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OrbiRocks's avatar
OrbiRocks
Guide
May 03, 2020

Connecting DirectTV

I'm not able to connect my DirectTV to my Orbi unless I put the Orbi in AP mode.  Is there a reason for this?  The router is connected to a modem. I assume it should be in the AP mode, is this correct?

 

I guess I need a better understanding of the differences between the Router Mode and the AP mode, and when to use which mode.

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  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Guru
    May 03, 2020
    OrbiRocks wrote:

    I'm not able to connect my DirectTV to my Orbi unless I put the Orbi in AP mode. 

     

    It isn't easy to see what DirectTV does. (Google offers lots of confusing stuff.) Then there is this place.

     

    Search - NETGEAR Communities – DirectTV

     

    If DirectTV delivers the Internet to you through some sort of box that is also a router that explains what you see. It is best to avoid having two routers on a network.

     

    Two routers on your network can cause headaches. For example, you can end up with local address problems. Among other things, the other router can misdirect addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.

    This explains some of the other drawbacks.

    What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

    Unless you have specific reasons for using two routers – to create two separate networks for example – it is often easier to use just one router and then to set up the second router as a wifi access point. Netgear advises this, as does just about every site you will visit.