ORBI RBK50/RBS50 Tips, Tricks, Hidden Secrets, etc.,

[SW_]

Please give this a shot if your Orbi WiFi network becomes unstable, random reboots, WiFi connectivity problem, after applying new Firmware Update.

1. Verify that Orbi/Satellites Firmware are on the same version
2. Turn off all Orbi, Satellites, and ISP modem/router
3. Disconnect all LAN cables from Orbi LAN ports
4. Turn on ISP modem/router
5. Turn on Orbi (Verify that LAN cable from ISP is connected to Orbi yellow WAN port)
6. Login to Orbi, enable telnet, telnet into the Orbi, and type these commands:

• config default
• config commit
• reboot

Setup Orbi via WiFi.  Skip all Satellites settings steps.  Once you're done with Orbi setup, type reboot command at Orbi terminal.

Next...

1. Wait for 15 minutes and verify that your Orbi network stays up

If all is well, then...

1. Disconnect all LAN cables from Satellites
2. Turn on 1st Satellite
3. Login into the Satellite's debug.htm page and tick the telnet box (http://satellite-ip/debug.htm)
4. telnet into Satellite and type:

• config default
• config commit
• reboot

Wait for 15 minutes and verify that Orbi WiFi network is still holding up.  If all is well, repeate the same steps with all remaining Satellites.  Once everything is up and running, then start adding each LAN client back, one at a time, to your network.  Once everything is up and running, please verify that Orbi/Satellites backhaul signals are within dBm range to ensure stability.

To ensure Orbi/Satellites are in sync with each other after each Firmware Update, telnet into each Satellite, and execute these 3 commands at each Satellite's telnet terminal after every Firmware Update, no exception.

• config default
• config commit
• reboot

[2022]

@FURRYe38
Thanks for your reply
but i think there is way to remove ooredoo firmware & install NG original firmware
by the way way there is no difference between both firmware the only thing is ooredoo logo & un updatable firmware
hope you can help me to find way to remove isp firmware

Regards
Adnan

[juajar81]

Hi, I cant seem to get the satellite to commit the Tx changes with root@RBR50:~# iwconfig ath1 commit, I get this error:

root@RBS50:/# iwconfig ath1 commit
Error for wireless request "Commit changes" (8B00) :
SET failed on device ath1 ; Operation not supported.

Anyone with a solution? Appreciate it

[Fl1ntstone]

Hi,

I believe you just need to run the following command:

Config commit

CheerZ

[FURRYe38]

You can try the TFTP method to see if you can install stock FW on it:

https://kb.netgear.com/000059633/How-to-upload-firmware-to-a-NETGEAR-router-using-TFTP-client

Let us now if this works for you...

---

@2022 wrote:
@FURRYe38
Thanks for your reply
but i think there is way to remove ooredoo firmware & install NG original firmware
by the way way there is no difference between both firmware the only thing is ooredoo logo & un updatable firmware
hope you can help me to find way to remove isp firmware

Regards
Adnan

---

[juajar81]

Thanks but it didnt work, I get:

root@RBS50:/# Config commit
-ash: Config: not found

[kochin]

@juajar81Sorry to butt in here. I was looking for something else and saw your post.

I believe you need to enter that command in all lower cases as in "config commit".

[2022]

@FURRYe38

THE ROUTER NOT RESPONSE TO TFTP METHOD

i need solution to remove the isp stupid firmware its not fare i buy this rbr50 for 250USD from isp provider 

and i stuck in V2.1.4.16 its very bad 

please help me  @FURRYe38

Regards, 

[FURRYe38]

Sorry, if the TFTP method fails, theres nothing else that can be done. You'll need to contact your ISP or return there Orbi system and buy a retail Orbi system then you can take advantage of the FW updates directly from NG. 

Good Luck. 

---

@2022 wrote:

@FURRYe38

THE ROUTER NOT RESPONSE TO TFTP METHOD

i need solution to remove the isp stupid firmware its not fare i buy this rbr50 for 250USD from isp provider 

and i stuck in V2.1.4.16 its very bad 

please help me  @FURRYe38

Regards, 

---

[SW_]

Feature/Security vs. Stability/Usability?

Summary:    For Fast and reliable WiFi, switch Orbi from Router Mode to AP Mode.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The long story:

Recent Orbi Firmware v2.3.5.30 update has proven to be stable enough that I've thought it's probably the right time to switch my RBR50 from AP to Router Mode.  I want to unleash Orbi with all its bells and whistles, which is only possible in Router Mode.  It was a simple flip of the switch from AP back to Router Mode without any other WiFi settings change.  Of the bells and whistles, Circle and Bitdefender are two of the most useful features.  Everthing seems to work flawlessly after the switch with Circle/Bitdefender enabled.  I was a happy camper for... about one week.

The common complains were YouTube buffering, Amazon video buffering, and sometimes, unable to get to daily websites.  At first, I thought it was a fluke because I didn't experience any of those problems.  As it turns out, I didn't suffer from those problems because I was using wired connection to RBR50.  After switching to wireless connection, I started to run into the most annoying problem of all, wireless would disconnect occasionally or connected wirelessly but no internet connection.  However, all wired connected clients would continue to work flawlessly in the presence of these problems.  Both RBS50s would also unable to connect to internet while maitaining a good backhaul connection with RBR50.

A quick and effective way to recover from this Orbi split brain problem is to reboot the Orbi, but that solution would only last a day or so before I had to reboot it again.  After repeating this rebooting process for about another week, I finally threw in the towel and switched it back to AP Mode.  Even though it's a failure, I still am optimistic that one day I will be able to switch it to Router Mode so that I could retire my Asus Routers to simplify my network.

This is just my experience, yours might vary.  🙂

[sclawrenc]

Anyone here know how to successfully separate the 2.4 and 5ghz band on the Orbi using telnet on the latest firmware?  Thanks in advance!

[FURRYe38]

It's possible the NG is closing the door on the telnet configuration. 

[sclawrenc]

It looks like it. I really really like the ability to separate them. I like being able to control what band my devices connect to.

[FURRYe38]

I understand, I was used to wifi SSIDs before Smart Connect came around. After working with Smart Connect over the years it has become better. Most of the connection issues are not with the Orbi. The connections and how devices connect are up to the device. The Orbi just sets up the wifi for what gets connected based frequency support, signal and noise and quality of the signal. 

Orbi does work as intended. Maybe it's time to let go of some the the control and just let the devices and system work for you and try to enjoy the system for what it does. It works well when setup well and placed well. 

---

@sclawrenc wrote:
It looks like it. I really really like the ability to separate them. I like being able to control what band my devices connect to.

---

[sclawrenc]

I am not able to stream 4K resolution on the 2.4ghz band without some buffering and some loss in resolution. When my 4K streaming devices connect to the 5ghz band, they stream perfectly in 4K.

The problem is the 4K streaming device doesn’t realize the 5ghz band is faster even though the signal strength is better on the 2.4 band. If I could separate the bands on the Orbi, that problem goes away.

[FURRYe38]

Lets continue this here:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Separate-WiFi-2-4-and-5ghz-bands/td-p/1805868/jump-to/first-un...

---

---

[SW_]

@jay2utee wrote:

... In real-world situtations, how hard is it to achieve the maximum 1700Mb backhaul? ...

Under the best circumstance, both are in line of sight, you'll unlikely to achieve the theoretical max link rate.  At best, you'll get half of that if you are lucky.  I had tested this with my RBK53 earlier to see if Orbi backhaul could replace my existing wireless media bridge, which has a similar link rate of 1734Mbps.  It was disappointing to say the least.

For example, using the same wired connected client:

• Copy a large 10Gig file via Orbi backhaul gives me about ~40MB/s
• Copy a large 10Gig file via my existing wireless media bridge gives me ~70MB/s
• Copy a large 10Gig file via Ethernet gives me ~90MB/s

Given the fronthaul is at 866Mbps, if your guess is half, then you would be right in the ball park.  Always go with Eithernet whenever possible. Wireless is just an alternative if wiring isn't an option.

[SW_]

ORBI Region Change:

=================

To make a region change from North America to your region via Orbi UI, follow these steps to enable the drop down menu:

1. Login to Orbi/debug.htm page and enable telnet (tick telnet box)

2. telnet into Orbi and type these:

• root@RBR50:~# rm /tmp/firmware_region
• root@RBR50:~# echo WW > /tmp/firmware_region

3. Check the result, it should return WW

• root@RBR50:~# cat /tmp/firmware_region

Go back to Advance Wireless Settings page and refresh it.  You should be able to use Region Selection drop down menu to select your region.  This trick might not work for all Orbi models.  Check out this post for more details.

[SW_]

Orbi Router Auto Firmware Update:

===========================

Firmware Auto Update (FAU) continues to be a confusing topic.  Based on various discussions/posts/NG moderator, FAU is not supposed to happen for minor FW versions unless...

