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Forum Discussion
RBR 20 coverage
I have 2 RBR 20 Orbi routers in my 3 floor house. There is no router in the top floor of the house. The speed on that floor is glacial. Since it's the bedroom floor we haven't used it much. But now my daughter uses her iphone there for hours each day. So I'm looking for solutions to improve speed on the upper floor.
Should I buy a 3rd router and install it upstairs?
Also, I've had the RBR 20 for several yrs. Is the Series 7 significantly better and worth upgrading to?
1 Reply
In WiFi networking, terminology is critical. For example, a typical Netgear Orbi mesh installation consists of at least one 'router' and one or more 'satellites'. While some other manufacturers designed their mesh units to be interchangeable (perform either the router or satellite function), Netgear did not. My guess is that this Orbi system consists of one RBR20 ('R' for 'router') and one RBS20 ('S' for 'satellite') These are the original WiFi5 version of Orbi. These units are no longer sold new, but are widely available on the used market (eBay, Goodwill, Craig's List, etc.) Adding a satellite on the 3rd floor would probably improve service to the iPhone on the 3rd floor.
WiFi5 has been eclipsed by WiFi6, WiFi6E, and (now) WiFi7. It is only useful to replace a WiFi5 system with a WiFi6 (or newer) system if there are devices in the house which are capable of this technology.
So, "Yes", a WiFi7 system would be a substantial upgrade, but..... are there any devices that can make use of it?
