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Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

evil_mike
Apprentice

Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Hey gang,

 

Just upgraded my Orbi to the latest firmware and, when I try to activate Armor, I keep getting the error message "Device is off-line" (see screenshot). 

What I've done so far:

1. Power cycled the Orbi (pulled power cable, waited 10 seconds, and plugged it back in)

2. Tried accessing on different iOS devices

 

I'm reluctant to do a factory reset because I also have Circle running and it can be a pain getting it back up after a reset.

Has anyone successfully gotten Armor working on their Orbi? If so, what did you do?  

Is anyone running Armor AND Circle on the same device?

Thanks,

 

evil

 

orbiarmor.png

Message 1 of 63
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

What FW is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?
Is the Orbi system operating in Router or AP mode?

 

Disable Circle and see if this changes anyhing. 

 

What iOS devices do you have? 

 

Message 2 of 63
Christian_R
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Hello Orbi Community, 

 

We are seeing a few people reporting this error and are currently investigating. We'd like to work with any other individuals directly to expedite resolving the issue. Please send me (@Christian_R) or @ChristineT a private message with your contact information and serial number and we will reach out to you promptly. 

 

Best regards,

Christian 

Message 3 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Reply sent to your PM, Christian.

Message 4 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Firmware is 2.3.0.32 (used the correct process to upgrade it)

Cable modem is a Netgear CM1000

Router mode

Latest iOS version as of today (12.1.4) 

iOS XS and iPad Pro (2018 version) - tested on both

 

Tried disabling Circle - no change.

Message 5 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Using this as my troubleshooting scratchpad so others can see what I've tried.

 

Tried re-enabling IPv6 (it was disabled). No change.

Message 6 of 63
WRSORBI
Luminary

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Same issue trying to activate Armor. RBR50 Firmware V2.3.0.32.  ISP is Comcast and modem is DOCSIS 3.1 Arris SB8200.

Model: RBR50| Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi (Router Only)
Message 7 of 63
WRSORBI
Luminary

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Tried it again and Armor activation from the Orbi app worked with no problems. Fully installed.

Model: RBR50| Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi (Router Only)
Message 8 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Update: I did what I said I didn’t want to do and factory reset my router.

Boom: Armor activated without issue. Now to test it with Circle enabled too.
Message 9 of 63
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

So you reset the Orbi and Armour is now working? 


@evil_mike wrote:
Update: I did what I said I didn’t want to do and factory reset my router.

Boom: Armor activated without issue. Now to test it with Circle enabled too.

 

Message 10 of 63
WRSORBI
Luminary

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

No.  I changed nothing. I simply waited about 2 hours, retried and Armor successfully activated with no issues from the IOS Orbi App.

Model: RBK50| Orbi AC3000 High-Performance Tri-Band WiFi System
Message 11 of 63
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Ok, Glad yours worked. I was asking to see if @evil_mike reset his system. 

Sounds like maybe the Armour system may have a delay in activation. Thanks for letting us know. 


@WRSORBI wrote:

No.  I changed nothing. I simply waited about 2 hours, retried and Armor successfully activated with no issues from the IOS Orbi App.


 

Message 12 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Yeah, I reset back to factory defaults, because I figured nuke and pave was the last resort.  Voila, fixed.

 

I haven't tested streaming 4K content or running speed tests on my game consoles yet, but so far, so good.

Message 13 of 63
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Ok, thanks for confirmeing this. So thats one solution. The other poster said it just took time for the activation to hit so either a reset or just wiating for activation to hit is two suggestions. Hope it all works well for you. 


@evil_mike wrote:

Yeah, I reset back to factory defaults, because I figured nuke and pave was the last resort.  Voila, fixed.

 

I haven't tested streaming 4K content or running speed tests on my game consoles yet, but so far, so good.


 

Message 14 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

FYI, I disabled Armor after I tested it and discovered it was slowing my download speeds by 200Mbps (with Armor, I was getting 78 Mbps down/without Armor, I was getting 280 Mbps).  Unless there's a way to set up exceptions so certain devices are never scanned, similar to how Circle handles unmanaged devices, the cost does not outweigh the benefit.

