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hoverduck's avatar
hoverduck
Aspirant
Aug 24, 2019

Devices attached to satellites unable to talk to each other

For the last few weeks I've noticed issues where devices on my network aren't able to reliably talk to each other.  Specifically I have a NAS and a server PC attached via Ethernet to a satellite in the basement, and my laptop connected to either an upstairs satellite or the main router via WiFi.  All of these devices can talk to the internet, but my laptop can't reach the NAS or the server (or vice versa).  I have port forwarding set on the router to forward SSH to the server, and it works fine for me to SSH from the laptop to my external IP address - traffic is correctly forwarded to the server.  But if I try to SSH directly from my laptop to the server it isn't routed.  Pings return nothing.  If I reboot the satellite then I get connectivity back for a while, but then it stops working again.

 

Yesterday I updated to the latest firmware (v2.3.5.30), and also disabled the Daisy Chain Network Topology.  I thought the latter resolved it, but now about 24 hours later my connectivity disappeared again.

 

I have telnetted into the satellite and confirmed that even from there I can't ping my laptop.

 

Is anyone else seeing this problem?  Any advice or suggestions?  I'm about ready to just put the satellite on a smart plug and schedule a reboot every night while I'm asleep.

9 Replies

  • FURRYe38's avatar
    FURRYe38
    Guru - Experienced User

    Is the RBS wired or wireless connected to the RBR?

    What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
    What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.

     

    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 enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

    Try disabling the following and see:
    Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).


    Port Fowarding isn't used needed for internal LAN side connections...

     

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

    • hoverduck's avatar
      hoverduck
      Aspirant

      Thanks for the quick response and all the suggestions.  I'll give them a try and report back, but in the meantime here are the answers to your questions:

       

      > Is the RBS wired or wireless connected to the RBR?

        Wireless

       

      > What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?

        ~5000 sq ft


      > What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)?

        I don't have exact measurements, but a rough guess is about 30ft.

       

      > What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.

        I initially saw the problem with 2.4GHz set to Auto, but I've since reconfigured to channel 4.  I'll try 1, 6, or 11 next.


      > Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

        No, not really.  I see a very faint signal from one neighbor, but not enough to really connect to.

       

      > Port Fowarding isn't used needed for internal LAN side connections...

        Yeah, I know.  I just mentioned that as a point to prove that there's at least one network pathway from laptop -> RBR -> RBS -> server.  Going via the server's local IP doesn't work, but going via the external IP with port forwarding the Orbi routes the data just fine.

       

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

        No, is this recommended anywhere?

       


       

      • FURRYe38's avatar
        FURRYe38
        Guru - Experienced User

        Why not put the Server connected at the RBR iinstead of the RBS?

         

        Factory resets have proven to help fix odd issues seen after FW updates.