Re: Orbi (model# RBR50) keeps dropping connection during Zoom calls

davidhard · ‎2020-03-14

Hi, We have two people in our household who work from home from time to time and need to make Zoom calls from time to time. We have now been required by our jobs to work from home for the indefinite future (due to COVID19) so the frequency of Zoom calls has increased immensly. Normally, we don't have any connectivity issues. But recently we set up an Orbi Mesh router and now we're noticing that our internet will stop working from time to time. It seems to happen when we are both on Zoom calls. But that could be that it's most noticable then because the Zoom call will freeze and we have to scramble to reconnect to the internet on our laptops to get back on the call. It's entirely possible that the internet is cutting out at other times too. But It's really only when we use Zoom that we notice it. It's becoming a problem because Zoom is required for our jobs, and we need to have a reliable connection in order to make Zoom work without dropping the call.

We also use an Apple TV to stream TV shows to our TV. it has a hard wire connection to the base station, and I do notice that a "Loss of internet connection" message will pop up on the screen, and the quality of the stream will degrade a lot, or stall for a minute or two before going back to normal. So this makes me think the Orbi is stalling out pretty frequently.

Again, I do suspect that this is an issue with the Orbi because it was only after we set up the Orbi that these problems started happening. Our network was pretty stable before. We just had some dead spots in the house, which is why we wanted to set up a mesh network. I did try power cycling everything. But the issue keeps happening.

Some more details,

We both use iphones, so besides the two Windows laptops (one Surfacebook and one HP laptop) and the apple TV, the iPhones are the only other two devices using the network. The Apple TV is the only hardwired device, and everything else is over the air.
Comcast Xfinity is our ISP

We use a Arris Surfboard SB6183 for our cable modem

and the Orbi we have is model RBR50

Firmware version V2.5.1.8

We are in a 700 square foot 1 bedroom apartment.

The base Station is in our living room, where the apple TV is. The satellite is in the bedroom (about 15-17 feet away from the base station) with a closet between the two units.

I did read that having the base station and the satellite too close together can cause some confilicts. So I will move the satellite to the farthest corner of the bedroom which will make it closer to 30 feet away from the base. But I would love it if anyone can let me know if there is anything else I can try to make the network more stable.

Thanks in advance.

David

Retired_Member · ‎2020-03-14

Did you do a searfch on Firmware version V2.5.1.8?

If you did you will note that there are issues with it.

Your best bet is to roll your FW back to the last stable version if possible.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-03-14

"The satellite is in the bedroom (about 15-17 feet away from the base station) with a closet between the two units." 30 feet is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router

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

Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

Try disabling the following and see:
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

v2.5.1.8 is stable. Above suggestions working:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Throttling-Devices-RBK53/m-p/1858561/highlight/true#M81925

@davidhard wrote:
Hi, We have two people in our household who work from home from time to time and need to make Zoom calls from time to time. We have now been required by our jobs to work from home for the indefinite future (due to COVID19) so the frequency of Zoom calls has increased immensly. Normally, we don't have any connectivity issues. But recently we set up an Orbi Mesh router and now we're noticing that our internet will stop working from time to time. It seems to happen when we are both on Zoom calls. But that could be that it's most noticable then because the Zoom call will freeze and we have to scramble to reconnect to the internet on our laptops to get back on the call. It's entirely possible that the internet is cutting out at other times too. But It's really only when we use Zoom that we notice it. It's becoming a problem because Zoom is required for our jobs, and we need to have a reliable connection in order to make Zoom work without dropping the call.
We also use an Apple TV to stream TV shows to our TV. it has a hard wire connection to the base station, and I do notice that a "Loss of internet connection" message will pop up on the screen, and the quality of the stream will degrade a lot, or stall for a minute or two before going back to normal. So this makes me think the Orbi is stalling out pretty frequently.
Again, I do suspect that this is an issue with the Orbi because it was only after we set up the Orbi that these problems started happening. Our network was pretty stable before. We just had some dead spots in the house, which is why we wanted to set up a mesh network. I did try power cycling everything. But the issue keeps happening.
Some more details,
We both use iphones, so besides the two Windows laptops (one Surfacebook and one HP laptop) and the apple TV, the iPhones are the only other two devices using the network. The Apple TV is the only hardwired device, and everything else is over the air.
Comcast Xfinity is our ISP
We use a Arris Surfboard SB6183 for our cable modem
and the Orbi we have is model RBR50
Firmware version V2.5.1.8
We are in a 700 square foot 1 bedroom apartment.
The base Station is in our living room, where the apple TV is. The satellite is in the bedroom (about 15-17 feet away from the base station) with a closet between the two units.

