Lost listing of device after Device Name edited with double quote

[SirEric]

Editing device list in Orbi (RBK53) running Router Firmware Version V2.2.1.210 and noticed that after updaing the Device Name for all nodes, all of my TVs went missing.  I did notice an odd screen refresh when I named one of the first TVs and wondered if the name I used was messing up the HTML display code or the routine to gather all devices to list. 

All TVs are named with the size and model (e.g., 70" Sharp Aquos, 55" TCL 515).  This issue appears to be most likely the use of the double quote (") in the text field.  While this character is allowed in the text boxes, all 6 devices that I have used with the double quote in the Device Name no longer appear in the Attached Devices list.  I used the web intereface (Chrome browser on Win 10, with latest updates) to edit the list, but the display issue affects both the web interface as well as the Android app.  (I did a short serarch on the use of double quotes but could not find any similar topic issues)

[FURRYe38]

Remove the double "'s from the name field and see what happens. You don't have to use specific name values. They can be anything customized. 

[SirEric]

Thanks for the reply, and I would if I could.  The issue is that the devices (all 6 TVs) no longer even appear in the list of devices, therefore I cannot edit what is not there.

After trying several searchs, and various ways to view the settings/listing, the only thought I've come up with so far is to do a factory reset and start over...

[FURRYe38]

That would what been my next responce. 

[SirEric]

I appreiate the confirmation of there likely being no fix to this at this time, as I would suspect this is an issue in the firmware that chokes on fields containing certian special characters.  It just behooves me to loose the hours of time getting the new installation finally set.  At least all of the wiring, best placement, bracket installation, updating lists, etc., is done.  Now to redo all of the setups and individually edit well over 100 device names/types... 

Can I assume that someone will add this issue to the list of potential bugs for the firmware? 

[FURRYe38]

I agree there should have been some form of notification about name fields and special characters. Most of the time, no special characters are used in name or host name fields. So the UI should have said something. 

Just know from here on out that no special characters should be used in the name fields. I believe underscore (_) character between two_words is allowed. 

[SirEric]

Agreed and understood.  Will look at resetting and trying again.

I did check my current device listing and dash (-) and plus (+) appear to work fine.  A tripple dash (---) is the default null name, so that appears to be an approved character, and + also works.  Will not cut and paste from my spreadsheet name listing this next time, and especialy make sure not to use (").

[FURRYe38]

Thanks for letting us know what else works. 

Once you get the router re-setup again, and it's all working. Do a save router configuration to file under Backup. Then you'll have a quick way of restoring the router back to a restore point should you have to reset the router again. 

Enjoy. 

[CrimpOn]

I agree that it is kind of alarming that entering an invalid name field would cause a device not to appear in the Attached Devices screen.  have you powered off the Orbi and restarted it?

Before you "hit the switch" and redefine 100+ devices, you might take a look at the Orbi's internal tables.  (I do not recall if these devices have assigned IP's.)  Use the debug screen to allow telnet.  Telnet to the Orbi and enter:

nvram show | grep reservation[0-999]

nvram show | grep orbi_dev_name[0-999]

nvram show | grep orbi_dev_name_ntgr[0-999]

Reservations are devices with assigned IP's.

The dev_name and dev_name_ntgr define the display fields.

If you find that there ARE entries for the TV's, you can use telnet to change the spelling.

Actually, I got frustrated because the Device Reservation table is in the order devices were defined, so I built a text file of all my devices and put them in numerical order by IP address.  Then, I use telnet to reset the whole table.

[FURRYe38]

This would be a good FAQ if you could post more details on how you do your reservations step by step and how to create the text file and apply it to reset the table for users to try this. 

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@CrimpOn wrote:

I agree that it is kind of alarming that entering an invalid name field would cause a device not to appear in the Attached Devices screen.  have you powered off the Orbi and restarted it?

