OrbiRBR50 Ethernet Connectivity Problem

[Orbiwanbenobi]

I've just recently upgraded my router to the OrbiRBR50 from an older Nighthawk7000 that died during a thunderstorm surge. The wifi and satellite set up was easy and seamless. All wireless devices in the house connected to the wifi without any speed or connectivity issues. My desktop Apple Mini(Yosemite 10.10.5) previously had an ethernet connection with the Nighthawk is now having difficulty recognizing the ethernet connection with the new Orbi. Its wifi connection is fine but I prefer the ethernet connection for speed. The ethernet in setting says no connection. I tried Netgear help but the rep was not helpful and tried to punt it off as an Apple problem, not Netgear's. I have checked the cable and it is fine. Orbi app actually sees the ethernet connection from "unknown". Can someone here help me? Do I need to reset something in my desktop before it can recognize the new ethernet connection? Thank you in advance for your time and suggestions.

[FURRYe38]

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

Try a different wired device connected to the Orbi.

Try different ports on the back of the RBR or RBS. 

Try a different LAN cable. 

Possible that your LAN port on the Mac could have been damaged. Thus maybe your R7000 could be ok. 

[CrimpOn]

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@Orbiwanbenobi wrote:
My desktop Apple Mini(Yosemite 10.10.5) previously had an ethernet connection with the Nighthawk is now having difficulty recognizing the ethernet connection with the new Orbi. Its wifi connection is fine but I prefer the ethernet connection for speed. The ethernet in setting says no connection.

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One simple test is to power off the internet modem, unplug the Orbi, and plug in the Mac with the ethernet cord.  Power them up (modem first), and the Mac should get an IP address from the modem and be connected.  If the R7000 was fried while the Mac was connected, MAYBE the overload also fried the Mac's ethernet port?

(Since this is desktop instead of a laptop, connecting it to a different router is not a trivial task.)

[Orbiwanbenobi]

Thank you for your thoughts.  I tried different devices connecting to LAN ports on the Orbi and they all seem to be working.  The cables are okay as well.  My old R7000 is fried for sure because the LED lights flickers on and off.  It is possible that the LAN ports on my Mac was damaged.   I will try powering the modem(Motorola surfboard) on and off to see if my Mac will see the IP address.  Thank you again.

[Orbiwanbenobi]

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@CrimpOn wrote:

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@Orbiwanbenobi wrote:
My desktop Apple Mini(Yosemite 10.10.5) previously had an ethernet connection with the Nighthawk is now having difficulty recognizing the ethernet connection with the new Orbi. Its wifi connection is fine but I prefer the ethernet connection for speed. The ethernet in setting says no connection.

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One simple test is to power off the internet modem, unplug the Orbi, and plug in the Mac with the ethernet cord.  Power them up (modem first), and the Mac should get an IP address from the modem and be connected.  If the R7000 was fried while the Mac was connected, MAYBE the overload also fried the Mac's ethernet port?

(Since this is desktop instead of a laptop, connecting it to a different router is not a trivial task.)

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Hello CrimpOn, are you suggesting that I connect my Mac directly to the cable modem via an Ethernet cord in order to get the IP address from the modem?

[CrimpOn]

Yes.  The modem waits for something to connect and when whatever device it is makes a DHCP request for an IP address, the modem sends the request to the ISP and returns the answer to the device.  Doesn't matter if it is a computer, a router, or whatever.

So, when the Mac is plugged directly into the modem and the modem is turned on, the Mac should get an IP address and be connected to the internet.  We know the modem works because the Orbi is working.  We know the cables are good.  We know other devices connected to the Orbi work.  If the Mac doesn't work when connected directly to the modem, then the ethernet port could be defective.

[FURRYe38]

Yes you can connect your Mac directly to the modem via ethernet and it should get an IP address and internet access. 

[Orbiwanbenobi]

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@CrimpOn wrote:

Yes.  The modem waits for something to connect and when whatever device it is makes a DHCP request for an IP address, the modem sends the request to the ISP and returns the answer to the device.  Doesn't matter if it is a computer, a router, or whatever.

So, when the Mac is plugged directly into the modem and the modem is turned on, the Mac should get an IP address and be connected to the internet.  We know the modem works because the Orbi is working.  We know the cables are good.  We know other devices connected to the Orbi work.  If the Mac doesn't work when connected directly to the modem, then the ethernet port could be defective.

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Thank you, Crimpon. The MacMini still does not show ethernet being connected with the ethernet cord directly connected to the modem. I think we have narrowed down the problem to the Mac itself, whether it be the port or some other configeration issues.

[FURRYe38]

Does the mac Mini get an IP address via wireless? 

Alternate solution if you cant get the LAN fixed, find a USBtoLAN adapter. 

[Orbiwanbenobi]

FURRYe38 wrote:

Yes you can connect your Mac directly to the modem via ethernet and it should get an IP address and internet access. 

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Thank you, FURRYe38. I think we have narrowed down the issue to the MacMini itself since connecting the mac directly to the modem did not solve the problem. The port was probably damaged or taken down along with the old R7000.  Someone from the Apple support community is suggesting resetting the Mac's SMC and NVRAM.  I will have to see how involved that route is.

[FURRYe38]

Yes, seems like it. Hopefully the LAN port can be recovered. If not, see if Apple can fix it. Short term, find a USB to LAN adapter as a temporary solution if you need LAN support. 

Good Luck. 

[Orbiwanbenobi]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Yes, seems like it. Hopefully the LAN port can be recovered. If not, see if Apple can fix it. Short term, find a USB to LAN adapter as a temporary solution if you need LAN support. 

Good Luck. 

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Yes, the Mac has an IP address from Wifi.  It's definitely worth a try with your idea of USB to LAN adapter.  I wonder if there is any compromise in speed or not with that route?  I will try resetting the SMC first and see if that will do the trick.  Thank you again. 

[FURRYe38]

IF the USB on the Mini is USB 3.0 like mine is, then you shouldn't see any bottle neck.