I did read that having the base station and the satellite too close together can cause some confilicts. So I will move the satellite to the farthest corner of the bedroom which will make it closer to 30 feet away from the base. But I would love it if anyone can let me know if there is anything else I can try to make the network more stable.

Thanks in advance.
David

Retired_Member · ‎2020-03-14

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-03-15

Any progress on this?

@davidhard wrote:
Hi, We have two people in our household who work from home from time to time and need to make Zoom calls from time to time. We have now been required by our jobs to work from home for the indefinite future (due to COVID19) so the frequency of Zoom calls has increased immensly. Normally, we don't have any connectivity issues. But recently we set up an Orbi Mesh router and now we're noticing that our internet will stop working from time to time. It seems to happen when we are both on Zoom calls. But that could be that it's most noticable then because the Zoom call will freeze and we have to scramble to reconnect to the internet on our laptops to get back on the call. It's entirely possible that the internet is cutting out at other times too. But It's really only when we use Zoom that we notice it. It's becoming a problem because Zoom is required for our jobs, and we need to have a reliable connection in order to make Zoom work without dropping the call.
We also use an Apple TV to stream TV shows to our TV. it has a hard wire connection to the base station, and I do notice that a "Loss of internet connection" message will pop up on the screen, and the quality of the stream will degrade a lot, or stall for a minute or two before going back to normal. So this makes me think the Orbi is stalling out pretty frequently.
Again, I do suspect that this is an issue with the Orbi because it was only after we set up the Orbi that these problems started happening. Our network was pretty stable before. We just had some dead spots in the house, which is why we wanted to set up a mesh network. I did try power cycling everything. But the issue keeps happening.
Some more details,
We both use iphones, so besides the two Windows laptops (one Surfacebook and one HP laptop) and the apple TV, the iPhones are the only other two devices using the network. The Apple TV is the only hardwired device, and everything else is over the air.
Comcast Xfinity is our ISP
We use a Arris Surfboard SB6183 for our cable modem
and the Orbi we have is model RBR50
Firmware version V2.5.1.8
We are in a 700 square foot 1 bedroom apartment.
The base Station is in our living room, where the apple TV is. The satellite is in the bedroom (about 15-17 feet away from the base station) with a closet between the two units.

I did read that having the base station and the satellite too close together can cause some confilicts. So I will move the satellite to the farthest corner of the bedroom which will make it closer to 30 feet away from the base. But I would love it if anyone can let me know if there is anything else I can try to make the network more stable.

Thanks in advance.
David

DudeDad · ‎2020-03-15

The fact that your AppleTV is giving you connection messages and you are seeing a degraded signal suggest that either your RBR50 has an issue, your modem does, or it's an ISP issue. I have a new RBR 50 with 4 satellites. Streaming wirelessly is aournd 500Mbps, and no drops on our AppleTV at all. I have not tried Zoom yet, but will soon.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-03-15

Just curious, what FW version are you using?

@DudeDad wrote:
The fact that your AppleTV is giving you connection messages and you are seeing a degraded signal suggest that either your RBR50 has an issue, your modem does, or it's an ISP issue. I have a new RBR 50 with 4 satellites. Streaming wirelessly is aournd 500Mbps, and no drops on our AppleTV at all. I have not tried Zoom yet, but will soon.

DudeDad · ‎2020-03-15

The latest firmware: V2.5.1.8

Do you have a guest network set up? If so, delete it and see if that helps.

davidhard · ‎2020-03-17

Sorry. No. Still dropping connection. I don't know how to install an older firmware vesion as some have suggested.

I'm also not sure how to manually change the channel for the 2ghz signal.

I've been away for a few days so havent had much of a chance to tinker. will try this afternoon.

davidhard · ‎2020-03-17

No guest network setup.

My firmware is up to date. But some are suggesting that it's the latest FW version has stability issues?

Not sure how I can do anything about that.

davidhard · ‎2020-03-17

currently have FW version V2.5.1.8 installed

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-03-17

Try a factory reset on the RBR and RBS and setup from scratch. Power OFF the ISP modem for 30 seconds as well while the RBR resetts

Then configure the following:

Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.

Enable Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

Disable the following and see:
Dont enable Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

@davidhard wrote:
currently have FW version V2.5.1.8 installed

davidhard · ‎2020-03-17

Not seeing a way to manually change the channel. I'm using the app on my iphone. But dont see a way to do that.

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-03-18

Ok, You need to log into the RBRs web page with a web browser to change channels. Can't be done by the app unfortunately.

@davidhard wrote:
Not seeing a way to manually change the channel. I'm using the app on my iphone. But dont see a way to do that.

