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Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

jolo2
Star

Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

I have an Orbi system, RBR50/RBK50.  I am increasingly aware of research that makes a good case for health risks for children from wifi systems, even if they operate within legal limits (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0NEaPTu9oI).  So I would like my wifi to work on a schedule, switching off the radios at night to keep a safe environment while the family is asleep.

 

I don't believe this is possible using the Orbi settings.  Is that true?  If not, please can a system for this be enabled to ensure that concerned parents can benefit from this technology as safely as possible.

 

Message 1 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

You can reduce the power out put from the radios...

Message 2 of 25
jolo2
Star

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Thanks, but can I do that on a schedule?  It needs to work well when it's in use.

Model: RBR50| Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi (Router Only), RBS50| Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi (Satellite Only)
Message 3 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Unfortunately theres no scheduling of wifi on these systems. So you can either lower the power or disable the radios however it would have to be done manually.

 

Message 4 of 25
tsig
Luminary

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

what makes it "safe" at during the day, but not at night?

Message 5 of 25
JoeCymru
Virtuoso

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

I am sorry, and with all due respect, with all the click bait articles and other wifi danger scenarios that have been floating about, some reason and science must be introduced into the debate before we all toss our phones and routers into the garbage and go back to paper and landlines.The really bad radiation is ionizing. Radio and microwave radiation is not. Those wavelengths are longer than even visible light. Microwaves in your oven are 700 to 1200 watts. Even without shielding you still would not feel it unless you crawled in, and the danger is the water molecules heating up, not ionizing radiation destroying tissue or DNA. Your router puts out perhaps 1 watt in a dispersed cloud. Also, the quantity or intensity of linear-wave radiation is directly inverse to the distance the observing/affected body is from the source of the radiation, so the power drops off quickly with distance.

Your router puts out non-ionizing, low frequency radiation (lower than infrared or visible light) in extremely low absorbtion power. To be afraid of this, you also need to be terrified of visible light. The next higher frequency of light above visible is ultra violet, which is the very beginning of where there could be long term cumulative damage due to some minor ionization in light skinned people. There are magnitudes of danger more in going outside without slathering yourself with sunscreen if you are light skinned, than owning an Orbi and leaving it on.

Message 6 of 25
jolo2
Star

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Thanks for your detailed and polite response.  I also write with respect and appreciation for what you've said.  That being said, I don't find your comparisons  helpful.  The word "radiation" per se is not a concern to me and I don't think that RF is the same as ionising radiation, of course!  As regards sunlight, the fact that over-exposure is dangerous is a well documented and serious risk, as you say, but it is a fallacy to move from that to the claim that levels of exposure to RF can be ignored.  The issues are different.

 

There are unanswered questions emerging when it comes to wifi becase of the permanent exposure to levels of RF that, while low, are orders of magnitude higher than would have been the case previously.  There have always been concerns about the effects of RF and microwave radiation stretching way back before wifi.  This was clear to me as a radio amateur using mobile technology in the VHF and UHF wavebands as far back as the 1980s.  The power output of that equipment was much higher, but it was not present everywhere or all the time.

 

Now that these issues about wifi are mainstream they are, of course, a happy hunting ground for the uninformed neurotic and so I share frustration about that.  That is not the point, however.  There seems to be a paucity of research in this area and also vested commercial interests, so at least some concern is warranted.  As in other areas of technology, enthusiasm about what new technology can do means that adoption outstrips responsible use and so there is the possibility of living to regret this.  For example, while UK government advice for mobile phones is that children should not use them unless absolutely necessary and then only for short periods, this is largely unknown and ignored.  It may be that we find in a generation that there are no long-term ills associated with this technology.  But at this stage we don't know and there is evidence emerging that the picture may not be entirely rosy. If you know about this research then do let me know because I am only just beginning to hear about it.

