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Forum Discussion
Orbi RKB53 global differences
Is there any difference between Orbi RBK53 sold in the US and in Europe? Any differences in supported bands, interference etc.? Or are they interchangable? Planning on buying in US and using in Norwa...
Thank you so much for the help from both of you.
It would seem then, that at the very best the hardware itself is identical, but the european/us settings might be locked in software. I guess Netgear are the only ones that can answer if that is actually the case. I worry that this kind of change might not be officially supported anyways.
Is there any chance that Netgear employees answer questions here?
Unless it's region locked and it's hard-coded in HW chip, installing a new firmware version for EU region will allow Orbi to pick/set the right region. It's just a profile of which channels to enable or disable for a given region.
Just talked to Netgear support, and according to them, the device is identical in all markets, except for the power plug, which is no problem to fix with an adapter. So then it seems like it would work.
As you say, worst case, I can flash the firmware, but there seems to be only a single global firmware for download.
So, it seems like like I can safely buy this device in US (and get almost half price off).
Thank you for your help.
If you buy from USA, you may not get a 220v power adapter with the unit if your in a EU region that has 220v power.
The included US power supply is 100-240v 50/60 hz and just needs a plug adaptor.
steinmr wrote:
Just talked to Netgear support, and according to them, the device is identical in all markets, except for the power plug....
This is not true for all devices.
Some are locked into the legally allowed wifi networks for their region.
For example, I have bunch of Orbi stuff (RBR40 and RBS50Y, among other kit) that is locked on to the US's Wifi channels. (I am in the UK.) They work but I may be breaking the law and there is no way of changing them in the settings.
My guess is that that is another legal thing. They don't want people to have the opportunity to put devices on to "banned" channels.
When you boot/setup Obri router in EU or any other regions, it will figure out the correct region automatically. If not, it can still be changed, but you might be running afoul with local channels.
For example, this shows that it can be changed and all the supported regions.
steinmr wrote:
>> ... I can flash the firmware, but there seems to be only a single global firmware for download.
There are different global firmwares for different languages/regions. You can download/flash firmware from your language/region, i.e., pick France or some EU country, if yours is not available. The region change issue with NG firmware is not new. NG routers share the firmware/UI codes across their product lines, including Orbi.
Here is an answer from NG:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-WiFi-Routers/Region-change/m-p/1005402#M21075
Hi guys!
I live in Brazil and bought a RBK53 set from USA Amazon, now running the firmware
V2.3.5.30. I followed the steps to access other regions, but the range of channels available didn't change - it is locked to the range from 36 to 48 in 5Ghz band - and, after a reboot, the option was locked again. I'd like to use upper channels in 5Ghz. Some tips?Thanks in advance!
