I installed my new 970 last Friday behind an ATT BGW320 Fiber Gateway (I have 5Gb internet service) and I’ve been experiencing the same issue. My download speeds will be 4500-4800MB, my uploads won’t get above 700 MBs. Netgear, what’s happening on this issue? There were 26 posts on this issue on 1-day in Feb of this year, and then nothing?!?!
@FURRYe38 , After the previous firmware update (not the update you just announced in the last few days) and after that previous software update, I removed one of my two 970 Satellites (per your suggestion) leaving me with two WiFi 7 mesh nodes in a 2000 sg ft home, the Orbi App speed test results (we ultimately had already traced the issue to faulty upload speed READINGS, not an actual slow upload speed THROUGH-PUT) now correctly reflects 4700-5100Mbps upload speeds with my ATT 5 fiber-gig service. I’ll try to find your previous post and mark my issue as resolved. Thanks for all your suggestions and assistance!
Anything with gateways could cause problems. Modem only units are preferred.
Need to try AP mode as well with the Orbi system.
How many RBS are deployed? 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 wired or wirelessly connected.
Well, Netgear’s Community reply template wants me to populate “Device”. My Orbi 971 (RBE971) isn’t a choice in their drop -down and it won’t populate what I typed. I already trued everything in this thread (and 400 other articles from across the world)! I’m most unhappy (I’m not the only Netgear Customer who has an ATT BGW320 fiber Gateway) and I especially liked the Netgear instruction that said if you install the $2300 Orbi behind another router, the Orbi has to be configured in Access Point mode!! So I paid that much money for 3 AP’s and have to still use my slower ATT Gateway router!! Also, even in the 168-page Orbi 971 manual it shows the 3 ways to connect the Satellites. I spent almost $10k upgrading our home to a 10Gb backbone with 8 Netgear stackable managed routers. Two satellites are locate right beside the M4300 routers. The Orbi manual shows 3 connections for satellites, daisy chain (no!), star (no!) and 3rd way shows two satellites on either side of a blue (Netgear) non-descript router with the caption “or a switch can be used”. They don’t mention it will only work with an unmanaged switch!! I’m hoping for a solution that will work for every customer who purchases a Netgear WIFI 7 product.
You don't have to use the product drop down to post.
The M4300 are managed switches, not a router. Also there is a known issue with having RBS ethernet connected to the RBR with ANY Managed switch in between. So only non managed switches work here. XS505M and GS110MX work great with the 9 series.
Also CAT6A STP cabling is recommended for higher speed connections.
Best to keep in contact with NG support since you've made contact there and not giving feedback to questions presented. Hopefully they can help you figure this out.
@Roc1 wrote: Netgear instruction that said if you install the $2300 Orbi behind another router, the Orbi has to be configured in Access Point mode!!
Would love to see a link to that instruction from Netgear. As far as I am aware, customers who can tolerate a Double NAT are free to leave the Orbi in router mode. There are generally three methods to avoid a Double NAT, and putting the Orbi in Access Point mode is one of them. The other two are
Put the ISP device in "bridge" or "passthrough" mode
ATT Fiber Gateways don’t offer a Bridge Mode, only a Passthrough option. Here’s what a Netgear Support document says (note the word “MUST”):
Depending on which Internet service provider (ISP) you use, you must do one of the following: Enable bridge mode on your ISP-provided gateway Install your NETGEAR or Orbi router in AP (access point) mode and turn off the WiFi on your ISP-provided gateway For more information, see What is the difference between router mode and AP mode?.
I first thought this was strange which is why I started looking for on-line answers. I called Netgear tech Support 2-weeks ago since I saw so many conflicting “How to’s for ATT Gateways. Netgear tech basically told me just to follow the Orbi app instructions and that’s it! Well, I did follow the app instructions to a point, till it took me to the Router “Access Point” and “Router” selection page and told me to select the AP button! I think the app realizes you are connected to a Gateway, I knew enough that “Bridging” or “Passthrough” and disabling Gateway WIFI’s was a must, so I asked the Netgear tech about what settings I needed to change in the ATT Gateway. He said “none”! I questioned, “what about the ATT WiFi frequencies conflicting with Orbi WiFi frequencies, he then added, “yes, you do need to disable ATT WiFi”. So if you don’t know enough about Networks, Netgear will have, at least all the ATT ISP Orbi owners using the same slow ATT router they currently have, and a new $2300 mesh AP system!
I'll go on a search, but it would be a lot quicker to have the link to this document. Click on the "Link" symbol in the toolbar and paste the link into it.
