RBK 40 Satellite LED occasionally alternates blue and amber then goes off

[coptechs]

I have an RBK40 running firmware 1.12.0.20. I installed it several weeks ago and once sync'ed, the LED light on the satellite was off (indicating normal operation from what I have read). Recently, I've noticed that the LED will turn blue for a few minutes, then amber for a few seconds, almost always less than a minute for sure then back to blue. It will do this for several minutes before turning off (the LED, not the satellite unit) again.

I have read the What do the LEDs on my Orbi router and satellite mean? article but my exact situation doesn't really make sense. The base unit is on the lower level of my house (about 2000 sf, wood frame construction) and the satellite is on the main level maybe 50' away at most.

I haven't noticed any real throughput issues except for the first time the other day (around the time I noticed the blue/amber thing) while streaming a video on demand movie on my TV, the movie did stop and buffer about 3-4 times while watching. The TV has direct line of sight to the satellite and is only about 15' away from it in the same room.

Thoughts?

[st_shaw]

Sounds like the satellite is intermittently losing connection with the Orbi base unit.  50' away through one floor is pretty far away.

The fact your TV has a strong connection to the satellite is good, but the sat must also have a strong connection to the base for reliable operation.  The signal and noise fluctuates on WiFi constantly, so you need extra "margin" for a reliable connection. The initial blue light upon syncing is only one point in time and the quality will vary over time.

Try moving the satellite and router closer together. If you can move the satellite farther from the TV, towards the router, and still maintain line of sight that would help too.

[coptechs]

Actually, I over estimated the distance, after measuring, it is only about 35 feet.

I guess what has me puzzled is why this only started happening after several works of it working fine.

[st_shaw]

Hard to say why it would work, then not work.  However, several people on here have experienced reduced sat to router range on Orbi when the latest firmware rolled out.  Netgear could have changed something.

[coptechs]

Moved it about 10' closer so now it is maybe 25' from the base router and it still occassionally turns amber then blue. Most of the time, the light is off. Any other thoughts?