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Forum Discussion
do i need a satellite?
We have a 2000 sq ft house on one floor. We set up our Orbi RBK50 with a satellite on the other end of the house (where the wifi signal has been weaker with the previous router). There are a few se...
In WiFi everything depends on the shape of the building, building materials, and where the internet access point is.
A 2,000 sq.ft. building made of studs and drywall, that is about 40x50ft, and the router can be placed in the exact center might be just fine. When the internet access is on one end and the building is longer than wide, the far end may be too far for the router to cover.
Modern, portable devices that implement the newer standards will indeed switch from router to satellite (and back). Do you have "Fast Roaming" enabled on the Orbi?
I don't know what fast roaming is.
Actually at the moment I have the satellite turned off, and have not been experiencing the loss of internet on the computer that was having the trouble. (The trouble occurred in one particular location in the house, not when moving around, and not when in the same room as the router.)
sarahgnm wrote:I don't know what fast roaming is.
Fast Roaming is a WiFi setting that enables devices to switch more quickly betweeen WiFi access points. It obviously has no impact on a device that does not move (the laptop). It is activated using the Orbi web interface (not the "app") on the Advanced Tab, Advanced Settings.
oops. It's an RBR50.
The satellite is over 40 feet away from the router and synced easily (blue light).
Since I wrote first question, I have had the same interrupted internet on the same (new) computer, while the satellite was turned off, so that is not the problem. Meanwhile other devices on the wifi network are functioning well. Therefore, I conclude that the wifi network is not the problem.
I appreciate the replies. One was like a foreign language (I don't understand wifi networking very well). But I have learned that the phone app for orbi isn't much use, have downloaded the user manual, and will learn how to manage the wifi network using a browser. So thanks for responding.