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Grayson781's avatar
Grayson781
Follower
May 26, 2020

RBS50Y Outdoor Satellite - Housing Paintable?

Does anyone know if the exterior housing of the Outdoor Satelite RBS50Y is paintable?  Trying to make it blend in with the color of my house siding but do not want to effect performance.  

5 Replies

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  • FURRYe38's avatar
    FURRYe38
    Guru
    May 26, 2020

    It's not recommended to paint the case. Could interfere with the signal. 

    • CrimpOn's avatar
      CrimpOn
      Guru
      May 26, 2020

      Can you please point me to the reference?  (I keep of list of handy URL's and this question is bound to come up again.)

      Thanks

       

  • CrimpOn's avatar
    CrimpOn
    Guru
    May 26, 2020
    Grayson781 wrote:

    Does anyone know if the exterior housing of the Outdoor Satelite RBS50Y is paintable?  Trying to make it blend in with the color of my house siding but do not want to effect performance.  

    I don't know the answer, but I have some thoughts:

     

    • WiFi seems to penetrate a lot of paint in my house.  Both sides of every wall are painted (several coats), and WiFi penetrates through at least two walls, which means four sheets of gypsum board and four layers of paint.  Three walls would be six of each.
    • If you are up for an experiment, how about purchasing a piece of clear plexiglass or acryllic.
      Bend it to fit around the RBS50Y.
      Paint with whatever you are thinking will adhere to the RBS50Y (probably spray enamel or acryllic (latex?))
      Attach to the wall covering the RBS50Y.
      Measure the signal level at various places before and after attaching the plastic.
      If the signal level is essentially unchanged, I'd be more willing to paint the actual case.
      If the signal is measurably lower, I'd think, "better not."

     

    • tomschmidt's avatar
      tomschmidt
      Virtuoso
      May 26, 2020

      I have not seen an RBS50Y satellite.  If it has any ventilation holes, do not block them with paint or it could cause it to overheat.  I have seen others report having water get inside of theirs, possibly due to a crack in the case or vent holes in the top or sides. I would think that any ventilation would have to be on the bottom side to be weatherproof for outdoor use.

      • CrimpOn's avatar
        CrimpOn
        Guru
        May 27, 2020
        tomschmidt wrote:

        I have not seen an RBS50Y satellite.  If it has any ventilation holes, do not block them with paint or it could cause it to overheat.  I have seen others report having water get inside of theirs, possibly due to a crack in the case or vent holes in the top or sides. I would think that any ventilation would have to be on the bottom side to be weatherproof for outdoor use.

        The FCC filing seems to show no ventilation holes at all:

        https://fccid.io/PY317200377/External-Photos/External-Photos-3662480 

        Nor does the Product Data Sheet

        https://www.netgear.com/images/datasheet/orbi/RBS50Y.pdf 

         

        The top and bottom inserts appear to have gaskets.  If the one at the top leaks, "oh, my."  Might be worth putting a bead of silicon sealant around the top joint.

         

        I forgot to attach a picture of my "brainstorm" on how to test if paint interferes with the WiFi.  There's obviously no reason to paint the back side.