 

In the meantime, parents want to look after their children and in the absence of clear information may want to limit their overall exposure by not having the wifi switched on at night.  That is not unreasonable and it is a very simple and inexpensive thing for manufacturers to install in their products until such time as we have not a lack of evidence of harm but positive evidence of safety.

Message 7 of 25
tsig
Luminary

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

If you truly want to protect your children, turn off all devices, remove internet access entirely and never eat fast food or pre-packed meals.  Good luck.

Message 8 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

If your wanting more information about Wifi, I would head over to the wi-fi.org and or fcc.gov to see if they have more information regarding wifi and safety regulations since they are the ones that govern wifi Mfrs and the FCC governs wifi usage here in the USA.

 

Good Luck.

 

Message 9 of 25
djc6
Luminary

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Have you considered an electrical outlet timer?

Message 10 of 25
JoeCymru
Virtuoso

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

I agree that when safety is concerned and especially in children, and over abundance of caution should be taken. This is especially true in Europe. And yes, the exponential growth in wireless technology in the recent decade provides little time for definitive long term studies on any potential effects. In this then there leaves some room for doubts. Our own FCC has mobile phone emission limits on cell phones for this reason of caution in the absence of studies.

Having said that, electromagnetic radiation (all forms) is a deeply studied section of physics. The recent hype about growing danger due to the growing prevalence of more radio signals in the environment simply ignores the point that we are literally bathed in EMR and have been since we became a unique species. We have been protected from most bad ioninzing radiation by the earth's magnetic field, and the ozone layer in the atmosphere, but lower wave lengths (visible light) have been swamping our bodies for as long as we have been around.  The addition to very low wattage long wave radiation - falling off inversely from its source - to the other sea of low frequency radiation is virtually insignificant. Only above visible light do we have hard statistical evidence of cause and effect of biological damage in varying degrees to long exposure.

There is all kinds of information out there. Naturally when one searches for this information, the most discussed is the more sensational which is usually the negative aspect. But buried in there is information containing the science known to date.

I respect your concern for your children. We simply disagree about the concept of danger in this type of radiation.

Message 11 of 25
tsig
Luminary

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Speaking of not helpful. The ops question has been answered
Message 12 of 25
Stalliono
Guide

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Regarding the electrical timers suggested above.....

 

This is what I have done as well. However, these routers and satellites should have the capability to enable/disable wireless radios at times as desired by the end user. This feature set (as well as many others) is avaible on numerous other routers / WAPs at substantially lower price points. 

 

Orbi stated this funtonality will be implemented in a future firmware update.   Monthes later Orbi & STILL WAITING.... I currently don't recommend these because of limited customization and unfillfilled promises. The performance as a dumb box of hardware that delivers high speeds and relibility is great, but the price should command customization at least as much as competitors at a fraction of the price.

Model: RBK50| Orbi AC3000 High-Performance Tri-Band WiFi System
Message 13 of 25
tsig
Luminary

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

@Stalliono

So you bought the product fully aware of its "limitations", and are now complaining about those "limitations"?

Message 14 of 25
Stalliono
Guide

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

tsig... your sarcastic antagonistic responses are so refreshing.... said no one ever. You must be a wonderful person. A common vain in your responses is irascibility.
Yes. I was aware of said limitation along with said company response to include this ubiquitous feature set available in seemingly every other router. And yes I’m complaining because the company’s pledge for said functionality has not been realized. Peace.
Message 15 of 25
Stalliono
Guide

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Tsig should also add to the list of things to truly protect your children:

Love, support, teach manners along with etiquette and common decency, etc in an effort to thwart the tendency to develop into a snarky curmudgeonly jerk.
Message 16 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Also users need to understand that if NG says it might add a feature, it's NOT going to be added over night and will take time for them to develop and test using there own time frames before it gets released. Could be months or even years before something is seen. There is alot that goes in to development of FW and it's features. Not all of it is done or comes from NG. There are 3rd party vendors and chipset makers that are involved as well.

 

Also pray that marketing doesn't get involed as they are known to push changed to the next HW version which would not include current HW versions out in the wild.

