Hi, everyone. I've scoured the forums, but I know so many nuanced settings and options can impact individual systems so I'm posting my own thread. As the subject states, I have an RBK50 setup with one RBS50...around 3K sq ft house. Router and satellite are on different floors...around 50 feet apart if measuring in a straight line through walls and ceilings. Both router and satellite are on V2.7.4.24 firmware. When clients are connected to router we get full ISP speeds, but since the satellite is connected to the 2.4ghz backhaul only, the most we're getting is 30-50Mbps d/l speeds when clients are connected to RBS50. I've disabled daisychain since there's only one satellite. I haven't done any telnet work yet because I wanted to see what the experts here think I should do first. Thanks in advance for all your help!

The never ending dream of having an all wireless network... In general, wireless works excellent within line of sight, works good in line of indirect light, allows a connection if not very RF isolating walls and floors are in the path. Not true is that 2.4 GHz is more "powerful", the lower frequencies are less prone to radio signal attenuation. Certain 5 GHz channels allow up to 1 W EIRP, everything depends on the regulatory domain. 2.4 GHz allows workable connections, within the physical limitation (much less bandwidth available), but less "resistance" by materials. Most of these free bands are limited to about 200 mW EIRP. Modern floor construction (certainly over here in old Europe) as used from small houses to larger multi story apartment buildings does easy span 35..45 cm. Static concrete-iron floors, underfloor heating, footfall sound insulation, vapor barrier (often metalized), ceramic bricks, ceramic flooring for each floor, then sand-lime bricks (mainly in wet areas, cellars, ...) and clay bricks for walls in single layers in-house, and dual-layer outside, where again vapor barrier (often metalized), and recently more and more hard ceramics or sintered materials for the weather and dirt protection (popular in Asia for a much longer time). These materials are reliable 5..6..and up to 60 GHz killers, leaving the opportunity for 2.4 GHz typically. If it's 15 of 50 ft does not matter, because most of this "difference" is free air. Said that: Unless there is open vertical space, open staircase, gallery, atrium, any kind of wireless backhaul is rarely making a "great" solution as implied by the nice marketing slides and images. Even for horizontal distribution, it often leads to just "wireless coverage", bot rarely to a well performing system. And yes, 2.4 GHz does not have the physical bandwidth available by regulations to offer a great backhaul. Not the best consumer or business mesh products can change these hard facts.

Hello, I don't have an answer but it sounds like we're experiencing the same issue as I just posted the same question: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/RBS50-Connection-Type-2-4Ghz/m-p/2236779#M134189 Has yours been working fine (i.e connected at 5ghz) but recently in the past month or so started to have issues? ThanksDoug

5G WiFi is affected more by building materials than 2.4G. Depending on the direction that floor joists run, the straight line path between router and satellite may have to penetrate more wood than one might think. Also, 50ft is a bit of a 'stretch'. My first step would be to move the satellite around to different locations and see if you get a "Blue Light" when it is plugged in at various places. I once discovered that an old house had a brick chimney running up through the middle of the building. (left over from 1920's when heating was a coal furnace in the basemen.) Moving a satellite just a few feet improved the WiFi signal enormously.

Hi, desktopdoug! I just moved into this house, so I'm starting this all from scratch. It's hard to say what the environmental factors are at this point and how long it's been going on...But I'll follow your thread, too!

Thanks, CrimpOn! As I told desktopdoug I just moved into this house, so it's like reinventing the wheel every time we move. I'll try moving the satellite around. I think it's worth noting, however, that I've been getting the blue ring (vs amber or magenta). Backhaul condition is "good" in GUI but 2.4ghz. But, I get what you're saying. This house seems to have much more cinderblock construction in the basement than my previous house thanks to tornado alley. I'll move RBS and report back.

RBS50 only connecting at 2.4ghz backhaul

29 Replies

desktopdoug
Aspirant
Jul 01, 2022
Hello,

I don't have an answer but it sounds like we're experiencing the same issue as I just posted the same question: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/RBS50-Connection-Type-2-4Ghz/m-p/2236779#M134189

Has yours been working fine (i.e connected at 5ghz) but recently in the past month or so started to have issues?

Thanks
Doug
- CrimpOn
  Guru
  Jul 01, 2022
  5G WiFi is affected more by building materials than 2.4G. Depending on the direction that floor joists run, the straight line path between router and satellite may have to penetrate more wood than one might think. Also, 50ft is a bit of a 'stretch'.
  
  My first step would be to move the satellite around to different locations and see if you get a "Blue Light" when it is plugged in at various places. I once discovered that an old house had a brick chimney running up through the middle of the building. (left over from 1920's when heating was a coal furnace in the basemen.) Moving a satellite just a few feet improved the WiFi signal enormously.
  - harryballzanya
    Tutor
    Jul 01, 2022
    Thanks, CrimpOn! As I told desktopdoug I just moved into this house, so it's like reinventing the wheel every time we move. I'll try moving the satellite around.
    
    I think it's worth noting, however, that I've been getting the blue ring (vs amber or magenta). Backhaul condition is "good" in GUI but 2.4ghz. But, I get what you're saying. This house seems to have much more cinderblock construction in the basement than my previous house thanks to tornado alley. I'll move RBS and report back.
- harryballzanya
  Tutor
  Jul 01, 2022
  Hi, desktopdoug! I just moved into this house, so I'm starting this all from scratch. It's hard to say what the environmental factors are at this point and how long it's been going on...But I'll follow your thread, too!
harryballzanya
Tutor
Jul 03, 2022
I've been attempting to post my debug log info because I'm fairly certain it's a signal-to-noise issue at this point. The previous three posts didn't take. This is a test post.

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RBS50 only connecting at 2.4ghz backhaul