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Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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Re: Managing "Guest" access

mmripp8
Initiate

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Fair enough, Petey. 🙂 But venting spleen is also a way to point out to a company what needs to be done, and that people are paying attention. We don't want them to think that the current status is ok, and take months to fix it. Much less years.

Message 26 of 53
bosox
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

@mdgm-ntgr, no update since your initial post on Sep 2. Last thread post here is Nov 6 by a user. What is the status/delivery date of the firmware update for guest network? I just purchased today and was told [sold] (my fault) it was there. It was a key need of our setup. 

 

Netgear giving an update on this key feature would go a long way with your customers, both current and future. 

 

Also looking for an option to hide the non-guest SSID. 

 

Adding @DarrenM also as he represents Netgear as a moderator. 

 

Message 27 of 53

Re: Managing "Guest" access


@bosox wrote:

 

Also looking for an option to hide the non-guest SSID. 

 

 

 


just love dragging this one out when ppl mention mac address filtering and hiding ssid

 

The six dumbest ways to secure a wireless LAN

http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-six-dumbest-ways-to-secure-a-wireless-lan/

 

give a guess what the second dumbest way is

 

just forget hiding ssid and just make sure you have a good li=ong non dictoionanry passphrase and its wpa2 with AES encryption

 

 

 

Message 28 of 53
xantari
Star

Re: Managing "Guest" access

I don't understand why this wasn't an included feature on day 1? It is on the other nighthawk models.

 

Just steal that bit of source code from the nighthawk models! 

Message 29 of 53

Re: Managing "Guest" access

its coming , just dont know when

Message 30 of 53
TheEther
Guru

Re: Managing "Guest" access


@xantari wrote:

I don't understand why this wasn't an included feature on day 1? It is on the other nighthawk models.

 

Just steal that bit of source code from the nighthawk models! 


No other Nighthawk has a satellite.  Providing a guest network from both the base station and the satellite requires a VLAN in order to isolate it from the main network.  That's code that needs to be written!

Message 31 of 53
bosox
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

@peteytesting thanks for the input. The point of non-advertisement of the SSID is not to thwart hackers as much as keep our private network out of sight, out of mind, for our guests and show them the guest network. We already have secure, long, non-dictionary passwords that keep it safe.

 

I'm more concerned with the setup of the guest network and stability of the app. Seems like it is not a reliable, every time access to the firmware updates and gateway logins. As mentioned previously, this may be the price of early adopters of a product. 

Message 32 of 53

Re: Managing "Guest" access


@bosox wrote:

@peteytesting thanks for the input. The point of non-advertisement of the SSID is not to thwart hackers as much as keep our private network out of sight, out of mind, for our guests and show them the guest network. We already have secure, long, non-dictionary passwords that keep it safe.

 

I'm more concerned with the setup of the guest network and stability of the app. Seems like it is not a reliable, every time access to the firmware updates and gateway logins. As mentioned previously, this may be the price of early adopters of a product. 


 

but its never out of sight as any wifi app can see it and it even transmits its name  , if you already have long, non-dictionary passwords you dont have a need for anything else , in fact running the bssid hidden will actuall encorage those that want to to have a go rather than pretend its not there

 

sure the orbi is still in dev and im sure the dev team are doing their best to make sure what comes out works and seeing as the orbi is a whole new way of doing things it may take longer than usual to see some maturity in the firmware and gui but yes as always its the price you pay as an early adopter but there are encoraging signs ahead you just need to hang in there 🙂

Message 33 of 53
Dmontg
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Just subscribing to watch for guest access.

 

thx


Message 34 of 53
thetalm
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Message 35 of 53
bosox
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Might make sense... I spoke to them on Wednesday afternoon and was told they would be coming out with new firmware in the next couple days that would include guest network and several other features. Must have happened.
Now to try an upgrade which didn't work before. They said that firmware upgrade troubles were solved also.
Message 36 of 53
dpdurst
Luminary

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Just upgraded, guest account is not available as well as a few other things.

 

v1.4.0.16

Message 37 of 53
Pesto242
Star

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Guest Network is working for me with v1.4.0.16!!!!
Message 38 of 53
thetalm
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

where did you download v 1.4.0.16 ?

netgear support site still allow download of 1.3.0.26...