I will explain where Netgear and I are at. You will find this interesting and as bewildering as me. I installed the new Orbi 970 and 2 satellites last Friday. I went into ATT Gateway and enabled pass through and disabled lots of other options. I had internet. I used the Orbi App (WiFi 6MHz and my WiFi 6E iPhone) to test my speed through the router multiple times throughout Fri and Sat: 2100-2300 Mb Down, 650-750Mb Up. I’ve had this same Gateway and 5Gb Svc for three years, it too has an internal speed test option. Consistently for three years, Gateway to ATT server, Up and Down both 4700-5100Mb. Same result on last Fri and Sat from ATT Gateway speed test. On Sun, I checked Orbi App, WOW!! 2100-2500Mb Up and Down!! I’d made no network changes. Same results all day Sun. Yesterday (Mon) and earlier today, Orbi router internal speed test 2100-2500 down, 650-800 up!! No changes made to Network. So today I called Netgear Tech as it was slow upload again. Tech had me go to Speedtest App on my WiFi 6E iPhone (working on 6Mhz Orbi WiFi) Wow! 1900-2300 down, 2000-2300 Up!! What?? We then used Orbi App tester, back to 2100-2500 down, 650-800 up, what?? I then went to the internal ATT Gateway speed test, 4500-4900 down, 480 up?!?!? So some how the Orbi router was slowing down the packets being sent from Speedtest through the ATT Gateway to the Netgear Router. Crazy. I have no idea what speed this expensive paper weight provides me. All the above info with speed test screen shots, and some screen shots of my Orbi settings, and they had me change my DNS Server on Orbi router to Google (helped a small amount on both up /down) all went to my Case number at Netgear.
I’m sorry but the link to the Netgear Support articles ALL show kb.netgear.com. That’s why I copy/pasted the info. The title of the support article is “How do I install my NETGEAR or Orbi router if I use a gateway from my ISP?” I’m old, but that is all that’s shown in the link bar at the bottom of the screen.
Yes, it is annoying to have identical experiments give different results when "nothing has changed".
Did I read correctly that the AT&T feature to report down/up performance from the BGW320 itself is inconsistent?
(usually reporting 4700-5100 down/up but on at least one occasion reporting 4800/480 down/up?)
If the BGW320 is reporting inconsistent "up" rates, then.... WTF? (technical term)
The Orbi router itself, and devices connected to it, cannot achieve more than AT&T provides. If AT&T 's fiber service is inconsistent, that would seem to put the focus squarely on AT&T.
Here’s another support article from kb.netgear.com about using an ATT gateway with Netgear Router:
To set up your NETGEAR or Orbi router to work with U-verse, you must turn off the WiFi on your AT&T gateway and install your new router in AP mode. For more information about AP mode, see What is the difference between router mode and AP mode?. To turn off the WiFi on your AT&T U-verse gateway: Launch a browser from a computer that is connected to your AT&T gateway’s network. Enter 192.168.1.254. A login window displays. Enter the default password for your AT&T device. Note: The default user name and password are typically located on a sticker on your device. The Home page displays. Select Wireless. Select the LAN tab. Select Disabled in the drop down menu next to the Wireless Interface option. Click Save to apply your settings. A confirmation page displays confirming that the WiFi on your AT&T device is disabled. After you turn off the WiFi on your AT&T device, see “How do I install my NETGEAR or Orbi router after I’ve enabled bridge mode or turned the WiFi off on my ISP gateway?.”
I’ve had that exact Gateway and 5G fiber service from ATT for at least 3-years. The speed values you referenced were from the ATT gateway and were close to 5GB consistently while I was using their 5G Gateway/Router and their two 1Gb Satellites. The 480 Mb speed was when the ATT Gateway Speedtest was measuring upload packets coming from the Gateway going to the new Orbi router! The SpeedTest router was having trouble getting the packets from the fiber connection, and 3’ over and into the 10Gb Orbi WAN port!!
I think a Bridging option removes any chance of double NAT issues. With Passthrough, the Gateway still has to assign an IP (I changed the address format of my Gateway from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.10.1 before I powered up the Orbi. But, when I look at the ATT Gateway IP assignment, ATT has assigned 192.168.10.2 to something (WAN port?) on the Orbi Router. When you check the Orbi’s App and the Router IP assignment it shows 192.168.1.1! I think that’s part of my problem, but I don’t know how to get around that having to use the Passthrough option on the ATT Fiber Gateway. So, yes, there is a difference between Bridging and Passthrough! I retired after 32 years from ATT, I know how they operate! If they have a choice to configure a product that will be easy for the customer and might make it possible to leave ATT, or make it more difficult so they have to keep the ATT product, you know what decision they will make!!
Exactly. Connect only the Orbi router to the AT&T BGW320. It will be the only device using DHCP to request an IP address, and it will be assigned the public IP address. To me, this is entirely equivalent to "bridge mode".
Thanks for the Link Lesson. I’ll try to get it right next time.
Two weeks ago, I called NG tech support to see exactly what I had to change in the ATT Gateway for my Orbi router to work when I started the installation. I was told to just follow the steps in the Orbi app. I pressed the tech further. He finally gave me the 5 or 6 steps (all related to config changes in the Orbi router, nothing in my ATT Gateway) that the app would also tell me when I started my install. A red flag jumped up when the tech, and later the App took me to the screen to change from Router to AP mode. NG is pushing us non-tech savvy consumers to configure the $2300 router as a $2300 AP!! I knew enough about WIFI frequency issues using two routers so I asked if I should turn off the ATT Gateway WiFi, he said “oh yes”. That was the only change he said I need to make in the ATT router. This think is true if you use Orbi in AP mode, but you won’t get any benefits of the Orbi Router (except WIFI 7) if your still using your older, slower ATT router to connect the internet. Two NG support articles I found said if your Gateway didn’t offer a bridging option (ATT does not) to use the Passthrough mode, but that you MUST configure the router for AP mode!!
