R7000 and Orbi

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phy6bjh wrote:

I have a Nighthawk R7000 and I would like to connect a new mesh system to it.  I was thinking of an Orbi system and have seen a few suggestions about how to do it.  I would like to continue using the wifi on the R7000 and also use the wifi on the Orbi running it in AP mode.  Can I do this and can I connect the Orbi base to the R7000 by wifi or do I need to use an ethernet connection.  Thanks

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Orbi routers MUST be connected using an ethernet cable.

Yes, you can do this, but it not what most people would do.  The common practice is to replace the R7000 with the Orbi router and set up the Orbi with exactly the same WiFi name (SSID) and password as the R7000

• All WiFi devices will immediately connect to the Orbi without needing to be reconfigured.
• If for any reason you want to "go back", just unplug the Orbi and plug the R7000 back in. All devices will immediately connect to the R7000.

Even if the Orbi is in AP mode, the Orbi WiFi and R7000 WiFi will be entirely separate WiFi networks (even if they have the same SSID/password).  Devices will not "roam" from one to the other smoothly as they do between Orbi units. Because the Orbi will cover more area than the R7000, the R7000 WiFi coverage will be entirely overlaid by the Orbi coverage.