warning do not buy ORBI exterior melting

[TrickyRic]

WARNING DO NOT PURCHASE RBK50/ AC3000

NETGEAR WILL NOT REPLACE THESE FAULTY UNITS 

THE EXTERIOR OF THE UNIT IS FAULTY AND DETERIORATES IN HUMID CLIMATES AND BECOME STICKY IT CAN NOT BE CLEANED

$650.00 WHAT A WAIST OF MONEY

[Retired_Member]

Yeah, it's a royal pain in the ***. Mine have been sticky roughly since a year after I bought the RBK50 combo some three years ago. Nothing much I can do about it too. Luckily they're both out of sight so I don't notice it much and they function just fine, but for the amount of money you spend it definitly should be better.

[Mikey94025]

Fortunately the stickiness is only cosmetic and doesn't hamper the actual performance of your Orbi.  It's a common issue with some rubber and plastic products.  Here are some suggestions on how to clean sticky rubber: https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Clean-Sticky-Rubber/

[TrickyRic]

Well Mikey I'm guessing you work for Netgear.

You don't know what your talking and neither does the fool in the video.

You just googled it I suspect.

Its common knoweledge that alcahol actually breaks down plastic neoprene and rubber.

Unless the Orbi is made of some new material a Netgear material scientist dreamt up.?

Alcohol it not a fix it but will make the deterioration worse.

[Mikey94025]

OK, but no I don't work for Netgear. Just a long-time customer of the Orbi RBR50.

[FURRYe38]

That would be incorrect thinking. Once the surface is cleaned OFF with the alcohol, then a different covering should be re-appled over the cleaned plastic case. Like a non lead based spray paint. Then this would help stop and prevent continued degradation of the plastic. This doesn't take rocket science. Seems that mostly users post about this condition maybe in more humid environments. I have a friend who has had this Orbi since 2017 since we got it installed and hasn't seen this issue. I know this has i have his spare RBS50 in my home. Haven't seen this with these products. But we live in a dry climate. 

[TrickyRic]

Thank you for your input but it is baseless.

You havent see my Orbi.

You dont live in a humid propical climate.

Painting is not a solution.

Anything applied to this surface will not adrere to the surface.

Even if it did initially it would not last and I would end up with an even bigger problem.

It looks bad enough now without making it worse.

[FURRYe38]

You'll need to either try something or find something else that works for your envrionment. Theres nothing that the forum an help with.

Good Luck. 

[Mooose]

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@TrickyRic wrote:

Anything applied to this surface will not adrere to the surface.

---

Not true. I glued a plastic wall mount to the back of mine, it has supported the weight of the router just fine for the 3+ years I've had it.

[tagteam]

Maybe I just got lucky but none of the components in my RBK53 system, 1 router and 2 sats, are "melted", "sticky", or even close to be "tacky".

On the other hand, none are close to having a smooth, slippery-type surface, such as shiny plastic or glass; they just feel sort of "rubbery".

I bought my RBK53 from Costco in 2017 and they have been used exclusively in my house in SWFL (so clearly a humid environment - although the A/C is on a heck of a lot).

[Mstrbig]

I'm in Tampa Bay Florida and never experienced the meltdown. But I did recently install an Orbi system in a 60,000 Sq Ft warehouse. I'll have to check from time to time to see if the rubber melts. I'm sure the warehouse gets 90 degrees.

[jrh1194]

I live about 15 miles from Charleston SC. Very warm and humid here most of the year. I've had my RBK50 for over 2 years now and had no stickiness and absolutely no melting. Then again, I don't touch it very often.