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Forum Discussion
Orb RBR40 satellites
I have an RBR40 modem with 3 satellites. All show good connections. I have a couple questions. Backstory - The downstairs of my home is cinderblock construction so it's difficult to pick up signals a...
It will help people contribute if the terminology is consistent. "modem" appears in several places which are confusing. In general, there is only a single "modem" connected to the internet service, and the Orbi router is connected to this modem.
LindaD wrote:1. Can I connect additional satellites to the model I currently have? If I can is there another option that might be better for me? Do I need something else to connect the fire stick and Xbox? Yes, there are Orbi owners who have 5-6 satellites. Whether this is necessary depends on the strength of the existing WiFi signals. It is generally not necessary to have an Orbi device in every room. WiFi penetrates wood frame construction very well. (Concrete block not so well.) When you attempt to connect the XBox or Firestick, do they not find the Orbi WiFi signal.
2. Looking at the device manager on my app I have 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz with 11 devices connected between the two. I assume the 5 GHz is stronger (?) and the majority of the items I have are connected to the 5 GHz. How many devices can I have connected? Users report having as many as 120 devices on one Orbi system, although 40-50 is more "normal." is there a way to divide the devices between the satellites? What I mean is if I have a laptop upstairs using one of the satellites can I show which satellite it's connected to? Either the Orbi web interface (http://orbilogin.com) or the Orbi "app" will show which Orbi unit each device has connected to. But, no, the user has no method to "force" a device connection. Devices connect to the best access point (for them).
3. if I decide to buy the outdoor satellite will that give me better connection in my downstairs given my home construction of cinder block? That would free up one satellite I could take upstairs to use with my Amazon fire stick. Assuming I can add the outdoor satellite to the model I currently have. The RBS50Y (outdoor) satellite will connect to any Orbi base unit (router). The "trick" will be that putting the new satellite "outdoors" will do two things: (1) it will dramatically increase outdoor service because the WiFi signal will not be passing through the exterior wall. (2) the connection between this new satellite and the base router will not be as good as the connection to the existing satellite - because the backhaul signal is passing through the exterior wall.
You mention satellites being "stacked" vertically. You might experiment with moving them around a bit horizontally to get more even coverage. If interior cinder block walls are difficult to penetrate, may be offsetting the satellites some would enable them to service "down" to parts of the house that do not get great service now.