Somewhere down through this list of posts, I describe how Pass through mode had the ATT Gateway assign an IP to the Orbi internet router port, (192.168.10.1) and the Orbi router assigned 192.168.1.1. I think that double NAT is part of my problem. I don’t think an ATT Bridge mode (if it was an option) gives the Orbi a 2nd IP address.
Is the mysterious IP you mentioned the 192.168.10.2? If so, that is the public IP address assigned by the ATT DHCP to the Orbi Router. I think that IP assignment is connected to the Orbi 10G INTERNET ONLY port. But, the Orbi also assigned the router (using its on DHCP) its own IP address of 192.168.1.1. I changed the ATT DHCP IP address starting assignment from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.10.1 before I connected the Orbi router to the Gateway during initial setup. The ATT Gateway IP address is now 192.168.10.1. The ATT gateway then assigned 192,168.10.2 to the Orbi Router when it asked for one. But the Orbi router DHCP also assigned 192.168.1.1 (that’s why I changed the ATT gateway address list to assign 192.168.10.x IP’s) to itself. The interesting thing (but I’m no expert), I have to use the Orbi IP assignment from itself (192.168.1.1) to log into the GUI interface. But when I look at the ATT Gateway/modem Device List of assigned IP’s, it shows the Orbi router MAC address with IP of 192.168.10.2 as the only one of two devices connected (my laptop plugged into the gateway is the 2nd device I use to access the ATT GUI, it’s assigned 192.168.10.3). So to recap, the ATT Gateway has assigned three IP addresses: the ATT gateway assigned 192.168.10.1 to itself, it assigned the Orbi Router 192.168.10.2, and it assigned my “console” laptop 192.168.10.3 (when connected for configuring Gateway settings). I think when ATT started using the “newer” Nokia BGW320-500 gateway (only offering the Passthrough mode), and then ATT support was flooded with Netgear Customers insisting on help setting up a Netgear router behind the ATT gateway (which ATT wouldn’t do), Netgear then received the angry calls from ATT customers who purchased Netgear Routers demanding setup help, so late last year, Netgear made a business decision that it used less of their customer support time (I.e. saved them labor expenses) and so they started instructing support employee’s and NG documentation stating their routers MUST be configured as AP’s if the Gateway didn’t support Bridging (I.e. only supported Passthrough) and not as routers to all customers calling for router support on Passthroughs. For us who aren’t tech savvy, we don’t realize we overpaid for a device (Router in AP mode) with “restricted” features.
The forum is not privy to the reasoning behind Netgear decisions. (Plus, I have no personal experience with Tier 1 of Netgear support. As a general observation, I find that Tier 1 support from most companies is not particularly sophisticated.) My issue with this fixation on AP mode is those two Knowledge Base articles which clearly do not say "MUST be set to AP mode" plus the BGW320 User Manual which describes how Passthrough mode works on the BGW320.
It would "shut me up" if you could do the experiment:
Put the Orbi in the default router mode.
Connect the Orbi router to the BGW320 (and connect nothing else to the BGW320)
Log into the BGW320 management.
Set the BGW320 to Passthrough mode
After the BGW320 reboots, reboot the Orbi router.
Observe what IP address is showing on the Orbi router Advanced Tab in the Internet Port box.
If the Orbi does not get the public IP address which matches the public IP address that the BGW320 had, then these articles are wrong and "I got nothin".
Ok CrimpOn, I’ll do it so we can see if it does make a speed difference, not to shut you up!! My hesitation is that if the ATT Gateway or Orbi drops the current config, I’ll need your help to get me back up to at least the speeds I have now (you know how much I don’t know about networks, I’m really just another “old” pretty face! Give me a few minutes to get into “configuration”. mode. I might have a question or two getting into AP Mode after making so many previous changes, I might have question for you as I go along.
I’ve made no changes yet!! I ran an Orbi Spped test this morning which I just tried to attach, I’ve been saving them as png files which the file box says is acceptable. It shows it’s a png file, but the browse file thinks it’s some hec something file and knocks my reply off the community. The results with my existing config as ATT in pass through mode and Orbi in router mode gave me 4627.31 down, and 935.79 up at 9am this morning. You were just looking at the Orbi speed test results up/down close to 5Gbs!!! What the heck is going on???? It did this over the weekend for one day to. The Orbi Speed test on Sunday jumped up to the below attached speeds, but when I checked again Monday (no changes made!) they dropped back to the lower 1Gb on upload speeds and were low like that (per opening speed test) on Mon Tue, and at least until 9am today (Wed)!! What the heck is going on?!?!?
