I have had my Orbi RBK50 system for a few weeks now and for much of that time I have been learning the pros and cons of the Orbi system, and have been keen to get a successful wired backhaul between the router and the satellite, and I think I have finally done it, but first some background.
My Orbis, out of the box, claimed that the lates firmware was a version of which I'm afraid I did not take note. I downloaded FW versions 2.1.2.18 and 2.1.3.4. I installed one, then uninstalled it, and installed the other, a couple of times, and have now settled on 2.1.2.18. Here's why. I have four Lifx smart globes, which connect to Apple HomeKit. When 2.1.3.4 was installed, Apple HomeKit kept disconnecting and reconnecting the Lifx bulbs, so I went back to 2.1.2.18, and so far Lifx and HomeKit are working together well.
At this point I should point out that I was still on wireless backhaul, so I decided to go for wired backhaul next. Initially it failed, but then I rearranged my ethernet cables and finally achieved success. My wired setup includes Cat6 between a small patch panel and the family room in which my Orbi satellite sits. The family room cable terminates on a 5 port D-Link switch which hosts the Orbi Satellite, a smart TV, an Apple TV, and a Fetch TV STB. At the other end in my study, the patch panel includes a cable to the family room, to which I connected a cable directly from one of the ports on the Orbi Router. Success. Now the Orbi router shows connection type wired for the sattelite, and everything seems stable.
