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Forum Discussion
Alternative to Orbi
Getting frustrated with the constant drops on my IOS devices, wondering if it is time to take the Orbi back to Costco and get something else. I have a 4000SF house, wood construction and Ethernet drops in every room connected to a gig switch in my data closet. Wanted Orbi to saturate my house with Wifi but the natives are getting restless with all the drops. What would another good router/AP solution be if such a thing exists that would give me comperable wireless speeds with a mesh concept with no drops?
Want to like and keep the Orbi but at some point I need to not have drops in my Wifi, particularly since we all use WIFI for calling on our phones.
25 Replies
What version of firmware is installed on your ORBI router and satellites? I'm running V1.4.0.34 and have a 3000sf house with concrete block construction and an Apple OS/iOS environment (3 wired &10 wireless devices) and have not had drop out issues you're seeing.
Latest FW.
I agree with the previous post. WIth Ethernet drops all around your house, you will get the best WiFi performance with an AP setup.
- Linksys Velop is a new mesh product to try. I have had it and Orbi setup at different times and places. I do not have ethernet runs at any places. Don't take my word for it, but I think some of the mesh networks, maybe even the Velop will use Ethernet for the backhaul, but I would research it carefully. 2 Velop nodes would cover your house if you could put them in the center of each half, otherwise you might want to get three. With all your Ethernet wiring, have you considered getting commercial style APs that will do seamless roaming? A mesh or Star setup like the Orbi might not really be necessary with your wired Ethernet network.
With wired connections, wired access points would be the better choice.
I have an Orbi at one location where I cannot easily run wires. At my other location, where I can run wires and have walls that block RF, I use access points.
You can probably cover your entire 4000 SF house with two or three APs, and the cost would be similar. I haven't tried roaming from one AP to another on a WiFi call yet though.
So what does everyone recommend for a rock solid router and AP set-up, I liked the idea of a mesh wireless network for wifi calling.
I just bought a couple Ubiquiti APs--one AP-AC-PRO and one AP-AC-LR. I'm using with an eisting FiOS router. Online reviews are good. So far so good, but they've only been running about a week. I get full FiOS speed throughout the house (75M/75M). I have may close neighbors at that site, and can see their WiFi routers, so I'm not sure Orbi would be kind to my neighbors there.
Superpop wrote:Want to like and keep the Orbi but at some point I need to not have drops in my Wifi, particularly since we all use WIFI for calling on our phones.
Do you have either of these settings enabled:
Enable Implicit BEAMFORMING - Boosts WiFi speed, reliability, & range for all mobile devices Enable MU-MIMO
In the Orbi Advanced -> Wireless settings? The default for these settings is OFF and they are known to cause problems. I've got three units covering about 3500 sqft and the performance is stellar and no drops - but I am using all of the default settings.
- I'm gonna give djc6 a kudo for his default settings remark. I been sayinf and thinking the same thing. Til netgear fixes enjoy awesome wireless without mimo. The implicit beamforming isn't needed anyhow unless U have a specific device that works only with that specific beamforming. Most n devices work better and more stable with explicit anyhow. I almost took djc6's kudo away for his name tho. Was hard to remember.
Superpop wrote:I have a 4000SF house, wood construction and Ethernet drops in every room connected to a gig switch in my data closet. What would another good router/AP solution be if such a thing exists that would give me comperable wireless speeds with a mesh concept with no drops?
if you have structured ethernet to all rooms you certainly dont need mesh and you dont need the orbi or any of these wireless solutions
all you need is a few well placed wireless access points and a good router
for year the commercial world have been running systems like these with no issues and the prices have now come down to a reasonable level as to where the domestic enviornment can take up the technology
i suggest you look at the ubiquiti unifi ap's and a ubiquiti edge router , the unifi AC lite AP's is prob all you need and a 3 pack should cover a 4000sf home with ease you will need a comp setup to run as the controller for the initial instalation but once setup its self managed ( unless you need a captive portal running )
i can assure you the above setup will beat even the best so called mesh system
pete
