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Forum Discussion
Orbi Rbk53 and Rbk50 kits
Hi, can i Install two separate kits in my house with the same name and password? I have a Rbk53 ( one router and two sat) installed and just bought two Rbk50 ( one router and one sat) kits to be installed only one kit with the sat of the other kit (one router and two sat). That will leave me with one router as a spare part.
6 Replies
It would be recommended to install just 1 kit. You can add all RBS to the 1 RBR.
However,
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? Having too many RBS and wifi signals could be problematic.
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.Thank you for your advise. let me clarify some points:
1. My apt is 5500 sq feet
2. Actually i have installed two networks, 1 orbi RBK53-100 NAS (1 Router + 2 Sat), all three pieces in a star conection (from the Router to the Sats), with UTP CAT6 and the other one is an apple (2 Apple extreme last series and 1 apple express last series), all three pieces in a star conection (from an apple extreme to the apple express and the other apple extreme), with UTP CAT6 .
3. My apt is fully reinforced concrete (sismic area) and thick brick walls with inner reinforced steel every 5 feet .
4. My orbi network is less than 30 feet in between devices (router in between the 2 sat) and works prefectly (Bedroom area)
5. I want to change the apple network for the new orbi kit (i will take one kit and take the sat from the other kit, leaving me the router as a spare part for future) in the social area.
6. To make it more clear, from my HGU (modem) port 1, i connect the apple extreme Router with UTP CAT6 and from my HGU (modem) port 2, i connect my orbi Router with UTP CAT6
Finally after explaining all this, i have three options:
1. To replace the apple network with my new orbi kit, 1 Router conected to the HGU and two Sat conected to the Router in star conection with UTP CAT6 with another network name
2. To replace the apple network with my new orbi kit, 1 Router conected to the HGU and two Sat conected to the Router in star conection o replace the apple network for my new orbi kit, 1 Router conected to the HGU and two Sat conected to the Router in star conection with UTP CAT6 with the same network name
3. To replace the apple network with my new orbi kit, 1 Router coverted to Sat and two Sat (a Total of 3 Sat), one of them conected to the Router in star conection with UTP CAT6 and the other two Sat conected in star conection to that first Sat conected to the Router with UTP CAT6. The problem with this option is that i dont have a CAT6 UTP cable to use between the Router and the Router converted into Sat of the new kit. I will have to do that. At the end i will have one orbi network with one Router and 5 Sat (One router converted to Sat and 4 Sat). I know that you can only attach 4 Sat to a Router but there is a trick to do that.
I dont know if it is clear enough. If it is, What do you recomend?
acaicedoj wrote:3. To replace the apple network with my new orbi kit, 1 Router coverted to Sat and two Sat (a Total of 3 Sat), one of them conected to the Router in star conection with UTP CAT6 and the other two Sat conected in star conection to that first Sat conected to the Router with UTP CAT6. The problem with this option is that i dont have a CAT6 UTP cable to use between the Router and the Router converted into Sat of the new kit. I will have to do that. At the end i will have one orbi network with one Router and 5 Sat (One router converted to Sat and 4 Sat). I know that you can only attach 4 Sat to a Router but there is a trick to do that.
Some observations:
- Unless devices are "fixed" (never move), having two separate WiFi networks is not enjoyable as devices will not "roam" between access points automatically.
- This is a classic "Double NAT" situation, which causes no problems for thousands of customers, but will definitely make specific applications unworkable: https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
- People have reported as many as six satellites on one Orbi router. The "Add a Satellite" web page only has space for three satellites, so the trick is to power off existing satellites until there is an open space in the web page, attach a new satellite, and then power them all back on again.
- Converting an RBR50 router into a satellite seems to be possible using 3rd party tools. Sort of an obvious "this voids the warranty" endeavor.
I would look toward one WiFi network with more satellites on it.
acaicedoj wrote:Hi, can i Install two separate kits in my house with the same name and password?
Yes, you can. But it is NOT a good idea. When there is one Orbi router and any number of satellites, they form ONE WiFi "mesh" where devices can roam from one node to another seamlessly. If there are two Orbi networks, even with the same exact SSID/password, they are separate networks. Devices will NOT roam from one to the other. It will be a frustrating mess when the signal from one network falls off to "almost gone", but the device will not disconnect.
As FURRYe38 commented, the optimal solution is ONE Orbi router and all the satellites attached to it.
