NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
ORBI RBR20 Device Connectivity
Set up:
Orbi RBR20 Router hard wired to Fibre connection
Orbi Router hard wired to Orbi RBR20 Satelite #1
Satelite #2 connected wirelessly.
Is there anyway I can stop devices trying to connect to the Orbi router instead of satelite #2? This is constantly happening and really annoying cause devices are trying to connect with very low signal strngth instead of picking off the one it should.
4 Replies
Netgear Orbi does not include a feature to dictate which WiFi unit specific devices use. The only control users have is the sequence of connections. i.e.
- When the system starts up, such as after a firmware update or after recovering from a power outage, the router begins broadcasting the WiFi signal before the satellites do.
Some devices are programmed to "keep looking" after they connect to a WiFi node and switch if they find a node with a better connection.
Other devices seem to "stick" to the first WiFi node they find. - A test is to deliberately restart devices and see where they connect when the Orbi system is entirely operational.
If they pick a stronger satellite signal, that is a clue that they may be sensitive to this "startup problem". - Obviously, restarting dozens of WiFi gizmos is not a pleasant task. It might be worth considering connecting the Orbi components to small UPS units. That way, a brief power outage will not cause the system to restart.
Thank you for this prompt and useful reply. I did notice that after reconnecting a laptop (for example) to the wifi it seems to have picked up a better signal.
Does connecting the Orbi Router to Satelite #1 via a wired connection help much here or is there no point? I noticed the same thing with Satelite #2 that it kept connecting to the router instead of Satelite #1 but a wiring up the router to satelite #1 seems to have helped...Netgear Orbi does not include a feature to dictate which WiFi unit specific devices use.
FYI, while this is true, the WiFi standard does allow the Orbi to recommend that a client device switch to a different satellite (and/or a different band). It is up to the client to follow this suggestion. Most newer devices will, but not always.
Backhaul topology is of course fully under the mesh system's control. If the mesh is deciding that a daisy chain topology is best, then I think it is likely that the signal quality between RBS 2 and the RBR is not the best. As CrimpOn says, setting up an ethernet backhaul will provide better performance with the RBR20.
- When the system starts up, such as after a firmware update or after recovering from a power outage, the router begins broadcasting the WiFi signal before the satellites do.
Wired connections between router and satellite always provide better performance.
- WiFi connections are affected by distance and building materials. Cable is not.
- WiFi is inherently "half-duplex". i.e. only one radio can transmit at a time.
Ethernet is inherently "full-duplex". Traffic can flow in both directions at the same time.
