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Forum Discussion
Possible set up RBK23 with Ethernet backhaul
Hello Everyone,
So I'm looking to buy this Package from Amazon. The RBK23.
https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Orbi-Ultra-Performance-Whole-System/dp/B07CQDHPFT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548227...
I have the RBK23 set configured for wired ethernet backhaul.
Looks like this:
ISP Modem <> Dedicated Router (R7000 running AdvancedTomato) <> 1G unmanaged switch <> RBK23 (in AP mode)
- each of the RBS20 satellites are also connected to the 1G switch. I have 1 AP on each floor of the house.
- currently running FW V2.2.1.210
I'll be honest, I'm a technical person working in IT and the setup was NOT easy. Lots of reboots, firmware updates, factory resets... at one point I bricked one of the AP's and needed to recover it via SFTP -manually installing the firmware...
Need to methodically (slowly) get one node running at a time, using DHCP reservations for the satellites and a fixed IP for the "main AP". The whole system takes several (5 or more) minutes to adapt to each and any config changes you make. A full system reboot can take over 10 min... So be patient!
However now that is is all running it seems to be stable for the past couple of weeks.
One observation -I wish the wireless backhaul radios would shut off when they detect a wired backhaul. Running a wifi / spectrum analyzer you can see hidden the 2.4 & 5G backhaul radios blasting unused. I have no idea if this creates unnecessary "noise" and interference.
I now have great (fast) coverage into each corner of my house. The system as a whole does NOT seem to manage the band steering and roaming as well as I would like, but it is a decent compromise.
Thanks for the advice. I'm not super tech savvy but I have enough persistence to eventually get my equipment working. But still if I can run an extra wire over figuring out how to update the firmware, I guess the easier option here would be to just go with recommended set up of having my modem connected directly to my Orbi router and then my satellite that's farthest from the router to connect to the Orbi router with an Ethernet.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ADVICE!
One more comment - Make sure to set everything up as you want - where you want it - using the normal default wireless backhaul settings first. Test everything and make sure the system is running stable with the latest firmware for a while.
Create two DHCP reservations for the Satellites
Then one at a time switch the satelittes over to wired. -This seems to work better for most.
You should see the sattelites switch from Wirelss to "Wired" under the attached devices page of the main AP.
My 2c