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Forum Discussion
Orbi RBR50 broadcasting its own network as an access point?
I installed this or be purchased from Costco about a year ago. It has worked perfectly but recently I tried to connect to my TiVo and was unable to do so. In a TiVo forum, it was suggested that I...
One other thing I wanted to point out was that in this article:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Orbi-as-an-access-point/m-p/1797957#M70129
It mentions that the guest network will not work over an access point. Right now though, Orbi as an access point is displaying both ORBI01 and also the guest network I created originally when it was being used as a router. I connected to the guest network just to see if it worked and it did in fact connect. I am confused.
The difference between "router" and "access point" is that access points do not perform certain tasks: They do not assign IP addresses to devices. They do not filter or route traffic. They do not set up VPN's. (a whole bunch of things). What they continue to do is broadcast a WiFi name (SSID) on both 2.4G and 5G and support a guest network (on both 2.4G and 5G) Yes, Orbi provides a Guest network even if it is an access point. (Whether you want a guest network or not is for you to decide. I have decide I don't need or want one.)
If you have set the Orbi to be an access point, then you should turn off the WiFi on your Frontier router. They will compete for radio bandwidth. You purchased the Orbi to get expanded WiFi, so you should let the Orbi do what it is designed to do.
Another question is whether you prefer the Frontier or the Orbi to be your "only router". Some people prefer the "router functions" of their internet gateway and put the Orbi into access mode. Other people prefer the router functions of the Orbi and put their internet gateway into "modem only" or "passthrough" mode. This is a decision that is (literally) up to you. Orbi works either way. Having WiFi from both of them, however, is not a good idea.