Custom firmware build for Orbi RBK50/RBK53 (RBR50, RBS50) v. 9.2.5.1.12SF-HW

[Voxel]

it's my understanding that you should update the satellite's first and then the router

I am not sure that it is necessary... Usually I upgrade my router first.

Voxel.

 

[Voxel]

The satellite "Connected Devices" shows the name of each device as "Unknown" rather than the name shown by the router. I had thought the firmware update was equivalent to a reset, but maybe not. So I power cycled the satellite. Same thing. Then, I did a "Factory Reset" on the satellite. Same thing. Devices are "Unknown."

I presume this wasn't the case with stock FW?

my satellite behaves the same way. the name is "Unknown" so i usually just identify them by the internal IP address, which i have set statically for most of my devices

I've never checked satellite... Google shows that there was something like this with stock FW... I cannot control this because scanner for attached devices is distributed by NG in binary form. So I use it "as-is".

It would be good if somebody with stock FW could check this.

Voxel.

 

[Kamsung]

It is better to update satellite as well. Reason: as I wrote in the very first notes for Orbi fw release: I succeed to provide hardware acceleration of OpenSSL (not so in the stock firmware) and as I suppose it is used for router<-->satellite connection (should be faster). But of course it is not obligatory. So you may leave your satellite with stock fw...

Voxel.

Already done it
Works amazing! My download speeds are slightly quicker on the router too.
I got a gigbit connection for some reason through orbi the upload was quicker than download. Like almost twice as much. This firmware has almost resolved the issue. Using in AP mode. If I just used wired to the Asus router then I got well over 900mb upload and download. Guessing hardware limitations.

Thank you so much!

 

[Voxel]

Not sure if you can help with this issue. With the RBR50 unit it seems maxed at 500ish mbps. I have gigabit service here and both my Frontier router and my tplink AX1500 router can hit 1gig/1gig. The Orbi unit can only do 500mbps/1gig. Appears to be locked at 500. This is hardwired to the router itself. I gave confirmed that without any router I get the 1/1gig service.

This happens with both netgear and your firmware. All versions.

Thamks
James

Thank you for your report. My benchmarks (as far as I remember, I tested three months ago) displayed 1Gbps/0.5Gbps (Up/Down).

Voxel.

 

[Kamsung]

Not sure if you can help with this issue. With the RBR50 unit it seems maxed at 500ish mbps. I have gigabit service here and both my Frontier router and my tplink AX1500 router can hit 1gig/1gig. The Orbi unit can only do 500mbps/1gig. Appears to be locked at 500. This is hardwired to the router itself. I gave confirmed that without any router I get the 1/1gig service.

This happens with both netgear and your firmware. All versions.

Thamks
James

Hi dude.
This was a issue in the earlier firmware versions. Upgrade to the latest version and do a full reboot. If that dont work. Try reset the router. Install the firmware. Once installed do a hard boot again. Let me know how it goes

 

[e38BimmerFN]

What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too? You said your ISP has a router? Built in router with the modem?
If so, this maybe a cause of speed nad NAT issues.
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

Not sure if you can help with this issue. With the RBR50 unit it seems maxed at 500ish mbps. I have gigabit service here and both my Frontier router and my tplink AX1500 router can hit 1gig/1gig. The Orbi unit can only do 500mbps/1gig. Appears to be locked at 500. This is hardwired to the router itself. I gave confirmed that without any router I get the 1/1gig service.

This happens with both netgear and your firmware. All versions.

Thamks
James

 

[Cj10488]

What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too? You said your ISP has a router? Built in router with the modem?
If so, this maybe a cause of speed nad NAT issues.
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

I am straight to the ONT. When referring to using different routers I mean unhook one and hook up the other. In any case it's isolated to the Orbi router itself. Hard locked to 500mbps. With the orbi router I cannot exceed 500. Pretty much pegs at 499 most of the time. With either the Frontier router or the tplink router I hit 990 easily.

I will try the other suggestions tonight.

Thanks
James

 

[e38BimmerFN]

I saw this similar issue a while back. Though I was testing the RBR with off line networking test. After I got 1G service from my ISP last last year, I put the RBR50 online and see near 900Mpbs on the down with a wired PC:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Or...to-LAN-test/m-p/1827295/highlight/true#M76372

Though I use a Cable modem. CM1100.

Others are seeing near 900Mbps as well...

 

[CrimpOn]

I've never checked satellite... Google shows that there was something like this with stock FW... I cannot control this because scanner for attached devices is distributed by NG in binary form. So I use it "as-is".

It would be good if somebody with stock FW could check this.

Voxel.

Well, that was three hours I wish I had back. Thought it would be almost trivial to save the config, load stock firmware to the RBR50, reboot, reload the config and be done. Almost wore out the paperclip and spent forever watching the white light fade in and out..... At long last, router and satellite are both at stock 2.5.1.8 and the satellite reports Connected Devices as "Unknown", just as Voxel firmware did.
Sorry to have been a bother and not checking it out before raising the issue.

 

[Voxel]

Well, that was three hours I wish I had back. Thought it would be almost trivial to save the config, load stock firmware to the RBR50, reboot, reload the config and be done. Almost wore out the paperclip and spent forever watching the white light fade in and out..... At long last, router and satellite are both at stock 2.5.1.8 and the satellite reports Connected Devices as "Unknown", just as Voxel firmware did.
Sorry to have been a bother and not checking it out before raising the issue.

