Re: Orbi Satellite Slowdown

aleef · ‎2019-08-16

Hey bandito, please post here if you (or the support ppl) figured things out. I just spent the whole day trying to figure out what was wrong with my wifi (I was only getting 20Mbps on a 1Gbps connection). Unfortunatelly I've only found your post after I got to reset the sattelite. I like to find the root of the problems so reboots and resets are the last items on my troubleshooting lists (I know, I'm masochistic that way). Anyways, any update on this? Are the NG ppl still trying to find the issue?

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-08-16

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

Are you getting near 900Mbps on a wired PC connected to the RBR?

@aleef wrote:
Hey bandito, please post here if you (or the support ppl) figured things out. I just spent the whole day trying to figure out what was wrong with my wifi (I was only getting 20Mbps on a 1Gbps connection). Unfortunatelly I've only found your post after I got to reset the sattelite. I like to find the root of the problems so reboots and resets are the last items on my troubleshooting lists (I know, I'm masochistic that way). Anyways, any update on this? Are the NG ppl still trying to find the issue?

aleef · ‎2019-08-16

I'm not home. I'll send all the info tomorrow. I am getting over 900mbps on a wired connection straight in the isp router. About 550mbps on a wired connection to the orbi router. About 400mbps on a wireless connection to the orbi router (was hard stuck at 20mbps on all my devices before the router and satelite reboot). I just updated the firmware to the latest available (can't remember the version).

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-08-16

If the ISP modem has a built in router, This would be a double NAT condition which isn't recommended. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
Couple of options,
1. Configure the modem for transparent bridge mode. Then use the Orbi router in router mode. You'll need to contact the ISP for help and information in regards to the modem being bridged correctly.
2. If you can't bridge the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, configure the modems DMZ/ExposedHost or IP Pass-Through for the IP address the Orbi router gets from the modem. Then you can use the Orbi router in Router mode.
3. Or disable all wifi radios on the modem and connect the Orbi router to the modem, configure AP mode on the Orbi router. https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LOcJ8GdDo&app=desktop

@aleef wrote:
I'm not home. I'll send all the info tomorrow. I am getting over 900mbps on a wired connection straight in the isp router. About 550mbps on a wired connection to the orbi router. About 400mbps on a wireless connection to the orbi router (was hard stuck at 20mbps on all my devices before the router and satelite reboot). I just updated the firmware to the latest available (can't remember the version).

Bandito · ‎2019-08-17

@aleef

The ticket is still open with Netgear, but I haven’t heard anything back from them for about 3 months now, so I’m not very hopeful that anything will get fixed.

I am on the current firmware, 2.3.5.30, but no fixes have been mentioned that would seem to apply to the slowdown issue.

I recently switched to a eero system to try it out and it seemed to work well, but I had some disconnects with my Hue lighting and Siri would report that she could turn on/off the lights. That and the fact that I only got speeds in the 60-80 Mbs range led me to return them. I just can’t find anything with the throughput of the Orbi’s when they are working correctly, so keep coming back to them. My Internet speed is 300 Mbs and the Orbi’s generally give me between 250-300 Mbs throughput, so they make me feel like I’m getting my money’s worth from my ISP. 😁

interestingly, I still had a dead spot in my living room and I found an add-on satellite on sale at the local Fry’s store, so I picked it up and placed it in the living room. This eliminated the dead spot and, knock on wood, I haven’t had any slowdowns since. It makes no sense as to why this would fix anything, but I’m not gonna argue with it. I just hope that by posting this here it doesn’t jinx it.

Time will tell, but it’s been a couple of weeks of full throughput now, where before I couldn’t go beyond four days.

tannertanner · ‎2019-08-20

I am having this same issue and would love a fix. This has been happening since I set up the system about 10 months ago. If I restart the system everything goes back to normal and I get the full speed of my internet connection (around 250mbps). After a few days the speed on all devices drops to 40mbps or less. The only thing that seems to resolve the issue is to restart the router. This is happening on my laptop even in the same room as the base unit so it isn't a week signal issue. One day it will be full speed and the next with no other changes it drops to 35 - 40mbps.

