Don’t know why Orbi router keeps disconnecting? Make sure to be around as in this post we’re revealing ALL possible reasons for Orbi network drops and how to troubleshoot them accordingly.
To resolve internet outages with an Orbi router you’ll need to inspect the wiring first and perform a hard reset afterward. If it does not work, check if the router is overheating and hook up your PC to perform an automatic network scan followed by DNS flush and IP renewal.
If you have never done these methods before, we highly recommend reading the entire post as there are a lot of things that you need to pay attention to beforehand.
Why Is Netgear Orbi Constantly Disconnecting?
If your Netgear Orbi router keeps disconnecting and your network persists in dropping, it is possible that there is something wrong with your configuration.
The most frequent cause is possible interference or problems with the ISP.
Let’s put assumptions aside for a moment and check what users with the same issue as yours report after they solved it:
1. Faulty Cables
An issue with the cable connections might make your router constantly drop the Wi-Fi connection.
2. Power Problem
Power malfunction might also cause your router to shut off and interrupt the network.
3. Overheating
Overheating might cause your router to delay the network speed, and in order to cool itself down, it may drop the connection.
4. Faulty Data
If there is a problem with the firmware data, your router might go through the trouble and drop the connection.
5. ISP Problem
Ongoing ISP maintenance or a power outage in your local area can eventually prevent your router from receiving connection and dropping the network.
Now that you know what might have gone wrong with your Orbi router, let’s proceed with the best troubleshooting tips available for your device.
How To Fix Orbi Network Keeps Dropping?
Before we proceed, have you tried turning your Orbi ON and OFF? Sometimes all it takes to fight the issue is a simple reboot, which in most cases is helpful.
If a restart didn’t turn out helpful, however, here are the best solutions the Orbi community has recommended:
Solution #1. Hard Reset The Device
Unlike the normal turn-off and reboot, a hard reset works in a different way.
This type of method will discharge your Netgear Orbi device from the left-over electricity and give it a head start the next time you boot it up. It will also cool the device down.
Here is how to apply a hard reset to your Orbi router:
- Press the power button on the back of the device once.
- Kill the device’s power flow by unplugging the power adapter.
- Wait for 5 minutes straight.
- Position the power adapter back in place and wait for your device to boot.
Once all LEDs on your Orbi are lit up, check if the network is up now.
In addition, to evade potential power malfunctions with strips or dividers, plug your router into a trusted wall outlet for direct electricity supply.
Solution #2. Inspect The Wirings
Another major cause for the issue is faulty cables. If you have some of the Ethernet cables damaged or not plugged all the way in, your router can frequently drop the network connection and kill your WiFi signal.
Alert: Keep in mind that if the internet cable is visually damaged in any way, this may be the reason for your connection to drop and you should replace it before you continue!
Here is how to properly inspect the cables in your setup:
- Turn OFF your Orbi router.
- Disconnect both ends of the Orbi router power adapter.
- Disconnect both ends of your Ethernet cable.
- Disconnect the internet cable from the blue router port.
- Clean any particles from the inputs of both cables.
- Rotate cable’s ends.
- Plug your ethernet into another (yellow) port of your Orbi router.
- Plug in both Ethernet cable ends tightly.
- Plug in the power adapter and internet cable (internet cable in blue router port!).
- Avoid cable twists or positions that are under pressure.
- Turn ON your router.
The best way to test the cables remains by using another proven-to-work ethernet cable. If you don’t have an extra in your household, let’s move on with the next solution.
Solution #3. Prevent Overheating
As we’ve mentioned above, if your router is overheating, it is most likely that your network will drop every time your router enters the emergency cooling mode.
This can cause major losses in bandwidth level and eventually lead up to network losses until the router is cooled down to the normal levels.
Here are some tips to prevent your router from overheating in the future:
- Using a vacuum cleaner, suck dust from the router’s ventilation openings.
- Remove any heat conductors in a considerable range from the router.
- Don’t expose the router’s surface to direct sunlight for too long.
- Straighten its antennas.
By touching your router on top after a few hours of work, you can easily determine if it’s overheating.
The normal temperature should be warm, but NOT hot, so if that’s the case you’ll need to prevent overheating before you continue.
Solution #4. Inspect The Modem
Another possibility for your Netgear Orbi router to go offline is if the modem is offline as well.
In most cases, your router is dependent on the modem if it is wireless like your Orbi model and if the modem goes offline first, your router will lose signal too.
Here are a couple of things to do in order to inspect your modem:
- Re-connect the modem to the router properly.
- Power cycle the modem by unplugging it from the power outlet for 3 minutes.
- Check the modem’s LEDs for possible network discrepancies.
If any unusual lights on the modem are lit up, then this most certainly means there is a network outage. In other words, no internet is being delivered through your internet cable and you should reach out to your ISP.
Solution #5. Factory Reset The Router
If nothing worked so far and the Orbi router keeps disconnecting, then your last remaining approach is to factory reset your router device.
The easiest way is to do it through the factory reset button on the back of the router using a paperclip or another smaller object to reach in.
Follow these steps to factory reset your router:
- Locate the factory reset button on the back of your Orbi router.
- Insert the paperclip into the hole.
- Hold the button until LED or Orbi blinks twice.
Wait for another couple of minutes after the LED blinks and your router should be reset now.
Solution #6. Software Troubleshooting
There are a few things you can do against network outages if you have a Windows PC at your disposal to troubleshoot the network.
You’ll need to connect to your Orbi router’s WiFi or directly via Ethernet cable.
Once you’ve got your PC hooked up to your router, here is what you can do:
- Right-click on the network icon, in the bottom right corner (tray).
- Choose Troubleshoot Problems.
- Wait for the automatic scan to detect problems.
If the automatic scan says “No connection to the DNS server” it means that your router is not being supplied with the internet, thus you’ll need to contact your ISP.
Solution #7. Flush DNS
If the automatic Windows scan did not find issues, go to the Control Panel of your PC, then choose Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings.
From there right-click on your network (for example, Ethernet 2), and choose Disable. After a few moments, right-click again and Enable it.
Once ready, press the start button to search for Command Prompt. Once it appears follow the steps below:
- Right-click on the Command Prompt and open as administrator.
- Type ipconfig/release and hit Enter.
- Then type, ipconfig/renew, and again hit Enter.
- Next, type ipconfig/flushdns, and Enter again.
- Lastly, type ipconfig/registerdns and confirm by pressing Enter.
Alert: Make sure NOT to skip any of these steps as your network won’t be running if you forget to register your DNS or renew your IP.
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Bottom Line:
Hence the solution to a dropping Orbi router internet includes a hard reset on your network equipment, wiring inspection, and software network scan check. Next, you can perform a factory reset and if nothing works, try to flush your DNS.
Now when you know why the Orbi router keeps disconnecting you can easily troubleshoot other router models using those steps.
If your issue is still there then, there could be an outage coming from your ISP so to justify you’ll need to reach out to them!
Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites.
