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Forum Discussion
My Ethernet Backhaul Setup
Sorry in advance for the long post.
I have been following this forum as an observer for quite a while now, and have noticed that many people are having issues with their Orbi setup, either when...
My home network's layout is similar to yours. My home is wired, and I have so many unmanaged switches I've lost count. I think 7 off the top of my head, all different brands and models. Wherever possible, I prefer wired connections to wireless; if a device has an Ethernet jack, it's plugged in.
I found the Orbi RBR50 lacking in routing features, and demoted it to access point, placing my Asus AC68U back into service. This setup works well for me, with each component doing what it does best.
With the Orbis in my setup, the word I'd use to describe it is "metastable." It works great unless any of the Orbis is disturbed, then my network crashes in a horrible mess (as in no device can ping any other device) and needs at least 30 minutes of manual intervention to restore to service. This never happened with my previous wireless access points (one Asus, one Netgear) which the Orbi satellites replaced.
Do you find your network can recover itself after a power glitch?
adjective: metastable
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(of a state of equilibrium) stable provided it is subjected to no more than small disturbances.
RocketSquirrel, 7 switches?!!! How many devices do you have?! Like you, I definitely prefer a wired connection over wireless if I can manage it.
Since I posted my setup back in July, I too have experienced the problem with Orbi losing all functionality when the power goes out. We had some rolling brown outs where I am that totally froze my Orbi system. I could probably get around this by connecting the main unit and the satellites each to a UPS, but that would be expensive and not worth the headache of explaining to the wife why there was a big ugly box next to the table that had the Orbi. For now, I will just do the power cycle dance to bring everything back up if it freezes. As long as there is no power fluctuation, I don't have a problem with the wired backaul, and these brown outs are pretty rare in my area.
I like the idea of using the ASUS router in place of the Orbi (setting to AP mode). The Orbi router functions are nowhere close to what my old router was capable of. I have an ASUS RT-AC88U that the Orbi replaced, so I may try that and update my post if it works well. Other than turning off the wi-fi on the 88U, any other tips or tricks to modify my setup?
SeaMonkey80 wrote:
RocketSquirrel, 7 switches?!!! How many devices do you have?! Like you, I definitely prefer a wired connection over wireless if I can manage it.
Since I posted my setup back in July, I too have experienced the problem with Orbi losing all functionality when the power goes out. We had some rolling brown outs where I am that totally froze my Orbi system. I could probably get around this by connecting the main unit and the satellites each to a UPS, but that would be expensive and not worth the headache of explaining to the wife why there was a big ugly box next to the table that had the Orbi. For now, I will just do the power cycle dance to bring everything back up if it freezes. As long as there is no power fluctuation, I don't have a problem with the wired backaul, and these brown outs are pretty rare in my area.
I like the idea of using the ASUS router in place of the Orbi (setting to AP mode). The Orbi router functions are nowhere close to what my old router was capable of. I have an ASUS RT-AC88U that the Orbi replaced, so I may try that and update my post if it works well. Other than turning off the wi-fi on the 88U, any other tips or tricks to modify my setup?
7 switches seems more reasonable when you realize that every room in my house that has Ethernet has at least 2 devices in it, hence the need for a switch.
Switch 1: in the home run network closet, fed directly from main Orbi
Switch 2: in the office to split off the printer
Switch 3: also in the office so I only have to run 1 cable across the floor to 2 computers
Switch 4: in master bedroom to feed TV & Blu-ray player
Switch 5: in second bedroom downstream of Orbi satellite to run only 1 cable to TV & Blu-ray player
Switch 6: in family room to feed Control4 system (left by previous owner) which runs whole-house audio and local family room TV & audio
Switch 7: in my home theater downstream of Orbi satellite #2 to run all the devices there
Switches number 3 & 5 are optional just to avoid extra cables.
Re expense of UPSes, these $40 ones will work. Compare to the cost of Orbis and the pain of doing the power cycle dance. In my 4800 sq ft home, the dance is more of a run from one end to the other and up and down stairs watching for rings to turn from white to blue.
Of course, with all these powered switches, most of them die during a power outage. I haven't yet run the experiment to see whether the Orbis on UPSes revert to wireless backhaul when the wired switches lose power.
No tricks to using the Asus router as a router and the Orbi as a WAP. Just turn off the router's WiFi, connect the Orbi to the Asus WAN-to-LAN, and put the Orbi into AP mode.
I have an RBR20 with 2 RBS20 satellites which are both connected to the router through an unmanaged switch. I am able to get wired backhaul working properly but I also lose all functionality when there is a power outage. When power is restored to the Orbi, I need to unplug ethernet on each satellite to get the Orbi system back online. I then need to reconnect the wired backhaul for each satellite (sometimes this takes multiple power cycles). It's a pain, but the real problem is if we lose power when I'm not home to fix the system.
I filed a case with Netgear hoping they are reading our feedback and can implement a firmware fix.
