Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

njweb
Luminary

New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16.22)

I recently upgraded to the Orbi AX / Wifi 6 RBK753S (from the AC3000 RBK53). I never had any real issues with my RBK53, but since my ISP plan speed just went up again, I wanted to maximize throughput (and range)...

 

My RBK53 was rock solid on most firmware versions; wifi connections rarely dropped.

 

So far since owning the RBK753S for 2 1/2 days (came with firmware 3.2.16.22), while it does has even greater wifi speeds and for the most part has worked well the past several days, it already had 2 hiccups so far - on Monday I lost wifi connectivity once and today it got very slow this morning for several minutes.

I rebooted my system and it was okay again, but the issue today was during a very important monthly work meeting with numerous senior stakeholders (thankfully I had given my updates for my topic before the connectivity dropped).

 

Not a great start from a connectivity perspective with my RBK753S. 😞

I very rarely had issues with my prior Orbi RBK53 (AC3000) system...

 

Are others having wifi connectivity / stability and / or performance issues with the latest firmware?

I see the latest firmware posted officially (3.2.17.12.) has some security enhancements and bug fixes, but no reliability / performance improvements; so presumably any wifi issues with 3.2.16.22 would not be resolved by upgrading to 3.2.17.12 (or 3.2.18.1 which is not posted officially yet, but showing via online update check via the standard Orbi admin GUI - 192.168.1.1).

 

System details:

  • Orbi RBK753S AX / Wifi 6 system.
  • Orbi Firmware: V3.2.16.22 (will upgrade to 3.2.7.x or 3.2.8.x shortly).
  • OS: Windows 10

Edit - I forgot to add, that I enabled IPv6 (default is 'off'). Not sure if that would impact wifi stability in any way (I know it should not), but mentioning it anyway...).

Comcast Xfinity seems to (still) be using 6to4 Tunnel for IPv6, which is being 'deprecated' according to Firefox messages? 

 

Advanced Wireless Settings (all set to defaults):
Advanced Wireless Settings (2.4GHz b/g/n/ax)
'Enable 20/40 MHz Coexistence' option is checked (enabled)
'Enable WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) settings (2.4GHz b/g/n/ax)' option is checked (enabled)
CTS/RTS Threshold (1-2347): 64
Preamble Mode - Automatic
Transmit Power Control - 100%

Advanced Wireless Settings (5GHz 802.11a/n/ac/ax)
'Enable WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) settings (5GHz a/n/ac/ax)' option is checked (enabled).
CTS/RTS Threshold (1-2347): 64
Preamble Mode - Automatic
Transmit Power Control - 100%

Message 1 of 52

Accepted Solutions
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Something to try out, Disable AX mode on the RBR. Just the 5Ghz radio or both. Up to you. 

Also set CTS values to 2347. Then retest the killer adapter. 

Then maybe re-enabled AX both and re-test for consistency. 

View solution in original post

Message 37 of 52

All Replies
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

PS: (Since I cannot edit the original post anymore - outside time limit to edit it:

 

I just to clarify, overall it is workling very well. Just trying to avoid a disconnect / slowness issue every other day (even if only one occurence per day on which it occurs).

Message 2 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?

 

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite

 

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 disabling the following and see:
Armor

Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

 

You can find other speed diagnosis steps in the community faq: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/Community-FAQ-My-Orbi-speeds-are-slow-inconsistent-and-don-...

Message 3 of 52
vajim
Master

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

my fav....What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?

 

IF your orbi is working I'd hold off on the firmware update.  The recent track record is bad.

Message 4 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16


Replies inline below
@FURRYe38 wrote:

What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?

 

njweb >> I am using my own modem - Motorola MB8600 DOCSIS 3.1 (same one I have been using for 2 1/2 years, including with my prior Orbi).

 

 

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?

njweb >> Just under 3,100 without basement, close to 4,500 with finished basement

 

What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite

 

njwweb |>> Will have to measure, but basically the router is on main floor in corner room; one satellite is upstairs and other one is in basement (exact same positions as prior Orbi components - I placed them literally within 1/4 of an inch of prior Orbi router and satellite locations).

 

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?

 

njweb reply >> channels using defaults, which are as follows:

2.4 GHz - Auto

5GHz - 48

Neighbors are spread out due to large lot sizes.

Same channels were used for prior Orbi and worked fine for the past 3 1/2 + years.

 

Try disabling the following and see:
Armor

Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

 

You can find other speed diagnosis steps in the community faq: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/Community-FAQ-My-Orbi-speeds-are-slow-inconsistent-and-don-...

 

njweb >> Thanks, let me check out the link when I get a chance and, as suggested, I will also disable Armor on my RBK753S system since that is not something I had with my prior AC3000 Orbi...


Thanks a lot! (My responses are inline above as mentioned).

Message 5 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16


@vajim wrote:

my fav....What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?

 

IF your orbi is working I'd hold off on the firmware update.  The recent track record is bad.


Thanks for the feedback!

 

Yes, aside from the two temporary issues noted in my OP above, it is working fine for all my devices.

In fact I am getting my ISP's full bandwidth in the room where router is located - I am on a "400 Mpbs" downstream plan, but getting about 450 Mbps via Orbi wifi which is what my ISP is actually provisioning...

With the RBK53 I was getting about 25% less with my prior Orbi router in the same position...

 

Just trying to avoid any disconnects, at least not a few times a week. 

 

Message 6 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

When you see this "disconnect" is this across both wired and wireless? 

Is there any front LED indication on the RBR when this happens? 


@njweb wrote:

PS: (Since I cannot edit the original post anymore - outside time limit to edit it:

 

I just to clarify, overall it is workling very well. Just trying to avoid a disconnect / slowness issue every other day (even if only one occurence per day on which it occurs).


 

Message 7 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16


@FURRYe38 wrote:

When you see this "disconnect" is this across both wired and wireless? 

Is there any front LED indication on the RBR when this happens? 


@njweb wrote:

PS: (Since I cannot edit the original post anymore - outside time limit to edit it:

 

I just to clarify, overall it is workling very well. Just trying to avoid a disconnect / slowness issue every other day (even if only one occurence per day on which it occurs).


 


Thanks!

Great question. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to check since I was focused primarily on getting back to work on both occasions - I quickly rebooted things to get back online...

 

If / when the connectivity / speed issue happens again, I will check other devices to confirm if it is just wireless and also check the Orbi's LED (which is not visible from where I am sitting since the Orbi router is located behind a monitor and also facing the opposite direction...

Message 8 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Well since you have new FW loaded, See what happens. A factory reset maybe needed as well. 

Message 9 of 52
vajim
Master

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16


@FURRYe38 wrote:

Well since you have new FW loaded, See what happens. A factory reset maybe needed as well. 


if the password is lost.

Message 10 of 52
Bonacci
Star

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Same issue for me. Upgraded to RBK852 and have significant drop in connection reliablity both wifi and hardwirded. Nothing changed in my setup in terms of positioning of router/satelites, settings etc. Already upgraded the RBK852 firmware to latest version with no improvement. Seems to be hardware issue, maybe with antenna's?

Message 11 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Well since you have new FW loaded, try factory reset maybe needed as well. 

Was this happening prior to the FW update?


@Bonacci wrote:

Same issue for me. Upgraded to RBK852 and have significant drop in connection reliablity both wifi and hardwirded. Nothing changed in my setup in terms of positioning of router/satelites, settings etc. Already upgraded the RBK852 firmware to latest version with no improvement. Seems to be hardware issue, maybe with antenna's?


 

Message 12 of 52
Bonacci
Star

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Thanks for your swift response. Yes, this happed prior to the FW update also and I've (factory) reset but unfortunately still have this issue. It actually seems to be getting worse with this afternoon a complete drop of (wired!) connection. 

Message 13 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Mine has been stable all day today, knock on wood. (Have not run any speed tests today or, better yet, any downloads to confirm speeds, but no disconnects).

Been using one app for a while today since it reports any disconnects; so far so good...

 

Will keep monitoring it for the rest of the day and weekend.

Message 14 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Keep us posted. 


@njweb wrote:

Mine has been stable all day today, knock on wood. (Have not run any speed tests today or, better yet, any downloads to confirm speeds, but no disconnects).

Been using one app for a while today since it reports any disconnects; so far so good...

 

Will keep monitoring it for the rest of the day and weekend.


