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What you can expect with your Orbi system
I'm writing this mainly because a post like this would have saved me a lot of time and effort. If you're thinking about buying an Orbi system, or recently purchased one, here's a few things you can expect: The devices look great so you can set them up anywhere. The wifi speed is impressive - 200-300Mbs actual throughout most of the coverage area. The band steering (the feature that tries to keep 5Ghz capable clients on the 5Ghz network), doesn't really work. 5Ghz capable devices keep ending up on the 2.4Ghz radio even though a useable 5Ghz signal is available. You'll keep lossing connectivity, partial or complete, for a few seconds or a few minutes. This will happen a few times a day if you use it all day. After working for over a year trying to chase down and fix problems, here's the situaton with those last two problems. First, the band steering implemented by netgear just doesn't work very well. There are no magic switches or settings to change, it's just not reliable. There isn't way to make it reliable, but you can work around the issue. There is an undocumented way to separate out the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz SSIDs that a helpful user detailed. If you use this, you just avoid the bandsteering problems. Second are the disconnects. They will seem random, they are hard to reproduce, and restarting any satellite or the router will resolve them when they show up. I spent months trying to track this one down specificially and never got farther than confirming it's a layer 2 issue with the Orbi backhaul. The fact that it's a layer 2 backhaul issue is easy to confirm. When you're having any connectivity problems with a device, just change the device radio's MAC address, wait a few seconds for a new DHCP address and "viola", the connectivity problems will be fixed. If you dive deeper into the sauce, poking around the Orbi's customized OpenWRT system using their telnet access, you'll find that the WDS system is incredibly unreliable. All it takes is a few laps around your house switching APs to cause a MAC address to get "stuck". Roaming isn't a requirement for the backhaul to start messing up, but it's easier to cause it to happen that way. There is no fix for this second issue. It's something you have to just live with. If you don't use your system for work, and rarely roam between APs with your devices, you probably won't notice it too much. If you do - sorry, this is going to drive you crazy. If you call netgear, you'll be told to restart the system, reload the firmware, play with channels, and a host of other things. None of them will help. You're just wasting time. Note, these problems have existed for at least the past 8 revisions of their firmware and have shown no improvement. There is no reason to think that netgear will fix this, ever. They have the easy "reboot and it works again" fix available. So, this is one of those things you'll have to live with.
Orbi: We really need separate SSID for 2.4 Ghz and 5Ghz or speed is limited to less than 200 Mbps
TLDR: With Orbi, my 5Ghz capable devices are "forced" to connect to 2.4 Ghz most of the time, slowing down speed. Tested against 3 different routers and my 5Ghz capable can connect to 5Ghz network all the time. I got the 3-pack Orbi from Costco and after numerous testing, ALL my devices are connecting to 2.4 Ghz MOST of the TIME rather than 5 Ghz. This slows down the transfer speed from 800 Mbps to a paltry 145 Mbps. Unfortunately, since the Orbi does not allow separate SSID for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, I cannot "force" my device to connect only to 5Ghz to get better speed. This means that I have a $499 router system that mostly allow only 2.4 Ghz. I previously have a Time Capsule and setup 2 separate SSID: - devices capable of 5Ghz will ONLY connect to 5Ghz SSID (MacBook, iPhone, etc.) - devices capable of ONLY 2.4 Ghz will connect to 2.4Ghz SSID (thermostate, etc.) There was no changes on the setup or placement of my devices when I replace the Time Capsule with the Orbi: 1). Orbi is in the middle of apartment, same location as my Time Capsule 2). Laptops are in the same area as before (desk, room 1, etc.) 3). Other devices are in the same area as before (printer, camera, thermostat, etc.). 4). No new devices that can interference with Wifi signal The ONLY changes is the Orbi Router and Satellite and now all my 5Ghz capable devices are connecting to 2.4 Ghz with Orbi. I powered down Orbi, put my Time Capsule back and BAM!! I got 5Ghz connection again. For a separate testing, I bought the following: - Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 - ASUS RTC3200 Setup both to have separate SSID and BAM! 5Ghz devices can connect to ONLY 5Ghz network. I hope Orbi will change this in the new upgrade. Otherwise, I have no need for a $499 router that "force" 5Ghz devices to connect to 2.4 Ghz network.Orbi firmware update v2.1.4.16 availability
We’ve been monitoring issues that some customers have experienced in OrbiOS 2.1.4. In response, we’re releasing firmware that provides a permanent fix for the homekit issue along with various other fixes. Please use the manual firmware upgrade process to apply to your Orbi. Release note: Fixes issues with the Apple HomeKit connectivity Fixes the wireless crash and reboot issue when the router is under stress Fixes WiFi disconnection and IOT issues Fixes an issue where devices on the Guest Network are able to see (but not connect to) some devices on the main network Fixes an issue where device boot order caused devices connected over Ethernet Backhaul to connect wireless backhaul Updates the OpenVPN certificate from MD5 to SHA-256 Procedure: https://kb.netgear.com/31573/How-do-I-manually-upgrade-firmware-on-my-Orbi-Satellite RBR50: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=eU8AGcH35R RBS50: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=VROsn1CTlN RBR40: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=VprvKm5KKQ RBS40: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=qnSeFhnPee RBR20: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=KoVqfb1rnu RBS20: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=IoDbhdoimw RBW30: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=eQBpp8wlKK RBS50Y http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=ihUvlS8gqG Note: CBR40 will be available later this month. We look forward to hearing your feedback. -NETGEAR Team