I have the Orbi Orbi RBK20W (AC2200).

ekhalil · ‎2019-08-20

1. Can you please check which radio channels the slowed down devices are using during normal operation and when the issue appears. Don’t the devices change from 5 GHz to 2.4 GHz? Do you have fixed radio channels for 5 and 2.4 GHz bands?
2. What wired devices do you have attached to Orbi? Wired devices can cause loops in the system if wrongly configured.
3. What is the model of your ISP modem/router? Is Orbi operating in Router or AP mode?

tannertanner · ‎2019-08-20

The issue has occurred on all radio channels as one of my early troubleshooting steps was to try different channels. The affected devices are all connected on the 5ghz band. I do have a few devices connecting on the 2.4ghz band but I am less concerned about the speed of those and therefore haven't checked if they are affected in any way.

Currently I have the 5ghz channel set to 36 and the 2.4ghz channel set to 01. In the past I have set 2.4ghz to auto as well as 06 and 11. I have also tried the 5ghz channel 40. When the slowdown occurs I have double checked what the client and what the orbi router report and they both state that the device is connected via 5ghz. So although the speed decline would seem like it is connecting at 2.4ghz that doesn't appear to be the case.

I have one wired device. It is a mac mini. Running speed tests on that computer show that it is getting the full speed that my internet connection allows. I have also unplugged that device and it did not improve the problem for my wireless devices. The computer is set to use DHCP and so does not really have any custom configuration and is operating properly so I don't believe there is any configuration issue or hardware issue with it.

I am using Comcast cable internet for my ISP and the modem is a Motorola MB7621 DOCSIS 3.0. It is not set up as a router so I do not have a double router (nat) situation going.

The orbi is operating in Router mode. A simple restart of the Orbi fixes the issue for days and my wired device never experiences any slowdowns so there shouldn't be any issues with my cable modem.

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-08-20

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 when wirelessly connected.

.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

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

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed on both RBR and RBS?

@tannertanner wrote:
The issue has occurred on all radio channels as one of my early troubleshooting steps was to try different channels. The affected devices are all connected on the 5ghz band. I do have a few devices connecting on the 2.4ghz band but I am less concerned about the speed of those and therefore haven't checked if they are affected in any way.

Currently I have the 5ghz channel set to 36 and the 2.4ghz channel set to 01. In the past I have set 2.4ghz to auto as well as 06 and 11. I have also tried the 5ghz channel 40. When the slowdown occurs I have double checked what the client and what the orbi router report and they both state that the device is connected via 5ghz. So although the speed decline would seem like it is connecting at 2.4ghz that doesn't appear to be the case.

I have one wired device. It is a mac mini. Running speed tests on that computer show that it is getting the full speed that my internet connection allows. I have also unplugged that device and it did not improve the problem for my wireless devices. The computer is set to use DHCP and so does not really have any custom configuration and is operating properly so I don't believe there is any configuration issue or hardware issue with it.

I am using Comcast cable internet for my ISP and the modem is a Motorola MB7621 DOCSIS 3.0. It is not set up as a router so I do not have a double router (nat) situation going.

The orbi is operating in Router mode. A simple restart of the Orbi fixes the issue for days and my wired device never experiences any slowdowns so there shouldn't be any issues with my cable modem.

tannertanner · ‎2019-08-20

The house is 2100 sqft. My satelite is about 25 ft from the base unit. They are on different floors but it is a fairly straight line of site path down the stairs and the backhaul status says "Good". I get the same speeds when connected to the satellite or the base unit so I don't think there is any bottleneck there.

