm not too deep into rebuilding my settings yet, but I did notice that the 3 options for Implicit Beamforming, MU-MIMO, and Fast Transition are all UNchecked by default - IIRC, those were all checked by default in .72
That has got to be a mistake in their clearing routine. I've found those options very stable on .72, and if they are not on .74 I'll revert back to .72 until the next release.
The options are still there in .74. They're just not checked by default.
Yes, but I meant that it's likely an oversight on their part that they are not checked when you do the nvram reset. Or they would have unchecked them for me when I upgraded from .72 if they were deemed to be not ready.
I've been running with them all checked ever since 12 and the Orbi has been rock solid, all my devices connect, streaming is solid and speed is as fast as my internet allows and as fast as wireless allows for the NAS.
I would hate to see people thinking that they are unstable for no reason.
When doing a firmware upgrade...you mentioned doing a NVRAM-clear? Most times I have done a factor reset at most and don't recall anything mentioned in the instructions on a NVRAM-clear? Can you advise on this one? Or is the NVRAM-clear already done as part of a factory reset?
So, in this version - I see you can select implicit beamforming. Does that imply that - regardless of your choice here - explicit beamforming is always on?
thx!
Model: Orbi High-Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System (RBK50)
So, in this version - I see you can select implicit beamforming. Does that imply that - regardless of your choice here - explicit beamforming is always on?
Yes, it's a mandated part of the standard and cannot be disabled.
in order to get a ring doorbell far from the satellite to connect reliably, on 2.0.0.72 i had to again disable beamforming and MU-MIMO - now it seems to be working reliably!
BEWARE: After doing a factory reset I discovered I could no longer edit VLAN tag settings in the administrative interface. I tried this on Safari and Chrome on macOS, as well as Edge on Windows. I would enable VLAN, select the second option ("By VLAN tag group"), hit Edit, and then change the tag. Upon hitting APPLY, the page would reload but it would not save the new values. I can't say if it's specific to my Orbi, if it's a bad firmware update, or if it's a new GUI bug, but this one hit me.
Ultimately I figured out the setting in NVRAM and was able to manually set the correct VLAN through telnet and then use the GUI to "apply" the setting. That got me back online. If you run into this trouble yourself, you can do the following:
Enable telnet at orbilogin.com/debug.htm
Sign into telnet (instructions for macOS):
telnet 192.168.1.1 23
Manually change the VLAN tag (instructions for CenturyLink Gigabit, replace the XXX with the VLAN you need):
nvram set vlan_tag_1=1 Internet XXX 0 0 0
Then go to the VLAN settings in the admin, enable VLAN. You should see the new VLAN tag you entered in place of the default. Hit APPLY.
So tired of having to find new ways to fix this thing.
Welp, after discovering some flakiness among my Amazon Echos around the house, I rebooted the router (running 2.0.0.74) and discovered my speeds had cratered again.
At that point I threw up my hands and reinstalled the Asus RT-AC88U as the router and have now relegated the Orbi to Access Point duties only. Flying smooth and fast now.
Sad to say. As I've feared, the version 2 firmware started off great. But after the initial launch and update till now, I'm starting to see WiFi drops occuring on my Android Devices. Even though the reconnect is near immediate, the fact that the drop still occurs is **bleep**ty. Btw this occurs even though I'm seated with my phone just 5metres away from the main router unit with direct line of sight.
I know if your within 3-5ft of the router it has issue connecting and low bandwidth. My tv is directly above the satellite and it will never connect to it. If I move it to the next outlet on the floor it connects just fine. It’s probably not your issue but just covering all the bases
Now I have constant drop outs. Before this update, I only had to reboot every week or so...now several times daily. This is why I switched from an R7000.....this is ridiculous for the cost.
@waynealight wrote: I know if your within 3-5ft of the router it has issue connecting and low bandwidth. My tv is directly above the satellite and it will never connect to it. If I move it to the next outlet on the floor it connects just fine. It’s probably not your issue but just covering all the bases
My TV is close to the satellite as well, so I just use an ethernet cable between the TV and satellite. Works great, higher average transfer rate than having the TV use wireless.
If you are still seeing disconnects on the 2.0 firmware and have done a factory reset send me a PM with your name, email, and phone number and I will get you in contact with support to troubleshoot the issue.
BEWARE: After doing a factory reset I discovered I could no longer edit VLAN tag settings in the administrative interface. I tried this on Safari and Chrome on macOS, as well as Edge on Windows. I would enable VLAN, select the second option ("By VLAN tag group"), hit Edit, and then change the tag. Upon hitting APPLY, the page would reload but it would not save the new values. I can't say if it's specific to my Orbi, if it's a bad firmware update, or if it's a new GUI bug, but this one hit me.
. note vlan tagging is currently a know issue and is being worked on , will be fixed in the next fw version
@waynealight wrote: I know if your within 3-5ft of the router it has issue connecting and low bandwidth. My tv is directly above the satellite and it will never connect to it. If I move it to the next outlet on the floor it connects just fine. It’s probably not your issue but just covering all the bases
My TV is close to the satellite as well, so I just use an ethernet cable between the TV and satellite. Works great, higher average transfer rate than having the TV use wireless.
in general its never a great idea to have any wireless router near a tv as the emf radiated can cause issues with the wifi , the metal case of the tv also blocks the signal
wireless AC ( and 5 gig in general ) is pretty powerful but also pretty sensitive , in my testing you get far better results when the clint device is more than 3 meters from the transmission to avoid overload conditions
@waynealight wrote: I know if your within 3-5ft of the router it has issue connecting and low bandwidth. My tv is directly above the satellite and it will never connect to it. If I move it to the next outlet on the floor it connects just fine. It’s probably not your issue but just covering all the bases
My TV is close to the satellite as well, so I just use an ethernet cable between the TV and satellite. Works great, higher average transfer rate than having the TV use wireless.
in general its never a great idea to have any wireless router near a tv as the emf radiated can cause issues with the wifi , the metal case of the tv also blocks the signal
wireless AC ( and 5 gig in general ) is pretty powerful but also pretty sensitive , in my testing you get far better results when the clint device is more than 3 meters from the transmission to avoid overload conditions
Yes, I don’t have the satellite positioned too close to the TV, so no problems.
Been around the block with wireless and routers a few times. Thanks for the warning, though.
after testing seems mu-mimo and beamforming need to still be OFF on V 2.0.0.74 for the best results for IoT (Ring Doorbell etc).
I've arrived at the same conclusion with my own testing.
And I'm perfectly A-OK with that... I actually don't have any non-ac devices (IoT or otherwise) that would potentially benefit from implicit beamforming, and the whole concept of MU-MIMO is still a just a bunch of smoke-&-mirrors at this stage anyway, so I'm happy to leave both those options unchecked.
although i wouldnt say mu-mimo is just smoke and mirors its certainly not a game changer for the average user no matter who much they try and convince us it is , mu-mimo along with link aggregation lof lan ports give little benefit to the average user case , implicit beamforming imho is an attempt to make older devices ( non ac ) work better than what they are designed to do and it never really achieves the same level as explicit anyway and in doing so can and does cause connectivity issues although i have to say i have it on here with my wemo light switch gear and it works fine and has no detrimental effect here being on
sure there is a very specific and very narrow band of users that would and will benefit from link aggregation and mu-mimo , but they are the 0.1% while the rest of us have no intrest in it or would ever actually use it
