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Planned purchase of RBK50 or RBK23....couple of questions
We have a large house 3,000, primarily one story but a small two-story add on (included in square footage.)
We are going to Cable Internet and plan to stream Hulu Live on two tv's. There will be other devices being operated, mainly two phones and a laptop. (No plans for smart anythings besides tv's. No lights, doors, ovens, etc.)
The internet speed we will be buying is 175 mbps..
I'm thinking of getting the RBK53 and then, if we need to, we can always add another satellite to get to the upstairs room. (My other thought is to get the AC2200 and get the router with two satellites. Suggestions there?)
1. Can we add any Orbi satellite including a voice one or does the main unit have to be a voice base? (If that makes sense.) Can it be any other satellite (Orbi) that doesn't include voice? For instance can an AC2200 be the second satellite?
2. What do I need for a modem? What would be the proper specs to search for in relation to what I've said about purchasing this equipment?
I've been studying this for days and am just exhausted and need to get on with the purchase!
Thanks!
The USB port on v1 was for printers I believe. Users also wanted READY Share support so they could connect a external USB drive to the back of the RBR and use it like a storage holder for movies or music and such. NG hasn't supported this feature at the requests of many users and with V2 and follow on Orbi systems. Looks like NG isn't gonig to support any form of ReadyShare on Orbi at all. Its not a great importance to some, others may more so, however there are alternative and better solutions for media storage when it's needed. Like NAS which IMO is the best solution for configurations like this, more stable, LAN carries the best wired performance over USB. I have two NAS boxes and haven't looked back since. USB 3.0 is starting to come to the table in performances, however doesn't matter since Orbi isn't supporting media USB support.
15 Replies
Cable internet requires a modem. Check the cable company web site to see which DOCSIS 3.1 modems they prefer. It should be "only a modem", i.e. no router, no WiFi. Generally, people have to choose (a) to rent the modem from the cable company for a monthly fee and the cable company is totally responsible should the modem malfunction, or (b) purchase their own modem and not pay the monthly fee, but also be responsible if the modem fails. In general, modems are highly reliable and a lot of customers decide to purchase their own.
How many WiFi devices are required depends on the physical layout. An RBK53, with one WiFi router and two WiFi satellites will cover a lot of area. If the internet connection is one corner of the house and the two-story outbuilding is on the opposite side, however, there could be problems. Perhaps you could make a simple diagram of the building and attach it? (showing where the internet connection point will be and where those TV's will be)
This is an awkward time to be purchasing WiFi systems. WiFi 6 was just standardized in September. All of the major manufacturers are releasing new products which support WiFi 6, and products that include WiFi 6 are just now coming out (smartphones, laptops, etc.) The new products are "unproven" and expensive. The existing products are "known", less expensive, and soon to be "not the latest and greatest." For myself, I would invest in current products understanding that in 3-4 years it will be time to replace with new WiFi.
If you can provide some more information, there are some really smart people who follow this forum and can give good advice.
Thanks for your reply.
Attached is a rough plan of the layout. I marked the TV spots in red ovals (I didn't realize we have 4 of them!) and the cable internet modem spot with a triangle in green as well as the proposed Satellite 1 location. I drew lines in blue where the wifi would have to go through and the approximate number of feet. There are a couple of pink "wifi's" where we usually sit on computers or phones.
From Modem-TV 1 to TV #4 (I realize I should have numbered them differently!) is about 20 feet through two plaster walls.
From Modem to Satellite 1 is about 30 feet down a long narrow hallway. I'm hoping that Satellite 1 will be enough to "power" the office which contains TV #2 and a computer which rarely are used as well as Smart TV #3 in Family Room which gets a fair amount of usage. It would also be "powering" BR2 which would have my daughter on her wifi (I erroneously left that off of the drawing.)
What gets the most use is TV #1 where the hardwire would be, TV #4, + some iPhones in the BR1, LR and BR2.
I'm thinking/hoping that MAYBE the Satellite would be enough to power through the ceiling and into the Upstairs room above the garage for a wifi computer on occasion.
If there's not enough "power" (I don't know the proper words!) then I'm guessing I could add another Satellite. The entire house is about 3,000 square feet.
I might add I don't plan on updating my TV's any time soon. We have one smart tv and the others will be using a Firestick and Rokus to stream. we will probably use two TV's simultaneously at times as well as an iphone. Other times it will be a combination of all iphones and computer and tv's, one at a time for each of the three of us who occupy the house!
We do not upgrade to the latest and greatest and do not plan to add a bunch of home control devices to our wifi.
Any suggestions would be great. Am I on the right track with beginning with the RBK50 with one satellite, adding another if necessary? Or would I be better off with RBK23 and 2 satellites? Our internet will be cable at 175 mbps.
Also, what should I look for in a modem?
Thanks again. Sorry this is so long!
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
Stand alone modems are recommended for use with Orbi systems. Modem with out a built in router. If your ISP can't provide or support a modem with out a built in router, This would be a double NAT condition which isn't recommended. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
Couple of options,
1. Configure the modem for transparent bridge mode. You'll need to contact the ISP for help and information in regards to the modem being bridged correctly. Then use the Orbi router in router mode.
2. If you can't bridge the modem, disable ALL wifi radios on the modem, configure the modems DMZ/ExposedHost or IP Pass-Through for the IP address the Orbi router gets from the modem. Then you can use the Orbi router in Router mode.
3. Or disable all wifi radios on the modem and connect the Orbi router to the modem, configure AP mode on the Orbi router. https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LOcJ8GdDo&app=desktop
slippery wrote:Thanks for your reply.
Attached is a rough plan of the layout. I marked the TV spots in red ovals (I didn't realize we have 4 of them!) and the cable internet modem spot with a triangle in green as well as the proposed Satellite 1 location. I drew lines in blue where the wifi would have to go through and the approximate number of feet. There are a couple of pink "wifi's" where we usually sit on computers or phones.
From Modem-TV 1 to TV #4 (I realize I should have numbered them differently!) is about 20 feet through two plaster walls.
From Modem to Satellite 1 is about 30 feet down a long narrow hallway. I'm hoping that Satellite 1 will be enough to "power" the office which contains TV #2 and a computer which rarely are used as well as Smart TV #3 in Family Room which gets a fair amount of usage. It would also be "powering" BR2 which would have my daughter on her wifi (I erroneously left that off of the drawing.)
What gets the most use is TV #1 where the hardwire would be, TV #4, + some iPhones in the BR1, LR and BR2.
I'm thinking/hoping that MAYBE the Satellite would be enough to power through the ceiling and into the Upstairs room above the garage for a wifi computer on occasion.
If there's not enough "power" (I don't know the proper words!) then I'm guessing I could add another Satellite. The entire house is about 3,000 square feet.
I might add I don't plan on updating my TV's any time soon. We have one smart tv and the others will be using a Firestick and Rokus to stream. we will probably use two TV's simultaneously at times as well as an iphone. Other times it will be a combination of all iphones and computer and tv's, one at a time for each of the three of us who occupy the house!
We do not upgrade to the latest and greatest and do not plan to add a bunch of home control devices to our wifi.
Any suggestions would be great. Am I on the right track with beginning with the RBK50 with one satellite, adding another if necessary? Or would I be better off with RBK23 and 2 satellites? Our internet will be cable at 175 mbps.
Also, what should I look for in a modem?
Thanks again. Sorry this is so long!