I definitely have wifi neighbors but I use a wifi analizer app to determine which channels are unpopulated and have my orbi set to use those. I have tried different channels but currently no other router is on the channel I have things set to on the 5ghz band and there are some very week signals on the 2.4ghz band. Restarting the orbi and leaving it on the same channel resolves the speed issue for days so this shouldn't be an interference issue. It also doesn't change once it starts going slow as once it is back to 40mbps it stays there until a restart. This isn't something that fluctuates. It is either running properly or it isn't. A reboot is the only cure.

I have tried many combinations of settings with no help but currently I do have MIMO and WMM turned on. I have never enabled Armor or Circle. I have tried with Daisy chain enabled and disabled but it currently is disabled. IPv6 is currently disabled. I don't see an option to set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. It is just a checkbox to enable or disable it. I guess I could disable it and see if it helps. I feel like I may have already done that but I could try to disable it.

I have performed a factory restore once shortly after purchasing the unit but that did not have any affect as after a few days the speeds went back down to 40mbps.

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-08-20

25 feet maybe a bit too close. Might try a bit farther out if possible. 30 feet is a good starting point.

When you uncheck the 20/40Mhz check box, this changed to 40Mhz only.

You might want to file a support ticket regarding this:

https://www.netgear.com/mynetgear/registration/login.aspx

@tannertanner wrote:
The house is 2100 sqft. My satelite is about 25 ft from the base unit. They are on different floors but it is a fairly straight line of site path down the stairs and the backhaul status says "Good". I get the same speeds when connected to the satellite or the base unit so I don't think there is any bottleneck there.

I definitely have wifi neighbors but I use a wifi analizer app to determine which channels are unpopulated and have my orbi set to use those. I have tried different channels but currently no other router is on the channel I have things set to on the 5ghz band and there are some very week signals on the 2.4ghz band. Restarting the orbi and leaving it on the same channel resolves the speed issue for days so this shouldn't be an interference issue. It also doesn't change once it starts going slow as once it is back to 40mbps it stays there until a restart. This isn't something that fluctuates. It is either running properly or it isn't. A reboot is the only cure.

I have tried many combinations of settings with no help but currently I do have MIMO and WMM turned on. I have never enabled Armor or Circle. I have tried with Daisy chain enabled and disabled but it currently is disabled. IPv6 is currently disabled. I don't see an option to set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. It is just a checkbox to enable or disable it. I guess I could disable it and see if it helps. I feel like I may have already done that but I could try to disable it.

I have performed a factory restore once shortly after purchasing the unit but that did not have any affect as after a few days the speeds went back down to 40mbps.

ekhalil · ‎2019-08-20

@tannertanner wrote:
.......
I am using Comcast cable internet for my ISP and the modem is a Motorola MB7621 DOCSIS 3.0. It is not set up as a router so I do not have a double router (nat) situation going.
.........

The Motorola MB7621 supports 24 downsteam and 8 upsteam channels. I suspect that this is a capacity issue!

If you stream video from multiple devices at once, or someone in your household engages in activities like gaming or video editing then it can be that you are consuming more channels than what the modem can handle. Do you think that this applies to your case?

If this is the case then the only thing that we could try from Orbi's side -although not straigt forward- is to reduce the tcp session timeout in Orbi and see if this will improve the situation. You can also try with another modem if you have the possibility.

tannertanner · ‎2019-08-20

I don't see how this could be related to the cable modem as the one wired computer to the orbi naver has any speed issues and speed tests report my full internet speed directly on the router too. This issue only affects my wireless devices, and again once the slowness occurs it never recovers back to normal regardless of what is happening on my network, time of day etc. I have tested late at night when everyone in the house is asleep and there is close to zero traffic on the network. If the speed fluctuated based on use then I would be inclined to believe that could be the case but that's not how this issue manifests.

ekhalil · ‎2019-08-20

@tannertanner wrote:
....... as the one wired computer to the orbi naver has any speed issues and speed tests report my full internet speed directly on the router too. .......

