New RBR750 / RBS750 Firmware Version 4.6.3.16 Released

[titaniumrx8]

@FURRYe38
You do a lot of good in the community but defending an unacceptable update by telling users to execute actions that most aren't capable of is not helpful.

Orbi is a consumer product. An expensive product. Expecting customers to either suffer with a broken, unreliable network or spend hours trying to fix what the manufacturer broke is just wrong.

Netgear has problems. From orbi firmware to hosing their Disney users to their commercial security holes, they are not a good company anymore.
Please continue helping but defending the indefensible isn't a great look. Perhaps use some of your clout as a superuser to get NG to get their act together ASAP.

[FURRYe38]

Again, not defending them or condoning either. I'm here to help get there stuff working in mean time while we wait for NG to fix there mess. Don't assume anything. If you feel i am, thats not my problem. 

Maybe I do, Maybe I don't. Theres not much we can do aside help users get there systems working again here in the forums. Beyond that, it's all up to NG. 

I'll post how I see fit. Thanks. 

[Jeffoz]

This company is a joke. I bought Orbi so I don't have to use my Datacenter knowledge setting up a complicated network again. It's unacceptable for a consumer product that is marketted as hassle free. I did a factory reset in the end to see if it made things better, same **bleep** and even the back haul is disconnected. If I remove the Satellite it ends up as a client device, just like in the early days of the release and firmwares. I know stuff can break but it's totally unacceptable to not shut off updates and her forced automatic updates that break things. Last product I buy from this company due to that policy. Not sure if others have it any better though but probably move to a Unify network, time to take control again...

[TSpoonEars]

I bought my Orbi to move away from my Gryphon that was having similar issues. I’ve now gone back to my old Gryphon setup while this gets fixed (they fixed their issues), but I’m probably done with Netgear now - forcing updates this bad you can’t decline when you have customers paying for things like parental controls (which I did and they worked much better than on my Gryphon while they worked) is completely unacceptable. Where on earth was the QA with this release?!

[COMountainGoat]

Unfortunately it's not just this release.  We've been fighting bad firmware upgrades for years now, on both the .ac and .ax units.  The quality tanked right about the time they removed the ability to disable automatic updates.  Maybe they know their firmware QA is fertilizer, so they figure this is the best way to make sure people get patches as quickly as possible.

I did two things this weekend. First, and I encourage everyone to do it too, I gave the Orbi a 1 star review on Amazon and every other site I could find that would let me.  That's the only way we can get their attention, because it'll impact sales.

Second, I finished running cat 6e in the house, so no more wireless backhaul.  That'll let me switch to a set of regular wifi6 routers instead of a broken mesh system.  Now to pick the (non netgear) version.  Ubiquity is a non-starter after their security issues (sorry, no cloud management for me).  Not even considering anything from Amazon or Google.  Linksys maybe?

Anyone have experience running a non-mesh network with multiple AP's in the home, all on one SSID?  Do devices roam properly as you walk around?  Presume you have to keep them on different channels, or should they all be on one?

[Niko78]

+1 I just gave a 1 star on amazon.

This system and the support is a joke !

[TimCakir]

I gave a 1 star review and a few days Amazon ES told me that they wont accept that review 🤣 Im laughing but I actually want to cry 😭
I cant record live zoom streamings, cant do podcasts without having issues, I literally cant do my job properly after their firmware update. Super crazy thinking you spend this much money and they do this to us, their CUSTOMERS!!

Good luck to everyone, I have a few friends super happy with Linksys to be honest, if I could sell or throw these orbis at a netgear office window I will and never ever again Netgear. Lesson learned.

[tak1313]

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@TimCakir wrote:
I gave a 1 star review and a few days Amazon ES told me that they wont accept that review 🤣 Im laughing but I actually want to cry 😭
I cant record live zoom streamings, cant do podcasts without having issues, I literally cant do my job properly after their firmware update. Super crazy thinking you spend this much money and they do this to us, their CUSTOMERS!!

Good luck to everyone, I have a few friends super happy with Linksys to be honest, if I could sell or throw these orbis at a netgear office window I will and never ever again Netgear. Lesson learned.

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If Amazon won't allow you to post a poor review for some odd reason, tag other poor reviews as "helpful."  For most, the reviews sort by most helpful.  The more "helpful" tags a review gets, the higher it gets on the default sort that people see first.

[tak1313]

If the aim is recognition of NG's messed up firmware debacles, it's not enough to post a poor review.  A review with no tags by others get buried in the abyss, which for products with 1000s of reviews, is WAAAAYYYY in no-man's land.

Tagging poor reviews as "helpful" is what gets it higher in the default sort that most people see.

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@COMountainGoat wrote:

I did two things this weekend. First, and I encourage everyone to do it too, I gave the Orbi a 1 star review on Amazon and every other site I could find that would let me.  That's the only way we can get their attention, because it'll impact sales.

