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Anybody know how can I convert a rbr40 router into a satellite on a meshh where the router is RBR50
Anybody know how can I convert a rbr40 router into a satellite on a meshh where the router is RBR50?
I tried to add the RBR40 to the mesh I have but didn't work. Thanks
4 Replies
Martes04 wrote:Anybody know how can I convert a rbr40 router into a satellite on a meshh where the router is RBR50?
I tried to add the RBR40 to the mesh I have but didn't work. Thanks
Netgear designed the Orbi product so that routers are only routers and satellites are only satellites.
There is a hack that people claim can convert an RBR50 into an RBS50.
There may be a similar process that will work with the RBR40.
Apart from turning the Orbi into a paperweight, what do you have to lose?
(In my case, I have a second Orbi router "just in case" my primary Orbi router fails.)
I believe you need RBR40 hacked FW do do that on the 40 series, which doesn't seem to be any version for the 40 series. The hack they have currently is only for the 50 series. So i would avoid trying to convert the 40 series.
To convert an RBR40 router into a satellite on a mesh network with RBR50 as the router, you can follow the steps below:
Reset the RBR40 router to its factory settings by pressing the reset button on the back of the router for about 10 seconds until the power LED blinks amber.
Connect the RBR40 to your computer using an Ethernet cable and log in to the router's web interface.
Disable the DHCP server on the RBR40 by going to the Advanced tab > Advanced Setup > DHCP Server and unchecking the "Enable DHCP Server" box.
Change the IP address of the RBR40 to a static IP address that is within the same subnet as the RBR50. For example, if the RBR50 has an IP address of 192.168.1.1, you can assign the RBR40 an IP address of 192.168.1.2.
Disable the Wi-Fi radio on the RBR40 by going to the Advanced tab > Advanced Setup > Wireless Settings and unchecking the "Enable SSID Broadcast" box.
Connect the RBR40 to the RBR50 using an Ethernet cable, and the RBR40 should automatically become a satellite on the mesh network.
If the RBR40 does not automatically become a satellite, you can try resetting both the RBR50 and RBR40 routers and then set up the mesh network again from scratch.
Note that the RBR40 and RBR50 routers are different models and may have different hardware capabilities. It is possible that the RBR40 may not work as well as a satellite as the RBR50, especially if you have a large area to cover.
Except for one specific model which someone in Asia found a hack for, Netgear routers cannot be used as true satellites on a mesh network. Yes, they can be placed in Access Point (AP) mode and connected with an Ethernet cable, but they create their own WiFi network. Devices will not roam seamlessly between the primary WiFi network and this network.
Other manufacturers designed mesh systems where all units are identical and any of them can be connected to the internet, but Netgear did not. It is one of the most common complaints about the system.
Not being able to connect wirelessly and not becoming part of the existing mesh are two significant drawbacks to connecting one Netgear router to another. There are specific situations where this may not be an issue. For example, if the WiFi devices needing service are not mobile (none of them, not even one), then this AP can be useful. More most customers, it is not.