Can it be that this wired coputer is the device which is occupying all the channels? 🙂 Setting up all the sessions and not releasing them? This is just a theory but if you say that you disconnected the computer and the issue happened after restarting Orbi without this computer being connected to your system then this theory is not applicable here.
Another question, does the issue only affect wireless devices attached to the Satellite or also those attached to the Router?

tannertanner · ‎2019-08-20

I have not tried restarting the orbi and leaving the computer unplugged so I could test that scenario. When I have unplugged the computer it was just briefly to see if it was interferring. I'm doubtfull that is the issue but I can certainly leave the wired computer unplugged and see (or connect via wifi instead of wired).

I believe the issue affects both the router and the satellite but I don't remember if I tested connected to the satellite specifically. I will test for that but I know it does affect the router for sure.

futureAlec · ‎2019-10-21

Ok call me crazy, but hear me out. This happens to me all the time too and lately looking at it in connected devices (iphone 11 pro max)

It seems to me (as of now very anecdotal) but when I experience slowness my device seems to be recognized as connected WIRED to the satellite.

Anyway, curious if anyone else notices this behavior or something similar.

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-10-21

What FW are you using? There is new FW for the RBK and RBR 50 series systems

Is the RBS the only one or do you have more then one RBS?

What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.

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?

Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

@futureAlec wrote:
Ok call me crazy, but hear me out. This happens to me all the time too and lately looking at it in connected devices (iphone 11 pro max)

It seems to me (as of now very anecdotal) but when I experience slowness my device seems to be recognized as connected WIRED to the satellite.

Anyway, curious if anyone else notices this behavior or something similar.

futureAlec · ‎2019-10-28

FURRYe38 :

I have just updated to the latest firmware *hoping* this would fix it bus alas, it has not. V2.5.0.38

Distance between router and satellite would be irrelevant I would think since it is wired backhaul but about 40 ft.

I am using auto, out of the box config (for the most part. See Below). No Neighbors close at all.

I enabled all of these settings and it did not change anything.

Interestingly enough... When I unplug the satellite in question I still get crappy speeds (~50mbps) until I wait (seems to potentially clear itself up after a while) or restart the main router and then it's fine.

I am very close to just going and buying into the Asus solution of buying whichever routers you like and they all work together.

tannertanner · ‎2019-10-28

I know this is a late reply but I unplugged and turned off the wired computer so the router had no wired devices plugged in. This did not resolve the issue. The issue is not happening as frequently for me anymore (regardless of wired computer plugged in or not). It seems like it takes about 3 weeks now. But inevitably I will be limited to about 40mbps over wireless connections at some point. This is on the latest firmware. A simple router restart always resolves the problem and I am back to normal speeds (for me that is about 180mbps).

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-10-28

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?

Is the RBS directly connected to the back of the RBR or connected with a switch in between the RBR and RBS?

@futureAlec wrote:
FURRYe38 :

I have just updated to the latest firmware *hoping* this would fix it bus alas, it has not. V2.5.0.38

Distance between router and satellite would be irrelevant I would think since it is wired backhaul but about 40 ft.

I am using auto, out of the box config (for the most part. See Below). No Neighbors close at all.

I enabled all of these settings and it did not change anything.

Interestingly enough... When I unplug the satellite in question I still get crappy speeds (~50mbps) until I wait (seems to potentially clear itself up after a while) or restart the main router and then it's fine.

I am very close to just going and buying into the Asus solution of buying whichever routers you like and they all work together.

futureAlec · ‎2019-10-28

Yes, I did a factory reset on both main and satellite with no change in behavior and it is connected directly, not through a switch.

FURRYe38 · ‎2019-10-28

I just checked mine. The RBS is wire connected with 4 switches in between. Been online for 6 days now since the update.

System Uptime 06:17:45:42

Tested my iphone about 20 feet away from the RBS. Speeds are to spec. Not sure if 6 days is long enough for me to see this or not.

You might contact NG support and get some additional help and information on this...

@futureAlec wrote:
Yes, I did a factory reset on both main and satellite with no change in behavior and it is connected directly, not through a switch.