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talbotlaw asked

Difficulties Connecting Netgear AC1200 WiFi USB Adapter for use with CerboGX

I recently installed a Cerbo GX on my vessel. It is currently connected to my on-board router via 2.4Gh network, but only shows 2 bars and connectivity is very slow (eg difficult to use remote console) - because of the layout of the vessel it is 30' away through a couple of bulkheads. I purchased the Victron approved Netgear AC1200 WiFi USB Adapter (Model A6210) to try and up the connectivity. However, it (naturally) doesn't appear to be "plug and play" and the Netgear instructions want to download additional software/drivers onto the Cerbo device before the adapter will work. I haven't been able to figure out how to do this - any suggestions appreciated. I am sure I am missing an obvious fix, but it doesn't seem it should be this hard to install a simple network adapter?

cerbo gx
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Alexandra answered ·

@talbotlaw

If it is approved it should be plug and play. It is not working at all? Have you plugged it into a port not dedicated to powering the HDMI?

What firmware are you using on the GX? Are you sure the 5gz is disabled?

As another random thing, turn the dongle a bit. There is a definite band and direction I have seen broadcast on a number of dongles. And turning it helps direction it a bit.

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talbotlaw answered ·

Sorry for late response, we have been out off the grid. The adapter will not work at all - it is one of the approved ones referred to in the Cerbo manual. I set it up on my laptop, and it works fine. But, when I plug it into the Cerbo (using the correct USB port) the Cerbo simply will no longer connect to the network (which is was connected to using its internal wirwless adapter Immediately before plugging in the adapter). Unplug the adapter, and the Cerbo connects to the same wireless network right away. Cerbo firmware is 3.14 - this is a brand new unit. Moving the network adapter around makes no difference.

I have no idea about “disabling” the 5 GHz band - my router has both, but the Cerbo connects to the 2.4 GHz band with no issue. Is this something that needs to be done at the Cerbo? If so, I see no reference to it. Since the Cerbo works fine on its own internal wifi card with my router I don’t see how disabling 5 GHz at the router would be any help or required just because a network adapter is being used?

My solution is to run an Ethernet cable directly from the Cerbo to the router which involves a lot a cable pulling through very tight spaces in the vessel. It can be done, but it is pretty frustrating to have purchased an approved network adapter that seems to be useless when connected to the Cerbo.

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nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ commented ·
First update the cerbo. 3.14 is quite old.

5ghz has a shorter range, depending where your cerbo is that band may have poor signal and the adapter may be trying to connect to 5ghz and not 2.4 which has better range.

You may also want to reboot the GX after the USB is inserted to make sure it is correctly detected.

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