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[orbiuser1975]

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@COMountainGoat wrote:

I did two things this weekend. First, and I encourage everyone to do it too, I gave the Orbi a 1 star review on Amazon and every other site I could find that would let me.  That's the only way we can get their attention, because it'll impact sales.

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Already 1 starred my review of a December 2020 purchase and referenced this thread in the review. I cringe every time I see and advertisement for this garbage considering that the first time someone plugs in their new system it will immediately be broken when the firmware updates...

[miller1975]

I totally agree, the annoying thing is I can now get a couple of Draytec wifi 6 mesh far cheaper than the Orbi

[LucGov]

Hi,

Is Netgear support aware of the connection problems ? Any gues when they will fix this ?

[FURRYe38]

Yes. NG doesn't let us know when new FW is forthcoming. 

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@LucGov wrote:

Hi,

Is Netgear support aware of the connection problems ? Any gues when they will fix this ?

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[Ka1ciuM]

I've been speaking with Netgear support and they ask me to do the same stuff you've all been doing.

30-30-30 reset, both TFTP methods, web interface failed to work.

I get an IP to ping The problem is as soon as I do a reset and repower my RBS flashes white again after releaseing the reset button

I've had it on the side unplugged for a few days while I've been busy with work so its had a complete power drain.

I may have to get my linksys Velop out and return this as fualty to Amazon becuase NG just completly screwed me.

[jdk1120]

So, are we converging to the view that this firmware update did not address the disconect (and other) issues that came with the previous firmware?   I'm now beyond my 90 day support window and feel like I'm unfortunately locked into this product.

[FURRYe38]

Any one gone back and reverted to v3? 

[LucGov]

It is very technical and complicated to revert back to V3 and to make sure that automatic updating is prevented. I think for many users this is a bridge too far. 

[FURRYe38]

We know, however for some, could be tired. 
I was told by the user who came up with the posts regarding downgrading and preventing auto updates his system IS working well after downgrading. This is a method to try while we all wait on NG to fix the v4 mess accross both models is all. Other then that, users will need to make contact with NG support and let them know whats going on as this mess is beyond forum fix and resolution. 

[COMountainGoat]

I just ordered a non-netgear replacement system and plan to rip it out as soon as it arrives.  There's two others at work who are waiting to see how the new stuff works and then plan to dump orbi too.

And no, it's not other netgear stuff - they've lost me, and everyone I know or influence, as a customer.  Forever.  Bad firmware is bad.  Bad firmware with no way to block updates?  Unacceptable.  Silence on the issue?  Lost customer.

[Dd852]

I'm certainly tempted to do the same (rip out and use another) - what stops me is that if you read deep into reviews and support forums, every brand (that I've seen) suffers from bad support and often glitchy firmware, if not also from inferior speed. I wish you luck and if it works tell us what you use! But I worry that the tradeoffs may be a bit of an illusion. I share your frustration and anger - but I'm at a bit of a loss about what to do. Other than to move from "consumer" to have someone install business grade, which seems overkill. 

[COMountainGoat]

Well, I pulled cat 6e backhaul, so I'm moving away from tri-band mesh to dual-band AIMesh.  It should actually improve wifi performance, and ends up being cheaper.

I looked at ubiquiti, but not interested in cloud-only management (particularly after their issues).  And, well, if I'm hit by a truck, I want something that someone in the family has a chance of maintaining 🙂

[swamgy1]

What other systems are equal to if not better than the Orbi?

I've been using Orbi systems for years but NG has lost me too. 

[tak1313]

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@COMountainGoat wrote:

Well, I pulled cat 6e backhaul, so I'm moving away from tri-band mesh to dual-band AIMesh.  It should actually improve wifi performance, and ends up being cheaper.

I looked at ubiquiti, but not interested in cloud-only management (particularly after their issues).  And, well, if I'm hit by a truck, I want something that someone in the family has a chance of maintaining 🙂

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Save a little bit of money (unless you're in the return window).  Asus does routing stupendously better than Orbi, but Orbi still does the "mesh" thing bettter than Asus (AiMesh) overall (coverage wise).  That's why I have my Orbi as AP behind my Asus router.  Also, the Asus does things free that NG charges for.

On top of that, you can then downgrade the Orbi and block the updates (easily) with the Asus. Note - I run Merlin on my Asus router.

If you go AiMesh, you have to be careful about which units you put together, as some pairings work better than others.  Dongknows is a good website (he personally espouses AiMesh, and gives good recommendations on which routers work best together when you throw an AiMesh system together).

Of course, if you're looking at Asus' canned Mesh system they have their new AX mesh line.

[Wizec]

I just tried and returned an Asus XT8 AiMesh 2 node setup.

Range was pretty awful.

[LucGov]

I don't have a Facebook account, but a negative response would help I presume.