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Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Sug
Guide
Guide

Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Orbi Smart Devices and Hubs Problems
Problems with smart hubs and devices that require the 2gh only.
Hi I tried past stand alone wifi routers (Asus,Linsky) priced over $300 and now the Orbi.
My home is over 4200 Sq Ft. on the Orbi speed test show great speed up and down no matter where I maybe be in or out of the house (Down Load 238 MHPS Upload 35.33 are the avg)
The house has over 40 wifi devices smart devices lights,, tv, Ring door bell, harmony hubs and others.
The 2 gh devices work intermittently other’s 2gh smart devices cannot access my network, since Orbi selects what the band automatically , this is very frustrating.
Not allowing to select the band ,makes some 2gh devices useless or having them to be reset more then not.
Hubs Harmony, Ring, Obit Sprinkler are just a few that have the issue or will not work at all.
New router’s are coming to market but fail, when it come to smart homes.
Im curious if you have tested for smart devices on the other similar router’s to Orbi,.
Thanks
I would be more then happy to provide further info on request.

Model: Orbi High-Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System (RBK50)
Message 1 of 17
qskillzwfu25
Tutor

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Have you tried disabling beamforming? That worked well for me with my smart devices/hubs. No problem since I disabled that feature on my Orbi on the latest firmware.
Message 2 of 17
Sug
Guide
Guide

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Thanks 

just turn it off and got some devices up and running

Still have issues with others will keep trying

Harmony Hubs are still hit and miss some times they log in ok, but other times there  is a great delay and connet to the cloud in place of my network. (they worked fine with the Giant Asus router,but did not cover my house, hence Orbi)

 

Message 3 of 17
Miles267
Apprentice

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Encountering similar issue with my son's Nintendo 3DS device. Won't connect unless the SSID is only 2.4 ghz.

This is a benefit of Open-Mesh. You can create multiple SSIDs, designate their band(2.4/5/Both).
Message 4 of 17
rhester72
Virtuoso

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only


@Miles267 wrote:
Encountering similar issue with my son's Nintendo 3DS device. Won't connect unless the SSID is only 2.4 ghz.

This is a benefit of Open-Mesh. You can create multiple SSIDs, designate their band(2.4/5/Both).

If that were the issue, it would also fail with eero, Luma, and Google Wifi.  I suspect you have a different problem.  There was virtually no reason to have separate SSIDs five years ago (except the chipset drivers weren't mature enough to do it), and even less so now.

 

Rodney

Message 5 of 17
Miles267
Apprentice

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Good point. Though it's definitely an issue with the 3DS inability to connect to Orbi. When setting up the 3DS, can see all 4 Orbi SSIDs. Main network 2.4, 5.0 and Guest 2.4, 5.0. Even if I attempt to manually select each of them and enter the encryption key, the 3DS is unable to connect.

Whereas if I define a specific SSID in Open Mesh and only allow it to broadcast on 2.4 ghz with same SSID and password, it works without issue.
Message 6 of 17
Mikey94025
Hero

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Maybe the 3DS is incompatible with the Orbi's 2.4Ghz signal instead of the 1-vs-2 SSIDs.  Orbi doesn't give advanced control over the 2.4Ghz wireless mode like other Netgear routers (e.g., my previous Nighthawk).  Did OpenMesh give you more control over 2.4Ghz and did you set it to mixed?

 

These indicate that the 3DS is older and can only do 802.11b and 802.11g:

http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/498/~/compatible-wireless-modes-and-...

https://www.reddit.com/r/3DS/comments/2xu9yz/a_little_tip_new_3ds_xl_still_doesnt_use_80211n/

 

When I run inSSIDer it shows my Orbi 2.4Ghz with 802.11=ac, though I thought AC was only for 5Ghz so I don't know what it means for 2.4Ghz.  I see other 2.4Ghz networks nearby with 802.11=n or 802.11=n,ac so it looks like there are other 2.4Ghz wireless modes that might be more (backwards) compatible with the 3DS.

