All Amazon products will now not connect to Orbi RBR850

[DaveEdmonds]

So about a week ago one of my Amazon Echo Studios reported it was not connected to the internet. This was after working fine for over two years. Attempting to reconnect to the SSID on the Orbi network fails. Adding a guest network to the Orbi same result.

Adding the network manually by SSID same result. THis also has impacted an Amazon Kindle in the same manner. I can connect both the troublesome units to a separate 2.4 ghz base station that is hard wired to a Orbi satellite no problem so the issue is definitely the regular Orbi network. I had had this issue as well with other devices a home security camera and doorbell camera as well, so I'm guessing it is a Netgear issue more than anything.

It seems that if there was a firmware update recently I would be suspect of that for sure. Currently I am on Firmware Version V4.6.8.2_2.1.9

Gone through all the motions to the point of deregister and resetting all and any hardware so it's not that.

[FURRYe38]

What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too? 

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.

What channels are you using? Auto? Try Auto and 48 on 5Ghz. Or try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and 40 to 48 channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.

[DaveEdmonds]

I've done many of those steps but my point is this. It worked just fine for a very long time and then poof. I turned off RX on the 2.4ghz side and the Kindle would connect then but the Amazon Studio which is about 5 feet from one of the satellites still will not.

I appreciate the suggestions but that's a bit ridiculous for something that until last week was working then what ever may have been upgraded and changed caused it not to.

[FURRYe38]

Well, kind if hard to help you out when we don't get feedback to the questions presented. These are valid items that helps us get an idea of what your configuration is as not everyones configuration or environment is the same. Many factors in Orbi and wifi can lead up to bad experiences. Not everyone has this problem either. 

You can contact NG support if you feel that would be more beneficial to our needs:

https://my.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx

[DaveEdmonds]

There sure are a lot of posts out there with the same problem for "not a lot of problems"

[N3tworkDud3]

I've got the same firmware on my 850 series. Have one satellite. Have a few Amazon devices that connect fine. Possible Amazon did something on their end if only their products are having issues. Could be an issue with your account at Amazon too. 

Didn't see where you state resetting the router and satellite(s) to factory settings and re-configuring. If you haven't tried that, might want to. It can clear up bizarre behaviors.

One thing you can try just to check the state of things with your devices is set one up to use your cell phone as a hot spot. If it connects, it may not have an issue. 

Good luck!

[DaveEdmonds]

I'm thinking as well it's likely more of an Amazon issue since they will upgrade firmware or make some changes that cause things to get bent. Any other device used connects fine to the Orbi network but my previous comments still apply that a couple of home security devices one camera and a doorbell unit were never able to connect.

I am using an older Apple Airport wired to one of the two satellites for them to function. Also I am very familiar with trouble shooting having retired from Apple as a support manager and have that experience behind me but that's mainly Apple branded devices so research is always my friend.

My other comment is it is up to the individual companies to do enough checking on their limited products to verify changes. One company cannot possibly guarantee that their product works with all others it's not feasible. But it is feasible for someone like Amazon with very limited products to do more to help connectivity.

[N3tworkDud3]

Netgear has certainly done its fair share of screwing things up for everyone with their crappy firmware updates. Still don't know why they haven't added the ability for people to opt out of updates - or have more control over them. They've certainly proven they can't put out firmware reliably,

The only thing about the Amazon theory is if they updated their products and it caused issues with connectivity, I'd think more people would have the issue. Maybe we'll see more reported, but I hope not. Personally have 3 Amazon branded "Alexa" products with 2 3rd party "Alexa" products.

Even with the experience behind you, still good to talk it out. I'm in IT myself with most experience in infrastructure and support. Not they way furry does it - that person can be nauseating at times. BUT - one of the things that gives Apple the advantage over others is complete control over HW and SW. When coding the OS, drivers, etc, they don't have to be concerned with variety and can make it work more reliably. 

If you have your Orbi connected to your ISP router and it has wifi capability, can try to set up the ISP router on a different SSID and see if the Amazon products connect. And/or ensure you are not double NAT - meaning your Orbi run through the DMZ of the ISP router. If you run Orbi as AP's, not routers, this won't matter.  

[DaveEdmonds]

Thank you for the other suggestions I will try that I did attempt a guest network and while every other device sees it the Amazon products do not recognize either when scanning the network or entering the SSID manually which I thought was really odd.

Maybe that's a clue for what's going on. The Amazon products do see my older routers connected that are running 2.4ghz fine so I am connecting to them at the moment. And intermittently one Amazon device (A Fire Tablet) will connect but then will drop off in a day or two then will see the SSID but never get connected.

It's been an odd network experience for sure. Especially when there is not way for much interference. Our closest neighbor is over 100 yards from us. Oh and yes I am running the Orbis as APs.

[Mikey94025]

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@DaveEdmonds wrote:

Thank you for the other suggestions I will try that I did attempt a guest network and while every other device sees it the Amazon products do not recognize either when scanning the network or entering the SSID manually which I thought was really odd.

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Try this last experiment - Set your CTS/RTS Threshold to 2347 to maximize compatibility with older 2.4Ghz wireless devices like the Amazon devices:

1. Go to the web admin portal at http://orbilogin.com/
2. Click to the Advanced tab, Advanced left menu, Wireless Settings
3. Set CTS/RTS Threshold to 2347 for both 2.4hz and 5Ghz networks
4. Press Apply

See if that helps.  If problems still persist, next try disabling AX mode for the 2.4Ghz band:

1. Go to http://orbilogin.com/
2. Click to the Advanced tab, Setup left menu, Wireless Setup
3. Uncheck "Enable 2.4G" under the top Enable AX section
4. Press Apply

[DaveEdmonds]

I will try the threshold suggestion, I did earlier disable AX on 2.4 and no change but I haven't tried the CTS/RTS setting yet. Thank you for the suggestions.

[N3tworkDud3]

Wasn't thinking about this earlier, but one set of my Amazon Echo 3rd party products required my SSID to be broadcast, not hidden - which I prefer. If you "hide" your SSID, maybe try broadcasting to see if that helps?

[DaveEdmonds]

Without me doing any other troubleshooting past what I did earlier, the two Amazon pieces of junk are now connecting to the Orbi network. I have no clue why they all of a sudden went back to working other than it must have been an Amazon related issue. Thanks to all that had useful suggestions.

[FURRYe38]

Glad you got it working. Be sure to save off a back up configuration to file for safe keeping. Saves time if a reset is needed.
https://kb.netgear.com/000062080/How-do-I-back-up-the-configuration-settings-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-System
Enjoy. 📡