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Forum Discussion
Orbi vs Nighthawk for Mesh Network
Hello,
I need some advice.
I have a 3200sqf home and a large basement. I was looking into Netgear products and wanted an opinion of getting an Orbi or a Nighthawk Router with Mesh Extenders. I do have physical ethernet runs, so I would be hardwiring the extenders.
For the Orbi, I was considering the RBK753S, currently on sale at Costco for $399. For the Nighthawk, I was looking at either AX6200 or AXE1000 (if I want 6e). For the extenders, I was considering one or two of the AX1750 ($99 on Costco) until maybe a 6E unit version comes out (if I go with the AXE1000). For the model, I would be getting a new Nighthawk Docsis3.1 (non-wireless).
My current setup is an older Netgear C6250 in the basement with a TP-Link Archer C9 on the 2nd floor acting as an AP with the same SSID as the Netgear and a cheap Tenda wireless router acting as another AP with a different SSID. It works, but it's not perfect. I don't get the fastest speeds to my laptops and some of my IoT devices loose connectivity occasionally.
My goal is to get much better coverage with a single SSID. I would also like the ability to add a Mesh node wirelessly instead of wired if I need to in the future.
Thoughts?
2 Replies
I haven't used the orbi AX devices but I have the AC versions and I'll say I'm a fan of them.
Reason why is they just work. You can add satellites as needed, its got seamless roaming, etc.
Using a router plus extenders won't be as seamless as Netgears extenders don't run in mesh mode when they're wired in.
Versus the orbi or the nighthawk MK series offering the option of both wired and/or wireless backhaul.
So if it was me? I'd either go with the Orbi series or the nighthawk MK series.
One thing to check that i'm unsure of becauses I dont' have an orbi AX is if they 3rd band is freed up for usage if setup with a wired backhaul. One of my other mesh systems does this but my orbi AC version doesn't.
The RBK753 only supports 1800mbps (600mbps 2.4ghz, 1200mbps 5ghz) for the front haul. So if it isn't freed up using the wired backhaul, the the MK series would give you the same performance at a lower price when wired in.
Maybe FURRYe38 could chime in on the wired backhaul with the AX versions.
If you go Orbi AX, the RBS can be ethernet connected. Mine is.
If you have any LAN switches, let us know the brand and models. Some switches can cause problems for Orbi systems.
30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite
