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Orbi and Ethernet Switch / Backhaul Setup
After reading this topic https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-and-Ethernet-Switch-Backhaul-Setup/td-p/1688979
I have some questions about my setup:
Router -> Netgear switch GS108PEv3 -> Orbi satellite
Router -> Orbi router
Everything is wired connected, Router is managing ip addresses (disabled on Orbi). Everything looks working fine, however Orbi Satellite has magenta status light and wifi connection of satellite is not very stable. When I listen for example to online radio, then it stops after some time, it does not happen when I am connected to Orbi router.
I am currious if it has to do with the switch, any ideas? I don't have any available ports in Router, so cannot connect directly satellite to the Router.
These are the connecion senarious that you can connect RBS to the RBR:
Direct or with using a switch in the middle between the RBR and RBS.
NO idea why NG hasn't made the Orbi more compatbile with green ethernet features. Must be some reason. No idea if or when they will change that. So we just know, that some switches don't work well for Orbi systems. Some have posted that some green ethernet switches seem to work. Kind of a mixed bag.
12 Replies
Where is the Orbi router located (physically) relative to the ISP router?
The Orbi router expects satellite(s) to be connect either via WiFi or to one of the Orbi LAN ports.
If the ISP router and Orbi router are "next to each other", then the simple fix is to connect the satellite to the Orbi rather than to the switch.
Router and Orbi router are on the same floor, however distance between them around 15 meters (CAT7 cable directly from router to Orbi router)
Router and switch in the same space, from switch CAT6E cable to 2nd floor (around 25 meters) where Orbi satelliet is positioned.
So, you think because satellite is not directly connected to the Orbi router, that can be a problem? I think it should not matter that between them there is a switch and a router.
Yes. The RBS needs to be connected directly to the back of the RBR or if you need a switch, the switch needs to be connected behind the RBR then the RBS connected to the switch. BE sure to use a non managed non green ethernet switch.
Ha! Cracked it!
Connect the router and sattelites to an old switch, in my case an old Netgear GS105, but probably any non-modern switch will do. DO NOT connect the router via the yellow Internet socket. Press Sync on router and all satellites and it happens. I then moved the satellites to different corners of the house, reconnected them to the LAN with its green switch and they remembered they continued to use the ethernet backhaul. I changed the IP address on the router, which caused it to reboot and had to borrow the GS105 from the museum to set them up once more but they've been stable ethernet backhauling ever since.
Odd quirk is that the router is still showing a magenta light, as reported by others, but works fine. Google speeds above 200mbps sometimes on each of them so I think that bit is cracked - for me.
Now to assign static addresses to the satellites to move them into the "network kit" address band.
Yes, be sure to use the LAN ports on the back of the RBR for connections to wired devices and the RBS. The yellow port is for connecting the RBR to the ISP Modem or a host router.
Please mark your thread as solved so others will know.
Enjoy. :smileywink:
The confusion arose because the connection to the ISP was via a CISCO router on the LAN, so I plugged the LAN cable into the yellow Internet socket and it worked - but only when it was using WiFi backhaul to the satellites.
Is this a fix or a workaround NETGEAR's failure to design the Orbi to work with contemporary green network equipment?
It relieved my pain but NETGEAR needs to get its head out of the sand, see where the rest of industry is heading and fall into line.
Can't see where to mark the thread as fixed anyway.