Christian_R Christian_R NETGEAR Moderator ‎2019-10-08
Re: Auto Update Policy

Hi VAJim, Yes, this is still correct. Hope all is well! Best, Christian

To: Christian_R NETGEAR Moderator
Sent: ‎2019-10-07 02:54 PM
Read: ‎2019-10-07 04:42 PM

Re: Auto Update Policy
@Christian_Rwrote:
Hi VAJim,

Auto updates are still pushed to Orbi units. Small revisions of firmware updates such as 2.3.1.44 to 2.3.1.48 will trigger notifications of a firmware update. Whereas, major revisions such as 2.2.1.210 to 2.3.1.44 will be auto updated.

Regards,

Christian

Hi Christian

Based on recent feedbacks, FAU is still happening from these versions, v2.3.1.44 & v2.3.1.60, to v2.3.5.30.  So it's safe to assume that v2.3.5.30 is a major FW version, which is being pushed (FAU) by NG.  If you're currently having problem with v2.3.5.30 that can't be quickly resolved, you're likely going to be in a pickle because of FAU.

Disabling FAU is just a short term remedy, but it's not a long term solution for obvious reason.  There are two methods to disable FAU, telnet and hidden UI methods.  If this telnet method doesn't work for you, give this hidden UI method a shot.

@In5iDi0uZ wrote:

@SW_ wrote:
If auto-updating kept happening via telnet method, factory reset the Orbi and give the hidden UI method a go?

Tried the hidden UI method, was a little confused but figured it out. Checked this morning and it stayed at my old firmware that works. Thanks for your help.

If you decide to take a plunge, please provide feedbacks so it will help others.

[FURRYe38]

Also its recommended to do a factory reset and setup the system from scratch after a FW update. Helps resolve odd issues seen and clears out any mis-configurations.

Also users can manually update FW or re-load FW by downloading FW files for the RBS and RBR and load them manually with a wired PC and web browser. 

[SW_]

---

@sclawrenc wrote:

Anyone here know how to successfully separate the 2.4 and 5ghz band on the Orbi using telnet on the latest firmware?  Thanks in advance!

---

Yes, it's possible to separate Orbi single SSID into two separate SSIDs.  However, dual SSIDs could bring a new set of problems on its own.  If you're desperate for dual SSIDs, check out these posts and decide for yourself:

• How to resolve Config sync loop
• Issues with dual SSIDs
• How to separate Orbi single SSID into two separate SSIDs

[SW_]

---

@SW_ wrote:

Feature/Security vs. Stability/Usability?

...

A quick and effective way to recover from this Orbi split brain problem is to reboot the Orbi, but that solution would only last a day or so before I had to reboot it again.  After repeating this rebooting process for about another week, I finally threw in the towel and switched it back to AP Mode.  Even though it's a failure, I still am optimistic that one day I will be able to switch it to Router Mode so that I could retire my Asus Routers to simplify my network.

---

Given these two fixes:

• [Bug Fix] Fixes the wireless crash and reboot issue when the router is under stress.
• [Bug Fix] Fixes the WiFi disconnection and IOT issue.

I gave it another shot with the latest version, v2.5.0.38.  Unfortunately, the RBR50, when in Router mode, lost Internet connection again the next morning, but both RBS50s are still solidly connected to RBR50.  Given a reboot would resolve this issue instantly, this narrows down to DHCP server or routing features, which are the main suspects.  These two features are not active in AP mode, which could explain why it's stable in AP mode.  I'll give this another shot when there's a change related to these two features in futre FW update.

[FURRYe38]

It maybe something connected to your system or ISP modem/service that could be causing this. Something I'm not seeing since loading v38 the other day:

System Uptime 02:18:16:08

[SW_]

---

@FURRYe38 wrote:

It maybe something connected to your system or ISP modem/service that could be causing this. Something I'm not seeing since loading v38 the other day:

System Uptime 02:18:16:08

---

That's certainly possible.  Unfortunately, didn't have the time to troubleshoot as it'll cause too many disruptions.  SInce the same issue doesn't happen when I put back the old Asus Router in front of the Orbi, I'll just leave the setup as is for now.

[FURRYe38]

Something to make a new post about if you wanna troubleshoot or give feed back. Curious to know what ISP modem you are using with the RBR when in router mode. I have a C7800 in mode mode only currently connected to the RBR50.