Re: Orbi RBK50 (1+2) Wifi Performance

CNinBC · ‎2018-11-20

I bought my RBK50 (1 Router + 2 Saterlites) from Costco, I noticed the wifi performace is inconsisitant from website to wbsite. General speaking, most of websites can be accessed normally via wifi/wired connections. But some websites are extremly slow, or even no access at all, for example, Facebook, Instagram, etc. if I turn on the VPN funtion on my computer/smartphone, those websites can be access normally. I don't have any access control setting in place on the router, but I did enable the Circle with Disney addon. the computer & smartphone mensioned above are all in "Unmanaged Devices" group. I also tried disable Circle with Disney, it didn't resolve the issue.

my DNS are set to Google DNS 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 & a dns server from my isp.

thanks in advance for any suggestions.

ekhalil · ‎2018-11-20

1. Can you please list the type of devices (wired and wireless) connected to your Orbi nodes?

2. What radio channels are you using for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands?

3. Do you have many neighbours with wifi networks? Which channels are they using?

4. Have you made a measurement from the Orbi app of the Intenet Speed? How is this compared to what you get from the other devices?

CNinBC · ‎2018-11-20

forgot to say I am on the lastest firmware, one of the two saterlites is on wired backhaul, another one is on wirless backhaul.

CNinBC · ‎2018-11-21

@ekhalil wrote:

1. Can you please list the type of devices (wired and wireless) connected to your Orbi nodes?

2. What radio channels are you using for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands?

3. Do you have many neighbours with wifi networks? Which channels are they using?

4. Have you made a measurement from the Orbi app of the Intenet Speed? How is this compared to what you get from the other devices?

Thanks @ekhalil for getting back to me, regarding your questions, please see my response below.

1. I got 18 5G connections, 8 2.4G connections & 8 wire connections

2. I set the channel selection to "Auto ( 8(P) + 4(S) )" for 2.4G and "36+40+44+48(P)" for 5G (i think these are the default settings)

3. I am not sure how to check which channel my neighbours are using

4. Internet speed on orbi app is 70/7 Mbps, while the speedtest software measured 69/6.4Mbps

Thanks.

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-11-21

What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?
Try using ISP DNS instead of Google.

Try using different browsers, IE11, FF and Opera.

Test to see if you notice same issues on different devices. Happens with all?

Not all web sites are the same.

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.

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 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.

wchp · ‎2018-11-21

@FURRYe38 wrote:

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.

WHAT? Enabled is Disabled? Where did this "mention" come from?

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-11-23

IT was mentioned early on when v210 first came out. I though I had the original link however I have lost it now.

This was another.

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/How-to-use-star-topology-on-Orbi-Router-and-Satellite/m-p/1657...

and https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/quot-Reverse-quot-Daisy-Chain-issue-any-update/m-p/1653439

For now, it's something to keep on the troubleshooting plate. It's either enabled or disable.

@wchp wrote:

@FURRYe38 wrote:

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.

WHAT? Enabled is Disabled? Where did this "mention" come from?

CNinBC · ‎2018-12-12

I made some changes on my home network recently, apparently that resolved the issue. what I have done is adding another router between RBK50 and the modem, basically RBK50 became my second layer of NAT, I kept all my kids' devices & majority of my wifi devices on the RBK wifi network, and moved all wired devices behind the first router, I also disconected the wired backhaul to one of the saterlite Orbi router (now I think most likely the wired backhaul caused my issue). I will have to try to remove the first router and keep the wireless backhaul to confirm it at a later date.

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-12-13

When you had the wired back haul running, did you have Diasy Chain Checked enabled or disabled?

Just wondering.

IT's not recommended to have a 2nd layer NAT as this can cause problems with other apps and devices. You could set the Orbi in AP mode and use it with your main host router keeping a single NAT layer configured. Even use wired backhaul for this as well.

For wired back haul tip:
Set up IP address reservations for each satellite and devices on the router as you add them to the router. The satellites need to be set up via wireless first. Then connect 1 satellite at a time to the ethernet LAN cable. Wait 5 minutes and the top led on the satellite should turn on BLUE. Set up an IP address reservation for the 1st satellite. Continue to do the same thing for the 2nd satellite. Then follow up with your devices.

@CNinBC wrote:

I made some changes on my home network recently, apparently that resolved the issue. what I have done is adding another router between RBK50 and the modem, basically RBK50 became my second layer of NAT, I kept all my kids' devices & majority of my wifi devices on the RBK wifi network, and moved all wired devices behind the first router, I also disconected the wired backhaul to one of the saterlite Orbi router (now I think most likely the wired backhaul caused my issue). I will have to try to remove the first router and keep the wireless backhaul to confirm it at a later date.

CNinBC · ‎2019-01-20

I finally figured out what caused the network issue, it was my Cisco SPA 112 Voip Adaptor. Apparently, the QOS settings on RBK50 doesn't work well with SPA112, the SPA112 failed to connect to the SIP server and keep occupying the bandwidth. is there a way to adjust the QOS setting to make that work? the SPA 112 is locked by the service provider, I only can adjust the setting on the router side. thanks.

ekhalil · ‎2019-01-20

@CNinBC wrote:

I finally figured out what caused the network issue, it was my Cisco SPA 112 Voip Adaptor. Apparently, the QOS settings on RBK50 doesn't work well with SPA112, the SPA112 failed to connect to the SIP server and keep occupying the bandwidth. is there a way to adjust the QOS setting to make that work? the SPA 112 is locked by the service provider, I only can adjust the setting on the router side. thanks.

Currently there is no bandwidth control by device in Orbi.

Which ISP modem/router do you use? Do you need to have the VoIP adapter in the Orbi network? If not then you can probably move it and connect it directly to the ISP router if it has more than one port unless that you only have a modem or ONT?