RBR850 / AX6000 internet issues

[Flbrit]

Hi,

In the last few days I have been experiencing some connectivity issues that actually are exactly the same as I have had before (in March 2020) and eventually Netgear admitted it was an issue with a firmware they had pushed but hadn't yet released so somehow it didn't appear as being there or something.

My devices seem to lose connection and then get it back again, even my wired (into the ORBI) desktop faces the issue so it is definitely the router and not the WIFI.

On my desktop when it happens and I try to navigate to a web page, then the browser either hangs, loads really slowly or sits for a few seconds with a message depending on the browser.

Chrome: This site can't be reached, hotmail.com's server IP address could not be found. DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

Edge: Outlook Web can't reach the internet. Check your connection

I have a DrayTek Vigor130 modem which passes straight through to my ORBI modem.

If I connect to the modem directly, there is no issue.

Can anybody make any suggestions?  Last time it happened I was still within support with Netgear but even then they didn't want to admit it was their kit causing the issue until I suppose lots of people reported it.

Eventually they fixed it by sending me a d/l link for an updated firmware but again one that was not released yet.

Thanks.

[FURRYe38]

Is the modem running in router or bridge mode? 

What Firmware version is currently loaded?

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? 

[Flbrit]

Hi,

The modem is in bridge mode and the firmware version that my router says is V3.2.16.6_1.4.4

I have done a factory reset and setup from scratch after the manual FW update I did back in March but I have not done it recently.

Thanks Sean.

[FURRYe38]

You can try another reset and see. I would power OFF the ISP modem as well for 1 minute then back ON. If this doesn't resolve this, put the modem back in to router mode, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, then confgure the RBR for AP mode and see if this changes the behavior...

[Flbrit]

Thanks, I will try the power off and setup again, the last time this happened I was advised to try the Orbi in AP mode but it did not fix it.

[ssylvan]

I'm also having this same issue. I guess the firmware was broken in the recent update perhaps?

[FURRYe38]

You can try v22 FW and see. After that try router mode on the modem with the RBR in AP mode. IF the problem still seems to heppen, possible this maybe an ISP issue as well. Sometihing to check with the ISP service as well to ensure all is good there. Seen others post that sometimes its the service or the ISP hardware.

---

@Flbrit wrote:

Thanks, I will try the power off and setup again, the last time this happened I was advised to try the Orbi in AP mode but it did not fix it.

---

[Flbrit]

Thanks for the answers, it is still not working.

I am confident it is a firmware issue, it is doing exactly the same as it did the last time the firmware broke it.

Only difference now is I am out of support and so I can't get help from Netgear.

It is not the ISP, I still have their WIFI router and if I plug that in then it all works.

FW is now on 3.2.16.22_1.4.9

Is there a way I can rollback the FW and then stop it from auto-updating?

Thanks

[FURRYe38]

You can try this:

1) Go to Advanced, Security, Block Sites and add the following sites.
http.fw.updates1.netgear.com
updates1.netgear.com
downloads.netgear.com
Kept digging on this and learned the following:
TCP port 443 (HTTPS): http.fw.updates1.netgear.com
TCP port 21 (FTP): updates1.netgear.com
I believe those two are all that's necessary to block. Orbi tries HTTPS first, then FTP.

Downgrade to 3.2.15.25.

You'll need to do this with the RBR disconncted from the ISP modem. Downgrade the RBS first, then RBR.