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Forum Discussion
Outdoor mesh satellite
Why didn’t netgear upgrade their RBK50 to WiFi6?
3 Replies
The harward ware chips and chip sets were not available at the time Orbi AC came out. Its like trying to add 4 more cylinders to a V8 car engine to get a v12. Can't be done.
jaycjay67 wrote:
Why didn’t netgear upgrade their RBK50 to WiFi6?This question can be read two ways:
- Why was the existing RBS50Y not updated to support 802.11ax?
As FURRYe38 commented, the chip set in the RBBS50Y, like the chip set in all of the Orbi "AC" products was created before 802.11ax was standardized and is incapable of 802.11ax (often called WiFi6) - Why did Netgear not come out with a WiFi6 outdoor satellite?
They announced a slew of WiFi6 products (750's, 850's, Pro AX's, etc.) but no outdoor model.
(They also did not produce a WiFi6 version of the Orbi Voice or of the RBW30 (wall) satellite.)
And the answer to that question is, "nobody knows"- Maybe they did not sell enough RBS50Ys to justify the design costs?
- Maybe their outdoor product was not competitive with other company outdoor products?
- Maybe they didn't have enough engineering staff?
- Maybe it just "fell through the cracks"?
- Thanks for the reply’s and excuse my poorly worded question. (long time geek who is new to forum postings). CrimpOn you got my intention in the second half of your reply. It’s ashamed that netgear seems to have chosen not to provide an outdoor 802.11ax solution. In my part of the country our summers are short and we tend to maximize outdoor activities, including work, so I need to solve for Wi-Fi coverage external to the house. I’ve been a NETGEAR customer for decades but seems like I’ll need to go to a different solution. I love the Orbi solution but also need the throughput of 802.11ax!
- Why was the existing RBS50Y not updated to support 802.11ax?