 

Message 15 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Please continue to give feed back in your thread:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/Upgrade-from-RBK50-to-RBK852-significantly-drops-network/td...

 

Please provide feedback to questions presented. 


@Bonacci wrote:

Thanks for your swift response. Yes, this happed prior to the FW update also and I've (factory) reset but unfortunately still have this issue. It actually seems to be getting worse with this afternoon a complete drop of (wired!) connection. 


 

Message 16 of 52
Bonacci
Star

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Interested to learn which app you are using to monitor this. Can you share the name of the app?

Message 17 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16


@Bonacci wrote:

Interested to learn which app you are using to monitor this. Can you share the name of the app?


App was the wrong choice of words (was in a hurry and thinking about several things when I wrote it).

I mean I picked a random online game and had it running for a while so it would alert me of any disconnect (even short-lived)...

Message 18 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Update with a lot of GOOD news, now that it has been almost 6 days since that disconnect:
 
Connection stability
RESOLVED: So far so good! No issues at all since last Thursday afternoon with my RBK753S!
The only real setting I changed on Thursday or Friday (aside from rebooting router, modem etc.) was to disable IPv6 (i.e. back to default).
Since my RBK753S is working well now on 3.2.18.1 from a stability perspective, I will stick swith IPv6 disabled (default value).
 
Wireless speeds
RESOLVED.
Well, as I suspected (but edited my post), the speed issue on my lapptop in same room as Orbi was due to Killer Contol Center software (or whatever components it comes with) and / or Killer drivers for my AC1535 card:
I  removed Killer Control Center and let Windows instally the optimum driver (older by 1 year) and speeds are fine now!
 
Old content for reference:
The issue with Speedtest reporting low speeds is ongoing. Note - actual download speeds are higher than the results reported by Speedtest (as I mentioned previously) - ironic I know, since usually if anything it is the opposite...
 
Actual speeds also fluctuate. Tried different driver packages without success.
Maybe the signal is too strong and overloading it, but last week I had it working better.
I will keep working on this for a bit, but frankly I will probably simply connect that laptop to ethernet anyway since it is in a fixed location... I was keeping it connected wirelessly to test the Orbi out and never ended up adding my switch so I could plug this laptop into a gigabit ethernet port.
 
Overall, wireless speeds reported, by Speedtest at least, are not as impressive as I had hoped for across my various laptops /and devices, although the Intel AC 9560 wifi card in one laptop is working amazingly well, getting a full 475 Mbps down (my plan is 400 Mbps but they overprovision by about 75 Mbps, so my maxium is about 475 Mbps).
Unfortunately the same cannot be said of my Killer AC1535 (in 2 laptops) and Intel AX201 Wifi 6 card (1 laptop).
Ironically in the laptop cloesst to the router, I am getting disappointing / inconsistent wifi speeds unless I reset the wifi connection sand even then today it is lower than it should be.
Might be adapter or driver-dependent though...
 
Message 19 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Glad it's working well for you. Be sure to save off a backup configuration to file for safe keeping. Saves time if a reset is needed. 

You might most this here as well to let others know:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/New-Firmware-Version-3-2-18-1-for-RBR750-RBS750-Series-Rele...

 

Enjoy. Smiley Wink


@njweb wrote:
Update with a lot of GOOD news, now that it has been almost 6 days since that disconnect:
 
Connection stability
RESOLVED: So far so good! No issues at all since last Thursday afternoon with my RBK753S!
The only real setting I changed on Thursday or Friday (aside from rebooting router, modem etc.) was to disable IPv6 (i.e. back to default).
Since my RBK753S is working well now on 3.2.18.1 from a stability perspective, I will stick swith IPv6 disabled (default value).
 
Wireless speeds
The issue with Speedtest reporting low speeds is ongoing. Note - actual download speeds are higher than the results reported by Speedtest (as I mentioned previously) - ironic I know, since usually if anything it is the opposite...
 
Actual speeds also fluctuate. Tried different driver packages without success.
Maybe the signal is too strong and overloading it, but last week I had it working better.
I will keep working on this for a bit, but frankly I will probably simply connect that laptop to ethernet anyway since it is in a fixed location... I was keeping it connected wirelessly to test the Orbi out and never ended up adding my switch so I could plug this laptop into a gigabit ethernet port.
 