Message 15 of 63
WRSORBI
Luminary

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

I measured wired 287 mbps dowloand prior and 287 mbps after Armor installation. Measured with Ookla. Wireless was 282 mbps wireless prior and post Armor. No degradation detected.

 

Comcast ISP and Arris SB8200. Dell 9570 XPS, Killer ac wireless adapter, Intel 210 wired.

 

Model: RBK50| Orbi AC3000 High-Performance Tri-Band WiFi System
Message 16 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Are you using the speed test on the app itself, because that isn't going to have any affect on throughput (it's not measuring traffic behind the router).  I tested with my Xbox One X, which is wired to the satellite (I use the satellite as a dedicated bridge between my living room and the router).

Message 17 of 63
WRSORBI
Luminary

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Using Windows 10 Chrome browser on laptop to Ookla website. Simple regular device test on LAN. Did not use Orbi app speedtest since it is simply modem to router.

Model: RBK50| Orbi AC3000 High-Performance Tri-Band WiFi System
Message 18 of 63
gr8sho
Virtuoso

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

FWIW.  On my first attempt to install v2.3 from a factory reset through Web GUI, I too noticed Armor wanted to activate but didn't.  The second attempt of a factory reset, this time via iPhone X, Armor activated immediately through there.  The third and final attempt was done strictly with the hardware allowing it to boot up and pair on its own.  Once done, I logged into the Orbi from tne WebGUI and Armor was not activated.  Then switched over to iPhone app and this time Armor activated.    I wasn't doing any of this for Armor.  It was just a passenger on a long train.  I have no need for Circle.

Lastly. haven't noticed any performance penalty due to Armor here.

Message 19 of 63
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

You should test with a wired PC/ laptop at the base router for more accurate results. Testing thru the satellite or with a game console does not give accurate results. 

 

I would make sure that Armor is not managing the satellite, just connected devices. 


@evil_mike wrote:

Are you using the speed test on the app itself, because that isn't going to have any affect on throughput (it's not measuring traffic behind the router).  I tested with my Xbox One X, which is wired to the satellite (I use the satellite as a dedicated bridge between my living room and the router).


 

Message 20 of 63
gr8sho
Virtuoso

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)


@Christian_R wrote:

Hello Orbi Community, 

 

We are seeing a few people reporting this error and are currently investigating.


Hello.  On the welcome screen of the home screen, I can see Armor as activated.  It looks like the icon makes a link indication when I mouse over it but nothing happens when I click.  Furthermore when I look through all the screens I could not find any other indication of Armor including any switch to activate or deactivate.  The switch is function in the iOS app, but not through the web browser console.

Message 21 of 63
gr8sho
Virtuoso

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Hello.  On the more general topic of questions about Armor, it's not entirely obvious what exaclty the service is doing.  From the marketing information I've read and from casual usage, I can see for instance notifications come to my iPhone whenever I connect a new device to the network, which is quaint.  Apparently antivirus software is available for PCs and Macs.  The promo also makes mention of cybersecurity threat detection, but I'm not sure how that's altogether different than what the router's firewall function is presumably doing.  Anything more I can read to help explain the service would be appreciated in case there's something I'm missing.

Message 22 of 63
evil_mike
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

I kiiiinda get what you’re saying, but you are ignoring the overhead it put on my console traffic (theoretically - I didn’t run comprehensive testing to confirm this was the case; I just tested with Armor on and Armor off).

I’m at a conference, but will do more testing this week with a few different devices.
Message 23 of 63
Stoph70
Aspirant

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)

Are you able to use armor at all in AP Mode? I dont even see the dang thing in app or in browser. 

Model: RBR50| Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi (Router Only), RBS50| Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi (Satellite Only)
Message 24 of 63
BBB73
Apprentice

Re: Armor on Orbi questions (activation issues and another question)


@Stoph70 wrote:

Are you able to use armor at all in AP Mode? I dont even see the dang thing in app or in browser. 


Hi @Stoph70 , as far as I know, Armor is only available in router mode.

Message 25 of 63
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