Before you "hit the switch" and redefine 100+ devices, you might take a look at the Orbi's internal tables.  (I do not recall if these devices have assigned IP's.)  Use the debug screen to allow telnet.  Telnet to the Orbi and enter:

nvram show | grep reservation[0-999]

nvram show | grep orbi_dev_name[0-999]

nvram show | grep orbi_dev_name_ntgr[0-999]

Reservations are devices with assigned IP's.

The dev_name and dev_name_ntgr define the display fields.

If you find that there ARE entries for the TV's, you can use telnet to change the spelling.

Actually, I got frustrated because the Device Reservation table is in the order devices were defined, so I built a text file of all my devices and put them in numerical order by IP address.  Then, I use telnet to reset the whole table.

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[SirEric]

Agreed, would be a good FAQ, and ... too bad I had just set back down after paperclipping the units, so will not be able to test this for debugging purposes. 

In process of setting items back up.  So far 3 of the 6 TVs have reappeared in the device list (2 static, 1 DHCP), have been renamed without ", and (so far) successfully remaining in the list.  Will update once all fully configured (and backup file has been saved of initial good state).

[CrimpOn]

Actually, @ekhalil  provided the information in this post

We started with simply changing the order of the reservations, and then extended the idea to also setting the names and model numbers, etc.  They did not have to be in the same order as the reservation entries, but my OCD goaded me into making them match.

The parts that made it non-trivial were:

• Recording the telnet session so I could dump it into a text editor
• Doing the text editing without losing something.
• Watching out for those "integers" that Netgear uses to define what "type" of device it is.
• Importing the text file back into telnet as commands.

I found using the Windows command line telnet frustrating, so I installed the Putty telnet application and set it to automatically save the entire session (to a unique file name!)

Then, I discovered that using the Windows Notebook text editor resulted in a text file that did not have the correct line endings for the Orbi.  Switching to Notebook++ (free application) and setting the proper switch made that work right.

It is a hoot to press "paste" and see the entire Device Registration table rearranged and renamed.

[Chuck_M]

This is directly related to another Orbi issue of SSIDs that contain special characters in them as well.  I believe it is related to poor coding that caused the quote symbol (") to be interpreted as a literal quote and not as a variable's content -- thereby causing all sorts of syntax errors and poor parsing of command code.

I know the current beta in testing supposedly deals with that problem in the SSIDs, but I am not sure they were aware it also existed in device names.

Good catch, but unfortunate for you to have to resolve.

[FURRYe38]

Let us know how it goes with the removal of the special character. 

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@SirEric wrote:

Agreed, would be a good FAQ, and ... too bad I had just set back down after paperclipping the units, so will not be able to test this for debugging purposes. 

In process of setting items back up.  So far 3 of the 6 TVs have reappeared in the device list (2 static, 1 DHCP), have been renamed without ", and (so far) successfully remaining in the list.  Will update once all fully configured (and backup file has been saved of initial good state).

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[SirEric]

Was delayed doing actual work (although work from home), but have now been able to get ~90% of the devices renamed and all other updated settings redone (and not waiting until final initial setup complete before doing incremental config backups this round).

With respect to special characters, I have been able to confirm that dash (-), plus (+), and now single quote (') in the Device Name appear to work fine.  The single quote was an unintentioned test as I was copying an old Wii device name that included an apostrphy s at the end.  I have not (for obvious reasons) retested the impact of double quote.

It is taking longer to redo the device list as not all devices show up all the time.  Some are constantnly on the list, others are on only when active, and a couple are sporadic, but some are not showing up at all (yet).  4 of the 6 smart TVs are back up and appear when the are turned on (and in one case only when accessing the net), but I have not reseen the other 2 (one of which I cannot remember seeing in the first round either).  I also have a couple of other devices that I'm still looking for to show up (1 of my 12 TiVo devices is currently no longer showing up).  The ones that are not showing up are not due to naming, as I have not seen them yet to update their names.  I also have not have time to Telnet in and check logs/device status.