Overall, wireless speeds reported, by Speedtest at least, are not as impressive as I had hoped for across my various laptops /and devices, although the Intel AC 9560 wifi card in one laptop is working amazingly well, getting a full 475 Mbps down (my plan is 400 Mbps but they overprovision by about 75 Mbps, so my maxium is about 475 Mbps).
Unfortunately the same cannot be said of my Killer AC1535 (in 2 laptops) and Intel AX201 Wifi 6 card (1 laptop).
Ironically in the laptop cloesst to the router, I am getting disappointing / inconsistent wifi speeds unless I reset the wifi connection sand even then today it is lower than it should be.
Might be adapter or driver-dependent though...
 

 

Message 20 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Posting there here im my dedicated issue thread too:

 

The bad news is that this morning, the Speedtest speeds are again lower (not quite as low as before the factory reset, but they drop off DRAMATICALLY before the test ends: The test starts at 475 Mbps BRIEFLY but very quickly drops to 330 range and stays there - end result 337 Mbps only. Smiley Sad

Actual download speeds are also bad today via wifi (e.g. 170 Mbps).

 

Just conected the laptop to the Orbi ethernet port (no other changes) and instantly both Speedtest and real world download speeds are fine via ETHERNET, just about 480 Mbps (stable at 478 - 480), so it is Orbi wireless that is an issue. 

So I can rule out all of the following: my ISP, my cable modem and the Orbi wired connection.

 

These poor wifi speeds in same room as the router are very disappointing and frustrating. I may as well go back to my RBK53 in that case...

I do not know if this is perhaps due to the router firmware or router. Doubt it is due to the wifi adapter though since 2 different adapters were unable to get proper wifi speeds.

 

Per another thread, I will try to experiment with disabling WMM on 5 Ghz band just to see if it has any impact. The problem is QoS is supposed to be enabled, so I will have to turn it back on.

Then I will try to go back to the 2.16.x.x firmware to see if that helps speeds...

Smiley Sad

Message 21 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Are you connect at the RBR or RBS when wirelessly speed testing? 

Does this happen on more than one wireless device? 

What channels are you using?

Any wifi neighbors near by?

 

Would be good to test a older version of FW to see. 

Message 22 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

Disabled WMM and wifi speeds went way down to 68 Mbps, so will IMMEDIATELY re-enable that after a call and then next step is to find time between calls to install 3.2.16.x firmware again...

 

Hope 3.2.16.x helps; if not luckily I still have my RBK53. 

Shame, I really wanted to enjoy the Orbi AX wifi speeds on my further away wireless devices (have an AX laptop in the other room).

If all else fails, I may have to try another AX solution to compare its wifi speeds to the RBK753S...

 

Message 23 of 52
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16

What are you using for CTS values? Default?

Let us know how it goes with prior version of FW. 

Message 24 of 52
njweb
Luminary

Re: New RBK753S - Stability / wifi connection reliability issues every other day so far? (fw V3.2.16


@FURRYe38 wrote:

Are you connect at the RBR or RBS when wirelessly speed testing? 

Does this happen on more than one wireless device? 

What channels are you using?

Any wifi neighbors near by?

 

Would be good to test a older version of FW to see. 


Using RBR for wifi tests.

Similar results with a Note 9 on 5 GHz 802.11ac

Both devices (laptop and phone) located only 1 - 2 feet from RBR.

 

Wired speed was instantly 480 Mbps with same laptop. I did not do anything else, except connect to the Orbi's ethernet port... (did NOT even need to reboot laptop or renew I lease etc.). So it is not my ISP or cable modem etc.

 

Disabling Orbi's WMM made things even worse (perhaps a good thing, since that was only to check if that was the cause; I do not want WMM disabled permanently anyway).

 

Next step is to try 3.2.16.x

Problem is the issue tends to happen after a while, so I may think 3.2.16.x helped and only find out a few hours later or even half a day later that speeds are down again...

 

For example, after the factory reset last night, I got 5 consecutive tests with high speeds (as noted last night) and was hopeful it was better.

Before the reset (per Speedtest results history), I could only get 1 - 2 (max) good tests in a row before speeds dropped again on 3rd test and beyond.

But this morning back to the drawing board - the lower speeds I noted in my posts above. 😞

 

 

 

Message 25 of 52
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