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Forum Discussion
CAUTION: Orbi's Wifi Guest Network does not really isolate guests from main network
I was just playing around around with the Guest Network in Orbi and made a rather disturbing discovery that guest clients don't seem to be separated totally from the main network, in fact can access ...
I have read this thread and understand little of it so I ask for assistance. I have a 3500 s.f. home, a rental unit about 150' away and an RV (sometimes used for guests) about 75' away. I want to allow internet access to the rental and RV but isolate my home network. From reading this thread, it would appear the RBK60 Pro is the best way to accomplish this. Or stay with the RBK53? I have access to both models as well as an EX7500 extender.
Also, if I go with the RBK60 or RBK53, would there be any security issues extending the range to the rental and guest RV without using the Orbi outdoor satellite? If not, what is the recommendation?
TECman51,
First of all let me clear up a few things. The RBK5X and RBK6X family have the same radios but the 60 family is designed for small business applications (mounting, software features, etc). So from the standpoint of wireless connectivity you are going to be in the same boat with both and the 6X and 5X family DON'T talk to each other so don't try to mix them.
With Orbi, the radio and product design are really optimized to generate a very high quality backhaul (from satellite to base station, or satellite to satellite) and the client facing radios are tuned to limit cross over interference between the satellites and base station. In simple terms for best performance, make sure you can see the base station or a satellite from wherever you want good performance, and make sure the line between the satellites and the base station is as clear as possible.
In open air (without obstructions) we have seen Orbi's perform well at more than 500' of separation, so your distances are not a problem. What will need to be considered is the type of walls and the number of walls between the base station and the satellite. For best results place the base station on the side of your home which faces your guest house and RV. Similarly place the satellites in each of those units nearest to the house. Metal walls are particularly challenging so you may want to place it near a window (not low-e hopefully) in the RV.
With regards to isolation, this is where there is a difference between the RBK5X and SRK6X. Orbi Pro uses SSID access as a basic way to isolate traffic and access within an Orbi network. On Orbi Pro you can set up three different "networks" using a Management, Employee, and Guest SSID. The "Guest" SSID will send all traffic out the WAN port, so it will not have access to local assets on the other SSIDs or the hardwired ports on the base station and satellites. The same is true of the "Employee" SSID. The "Management" SSID allows access to all devices on the hard ports and the other SSIDs. The RBK5X products and all other "Orbi" products, does not offer this isolation. Guest SSID is just a different set of credientials to get access to your whole network.
One last bit of insight. Orbi Outdoor works with both the RBK5X (and other Orbi products) and the SRK60 (Orbi Pro products). It is similar in internal design as the 5X and 6X and can help you if penetrating walls as well as outdoor obstructions is an issue getting to your guest house and RV.
Hope this helps.
john
This is where I felt like I got robbed. When I bought the Orbi I assume the gest network would isolate the Chromecast from streaming Chromecast media to my home network, unfortunately, anybody on the guest network access can stream anything over on top any of my TVs. Now turning off guest network not allowing each other to see each other will not allow them to stream their chrome cast device to the TVs that’s on the guest network. Another downside is I set up a printer network for the guest network wirelessly and no one can see the printer on the guest network if I don’t allow devices to be seen by each other on the guest network. Without having a Orbi pro I find the guest network not straightforward and very hard to configure for privacy and convenience for the guest network.
