Orbi90 Router is terrible - does not actually disable 5Ghz

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Orbi90 Router is terrible - does not actually disable 5Ghz

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#3125700 10-Sep-2023 22:39

jonathan18:
MattEast:

Yes, just checked all the settings on my Orbi, settings all relate to settings for each band, there is not option to fully disable either radio band.

Yep, this mirrors my experience with a 2D-supplied Orbi RBR350 router - in that case I needed to disable all WiFi as my sister had separate APs for WiFi duty. Apparently Netgear supply them to 2D with that locked-down firmware. (The ‘solution’ was to get 2D to swap out the Orbi for a Fritzbox.) See thread at https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=66&topicid=305995.

The Orbi firmware isn't specifically locked down, it's how all Orbi's are supplied. Never caused a problem for me, but I guess my needs are not the same as the OP's.

Bung

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#3125722 11-Sep-2023 07:26

On one of the Netgear forums 2 work around suggestions surfaced. Use the Orbi SSID and password in another router or phone hotspot where you can limit it to 2.4GHz until you've setup the IOT device.

canterburydays

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#3125726 11-Sep-2023 07:52

I have managed to pair the roborock and the nanoleaf (although not yesterday after another hour of trying), however the devices become isolated over time anyway.

I'm going to ask 2degrees, who have acknowledge the reduction in setting option for the Orbi's, to swap with a fritz.

MattEast

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#3125805 11-Sep-2023 08:54

canterburydays:

I have managed to pair the roborock and the nanoleaf (although not yesterday after another hour of trying), however the devices become isolated over time anyway.

I'm going to ask 2degrees, who have acknowledge the reduction in setting option for the Orbi's, to swap with a fritz.

Sounds like a resolution, did you ever turn setting the 2.4G channel to one lower than 6? This fixed all my issues that I swapped to a Mesh network quite a few years back. Worth a look as settings aside, the Orbis do a good job of providing full Wifi coverage. I’m running 20 NanoLeaf essential bulbs (mix of Thread and Matter ones) and a NanoLeaf Shapes array. The Essentials are rock solid, the only time I have issues with the Shapes is when I do a router reboot, I have to power cycle the Shapes as they drop off for some reason.

Matt East

michaelmurfy

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#3125812 11-Sep-2023 09:04

But that’s the thing - you shouldn’t have to.

Both do indeed work with a 5GHz network present. As a test I factory reset my Nanoleaf and reconnected it and it worked fine. I actually pulled out an Orbi I have as a test and it connected to that no worries too. I use an iPhone with the app but seriously couldn’t replicate the issue. I also had a roborock vacuum that worked fine too in the past with my mixed mode network and don’t recall having any difficulties getting that connected.

Being a mesh router they likely don’t want people disabling bands as it can cause performance issues and issues on the whole mesh. You should -always- combine your SSID these days too. Seriously there is nothing wrong with the router or it’s features here. I do understand that some apps do tell you to use a 2.4GHz network but I haven’t actually ever encountered a lock that forces you to do this but rather it always comes as a recommendation you can normally skip.

But the Orbi offers better WiFi over the Fritz!Box so I wouldn’t switch here and instead factory reset it back to defaults and go with that. Also you’ll find if you set the same SSID and Password on it as your old network things should just reconnect and work.

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Delorean

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#3125813 11-Sep-2023 09:07

I thought 2D ditched the Fritzbox?

I guess they want one model router across all the brands so support is more consistent.

It's a shame as the Fritbox is an excellent router

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KiwiSurfer

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#3126552 12-Sep-2023 14:37

I have a Orbi network doing mixed 2.4/5GHz using one SSID and it works just fine with all sorts of family/visitor devices -- legacy/new 2.4GHz only devices, newer 2.4/5GHz mode devices, etc. Laptops from multiple vendors, mobiles from multiple vendors, Raspberry PIs, apple TVs, chromecasts, drones, robots, etc you name it, they all just connect fine. This has been my experience with several over WiFi AP vendors (Ubiquti, Microtik, Rucks etc) both at home and at work as well -- it just works. I'm with @michaelmurfy on this. All this "turn off 5GHz" stuff seems like a lazy way out and could almost be described as a hoax. I've never personally seen this myself despite being the on-call tech support for many people personally and professionally. YMMV but I try and look for other possible issues rather than just assuming 5 GHz is the problem.

Ideas:

Test your devices on another network and see if the same issues occur. It could be a fault with your end device rather than the Orbi itself.
Try setting a fixed wifi channel as a troubleshooting step -- for 5GHz there are some DFS channels which are best avoided as it disables itself if it detects radar or periodically to see if there is radar activity. This generally shouldn't be an issue in practice but worth ruling this out.
If you can, check the IP addresses on each device -- they should all be on the same subnet. (e.g. 192.168.1.xxx -- the last part will vary but the first 3 parts on most LANs should be the same). If they look different (e.g. one is 192.168.88.20 and another is 192.168.1.20) then there may be some DHCP or IP assignment issues -- this could be why one device can't see the other etc.
Check your network topology. Check you don't have two DHCP servers on your network at once. This can happen if you have a router plus the Orbi set up on the same network. Hopefully your Orbi master unit is the one connected to the fibre ONT?
Update firmwares of all devices involved.

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jonathan18

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#3126568 12-Sep-2023 15:51

Delorean:
I thought 2D ditched the Fritzbox?

I guess they want one model router across all the brands so support is more consistent.

It's a shame as the Fritbox is an excellent router

They may not supply them as a matter of course, but as mentioned earlier I asked and I (or my sister) received! I’m sure there are many more customers who’d prefer the looks and ease of use of the Orbi over the Fritzbox. That said, they’ll have more than enough old Fritzboxes around for the occasional customer that has a specific user case that requires a more flexible device.

canterburydays

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Master Geek

#3126870 13-Sep-2023 09:24

Update: Set 2.4Ghz to fixed channel 3 and it added and connected normally. This morning the app worked and turned on the lights normally.

Will update in a few days. Looks promising. Thanks in advance.

Bung

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#3126879 13-Sep-2023 09:33

An explanation seems to be some setup apps use BSSID. If the mobile is on 5GHz the BSSID will be wrong for 2.4GHz.

canterburydays

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Master Geek

#3127602 14-Sep-2023 10:16

Still working well.

I got it to pair with my phone on 5ghz and nanoleaf on 2.4ghz. Operating fine without becoming isolated in the app.

I really did not expect to get far with this when starting the post. Thanks so much everybody. Great Community Vibes!

canterburydays

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Master Geek

#3127875 14-Sep-2023 18:06

Update: the app is not responding to the nanoleaf lights. Just when i got optimistic too!

My router sees nanoleaf connected to 2.4 and my phone to 5 as connected devices. The app can not connect though.

MattEast

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#3127883 14-Sep-2023 18:47

canterburydays:

Update: the app is not responding to the nanoleaf lights. Just when i got optimistic too!

My router sees nanoleaf connected to 2.4 and my phone to 5 as connected devices. The app can not connect though.

Have you tried uninstalling the app, and reinstalling? It sounds more like an app issue as opposed to a network one…have you got another device in the house you can test it on? I rarely use the app as have everything connected via HomeKit, but the rare occasions I have used it, I haven’t come across the issue you are having (Orbi Mesh setup here).

Matt East

canterburydays

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Master Geek

#3127936 14-Sep-2023 20:39

A few hours has gone by and the app is working now. Did nothing.

canterburydays

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Master Geek

#3131143 23-Sep-2023 22:45

last reply. Been working solid. Thanks all. Fix was to manually static set the 2.4ghz channel, not on auto

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