I’m looking to install a Schlage lock in my house. The installer says that if my internet jumps between 2.4 and 5G the battery will wear down fast. Will this be an issue with the RBR50? I see devices connected to both 2.4 and 5 - I’m just wondering if the lock will keep trying to connect to 5 and kill the battery.
Two months ago I upgraded from a single point wireless router to the Orbi with two satellites.
I’m not impressed. The signal strength in the garage has not gotten any better and the FPS in Arc Raiders on XBOX crumbles even though both locations are within eyeshot of a satellite unit.
Also would have like to have the option to stage certain devices to a specific satellite.
Got my end of life notice for my Orbi RBR50 which was expected based on previous messages. What’s maddening is that I paid $300 bucks for it & they have the AUDACITY to push a $999 replacement with a crappy 20% off discount. I’d be much more accepting of the termination if they at least suggested a comparable router within their lineup. Instead they are shamelessly pushing a replacement that costs $700 more!
Any suggestions on routers to replace the RBR50 is greatly appreciated
Using the RBK50 setup with current EOL stock firmware, I've noticed that devices sometimes randomly get added to the block list for no apparent reason. It's not always the same device, doesn't seem to follow any pattern, and usually just changing it to allowed resolves it for several weeks or months before another device gets blocked. Nobody else is accessing the admin controls.
However, today multiple devices were blocked at once (usually it's only one at a time), and allowing them wouldn't stick. I even both rebooted the Orbi, as well as power cycled both the router and satellite.
Also, for the first time that I've noticed, the satellite was blocked, which caused a whole host of other problems, since any device connected via the satellite lost Internet access, and it took me a bit to figure out what was wrong.
Has anyone else experienced random device blocking? Is there any known cause, or is it just a glitch? I can reset it and reconfigure everything, but I'd like to avoid that if at all possible, as IP reservations are a pain since they removed telnet access from the firmware.
Wonder if we can get a discussion going.
I and many others still have RBR/RBS 50/40/30/20 systems actively running. I personally have an RBR50 and a RBS20 wireless satellite active in my home. This system is rock solid and performs well to meet my needs. It runs in router mode.
I realize there will be no firmware updates after June 2026 for the RBR50, but frankly the Netgear firmware updates have been quite infrequent. I'm not highly technical on the support and security risks but would appreciate any discussion on the real risks to continue to use this system over the next 1-2 years. The following questions occur to me:
I've tried to push the reset button. I've tried the sync. I've tried both while connected via ethernet to the router. nothing works. it's like they're mocking me....
I have fios with an ONT connected right into the RBSE960 router. It works. Wifi works. The Sats just will NOT connect. Please save me from myself and the hammer that is calling my name.
Bought an ET-2980 recently and everything was working great. Our WiFi had been spotty so I upgraded to a Orbi mesh system and returned the rented router to the provider. Everything on the new network connected flawlessly except the printer. I called Epson tech support and they said I have to unplug the mesh satellite every time I need to print. That seems crazy to me, is there any other option to get this to work? No matter what I do the printer says I’m entering the wrong network password even though I’m 100% positive it’s correct
Hi all, I've been happily using Orbi (in UK) for past many years.
I have the NETGEAR Orbi Mesh WiFI System (RBK852) - WiFi 6 (Main + Satellite) for the last 5 years but I need a replacement as I want to set this one at my parents' house.
I need a wi-fi mesh system over 3 floors (ground, first and converted loft space).
I was considering 2 units (Main+ 1 satellite) ORBI 870, but have read reviews about its performance unreliability and issues with software updates. This made me look at Orbi 970, which is ridiculously pricey and has similar reviews.
Whilst I appreciate that some of this user feedback would be from the early days when these products were launched, can anyone please tell if Netgear has finally got a grip on these, and if they are worth buying?
I'm seriously considering moving to Eero Max 7, am waiting for a deal or price drop to buy.
What would the experts and users of these products recommend, Orbi 870, 970 or Eero Max 7?
Thank you!
For many many years I ran an RBR40 (upstairs front) daisy chained using wireless backhaul to an RBS40 (downstairs back) and that through to an RBW30 to extend WiFi from our garage for the rare occasions I need WiFi outside. Recently I got a home battery that hated this system after many years of no problems.
I looked around and all the newer WiFi 7 routers like the Orbi 770 and Unifi Express 7 that seemed to be much better until wireless backhaul and walls got in the way. Darn those houses with walls. And they come at a cost.