Thank you for your test. Appreciated.

Voxel.

 

[ouzycn]

Update to 9.2.5.1.12SF-HW went smoothly. I had left my satellite with stock firmware and decided "now's the time" to move it to Voxel as well.
Although the satellite firmware update went smoothly, and the unit appears to work well, I am confused about one aspect:

The satellite "Connected Devices" shows the name of each device as "Unknown" rather than the name shown by the router. I had thought the firmware update was equivalent to a reset, but maybe not. So I power cycled the satellite. Same thing. Then, I did a "Factory Reset" on the satellite. Same thing. Devices are "Unknown."

Is this "just the way it is"? Has it always been this way and I just never noticed? Or, have I somehow messed things up? (I know that the name displayed for devices is not critical, but I am puzzled.)

Thanks

RBR50 and RBS50 update to 9.2.5.1.12SF-HW on two days ago and went smoothly till now. I will keep monitor wifi speed drop issue cause it happened before which about 3 days after reboot.
I also has same issue as satellite "Connected Devices" shows the name of all of device as "Unknown" . so far in my memory has not this issue before.
Router does not has this issue.

 

[Voxel]

I also has same issue as satellite "Connected Devices" shows the name of all of device as "Unknown" . so far in my memory has not this issue before.

Check this post above:
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/c...50-v-9-2-5-1-12sf-hw.62430/page-2#post-557574

The same issue with stock 2.5.1.8:

At long last, router and satellite are both at stock 2.5.1.8 and the satellite reports Connected Devices as "Unknown", just as Voxel firmware did.

And my notes regarding the issue:

I cannot control this because scanner for attached devices is distributed by NG in binary form. So I use it "as-is".

Voxel.

 

[e38BimmerFN]

I recommend that you bring this up with NG support or one of the NG Orbi forum moderators. They can pass this onto engineering for review. This is something NG will need to fix.

Well, that was three hours I wish I had back. Thought it would be almost trivial to save the config, load stock firmware to the RBR50, reboot, reload the config and be done. Almost wore out the paperclip and spent forever watching the white light fade in and out..... At long last, router and satellite are both at stock 2.5.1.8 and the satellite reports Connected Devices as "Unknown", just as Voxel firmware did.
Sorry to have been a bother and not checking it out before raising the issue.

 

[Sp1derMan]

1. I tried to create a shell file in /root/ to configure iptables, but when the router restarted, the file disappeared.
2. I installed Entware according to Quickstart.txt. After rebooting the router, the files on the usb flash drive also disappeared.
To sum up, after every router restart, the custom data is always cleared, is there something wrong with the way I use it?

 

[Voxel]

1. I tried to create a shell file in /root/ to configure iptables, but when the router restarted, the file disappeared.
2. I installed Entware according to Quickstart.txt. After rebooting the router, the files on the usb flash drive also disappeared.
To sum up, after every router restart, the custom data is always cleared, is there something wrong with the way I use it?

More details please. E.g. ls -l /mnt/sda1

P.S.
Also, my QuickStart.txt now had to be updates; re: create ext4 on USB.

Please use the following scheme to format to ext4:

mkfs.ext4 -L optware -O ^64bit /dev/sda1

Voxel.

 

[Sp1derMan]

More details please. E.g. ls -l /mnt/sda1

P.S.
Also, my QuickStart.txt now had to be updates; re: create ext4 on USB.

Please use the following scheme to format to ext4:

mkfs.ext4 -L optware -O ^64bit /dev/sda1

Voxel.

root@RBR50:/tmp/overlay/etc# ls -l /mnt/sda1

drwx------ 2 root root 16384 Mar 5 23:44 lost+found

 

[Voxel]

root@RBR50:/tmp/overlay/etc# ls -l /mnt/sda1

drwx------ 2 root root 16384 Mar 5 23:44 lost+found

So no Entware there. try this way (1), (2), (3):

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/c...4-2sf-v-1-0-2-74-3sf.61962/page-3#post-557147

It should work.

Voxel.

 

[Sp1derMan]

So no Entware there. try this way (1), (2), (3):

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/c...4-2sf-v-1-0-2-74-3sf.61962/page-3#post-557147

It should work.

Voxel.

It's worked! The file is still there after the router reboot.
Thank you very much for your support.

Is the "sync" command being the key?
Dose that mean I need to add the "sync" command if I written other files on the usb disk?

 

[Voxel]

Is the "sync" command being the key?
Dose that mean I need to add the "sync" command if I written other files on the usb disk

"sync" usually is needed if you intend to remove your USB drive from USB port (to avoid buffered write operations). Not needed in common use. "reboot" commands performs "sync" automatically.

Check this note:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/c...4-2sf-v-1-0-2-74-3sf.61962/page-3#post-557580

i.e. just for safety...

Voxel.

 

[Sp1derMan]

"sync" usually is needed if you intend to remove your USB drive from USB port (to avoid buffered write operations). Not needed in common use. "reboot" commands performs "sync" automatically.

Check this note:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/c...4-2sf-v-1-0-2-74-3sf.61962/page-3#post-557580

i.e. just for safety...

Voxel.

Got it, thanks again...
By the way, do you have any Suggestions if I want the router to protect against port scans and ddos attacks?