Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Hi everyone,

 

I decided to post because this issue has been getting worse and worse. I noticed a lot of people have been reporting similar things, but just wanted to share my experience as well.

 

The problem:

I installed the router using the Orbi App last week, and it has been working great. We thought we were in heaven.

Suddenly, for 2 days-ish, the router has just decided to turn purple and drop the internet connection, AT LEAST 1-2 times a day. It doesn't recover on its own, I have to disconnect it from the modem, reboot the modem (just for save measure), turn off the router then back on, then connect it back to the modem. It's so frustrating. The modem seems to be working fine, it's not hot or anything, just a bit warm to the touch. When the router drops the connection the lights on the modem still look the same.

 

Is there something I can do? Would upgrading the firmware change things do you think? Should I perform a factory reset?

 

I have to say that if I cannot get it to a stable state in a few days, I'll be returning this product, it's unbelievable how everyone on the internet kept saying it's the absolute best you can get, and once I actually bought it, it's just as unreliable as the other (cheaper)  options. So disappointed and lost a lot of trust I had in Netgear.

 

Thank you!

 

Context:

Modem: Sercomm  DM1000

Connection: 1Gbps up / 30Mbps down

Setup: 1 RBR850 connected to the modem, acting as wireless router, 1 RBS850 acting as satellite. RBR is downstairs, RBS is upstairs, distance between them must be around 25-30 feet.

 

Router setup:

Firmware: V4.6.3.16_2.0.51 

Wifi 2.4 GHz on Channel 6

Wifi 5 GHz on Channel 48

20/40 MHz coexistence enabled

Assigned static IPs to almost every device connected

 

Message 1 of 15
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

IF the front is turning PINK this usually means the RBR has lost internet services with the ISP modem or the modem isn't give good services to the RBR. 

 

Have the ISP ensure that the modem is getting good signal online the line from the ISP. 

Have the ISP check the signal and line quality UP to the modem. Be sure the ISP provisions the modem correctly.
Be sure there are no coax cable line splitters in the between the modem and ISP service box. 
Be sure your using good quality RG6 coax cable up to the modem. 
Be sure to power OFF the modem for 1 minute then back ON.

https://www.duckware.com/tech/solving-intermittent-cable-modem-issues.html

 

Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.

 

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?

25ft is too close between the RBR and RBS. 30 feet or more is recommended. 

 

You may want to update FW on the RBS first, then RBR lastly:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-WiFi-6-AX-and-WiFi-6E-AXE/New-RBR850-RBS850-Firmware-Version-4...

Message 2 of 15

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

I'll get in touch with my ISP and see what I can find out. To be fair on the same day I upgraded my router setup I also upgraded my internet connection and installed the new modem they gave me. So maybe I was attributing my issues to the router when it was the modem/cable all along.

 

I'll investigate and come back with results.

 

Thanks!

Message 3 of 15
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

👍

Message 4 of 15
plemans
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

When it drops, do all devices drop? Just wireless devices? 

What actually happens when it drops? Does it stop broadcasting wifi entirely, does it broadcast but you can't connect, can you connect but it says "connected, no internet'?

Message 5 of 15

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection


@plemans wrote:

When it drops, do all devices drop? Just wireless devices? 


Everything is affected, doesn't matter if it's wired or not.

 


@plemans wrote:

What actually happens when it drops? Does it stop broadcasting wifi entirely, does it broadcast but you can't connect, can you connect but it says "connected, no internet'?


I think this is more relevant - I noticed this this morning as well. The wifi itself doesn't go down, everything is still connected to wifi and it even doesn't show the "connected to wifi but no internet connection" warning on my PC or phone. But checking the router, indeed it's purple. And when going on 192.168.1.1 and checking the internet connection it says "waiting".

 

I installed a new CAT6 ethernet cable between the modem and the router, I also installed a new RG6 coaxial cable from the wall to my modem. I'll wait and see if those do anything to alleviate the problem. Tomorrow I will be contacting my ISP - I wanted to wait and have new cables installed just so I could eliminate a few variables before talking to them.

 

Is it me - or does this behavior mean that there might be something wrong with the modem and not so much the router?

 

Thank you for your help so far!

Message 6 of 15
plemans
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

How often does it drop? 

If you directly wire a pc into the modem and use it for an extended period of time, does it drop? 

Also, when it drops (and the router is still connected) are you able to ping the modem?

Message 7 of 15

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection


@plemans wrote:

How often does it drop? 


In the last 2-3 days I think the average was at least 2 times a day, maybe closer to 3.

Today it was only 1 drop so far, in the morning.

