NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Orbi Router Firmware RBR50
What kind of firmware does the Orbi router use. Is it DD-WRT, or is it proprietary? If proprietary what are the configuration options for the user?
Any idea how the main unit and satellite communicate with one another when in AP Mode? Couldn't help but wonder whether my Sophos UTM was being paranoid and filtering out their communication behind my firewall. Considering when in router mode they were able to sync.
I disabled my web filtering, intrusion protect and advanced threat protection and yet they were still unable to sync. Though my DHCP server issues both units valid IP addresses and I was able to access the internet thru the main unit without issue.
I disabled my web filtering, intrusion protect and advanced threat protection and yet they were still unable to sync. Though my DHCP server issues both units valid IP addresses and I was able to access the internet thru the main unit without issue.
Netgear is not doing anything complicated (or new). They most likely have multiple "bridges". They act like a private vlan of which interfaces (5Ghz, 2Ghz, Ethernet, etc) and other bridges can be connected to. Any interface which is associated with "Bridge1" would act like a single network allowing all devices within Bridge1 to communicate. But I can create a second "bridge2" and associate the third 5Ghz radio on both router and satellites, and allowing those interfaces to communicate within their own private network. "Bridge2" can have its own ip subnet which is how Netgear is "most likely' handling the 5Ghz backhaul communication using its WIFI password (AP client mode). However, they can also link both Bridge1 and Bridge2 together allowing IP passthrough (which is how your DHCP server can assign both router and satelites, while still isolating the 5Ghz backhaul from the end-user access (hiding it).
As for AP Mode. All satellites are coming back to the router for any type of access. It would be VERY simple for Netgear to allow the creation of a vLAN that could be assigned to the guest network. Then link the vLAN to a existing or new "bridge3"...
This is how ALL WIFI OEMs do it. Cisco, WRT, Tomato, and all others...
Just to be clear, the Netgear user interface only allows you configure access to devices on Bridge1....
Yeah, but the important part seems to be the Orbi not allowing any other traffic but the backhaul on the backhaul channel and radio. That, at least to me, seems to be why the Orbi gets better speeds than other solutions (at least the ones not using a wired backhaul). So in that respect, they are doing something new, and it seems to be working out pretty well compared to all the other mesh and range extender solutions. So no in that regard it is not really how ALL WIFI OEMs do it.
I do wish they would let us know the vlan id they assign things like the guest network though, because there is really no easy way when the router and satellite are in AP mode to assign the devices on the guest netowrk to their own vlan and segregate them from the rest of the network