Frequent Connectivity Issues

[Retired_Member]

Hi there.  I have an RBR50 Orbi Router with 1 Satellite (RBS50) - both are running firmware V2.2.1.210.  I am experience frequent connectivity drops on multiple wifi devices, often 1 or 2 times per hour - most noticable when watching netflix or my wifi sonos speakers stop.

Here's some more background - we currently have 32 devices in total connected to our network.  There is heavy usage from our Apple TV (for steaming netflix), as well as playing music to 4 wifi sonos speakers.  We also have a NestCam that streams to the cloud (for recording) 24/7 (but the NestCam is on the guest network, as it seemed more responsive there).  Other devices are things like smarthome devices, smartphones, computers.  Our internet service comes from Telus, we have fibre to the house, with 150mbs up and down.  When things are good, a speedtest from a smartphone shows we are getting >150mbs, but at other times it will drop out for about 5 seconds, and some devices (like Apple TV) report that there is no network connection.

Any suggestions for why we are having connectivity issues, or what we might do to improve the situation?

[FURRYe38]

What FW is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?

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.

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?
What WPA security modes are you using?

Possible you might need to add another satellite to help with network bandwidth saturation possibly. 

[Retired_Member]

Hello Furreye38 - thanks for your response and questions...

Firmware on both the router and the satellite is V2.2.1.210

The ISP that the router is connected to is made by Alcatel-Lucent, model G-240g-a

Square footage of our home is 2500sf.

The satelite is located about 35ft from the router.

2.4Ghz Channel is set to auto; 5Ghz is set to 48.

We live in a very rural area, and we only pickup the wifi from one neighbour, plus their signal is very weak in our house, if at all.

We are using WPA2-PSK[AES] security.

I will try setting the 2.4Ghz channel to one that you suggest.  You also mentioned bandwidth saturation... is there anyway to test for that before I spend more $ on a second satellite?  Any suggestions welcomed!

[FURRYe38]

Has the system been factory reset and setup from scratch after the FW update? Just checking. 

One way would be to turn off as many device, and start by connecting maybe just a few. Do some normal routine stuff. See if anything changes. Then start turning ON devices and see if where and when you notice something happen again. 

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

If you updated to recent FW v.210, try enabling Daisy Chain. Some have mentioned that this seems to be working in reverse order, enabling means disabled actually.