NETGEAROrbi Voice Smart Speaker & WiFi Mesh Extender with Amazon Alexa (RBS40V) - Discontinued by Manufacturer

I purchased the ORBI router in August 2018 it came with 2 satellites. I purchased 2 additional satellites and some of my devices suffered from weak connections. On Dec 26 2002, I received an email stated that NETGEAR Armor was automatically activated for a FREE 30-day trial. I NEVER received another email. On May 20 2023, my router was blocked. I contacted my ISP they determined it must be something with my router. I contacted NETGEAR customer support. They stated, that I had not purchased the $219 NETGEAR Armor update and “I would be required to purchase the update” to reconnect to the internet. I told them that I didn’t remember initiating a purchase but, I had a major online event and needed to have my internet access restored. After working with the technician for about an hour he stated, “He would have to reconfigure my router config files” and would call me back in three hours. I did not receive a callback but I did receive an email 8 hours later asking if everything was “working fine”. The next day, May 21, 2023, I contacted them to inform them I wanted to receive a refund for 2 reasons, the update did not work and this appears to be a predatory sales tactic. I was told there would be an $89 technician service fee. This was NEVER discussed. I will be contact my credit card company for assistance to fight this.

If you are having issues getting your unit to show up as a satellite in Orbi, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CHANGED THE SATELLITE TO ORBI MODE. The unit comes from the factory in extender mode, which is only for non-Orbi routers.Orbi Mode enables you to connect your Orbi Voice to your Orbi router.If you don’t have an Orbi router, you must set up your Orbi Voice in Extender Mode. For more information about how to set up your Orbi Voice in Extender Mode, see, How do I set up my Orbi Voice in Extender Mode?.To set up your Orbi Voice in Orbi Mode:Visit Orbi-app.com.Download the NETGEAR Orbi app on your mobile device.Place your Orbi Voice near your Orbi router.Note: You can move your Orbi Voice after setup is complete.Connect your Orbi Voice to a power source, but do not turn on your Orbi Voice.If your Orbi Voice powers on, press the Power On/Off button to turn it off.Change the mode on your Orbi Voice to Orbi Mode:Press and hold the Sync button on your Orbi Voice.While holding the Sync button, press and release the Power On/Off button (don’t release the Sync button).Your Orbi Voice powers on.Wait for your Orbi Voice’s ring LED to pulse blue and white, then release the Sync button.The following LED behavior occurs after you release the Sync button:Pulsing white: Your Orbi Voice is changing to Orbi Mode. The LED pulses white for a few minutes.Solid white: Your Orbi Voice is in Orbi Mode and is ready to sync with your Orbi router.Launch the NETGEAR Orbi app.The dashboard displays.Tap the Home icon.Tap ADD SATELLITE.Follow the prompts to sync your Orbi Voice with your Orbi router and add Amazon Alexa.When your Orbi Voice syncs with your Orbi router, your Orbi Voice’s ring LED turns one of the following colors:White: Your Orbi Voice is attempting to connect to your Orbi router.Blue, amber, or magenta: These colors show the connection status between your Orbi Voice and your Orbi router:Blue: Good connection.Amber: Fair connection. Consider moving your Orbi Voice closer to your Orbi router. The LED turns Amber for 3 minutes and then turns off.Magenta: Connection failed. Your Orbi Voice and Orbi router failed to connect. The LED turns magenta and remains on. Move your Orbi Voice closer to your Orbi router and try again.Off (no color): Your Orbi Voice is connect to your Orbi router.After setup is complete, move your Orbi Voice to its final location.

This caught my eye because I needed wireless access in a central location in my house to replace an Amazon Echo. I also had a wired ethernet connection available in the location (via MoCA) so I can make use of a solid and speedy wired backhaul connection.However, I was worried because the product mentioned NOTHING about Access Point mode, only Range Extender. Why would NetGear support one mode and not the other? But I thought I would check it out, so I took a risk and ordered it.Good news! I was able to get the RBS40V satellite to work in Access Point (AP) mode *on its own*, *without* needing an Orbi Mesh router (RBR50), which is amazing because I saw zero documentation of this ability--not in the manual, not in Reddit, and not in review sites unless I missed something.Right now, I have it working with my existing NetGear R7000 Nighthawk router.For whoever is interested in running this satellite in AP mode, follow the manufacturer's instructions as normal, which sets it up as a Range Extender using the Nighthawk phone app.Once you're done and everything is working fine, do the following:1. Note down the IP address of the Range Extender (Check your main router's device list)2. Log into it from your Internet browser. Create an username/password and/or an account as necessary.3. Once you log in, click on "Smart Setup".4. Click on "Access Point" and then follow the instructions. Make sure your ethernet cable is connected between your router and the Orbi Satellite's port on the back.Note: You CANNOT use the mobile app to switch it to AP mode. I don't know why.I added a photo here showing the Orbi satellite working in "Access Point" mode.I confirmed this by disabling WiFi on my main router (R7000). Now I have great WiFi coverage in my entire house from this single satellite located centrally in the house.Alexa is working great on it. I don't really notice a difference between this and the Amazon Echo I had before, except that it is definitely physically beefier.One issue I noticed was that Spotify Connect works only if Alexa is not configured, which is weird and I am thinking it's an issue with the firmware rather than the AP configuration. I will mess more with it to see if I can Spotify to work, before I contact NetGear about it.Based on the above, I don't need the RBR50 and I will return it once I receive it.

Muy buena opción para extender la señal del sistema Orbi de Netgear, lástima que en México todavía no está la skill de Amazon para este producto, esperemos no tarden mucho en ofrecerla.

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