Retired_Member · ‎2020-03-18

@davidhard wrote:
currently have FW version V2.5.1.8 installed

not good

technicolor · ‎2020-03-30

Same issue with the above based Mesh network. Upgraded to 2.1.5.8. Neither this version nor the previous one helping solve the problem. 4 people in house using a variety of video conferencing and collaboration applications or video.. Network jams up / congests. Working only for a limited number. Reboot needed to make it work again for all. What piece of expensive junk !

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-03-30

What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP 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 is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router

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

Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

Try disabling the following and see:
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

Above suggestions working:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Throttling-Devices-RBK53/m-p/1858561/highlight/true#M81925
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-model-RBR50-keeps-dropping-connection-during-Zoom-calls/m...

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? If not, please try this...
https://kb.netgear.com/31486/How-do-I-reset-my-Orbi-system-to-factory-default-settings

@technicolor wrote:
Same issue with the above based Mesh network. Upgraded to 2.1.5.8. Neither this version nor the previous one helping solve the problem. 4 people in house using a variety of video conferencing and collaboration applications or video.. Network jams up / congests. Working only for a limited number. Reboot needed to make it work again for all. What piece of expensive junk !

Retired_Member · ‎2020-03-30

@FURRYe38 wrote:
What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP 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 is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router

What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?
Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

Try disabling the following and see:
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

Above suggestions working:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Throttling-Devices-RBK53/m-p/1858561/highlight/true#M81925
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-model-RBR50-keeps-dropping-connection-during-Zoom-calls/m...

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? If not, please try this...
https://kb.netgear.com/31486/How-do-I-reset-my-Orbi-system-to-factory-default-settings
@technicolor wrote:
Same issue with the above based Mesh network. Upgraded to 2.1.5.8. Neither this version nor the previous one helping solve the problem. 4 people in house using a variety of video conferencing and collaboration applications or video.. Network jams up / congests. Working only for a limited number. Reboot needed to make it work again for all. What piece of expensive junk !

you didn't see this.......................................................Firmware version V2.5.1.8

technicolor · ‎2020-03-31

SMART/RG SR515ac

Home is over 2k sq feet with 3 levels. > 30ft separation between routers.

The following didn't work. Will try the rest. The problem I am facing is that the RBR50 becomes a choke point turning pink on the mobile ORBI app. Zoom is definitely the problem.

What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz. DONE

Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many? 10+

Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings DONE

Try disabling the following and see: (ALL DONE EXCEPT CIRCLE)
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

FURRYe38 · ‎2020-04-01

Your ISP modem already has a built in router and wifi:

https://help.sonic.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001685114-SmartRG-SR515AC

What mode is the modem working in? Router or bridged?

This would be a double NAT condition which isn't recommended. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
https://kb.netgear.com/30187/How-to-fix-issues-with-Double-NAT
Couple of options,
1. Configure the modem for transparent bridge or modem only mode. Then use the Orbi router in router mode. You'll need to contact the ISP for help and information in regards to the modem being bridged correctly.
2. If you can't bridge the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, configure the modems DMZ/ExposedHost or IP Pass-Through for the IP address the Orbi router gets from the modem. Then you can use the Orbi router in Router mode.
3. Or disable all wifi radios on the modem and connect the Orbi router to the modem, configure AP mode on the Orbi router. https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LOcJ8GdDo&app=desktop

I would ensure your modem is using one of the following modes above with your Orbi system.

Users are seeing problems with having Circle enabled. It is causing problems with DNS. You may want to disable this as a troubleshooting step to check your Zoom calls. I use Zoom as well and haven't seen any issues with anything on my RBK50...I don't have Circle or Armor enabled.

Be sure the distance between the RBR and RBS is 30ft or more.

@technicolor wrote:
SMART/RG SR515ac
Home is over 2k sq feet with 3 levels. > 30ft separation between routers.

The following didn't work. Will try the rest. The problem I am facing is that the RBR50 becomes a choke point turning pink on the mobile ORBI app. Zoom is definitely the problem.

What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz. DONE
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many? 10+
Try enabling Beamforming and MIMO(MIMO may or maynot be needed) and WMM. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings DONE

Try disabling the following and see: (ALL DONE EXCEPT CIRCLE)
Armor, Circle, Daisy Chain, Fast Roaming, IPv6 and Set 20/40Mhz Coexistence to 40Mhz only. Set Short preamble instead of Long preamble modes. Save settings and reboot the router and satellite(s).

Retired_Member · ‎2020-04-01

@technicolor wrote:
Upgraded to 2.1.5.8.

Why?