Re: RBR 50 has lost all wired connections - wifi is fine

timorbi · ‎2020-10-06

Overnight, my RBR50 has dropped all wired connections, wifi is fine.

I've tried restarting the Orbi, connecting cables to different sockets, etc., but no joy.

Anyone ideas?

Tim.

timorbi · ‎2020-10-06

I've managed to fix this myself by disconnecting ALL wired devices, restarting the Orbi, then reconnecting.

Why on earth I have to do this I just don't know. I so wish I'd never bought this kit. I've lost count of the number of times that I've had to physically switch off the satellite then reboot the router in order to restore wifi connectivity, or to restore connectivity between the router and the internet.

When it's working, the wifi access is great, but this kit is far far less stable and reliable than the pair of Netgear WNDR3700's I was using before.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-10-06

What Firmware version is currently loaded?

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update?
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?

What wired devices do you have all connected to the RBR and RBS?

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite

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

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

One User Experience/Configuration:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Most-Stable-Orbi-Configuration/m-p/1941087/highlight/true#M970...

I have not see this problem with mine and I have many wired devices connected to my RBR.

Mstrbig · ‎2020-10-06

@timorbi wrote:
I've managed to fix this myself by disconnecting ALL wired devices, restarting the Orbi, then reconnecting.
Why on earth I have to do this I just don't know. I so wish I'd never bought this kit. I've lost count of the number of times that I've had to physically switch off the satellite then reboot the router in order to restore wifi connectivity, or to restore connectivity between the router and the internet.
When it's working, the wifi access is great, but this kit is far far less stable and reliable than the pair of Netgear WNDR3700's I was using before.

did you buy the kit new or used?

Sounds to me like you have an electrical issue where the router is getting hit with a brownout or maybe the power supply is faulty.

Is your router on a UPS or plugged straight into the wall or strip?

Do you have another power supply you can try or maybe swap with a satellite if the same specs?

timorbi · ‎2020-10-08

Good of you to take the trouble to reply, thanks.

I did buy it new, but I suppose that's no guarantee that it's not faulty.

Not brown-out I don't think, we did have a powercut last week which affected the whole house, but the networking setup bounced right back.

At least now I know a set of steps which MIGHT fix this problem if it recurs in future, but it still leaves me thinking that this kit is SO unreliable compared to Netgear products I've used before.

timorbi · ‎2020-10-08

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply, I appreciate it.

Frankly though, I don't have the time or inclination to document all the information you've asked for below (though yes the firmware is up to date), nor to try all the changes you've suggested. Although I'm an IT professional of 35 years standing, with advanced qualifications in electronic engineering, in this particular case I bought this kit as a consumer device that I just expect to work, not as a hobby to experiment with.

Also, in this particular case, the problem was strictly with wired devices, not wireless, so I don't see that it's relevant how many wifi neighbours I have etc.

It shouldn't matter either what wired devices I have connected to the Orbi (though as it happens a couple of desktop pc's, a couple of apple tvs, and some home automation devices - Amazon Echo, Hive home hub). If those wired connections work most of the time, then out of blue they all stop working, then it's a problem with the Orbi in my view, and I'm finding it highly unreliable.

I've always bought Netgear kit for networking in the past, for many years, but I won't in future.

Mstrbig · ‎2020-10-08

@timorbi wrote:

It shouldn't matter either what wired devices I have connected to the Orbi (though as it happens a couple of desktop pc's, a couple of apple tvs, and some home automation devices - Amazon Echo, Hive home hub). If those wired connections work most of the time, then out of blue they all stop working, then it's a problem with the Orbi in my view, and I'm finding it highly unreliable.
I've always bought Netgear kit for networking in the past, for many years, but I won't in future.

I get a little defensive when I hear people calling Netgear and/or Orbi products problematic and inferior. After years of being in the business (since DOS1), we chose Netgear products to be our go to brand. And we chose Orbi mesh systems over all the other brands available. Some brands are more plug and play for novices. But none compare to the coverage and reliability that Orbi offers. I can't even count how many Orbi devices my company has installed. We never have any issues other than user error or the occasional electrical problem (being in Tampa Bay Florida). I experience that around here, so we install UPS units (even the smallest ones) to protect against these sort of incidents.

You being an IT professional for many years know that the smaller brownouts or dips/spikes in power can cause network devices to go into protection mode. I've had to remove all cables and power just to get a NIC to perform again. I still believe electrical may be your issue, whether device, power supply or power glitch.

We have run across a couple of defictive Oribi routers or satellites right out of the box. Since you are under warranty, and you are still having a problem, I would RMA the item and get a replacement.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-10-08

Well the questions are valid and have meaning for both you and us. Due to many different configurations and such through out the industry and just Orbi users themselves, these questions help both you and us understand what users have and are working with currently since we would not have prior knowledge to this. This also helps establish working information and current status of what users have at the moment. There are many different FW versions which are availalbe and no everyone is using the same version or most current version.

The suggestions presented are also troubleshooting steps users can take to see if anything changes for them. It offers most immediate help for users with problems seen with Orbi. And in most cases does help users with there problems. We do see on some occasions where wifi interferneces can cause problems at the router and wired level.

There are also FW seating problems that maybe seen after FW updates as well. Reason for a factory reset after a update and setup from scratch.

Other possibilities are you cables or wired devices on your network that can be a factor in any wired network configuration.

I find it hard to believe that if you do have 35 years of IT experience, that you would be here asking for help in the first place. One would think with that kind of background, one would be able to resolve this. But we are here ot help out as best as we can. Regardless of users experience or expertise.

Good Luck in your endeavours.

timorbi · ‎2020-10-09

Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to reply, I appreciate it.

For some time before I bought this Orbi combination, I used a pair of WNDR3700 routers, and before that DG834GT's, all Netgear kit. I totally agree that the Orbi's have far better wifi coverage, and it's great being able to use the same network id throughout the house thanks to these being mesh devices. As to reliability being superior - in my case, absolutely not.

In the same building, connected to the same ADSL router, and largely the same devices (and with the same mains power supply), I have frequently experienced loss of connectivity to the internet (but wifi and wired connectivity still ok), loss of wifi connectivity to the router, and in this most recent episode, loss of wired connectivity whilst everything else still works.

Each time, through a combination of disconnecting and reconnecting devices, and restarts of the router and the satellite in various sequences that I've had to experiment with, I've got things working again. My point is though that I shouldn't have to - and it's impossible to fix when I'm not there but might have guests in the home.

Yes it might be that I've just been unlucky and ended up with either the main unit or the satellite being defective. I'm not sure whether this items are still under warranted, but I'll look into it.

timorbi · ‎2020-10-09

Thanks once again for replying, however...

I'm rather taken aback by your statement that you "find it hard to believe that if you do have 35 years of IT experience, that you would be here asking for help in the first place". Isn't the point of this forum to raise issues that users may be having, to find out if anyone else has had the same problem and knows what is the solution, rather than reinventing the wheel? This works just as well amongst IT professionals as amongst the general public, in my experience.

And yes maybe I could spend hours experimenting with different settings to figure what works to mitigate this problem, although as the problems I have been experiencing are to do with reliability rather than features simply 'not working', it would be a very hit and miss approach. Also, when I have spent a lot of time in my professional life diagnosing hardware or software failures, I've expected to get paid for it! In this particular case, I've bought this kit as a consumer to use domestically in my own home, and it's been a combination of very satisfactory performances when it works, and great frustration when (somewhat randomly) it just doesn't - unlike any of the Netgear kit I've bought and used for years previously.