Orbi MR 2.1 Update 3/23/18
Our teams are still working through the issues, but I wanted to provide a quick update on OrbiOS 2.1. We usually wait to release our software until it's available across all Orbi product lines, but in a departure from our normal processes, we’re going to the release BETA software for our products in a staggered manner. The first wave to be released are only for the RBR50 and RBS50, which is used in the RBK50 and RBK53 (Costco) kits. If you have a kit that includes a different hardware product (including RBK52W, RBK40 series or RBK30 series) or a RBK50 or RBK53 with an add-on satellite (RBS40, RBW30), please hang tight. We’re not quite done with it yet, but will update this thread when it’s ready. Edit for clarity: This release supports both Circle & Ethernet backhaul Edit2: Updated with the 2nd wave of firmware for RBR40, RBS40, RBR20 and RBS20. This supports the following SKUs: RBK40, RBK43, RBK44, RBK20, RBK22, RBK23. Edit3: Updated for RBW30, to support RBK30, RBK33, RBK52W, and others We’re not yet going to push this release this for auto-firmware upgrade, and will let you know before we do. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Support. Rel Notes: Fixes issues where Internet access is not available on some devices, but available on others. Fixes an issue where Satellites get disconnected from Router Provides protection for the MDNS packet flood issue Addresses an issue where websites set to unmanaged are unreachable Multiple other connectivity & RF improvements BETA MR 2.1.3 software can be found here: RBR50: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=rFfsb14M2q RBS50: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=0UBXh9aus6 RBR40: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=dnNl6nqBSj RBS40: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=FEaFlGNCuW RBW30: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=x990UeDEdo RBR20: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=IOMUioMSLU RBS20: http://files.netgear-support.com/go/?a=d&i=S5JDrBEG2f How to do a manual firmware upgrade: https://kb.netgear.com/31573/How-do-I-manually-upgrade-firmware-on-my-Orbi-Satellite Orbi Product TeamOrbiOS MR 2.1 issues
I wanted to reach out to provide a quick update on OrbiOS 2.1 software. We believe that these issues are affecting some users. Rest assured that we've been following this issue and working hard behind the scenes to address it. In the meantime, to those that are affected, I understand the frustration that you've been feeling. In response, we're taking the following actions: 1. We've paused the auto-firmware upgrade to MR2.1 and are re-posting MR 2.0 as the "latest" software for Orbi. What that means is that new customers will, upon first install, get upgraded to OrbiOS 2.0. They will not be able to use features introduced in OrbiOS 2.1 like Ethernet Backhaul or Circle. This will happen in the next 24 hours. Existing customers, can do a manual software upgrade back to MR 2.0 and it will stick until further notice. For those interested in OrbiOS 2.1 features, We will post OrbiOS 2.1 available on the web server for customers who want to manual upgrade. 2. Customers who are having connectivity issues on MR 2.1 are encouraged to contact Support. We will try to help everyone. Bonus points if you're willing to work with us. We have some debug software available. 3. As more information is available, we'll keep you updated through the Community. As an FYI, if you're having issues, a couple of quick & easy ways to self serve 1. Ensure that your Router & Satellite(s) are running the same (to the 3rd digit) of software. Best way to find this is on the Web UI (orbilogin.com. Advanced -> Admin -> Firmware Update). 2. Rebooting the system. Do this manually by unplugging & replugging in the Router & Satellites. 3. If you're having slowness when connected to the Satellite, moving it closer to the Router or to a different location Orbi Product Management TeamOrbi Blocking Websites - Solved
ORBI is blocking HTTPS websites that are not explicitly defined in URL. To unblock any https website, do the following: Log into to your router admin console (https://orbilogin.net) Click on Advanced Tab Click on Security >> Block Services Click Add Click on Service Type DropDown and Select HTTPS Click Add to save Your all set. Close out admin and then retry ORBI admin console as just orbilogin.net and waalaa.Status lights in the Network Map of the Orbi App
Note: this is NOT a question about the lights in the Orbi satellites themselves. I have the AC3000 system, RBR50 router and two satellites. Setup went pretty much as expected, with not problems encountered. Now, turning to the Orbi app (IOS version). When I tap on the upper (blue) portion of the home screen I am taken to a Network Map. The map shows just what I would expect: Internet at the top, Orbi router connected to internet in the middle, and the two connected satellites at the bottom. So far so good. However, each of the Orbi components displays a colored status light. The light on the router is always green, but the lights for the respective satellites are usually yellow, sometimes switching to green for a while, then back to yellow. Occasionally one of them goes red. What to these status lights on the Network Map mean? I can't find an explanation anywhere despite a lot of searching, both here and on Google. Where is there an explanation of the lights, and what I can do to fix a yellow or red condition?
