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The installer said the Gateway would work with my Orbi 973
Two weeks ago, I switched from Cox to AT&T Fiber. The installer said the Gateway would work with my Orbi 973 as plug-and-play with no settings changed. It took a while to connect, but eventually it worked. Later, I manually updated to firmware 12.1.11.10 without issues. On Friday, I noticed one of my wired satellites had rebooted on its own, reconnecting at 100 instead of 2500. This had happened before, and unplugging and reconnecting the cable usually fixed it, but this time no luck. I did a full power cycle of the modem, router, and satellites, but the Orbi system wouldn’t connect to the AT&T Gateway at all. I spent from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm trying to fix it, even factory resetting the Orbi router and satellites multiple times, but couldn’t complete setup via the iPhone app. While still connected to the AT&T Gateway, I tried logging into the web interface on my Mac via a wired connection without success—until suddenly it connected. A popup said the install wasn’t complete and asked if I wanted to continue; I did, and everything connected. I used the same password and re-enabled IoT, with some devices reconnecting automatically and others requiring manual setup. I then went into the AT&T web interface, set the firewall to passthrough and DHCP, and turned off both 2.4 and 5 GHz radios, keeping the Orbi in router mode. Everything seems fine now, but I’m reluctant to power reset again. I’m also considering replacing the expensive Orbi with AT&T extenders at $12 per month each. I’d like advice on what might have caused this. Also it’s always the satellite connected to my Mitel 6930 office phone that reboots on its own?RBE971 V12.1.10.12 - satellites do not broadcast the IoT SSID (regression from V9.13.x?)
System: RBE971 router plus 2x RBE970 satellites, both on wired backhaul, both showing Good. Firmware V12.1.10.12_5.3.16. IoT network enabled, 2.4 GHz only, WPA2-PSK. Main SSID is WPA2+WPA3. Problem: the IoT SSID is broadcast only by the router. Neither satellite broadcasts it. The main SSID is broadcast by all three units normally. Evidence 1, a WiFi scan run from an ESP32 device sitting about 20 feet from one satellite, in a detached outbuilding: Main SSID from that satellite's BSSID: -39 dBm. Main SSID from the other satellite: -75 dBm. Main SSID from the router: -80 dBm. Backhaul SSID (NTGRBH_...) from all three units. IoT SSID: exactly ONE BSSID, the router's (its radio MAC with the locally administered bit set), at -80 dBm. No IoT BSSID from either satellite. Evidence 2, the router's own Attached Devices page: 40 of 40 clients listed as IoT 2.4GHz are connected to the Router, 0 to either satellite. Main-SSID 2.4 GHz clients do attach to satellites, so the satellite 2.4 radios themselves are working. Impact: every 2.4 GHz-only IoT device in the house has to reach the router no matter where it sits. Two ESP32 devices in the outbuilding are stuck at -80 dBm on the router and drop constantly (measured: 458 availability flips in 24 hours, unreachable for 16 of those 24 hours), while the satellite 20 feet away offers -39 dBm on the main SSID. Power cycling the devices does not help: on a fresh boot they still associate to the router, because the IoT SSID is what they are configured for and the router is the only AP broadcasting it. A 970-series user reported on V9.13.1.2 that the IoT and Guest SSIDs were available at satellites, which suggests this changed somewhere in the V12 line. Questions: (1) Is IoT SSID broadcast from satellites supported on the 970 series, and is this a known regression in V12.1.10.12? (2) Is there any setting or procedure to get the satellites to carry the IoT network? Both satellites are wired and show Good, and a satellite power cycle changed nothing. (3) If it is not supported, is a fix planned? With transmit power control removed from the firmware there is also no way to bias clients toward the satellites. Thanks.
WAND Disconnects (Hunter Irrigation)
I've had a Hunter WAND WiFi module in my X2 controller (irrigation system) since 2024 and it seems that after the latest RBE972S (Orbi 970/Orbi 971) firmware updates to Version 12.1.10.12, the WAND WiFi module randomly disconnects. The NETGEAR firmware update solved a number of prior problems (Google Pixel 10 smartphone) but the WAND WiFi module disconnects seem to have started after the latest firmware update. I've spent a fair number of hours attempting to resolve this problem going thru all of Hunter's recommendations and went so far as to purchase a new WAND module. No joy, the WiFi module seems to be losing the Internet connection but none of my other 30 connected devices are experiencing a similar problem. I have a full strength 100% WiFi signal at the module since the Orbi 970 Satellite is 50 feet from the irrigation system controller. I do notice in the Bluetooth interface, that after the disconnect and a subsequent reconnect in XXX seconds, the Internet connection is Poor (14%) with the Hunter Hydrawise controller is marked Failed. Anybody experiencing a similar issue with the WAND module for Hunter X2 Controllers?RBE971 crashed, will not power back up
Purchased a Orbi WiFi 7 router and two satellites in late November 2024. Generally, the devices and network have worked well. Yesterday, however, the router suddenly went down, and I’ve been unable to power it back up. The power outlet was live and I tried the router on several other working outlets, but no sign of life. I’ve tried resets and a full power cycle restart. Again, nothing; neither the Power LED nor the Router LED show any light at all. I then installed the older router and extenders that the Orbi system had replaced. They worked fine with the AP, so I have a network back up - just not the one I paid $$$ for only 20 months ago. I did not buy an extended warranty, and thus NG support is of no use. I would welcome any suggestions that might lead to recovering use of the Orbi router and avoiding purchase of a new one.