For the ones that are not showing up, I wonder if it is due to some switches (have only 1 managed switch [TP Link TL-SG108E] downstream in the theater, the other 10 switches [not including Orbi] are unmanaged).  However, the devices on the mangaged switch are showing up in the list, its others that are not showing up.  Most of house is CAT 5/6 hardwired, but a lot of new additions (Ring door bell, smart plugs, Alexa, etc) are wireless.  And with respect to downstream switches, a couple of devices not showing up are plugged into next to devices that do show up.

Current installation has Orbi in AP mode, as Xfinity security system requires their own proporiety WiFi (therefore I still have to use their modem/router).  Orbi Router (in AP mode) is direct connect to cable modem and both satellites are hardwired (star) to main Orbi.  Only 4 devices direct connect through one satellite.  All other devices are connected through a main switch (or smaller downstream switches connected to main switch) that is also direct connect to cable modem.

I will continue to test the system (and look for devices) as I've only had this install for about week.  But after doing this for over 35 years (and as an IT professional in nuclear industry), I can see there are issues and features that need to be addressed/fixed, but after only initial testing this system, I would say it has been one of the better tech purchases I've made in recent years.

[Chuck_M]

Thanks for checking that as it is one of the focus areas of the current beta test.

I will post a brief summary over there in the beta forums that you checked that.  I checked the SSID part as well.

Good job!

[FURRYe38]

[TP Link TL-SG108E] seems to be a unmanaged switch from this link:

https://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/cat-41_TL-SG108E.html

Howe it does mention "

• Green technology reduces power consumption" So this could be an issue. 

Might swap out this switch temporarily if you can to see if things change.

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@SirEric wrote:

Was delayed doing actual work (although work from home), but have now been able to get ~90% of the devices renamed and all other updated settings redone (and not waiting until final initial setup complete before doing incremental config backups this round).

With respect to special characters, I have been able to confirm that dash (-), plus (+), and now single quote (') in the Device Name appear to work fine.  The single quote was an unintentioned test as I was copying an old Wii device name that included an apostrphy s at the end.  I have not (for obvious reasons) retested the impact of double quote.

It is taking longer to redo the device list as not all devices show up all the time.  Some are constantnly on the list, others are on only when active, and a couple are sporadic, but some are not showing up at all (yet).  4 of the 6 smart TVs are back up and appear when the are turned on (and in one case only when accessing the net), but I have not reseen the other 2 (one of which I cannot remember seeing in the first round either).  I also have a couple of other devices that I'm still looking for to show up (1 of my 12 TiVo devices is currently no longer showing up).  The ones that are not showing up are not due to naming, as I have not seen them yet to update their names.  I also have not have time to Telnet in and check logs/device status.

For the ones that are not showing up, I wonder if it is due to some switches (have only 1 managed switch [TP Link TL-SG108E] downstream in the theater, the other 10 switches [not including Orbi] are unmanaged).  However, the devices on the mangaged switch are showing up in the list, its others that are not showing up.  Most of house is CAT 5/6 hardwired, but a lot of new additions (Ring door bell, smart plugs, Alexa, etc) are wireless.  And with respect to downstream switches, a couple of devices not showing up are plugged into next to devices that do show up.

Current installation has Orbi in AP mode, as Xfinity security system requires their own proporiety WiFi (therefore I still have to use their modem/router).  Orbi Router (in AP mode) is direct connect to cable modem and both satellites are hardwired (star) to main Orbi.  Only 4 devices direct connect through one satellite.  All other devices are connected through a main switch (or smaller downstream switches connected to main switch) that is also direct connect to cable modem.

I will continue to test the system (and look for devices) as I've only had this install for about week.  But after doing this for over 35 years (and as an IT professional in nuclear industry), I can see there are issues and features that need to be addressed/fixed, but after only initial testing this system, I would say it has been one of the better tech purchases I've made in recent years.

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