 


@plemans wrote:

If you directly wire a pc into the modem and use it for an extended period of time, does it drop? 


Sadly I don't really have a setup to test that. I don't have any laptops that have an ethernet port, and I wouldn't be able to conceivably use my PC while connected to the modem - the modem itself is in like a hallway.

 


@plemans wrote:

Also, when it drops (and the router is still connected) are you able to ping the modem?


This is a good question and one I've been trying to solve on my own but haven't had luck so far. I've been trying really hard to connect to the modem and try and get some logs or something to maybe understand what is happening when the internet drops, but I haven't been able to.

I said this in my 1st post too - I was given a Sercomm DM1000 by the ISP. I have read some manuals online and in there it said that you can access the modem by going to http://192.168.100.1 , but for the life of me I haven't been able to do that. Sadly I don't understand networking at a level where I can figure out that part.

 

I tried pinging the "default gateway" IP which looked like a public IP, and it returned packets. If the connection goes down again I'll try and ping it then and see what happens.

Message 8 of 15
plemans
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Default gateway should be the router's ip address and not the modems. 

so that won't help much. 

When you try to access the modem using its ip address, what error does it give you? 

Did you try pinging the 192.168.100.1 address? 

 

 

Message 9 of 15

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection


@plemans wrote:

Default gateway should be the router's ip address and not the modems. 

so that won't help much. 

When you try to access the modem using its ip address, what error does it give you? 

Did you try pinging the 192.168.100.1 address? 

 

 


Hey, thanks for the questions ^^

 

When trying to navigate to http://192.168.100.1 it just hangs for a bit and then Firefox just treats it as a non-existent page: "The connection has timed out". Pinging in cmdline with ping 192.168.100.1 also gives "Request timed out" message. I've found a few things online about the modem possibly being configured as a "bridge" and in that case being inaccessible?

 

Either way, haven't had a disconnect so far, it's been more than 24 hours. I might still contact the ISP to try and figure out this modem situation though.

 

Will keep you posted about any outages and/or answers to any questions you might have. I get it that you folks are just regular people doing this on your own time - which is why I really appreciate all of the help you've been providing in trying to understand the problem.

Message 10 of 15

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Good morning!

 

I think I just had one of the clearer situations happen just now:

 

I was working, I was in a call + connected to remote desktop. All of a sudden the internet gradually drops, by which I mean: I was still able to hear/see people, but I was speaking in a "robot voice" apparently, and shortly after I could not access any websites. It reached a point where Zoom just disconnected me.

 

Wi-fi was still up so I tried to connect to the router at 192.168.1.1, and it worked. It said "Not connected to internet". I rebooted the router just to see what would happen - and after the reboot still no internet.

 

So the only solution to get it back and running was to reboot the modem.

 

Immediately after the internet stopped working I ran downstairs and checked the modem temperature - it was warm but not hot.

 

This seems to point at an issue NOT with the router but somewhere else? Am I correct in making this assumption?

Message 11 of 15
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Would you enable email logging and see if this stops this behavior? 

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-WiFi-6-AX-and-WiFi-6E-AXE/Enable-Email-Logging-and-Router-Rebo...


@confused_user wrote:

Good morning!

 

I think I just had one of the clearer situations happen just now:

 

I was working, I was in a call + connected to remote desktop. All of a sudden the internet gradually drops, by which I mean: I was still able to hear/see people, but I was speaking in a "robot voice" apparently, and shortly after I could not access any websites. It reached a point where Zoom just disconnected me.

 

Wi-fi was still up so I tried to connect to the router at 192.168.1.1, and it worked. It said "Not connected to internet". I rebooted the router just to see what would happen - and after the reboot still no internet.

 

So the only solution to get it back and running was to reboot the modem.

 

Immediately after the internet stopped working I ran downstairs and checked the modem temperature - it was warm but not hot.

 

This seems to point at an issue NOT with the router but somewhere else? Am I correct in making this assumption?


 

Message 12 of 15

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

I just got off a conversation with my ISP and they ran a test on the line, after multiple modem resets the signals are "out of specification". So they'll have someone come and take a look at the wiring.

 

I'll keep you posted, thank you!

Message 13 of 15
plemans
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Glad they were actually helpful! Usually they say "its not the line" as a default. 

Message 14 of 15
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBK852 suddenly dropping internet connection

Kewl. So you don't have to enable email logging. Lets see how the ISP does on fixing this from there side. 


@confused_user wrote:

I just got off a conversation with my ISP and they ran a test on the line, after multiple modem resets the signals are "out of specification". So they'll have someone come and take a look at the wiring.

 

I'll keep you posted, thank you!


 

Message 15 of 15
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