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Hoghunter's avatar
Hoghunter
Aspirant
Jun 21, 2023

Orbi RBR50 TV Wireless or Cat Cable

Hi- I’ve got an Orbi mesh system and it’s been great. I just got a web enabled TV for the upstairs den and connected via wireless through an Orbi satellite from the kids bedroom. I’ve got two kids that game heavily. The hardwire base Orbi router is located in one bedroom and a satellite in the other kids room using a Cat cable to his CPU. I just decided to purchase a “used” Orbi satellite from Amazon and elected to connect the satellite to the TV with a Cat cable. Did I do myself any favors buying another Orbi satellite just to connect via cable or should the Wifi from one of the other satellites in another room be just fine? I don’t notice any difference in the TV using the new “used” Orbi satellite connect via cable to it versus using the Wifi from another room- but theoretically shouldn’t it be more “stable” or faster? I’m only using apps on the TV for movies, TV, web and no cable box. I’m old so don’t crush me for my silly question.

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  • Hoghunter's avatar
    Hoghunter
    Aspirant
    Jun 21, 2023
    Additional note: And now after adding the satellite upstairs the Wifi signal on the downstairs porch has gotten really bad?? Coincidence or something to it? Why would adding a satellite upstairs degrade my internet downstairs? There is a satellite within 10 feet of the porch.
  • bullm00n's avatar
    bullm00n
    Virtuoso
    Jun 22, 2023
    Hoghunter wrote:
    Hi- I’ve got an Orbi mesh system and it’s been great. I just got a web enabled TV for the upstairs den and connected via wireless through an Orbi satellite from the kids bedroom. I’ve got two kids that game heavily. The hardwire base Orbi router is located in one bedroom and a satellite in the other kids room using a Cat cable to his CPU. I just decided to purchase a “used” Orbi satellite from Amazon and elected to connect the satellite to the TV with a Cat cable. Did I do myself any favors buying another Orbi satellite just to connect via cable or should the Wifi from one of the other satellites in another room be just fine? I don’t notice any difference in the TV using the new “used” Orbi satellite connect via cable to it versus using the Wifi from another room- but theoretically shouldn’t it be more “stable” or faster? I’m only using apps on the TV for movies, TV, web and no cable box. I’m old so don’t crush me for my silly question.

    How close are the Satellites to the Orbi Router?  How close the Satellites to each other?  Wired to the Router or WiFi?

     

    Most TVs don't need a fast network and even when hardwired some only support 100Mbps.  So you probably didn't gain much by hardwiring the TV.  Was there an issue with the TV over WiFi that you were trying to solve?

     

    As for the network performance on the porch, if you power off the newly added Satellite, does that help?  If so, then maybe there's more to look into with that Satellite and / or where it is placed.  If not, then coincidence?

  • KevinLiT's avatar
    KevinLiT
    NETGEAR Moderator
    Jun 26, 2023

    Hello Hoghunter, 

    Thank you for your post!

     

    In the case of wireless networks, there are times when less is more. Your previous post mentioned that you do not notice a difference with the additional satellite connected however, the signal in other areas of the house is poor. The additional placed satellite may be the reason that there is a poor connection on the porch. To troubleshoot, turn off the new satellite then test the connections again. 

     

    Best,

    Kevin

    Community Team