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jlbearden's avatar
jlbearden
Aspirant
Mar 09, 2020
Solved

Can I use Orbi satellite (RBS50) as a wired access point to Orbi router (RBR50)?

Hi, first post on here, although I have looked through many areas trying to find the right answer before now.

 

I will be moving into a new house in a couple months, and it has been prewired with lots of cat5e connections, all leading back to a panel where I will be installing a 48 port switch. I currently use my Orbi system as a typical setup, with RBR50 as the base router, and the 2 RBS50 satellites connect to the base wirelessly, with each one providing both wired and wireless connections to devices near each one.

 

With the extra connections in the new house, I was hoping to maximize the speed of each satellite by giving it a wired connection from the base router. I was thinking something like this:

 

RBR50 port 1 (cat5e)=> RBS50 (#1) => wired and wireless connections to nearby devices

RBR50 port 2 (cat5e)=> RBS50 (#2) => wired and wireless connections to nearby devices

RBR50 port 3 (cat5e)=> Switch (cat5e)=> other wired connections/devices through the house (shouldn't be relevant to this question?)

 

I know that turning on the wired backhaul option would give those satellites wired connections on the way BACK to the base router, but I was hoping to have a way to use the wired connections as a stronger signal TO the satellites. I was thinking that doing it this way would also mean a satellite could be further away from the base (or even the other satellite) and still have a full strength connection to the base.

 

Does it make sense to try to do this, and if so, is it just as simple as plugging them in and making sure the wired backhaul remains turned off, or is there something else I need to do? Or is this even possible with the Orbi system?

 

Thanks in advance!

Jerry

  • Ethernet is bi directional. When ethernet connecte, RBS work just like a wired AP is all. Not wirelessly connected to the RBR.

     

3 Replies

    • jlbearden's avatar
      jlbearden
      Aspirant

      FURRYe38 wrote:

      Yes. https://kb.netgear.com/000051205/What-is-Ethernet-backhaul-and-how-do-I-set-it-up-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-System

       

      You can have a mixed RBS setup. Daisy Chain may need to be disabled if you notice problems. 

       

      Be sure your switch you use with Orbi is a non managed and non green ethernet switch. If managed, be sure to disable ALL IGMP protocols on this switch. 

       

       


      Thanks for the quick reply! I thought that the ethernet backhaul was only for data going from the satellite to the router, but it seems like you are saying that ethernet backhaul handles data both ways between the router and the satellite? So the satellite is not connected to the router wirelessly at all? If that's the case, then I was just making the whole scenario much more difficult than it really is!

      • FURRYe38's avatar
        FURRYe38
        Guru - Experienced User

        Ethernet is bi directional. When ethernet connecte, RBS work just like a wired AP is all. Not wirelessly connected to the RBR.