Message 7 of 17
Miles267
Apprentice

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

That could certainly be the case with Orbi's 2.4 ghz band. No, Open-Mesh allows you to select a band per SSID but doesn't give you the option of configuring modes (b/g) on the 2.4 ghz band.
Message 8 of 17
Sug
Guide
Guide

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

It's frustrating
My Ring door bell and other devices are new generations continue to loose connection
Ready to return the ORBI go back and live with less coverage, but at least the devises will work
Mesh routers are too new, spoke with Google they say expect the same issues
Plus most don't allow use of a external HD on your network for your media
Mesh not ready for prime time
Message 9 of 17
Miles267
Apprentice

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

I agree. I've been testing Orbi alongside my existing Open-Mesh network and will be returning Orbi. I recognize they're apples and oranges, OM being a business class solution. May revisit Orbi as product and firmware mature. Until then, it's a great for first generation hardware but isn't for everyone.
Message 10 of 17
rhester72
Virtuoso

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Our family used the "New" US 3DS (i.e. the latest model) on our Orbi network all weekend without issues, just as a data point.  I don't know what might have changed with the wireless hardware or firmware in the 3DS between revisions.

 

Rodney

Message 11 of 17
jamesastro
Initiate

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

I'm having the same problem with my Harmony Remote Hub. It simply won't connect to the Orbi network reliably even though the signal is strong. Twenty other devices in my house work fine, but the Harmony Hub won't work. It looks like I'll have to return the Orbi. 😞
Message 12 of 17
mdkappy
Aspirant

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Harmony Hubs only work with a dedicated 2.4gHz network. I was told by a Harmony tech support rep that a firmware update was in the works; however no ETA. In the interim, I may use my old router as an Access Point and disable the 5gHz network to see if that will work.  A salesman in Best Buy suggested the Netgear power line as a possible solution. I am going to call Netgear to see if the have can help me with these workarounds.

Message 13 of 17
Bing-Stroller
Luminary

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

I am currently running 3 Harmony Hubs into a Orbi router setup.

 

1 is connected to the router and the other 2 are connected to the satellite. 

 

They have been up and running since last Dec/Jan. Only the one connected to the router has ever given any problems and that was a disconnection overnight but even that sorted itself by next morning.

 

Very occasionally when trying to connect by smartphone it will not see them and try and connect via cloud, but even then if I intervene and cancel the attempted cloud connection I can connect via the network.

 

I have both beamforming and Mu-Mimo unchecked in the router setup, but the rest is all standard setup.

 

 

Message 14 of 17
mdkappy
Aspirant

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Thanks for that prompt reply.  That is very interesting.  I have the RBR40.  The Harmony Hub is literally 4 feet from the router.  However, I tried for an hour to get it to recognize the network, but it would not.  It tried to connect through the Cloud, but it would not connect that way either.  When I called for support, I was told that it needed a dedicated 2.4 ghz ssid to connect.  I was also told that there was no way to manually connect.  I would welcome any other thoughts on getting the hub connected to the Orbi network - using another router in AP mode attached to the Orbi;  or any other suggestions such as the Powerline (the guy in Best Buy suggested that).  I am glad that you are able to use the Hub without any issues.  I'm pretty sure that my firmware was updated; however, I have not been in that home since 5/18 and I'm sure that the firmware is not updated to the latest version.

Message 15 of 17
Bing-Stroller
Luminary

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

There is a great troubleshooting section on the Logitech Harmony site here … Wi‑Fi won't connect or frequently disconnects from the hub

 

Its probably worth factory resetting the Harmony Hub and starting afresh.

 

Personally, I used the Harmony software on a networked PC to set up most of the Hubs, afterwards using the Android app to edit the devices.

 

It may be helpful to check the router is transmitting  2.4Ghz and has not been accidentally unchecked.

 

Also, I have an old Nexus 7 tablet which I have changed the settings to only connect to 2.4Ghz WiFi networks, ensuring that the tablet is on the 2.4Ghz side of the network.

 

I have found this particularly useful with my Wemo switches which I struggled with when using a 2.4 / 5Ghz smartphone.

 

Hopefully you can get them up and running.

Message 16 of 17
cyberprashant
Luminary

Re: Orbi 2gh Issues with Smart Devices and Hubs that are 2gh Only

Finnickky 2.4 ghz devices like the ring doorbell I finally got it working stable using the guest network on the Orbi 2.4 for some reason I had trouble with the main ssid. Try setting up a guest network for the finicky devices
Message 17 of 17
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