I made a rash decision to buy a second hand RBR50 and RBS50 and it’s transformed everything.
I don’t need the third satellite anymore, the home battery is happy connecting and it’s rock solid.
My internet speeds from the satellite are really good. 450Mbps down and over 600Mbps up(!) from my 1Gbps service where max using Ethernet is around 980Mbps.
Super happy with this setup. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s not good thanks to the Voxel firmware.
Voxel is a frequently updated custom firmware that includes the latest security fixes for the Netgear Orbi RBR50 series.
Before proceeding, save or screenshot important configuration settings such as:
Download RBR50 Firmware v2.5.2.4
Download RBS50 Firmware v2.5.2.4
>
Disconnect your modem or WAN cable.
>
Using a desktop or laptop, open:
Log in using your admin credentials.
Navigate to:
Advanced → Administration → Firmware Update → Manual Update
For each satellite:
RBS50 firmware from Step 12.5.2.4Repeat for all satellites.
Upload the RBR50 firmware (2.5.2.4) to the main router.
After rebooting, confirm:
Install the Voxel satellite firmware:
RBS50-V9.2.5.2.44SF-HW.img
Do this on all satellites first.
Wait until each satellite fully reboots and confirms the new firmware version.
Finally, install:
RBR50-V9.2.5.2.44SF-HW.img
on the main router.
Once installation is complete:
Formatted via ChatGPT
I am trying to contact Netgear Enterprise support from the UK on 0344 453 8000 but every time it tries to connect me with a support agent, the line drops. Anyone else having or had this issue? Any suggestions for a workaround? I have tried the 01183150101 number also but it just sends me to the same place with the same results.
Thanks
I have gigabit fiber from att and use ip passthrough to get near gigabit WiFi speeds on my orbi 770 (model RBE771) plus satellite.
At some point recently, netgear pushed and enabled some untested vibe coded access anywhere update which sends all my traffic through to their cloud, for some stupid reason. Disable it for your own sanity.
Burned all my Claude credits and five hours of my life tonight troubleshooting this. Don’t make my mistake. Disable that pos setting in the orbit app under settings. Make sure you’re “connected locally” as shown, then go to settings> anywhere access and make sure it’s disabled.
I can't tell if this is an ISP or a router issue. Are there any router logs that I can look at?
I have an RBR750 with two satellites. The system has worked reliably for several years.
Thank you.
Hi,
I have a long journey through unifi and even Cisco behind me (yes I was willing to pay licensing fees to get reliable wifi) but all let me down. Cisco is too much maintenance and figgleing around. UniFi is just straight up unreliable and now I am looking for a plug and play wifi solution that is tank solid and has good performance. After reading through some reviews here, I am not sure if or I is the right choice for me? Any recommendations? How is your experience? Additional info: I have mainly apple devices and a 85sqm apartment with concrete walls
Why can’t I see any of my devices - this is pretty annoying!!!!
So, I've been having some issues with my Orbi RBR750 router randomly dropping a wired connection here and there. I don't think it's the fiber coming into my house. I thought I would make sure everything was up to date, and I can see there is a firmware update from months ago, even though it is telling me there is no updates. I can also see that my single satellite router has failed to update the last time, and has a different firmware version. I logged in through orbilogin.com to try to force this to update manually.... no luck. It gives me this pop-up login box, that literally does nothing. Entering my admin / password credentials does nothing, the box just keeps resetting. Since I only deal with tech when absolutely necessary, I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong... other than probably buying this PITA Orbi router in the first place. Can anyone give me some ideas of what I should be trying? I really don't want to have to factory reset this.
I'm switching to fiber and ATT is giving me a BGW320-500. Currently I have three Orbi RGR50s on my old connection.
Does anyone know If I can place the Orbis into AP mode and still have them wirelessly mesh as they are now? Or will I NEED to place the ATT combo router into bridge mode?
Anyone who has this or a similar setup willing to PM screens of their settings to make this easier? I'm set to switch in the next couple weeks, so just want to get things in order first so it's seemless. I'm in an old brick house, so I need the Orbi's to get internet throughout.
**sort of relevent** at my previous house I had tried to do something similar but using a COX combo router and a single Unifi AP and really couldn't get it working, but that particular router was incredibly locked down by Cox