(i'm still waiting to buy Orbi until i'm sure guest network is available in firmware for EU/Italy)

Message 39 of 53
k9kids
Guide

Re: Managing "Guest" access

 Logged into my Orbi account and saw that a new update was available. 1.4.0.16

 

This update includes Guest access. Set it up and it works like a champ. I'm happy now. Studio_20161126_064549.pngScreenshot_2016-11-26-06-27-27.png

Message 40 of 53
thetalm
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

just placed order on Amazon Smiley Very Happy

Message 41 of 53
Hoff
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

@thetalm, download the 1.3.0.26.  I couldn't find the 1.4.0.16 either, so I went ahead and updated to 1.3.0.26 since I just unboxed my orbi and was running firmware 1.1.x.  When the 1.3.0.26 finished installing, the Orbi said that it was on firmware version 1.4.0.16 and there was an option to enable guest account.  I guess Netgear has some issues with version naming.  So just DL the 'latest' update on the Netgear site http://downloadcenter.netgear.com/ (search for rbr50 and go with the 1.3.0.26 update), extrct the .img file from it and install using the "manual update" process on orbi and it will do the rest.  You have to also download the rbs50 firmware seperately to update the satellite using the same process.  Hope this helps, and hope that all the users on this thread stop complaining about their guest account now.  IDK why it was such an issue.  If you have a guest in your home, then you likely trust the guest with access to your network and files: why you need a guest account is beyond me (unless you're using this in a hotel or business or something).  I guess it would make sense putting them on a seperate LAN if you want to hide your stash of kiddie pron, but other than that I don't see the big deal . . . just give them access to the main SSID if you want to give them access to the internet.

Message 42 of 53
thetalm
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

@Hoff

thank you for your suggestions. They will be useful tomorrow when i'll receive my Orbi.

As far as Guest network is concerned, at home I host several kind of guest:, close friends, relatives, occasional friends, plus other - technicians, consultants, and so on. The guest network (with a very simple and readable password) allow them access Internet only, without any access to my NAS, computers and other devices, The private network has a very strong password that would be complicated to tell to others, also because this could provide information on my password creating scheme. The isolation from my data and devices ensures also that any threat or malware hosted in my guests' devices could affect my internal network. Furthermore, this allows me to keep a less complicated security scheme in my internal devices, costing me less effort to maintain.

In brief, that's because I consider mandatory the availability of guest network fucionality in a wireless router.

 

Message 43 of 53
Pesto242
Star

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Completely agree @thetalm limiting access to only what is needed is always a security best practice.

I even restrict my IoT devices to internet only in case they were to ever be compromised.
Message 44 of 53
Hoff
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

@thetalm Nice!  You'll love the orbi!  I just finished setting it up today (started yesterday, had a lot of devices to migrate over).  The biggest reason I switched over was because of the seamless transition between router and satellite, as well as the large coverage area. That plus I got it for free since I'm an Amazon Vine tester!!

 

I suppose I'm somewhat of a Nihlist when it comes to the Guest Network security.  I've yet to test the actual security of the guest network and what exactly it does/does not allow (i suppose it only allows port 80 and other applicable internet traffic?).  But the way I see it: if a guest user wants to be malicious, they have physical access to all your devices anyway since they are guests in your home!  Physical access trumps any security key and any segregated LAN, no matter how good your setup is.  You do make a good point about the unknown malware though.  Unintentional insider threat is the #1 security risk with any large organization, and I would presume this applies to the home, too (<cough> mother-in-law <cough>).  I never thought about it from that angle, and it's probably the best argument I've seen for a Guest network.  I will probably put it into action now, thanks for the tip!

Message 45 of 53

Re: Managing "Guest" access


@Hoff wrote:

@thetalm Nice!  You'll love the orbi!  I just finished setting it up today (started yesterday, had a lot of devices to migrate over).  The biggest reason I switched over was because of the seamless transition between router and satellite, as well as the large coverage area. That plus I got it for free since I'm an Amazon Vine tester!!

 

 


you are aware its not seamless between router and sat and it does still disconnect and reconnect between transmissions

 

it does however have great coverage 🙂

 

the guest access can be isolated fron the loacal network or be part of it depending on what you set in the advanced wireless setup

Message 46 of 53
JBSOCAL
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Just bought the Orbi for Black Friday, did fair amount of research but never even thought to see if Guest network was working. Just tried to set it up and no luck. Also can’t hide the broadcast network, the app and website is very old looking. For the high dollar cost and Netgear name very surprised and disappointed. If issues are not fixed in 30 days I will be returning. 

Model: Orbi High-Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System (RBK50)
Message 47 of 53
xantari
Star

Re: Managing "Guest" access

JBSOCAL, the features for guest network, and to hide SSID are available. Be sure to upgrade to 1.4 firmware first, then go to Advanced >> Setup >> Wireless Setup, and Advanced >> Setup >> Guest Network

Message 48 of 53
TheEther
Guru

Re: Managing "Guest" access

In addition, you can hide the SSID under ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless Settings.  But honestly, hiding the SSID was never a great idea.  @peteytesting posted a pretty good link that explains why.

 

 

 

Message 49 of 53
JBSOCAL
Aspirant

Re: Managing "Guest" access

Have been trying to upgrade firmware with app/website but won't let it me, so I assume it's not ready. Should be an automatic upgrade no matter what.

Model: Orbi High-Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System (RBK50)
Message 50 of 53
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