[Shop-talk] orbi mesh network system

Wed Sep 23 21:29:09 MDT 2026

Also, you might still want to think about what might have changed to make
it drop off the network.

Top of my mind would be some combination of (1) the remote node was moved,
(2) the base station moved, or (3) something in between them moved and
blocked the signal. A microwave can do it too..

If you can figure it out it might help keep the system stable in the future.

Best of luck.

________________
Sent from my phone
Best Regards,
Al Fuller

On Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 10:50 AM john niolon <jniolon at att.net> wrote:

> well Al,    show you how dumb I am.....
> I did some extra reading and found a forum about how critical placement
> can be.  I( played around with modem and satellite placement
> and found a place where the two would connect... been two days and
> everything is still connected... although speed is not optimal.  You
> mentioned ORBIs
> problem with overhead traffic so I'm satisfied with shop performance for
> now
>
> I really appreciate your time and attention... trying to help an old tech
> challenged guy get connected.
>
> john
>
>
> *----- Original Message -----*
> *From:* Al Fuller <alfuller194 at gmail.com>
> *To:* john niolon <jniolon at att.net>, Shop Talk <Shop-talk at autox.team.net>
> *Sent:* 09/20/2026 7:23:44 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Shop-talk] orbi mesh network system
> ------------------------------
> Ok, no Ethernet jack on the remote mesh node, so no way to narrow it down
> that way.
>
> Next suggestion is to look up the procedures for (1) resetting it, and (2)
> factory resetting it in case (1) didn't work.
>
> You may be able to get it working again by resetting or factory resetting.
>
> BTW, maybe I missed it but can you tell us whether anything was changed
> before it quit working? Or anything happened, like electrical short nearby,
> lightning storm, power outage, brownout, etc.
>
> Last year I had security cameras that quit and it turned out a power surge
> had killed 2 power supplies AND several individual cameras - so I'm
> reminded to ask about the environment before it quit.
>
>
> ________________
> Sent from my phone
> Best Regards,
> Al Fuller
>
> On Sun, Sep 20, 2026, 1:47 PM john niolon <jniolon at att.net> wrote:
>
>> First Al, thanks for all your time and energy doing this... it might be
>> all futile.
>>
>> The satellite unit has no Ethernet port.   The modem has both Ethernet
>> and internet
>> ports and the only one used is the internet port that plugs into the ATT
>> fiber box.
>>
>>
>> *----- Original Message -----*
>> *From:* Al Fuller <alfuller194 at gmail.com>
>> *To:* john niolon <jniolon at att.net>, Shop Talk <Shop-talk at autox.team.net>
>> *Sent:* 09/19/2026 9:45:57 PM
>> *Subject:* Re: [Shop-talk] orbi mesh network system
>> ------------------------------
>> Ok, this is progress.
>>
>> On the failing unit, is there an Ethernet jack you could temporarily plug
>> into? If so, you might be able to reboot it or at least troubleshoot.
>>
>> If not, there is likely still some process to reset it.
>>
>> If all else fails, you might still be able to add an access point from
>> another vendor that would connect wirelessly.
>>
>> Do keep in mind that all mesh systems have upsides and down. The upside
>> is you can get coverage in places where there's no Ethernet cable, but the
>> downside is that the mesh node has to wirelessly 'backhaul' to the base
>> station in addition to the usual transmission between itself and the client
>> devices like phones tablets TVs, etc.   As such, the speed and quality are
>> very poor. But if that's the only way to get the signal, it's better than
>> nothing. Often people find it's preferable to bite the bullet and run a
>> cable.
>>
>> Let us know what you find in the troubleshooting.
>>
>> ________________
>> Sent from my phone
>> Best Regards,
>> Al Fuller
>>
>> On Sat, Sep 19, 2026, 10:41 AM john niolon <jniolon at att.net> wrote:
>>
>>> both satellites connect to the modem wirelessly... one works
>>> perfectly... the other is dead... I even brought the dead one and sat it
>>> next
>>> to the modem and rebooted everything... the dead one still dead, the
>>> other is fine...  afaik nothing has changed in equipment or software
>>> unless ORBI did a firmware dump that I didn't know about BUT that should
>>> have killed both of them, right ??
>>>
>>>
>>> *----- Original Message -----*
>>> *From:* Al Fuller <alfuller194 at gmail.com>
>>> *To:* john niolon <jniolon at att.net>, Shop Talk <Shop-talk at autox.team.net
>>> >
>>> *Sent:* 09/19/2026 10:08:03 AM
>>> *Subject:* Re: [Shop-talk] orbi mesh network system
>>> ------------------------------
>>> Ok, let's all do some basic troubleshooting...
>>>
>>> Are all satellites failing to connect? Or just one or some? If it's all
>>> the issue is likely at the base station, while if 1 or more still work the
>>> issue is likely localized.
>>>
>>> Are the satellites connected with Wi-Fi or wired?
>>>
>>> Finally (and possibly most important) was anything changed or anything
>>> happened to the system between when it worked and didn't?
>>>
>>> ________________
>>> Sent from my phone
>>> Best Regards,
>>> Al Fuller
>>>
>>> On Fri, Sep 18, 2026, 4:01 AM john niolon <jniolon at att.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> This system has one main wifi router and two satellite 'extenders'.
>>>> Maybe I used the wrong term.  The two satellite boxes should connect
>>>> ( 'sync')
>>>> with the router to give you a total mesh system.  One works fine … the
>>>> other (in the detached shop has stopped connecting.  Net gear
>>>> says they don't support the system and only fix is a 400 buck
>>>> replacement... I'm just flailing here hoping someone might have come up
>>>> with some troubleshooting that might fix this... Netgear's customer
>>>> service sucks and they advertise "Have your credit card ready when you call"
>>>>
>>>> thanks
>>>> john
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *----- Original Message -----*
>>>> *From:* Al Fuller <alfuller194 at gmail.com>
>>>> *To:* john niolon <jniolon at att.net>
>>>> *Cc:* shop-talk <shop-talk at autox.team.net>
>>>> *Sent:* 09/17/2026 9:41:08 PM
>>>> *Subject:* Re: [Shop-talk] orbi mesh network system
>>>> ------------------------------
>>>> I'm not exactly clear on what you mean by a box won't sync.
>>>>
>>>> Do you mean the system clock won't sync to a local ntp server? Remote
>>>> service? Rsync service fails to move files? Other?
>>>>
>>>> ________________
>>>> Sent from my phone
>>>> Best Regards,
>>>> Al Fuller
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 6:17 AM john niolon <jniolon at att.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Anyone using an ORBI network mesh system... I have a satellite box
>>>>> that will not sync and Netgear's solution is to
>>>>> upgrade to a new system for 400 bucks
>>>>>
>>>>> anyone got any trouble shooting suggestions
>>>>>
>>>>> thanks
>>>>> john
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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