 

Complaining about in the forums dones nothing and doesn't speed up NG work on things. Engineers don't even look at forums much anything else. Thats not there priority. If they looked at the forums and everyones complaints, they'd never get any work done.

 

You can post your request here as this seems to be one central point that NG seems to look at for users requested features:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Idea-Exchange-For-Home/idb-p/idea-exchange-for-home

 

In mean time, live with the product or find something else that works for you.

 

 

 

Message 17 of 25
Stalliono
Guide

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

FURRYe38, thank you for the reply. Based on your previous posts, you have good insight and try to help persons. I appreciate that.

 

Thank you for the info on the NG ideaexchange board. I will inquire about their progress with these features in upcoming updates.

 

"Complaining about in the forums dones nothing and doesn't speed up NG work on things."

Furry I totally agree. My justification for making said statement was not to influence NG or its engineer's seeming lethargy on implementing promised improvements. I should have been more clear. However, my intention was 1) to merely state that the company has not fulfilled its pledge to add said functionality and 2) inform other purchasers / potential purchasers of limitations.

 

 "In mean time, live with the product or find something else that works for you."

That is what i've already done with the electrical timers. Happy with Orbi performance, little disapponted with current features.

Cheers.

 

Message 18 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

I think we all can agree that theres features that need improvement. As time goes one, hopefully NG will make those changes and will add more features to the system. I believe if people keep post there in the idea forum and contacting NG and bugging them about it, may see some results. Only time will tell. Again, the cycle only last for a while, then of course, NG may introduce new HW which may have these changes and which older HW may not get. Just letting you know. 


@Stalliono wrote:

FURRYe38, thank you for the reply. Based on your previous posts, you have good insight and try to help persons. I appreciate that.

 

Thank you for the info on the NG ideaexchange board. I will inquire about their progress with these features in upcoming updates.

 

"Complaining about in the forums dones nothing and doesn't speed up NG work on things."

Furry I totally agree. My justification for making said statement was not to influence NG or its engineer's seeming lethargy on implementing promised improvements. I should have been more clear. However, my intention was 1) to merely state that the company has not fulfilled its pledge to add said functionality and 2) inform other purchasers / potential purchasers of limitations.

 

 "In mean time, live with the product or find something else that works for you."

That is what i've already done with the electrical timers. Happy with Orbi performance, little disapponted with current features.

Cheers.

 


 

Message 19 of 25
Tsengim
Initiate

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

I'd like to upvote this. My past routers have all had this feature. There's no reason for this top of the line router to not have it.
Model: RBK50| Orbi AC3000 High-Performance Tri-Band WiFi System
Message 20 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Please post about this here:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Idea-Exchange-For-Home/idb-p/idea-exchange-for-home


@Tsengim wrote:
I'd like to upvote this. My past routers have all had this feature. There's no reason for this top of the line router to not have it.

 

Message 21 of 25
dttmtong
Aspirant

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

I used Netgear R8000 for years and upgrade to Orbi recently. My R8000 supports wifi turnoff but this function disappear after "upgrade" to Orbi. 

Message 22 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

Please post about this here:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Idea-Exchange-For-Home/idb-p/idea-exchange-for-home


@dttmtong wrote:

I used Netgear R8000 for years and upgrade to Orbi recently. My R8000 supports wifi turnoff but this function disappear after "upgrade" to Orbi. 


 

Message 23 of 25
tjj225
Aspirant

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night

This is a needed feature, Netgear please add this to you updates, then i can buy an orbi.

Model: RBK53| Orbi Router + 2 Satellites Orbi WiFi System
Message 24 of 25

Re: Orbi: I need to switch off wireless radios at night


@tjj225 wrote:

This is a needed feature, Netgear please add this to you updates, then i can buy an orbi.


This is the place for product ideas and feature requests:

 

Idea Exchange For Home - NETGEAR Communities

 

Message 25 of 25
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