Your Netgear Orbi RBE973S mesh is a Wi‑Fi 7 powerhouse for streaming and gaming, but your printer just sits there with a blinking WiFi light. AirPrint won't find it, the print dialog says “No printers,” or the initial WiFi setup times out. The culprit is usually one of the Orbi’s defaults that older printers don’t handle well, here’s how to fix it fast.
Start with the two‑move combo that clears most cases: make sure the Orbi isn’t using WPA3‑only mode, then bring the printer within six feet of the main router for the initial pairing. Open the Orbi app, tap Security (or go to orbilogin.com > Wireless), and check the WiFi security setting. The factory default is WPA2/WPA3 transitional, which works with almost everything. If you changed it to WPA3‑only (Personal), switch it back to transitional. Then move the printer into the same room as the router, run its WiFi setup wizard, and after it connects you can move it to its permanent spot.
If that doesn’t do it, work through the rest of the list.
Turn Off WPA3‑Only Mode
WPA3‑only is not the default on the Orbi RBE973S, it ships with WPA2/WPA3 transitional. But if you enabled WPA3‑only in the Orbi app or web UI, most printers from before 2022 simply can’t join. Go to orbilogin.com, log in, navigate to Wireless Settings, and set the security option to WPA2-PSK [AES] + WPA3 Mixed Mode. After saving, try reconnecting the printer.
If you also use the Orbi app, check there as well: the app and web UI sometimes disagree on saved settings (a known issue with this model).
Move the Printer Next to the Main Orbi Router
Initial WiFi handshakes are sensitive to signal strength. If you try to pair the printer from across the house, a weak signal can cause repeated failures. Unplug the printer, bring it into the same room as the RBE973S router (the one with the 10GbE WAN port), and run the printer’s WiFi setup wizard again. Once it connects, you can move it back, the Orbi’s mesh handles the ongoing connection fine.
The satellites use a dedicated 6 GHz Enhanced Backhaul, so they maintain strong links even at a distance.
Use the 2.4 GHz IoT Network
Many printers only support 2.4 GHz WiFi, but the Orbi broadcasts a single SSID for all bands and uses Smart Connect to steer clients. Your phone might be on 5 GHz while the printer tries 2.4 GHz, and the printer’s setup app sometimes needs your phone on the same band. The RBE973S has a built‑in 2.4 GHz IoT network that you can enable just for printers and smart home devices.
Open the Orbi app, go to WiFi Settings or IoT Network, and enable the 2.4 GHz IoT SSID. Give it a different name (like “Orbi_2.4”) and a simple password (no special characters, older printer keypads struggle with apostrophes and symbols). Connect the printer to that network, and set your phone to that SSID temporarily during setup.
Check the Printer’s Firmware
Printers that worked fine with an older router but refuse to join the Orbi often have outdated WiFi firmware. Go to the printer manufacturer’s support site (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother all offer downloads), plug the printer into your computer via USB, and update the firmware. After the update, retry the WiFi setup.
This resolves authentication mismatches that newer mesh routers can expose, especially with WPA2/WPA3 transitional.
Restart Discovery on Your Phone or Mac
If the printer is already on the Orbi network but doesn’t show up for AirPrint or Bonjour, the issue is mDNS discovery across the mesh. Toggle WiFi off and back on your iPhone or Mac. On a Mac, you can also open System Settings > Printers & Scanners, remove the printer, and re‑add it by IP address. This forces the device to re‑broadcast for available printers.
The Orbi mesh handles mDNS propagation, but a quick network refresh often clears stale entries.
Power‑Cycle the Main Orbi Router
If mDNS packets aren’t flowing correctly between the router and satellites, a full restart of the main router fixes it. Unplug the RBE973S router (not the satellites), wait 60 seconds, and plug it back in. Let the mesh stabilize for about five minutes, satellites will re‑sync automatically, then try printing again.
This is especially helpful if you’ve changed network settings recently and the satellites haven’t picked up the update.
Check Guest Network Isolation
If you’re using a guest network on the Orbi, devices on it are isolated from the main network. Your printer must be on the same network as your phone or computer for discovery to work. Open the Orbi app, go to Attached Devices, and verify which network each device is on. If the printer ended up on the guest network (you may have entered the guest SSID during setup), move it to the main network by forgetting the guest WiFi and reconnecting to the main SSID.
The Orbi app also shows you which band each device is connected to, helpful for spotting band‑ steering issues.
Assign a Static IP to the Printer
Once the printer is connected and working, give it a static DHCP reservation so it always gets the same IP address. This prevents AirPrint from losing track after a router reboot or power outage. Log into orbilogin.com, go to Advanced > Setup > LAN Setup, find the printer’s MAC address in the list of attached devices, and add an IP reservation.
Setting a static IP also makes it easy to re‑add the printer manually on a Mac or Windows PC by IP if Bonjour discovery ever flakes out again.
Reset the Printer’s Network Settings and Pair Fresh
If the printer has tried and failed multiple times, its WiFi stack may be holding onto corrupted connection data. Don’t factory‑reset the whole printer, just reset its network settings (often called “Restore Network Defaults” or “Clear Network Settings” in the printer menu). Then start the WiFi setup entirely fresh, with the printer near the main Orbi router and your phone on the 2.4 GHz IoT network if possible.
This wipes out any bad credentials or channel conflicts from previous attempts, giving you a clean slate to pair with the Orbi mesh.
