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Forum Discussion
Connect ORBI RBR50 to Nighthawk X6S AC4000 router
I bought a Nighthawk X6S AC4000 and connected it to my cable modem in the basement. I'm running ethernet cables from that via a netgear 16 port switch to the wired rooms in the house. I also happen to have an Orbi RBK50 (router and one satelite) and I would like to use the Orbi devices to extend my wifi coverage as the Nighthawk has to sit on one end of the house in the basement leaving the other side with a weak signal. I know I can run the Orbi in access point mode so I can keep using the Nighthawk as the wifi router, but how do I actually do it?
Once I connected the Nighthawk, I can no longer access the orbilogin.net page wirelessly to change the settings. I tried first setting up my network without the Nighthawk, changing the Orbi setting and then connecting and setting up the Nighthawk, but then the Orbi lost the connection and I can no longer access the orgilogin.net page.
Can I connect to the Orbi in any other way to change the settings?
Can I turn off wifi on the nighthawk and will that allow me to broadcast the wife signal via the Orbi to then make the change and the turn on wife on the nighthawk again?
Do I have to use different SSID names for the Orbi and Nighthawk when I get it to work?
My preference is to use the Nighthawk as the router and the Orbi as the extenders.
3 Replies
aijemrotciv wrote:Can I connect to the Orbi in any other way to change the settings?
Can I turn off wifi on the nighthawk and will that allow me to broadcast the wifi signal via the Orbi to then make the change and the turn on wifi on the nighthawk again?
Do I have to use different SSID names for the Orbi and Nighthawk when I get it to work?
My preference is to use the Nighthawk as the router and the Orbi as the extenders.
orbilogin.net is a fake network name. When a device is connected to the Orbi router already, opening http://orbilogin.net in a web browser is intercepted by the router, which substitutes the LAN IP address of the router. (All router manufacturers seem to do this. "router.asus.com" for example.) When connected to the Nighthawk router, the Nighthawk will just pass that name up to the DNS servers, who will respond, "Never heard of this place."
The key is to be connected to the Orbi when you open the web page (not connected to the Nighthawk).
Once the Orbi is changed to AP mode and rebooted, it will use DHCP to ask for an IP address from the Nighthawk. If you connect to the Nighthawk web interface and display the "Connected Devices", you can look up the new IP address for the Orbi router and use that in a web browser: i.e. "http://<orbi IP."
The issue you are facing is that the Nighthawk and Orbi will not create a seamless mesh network. Devices will not roam seamlessly from one to the other (and back) as they do between Orbi units. You can use the same SSID on both systems, but they will remain separate. Since the Nighthawk is "stuck in the basement", do you need it to provide WiFi "upstairs"?
Since the Nighthawk is "stuck in the basement", do you need it to provide WiFi "upstairs"?
Yes. I'm actually impressed by the reach of the Nighthawk WIFI network, but it did leave parts of the house on the opposite end and on the second floor with not great coverage. I'm not quite sure how, but after a lot of re-booting and attempts to manage the Orbi connection to the Nighthawk, I was able to change the Orbi to AP mode by accessing it on my phone via the "fake" orbilogin.net (not sure why on my phone it takes me to the Orbi). I am able to accesss the Nighthawk using a browser on my laptop at the address http://192.168.1.1/start.htm, (again, i'm not sure why this works from my laptop where the routerlogin or orbilogin.com do not work) I reviewed the attached devices and I changed the Orbi from "network generic" (I think) to "extender" and somehow it magically worked. Even the satellite connected seamlessly to the Orbi router. My coverage is now awesome in the entire house. Still not sure how it worked, but I'm loving it!
First off you have to wire the Orbi router to the Nighthawk, but you probably knew that. Also I suggest factory reset rhe Orbi router and satellite, if previously used. Then use the app, following the instructions, to set it up. Make sure you set the Orbi router to AP mode. Once the router is configured and working, setup the satellite using the app and following the instructions. Then move the satellite to the location of your choice, following the distance rules, unless you are going to wire that as well.
