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Forum Discussion
Solved
Orbi and Nighthawk
Is there a way to hang an Orbi system on an existing Nighthawk1900 to get the benefits of both?
Yes, you can. Technically, the guest network will share the same Wi-Fi channel as the main, secured network but the Nighthawk will keep the guest traffic isolated.
Yes, you can run the Orbi in AP Mode.
Can I continue to use the guest network feature of the nighthawk as a separate wifi channel and use the main secured nighthawk network and the orbi using the same SSID, for example "xnet", for both wired and wireless?
Yes, you can. Technically, the guest network will share the same Wi-Fi channel as the main, secured network but the Nighthawk will keep the guest traffic isolated.
StanHawk wrote:Can I continue to use the guest network feature of the nighthawk as a separate wifi channel and use the main secured nighthawk network and the orbi using the same SSID, for example "xnet", for both wired and wireless?
hi stan
i wouldnt do this is the orbi router and nighthawk live in or near each other as you might find they over saturate each other
if you going to run the orbi router near the nighthawk use different ssid names and channels for both the 2.4 gig and 5 gig as this will avoid wifi confusion
to be honest if you i wouldnt sit the orbi router and nighthawk close at all if you intend to use both as wifi transmissions and i wouldnt use the same ssid names as this will just confuse the workings of the orbi and how it handles the clients
as suggested i would just switch off the wifi in the nighthawk and use it as a router only and use the orbi in ap mode as wireless only
Thanks for the help. I assume the Orbi will get a guest network upgrade at some point. I can place the main unit in a separate room where I have a Cat5 outlet wired directly to the Nighthawk and then put the satellite in the basement-based man cave where I can use it to hard wire into my PlayStation and Smart tv.
It's almost a certainty that the guest network functionality will not work in AP mode. What you could do is have the Nighthawk and Orbi swap roles. That is, set up the Nighthawk as an AP and have the Orbi function as the main router. You will, of course, lose the extra functionality in the Nighthawk, but if you aren't using them, then there is no loss.
