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Forum Discussion
Upgrading from 100mbps down to ?
I am with Spectrum and using RBR40 with 2 RB20 satellites. Currently I have a 100mbps down service and wanting to upgrade to either the 500mbps or the 1Gig service. Will my RB40 support these higher speeds? If not, what is the max download/upload for my current mesh system.
Also, if I need to upgrade, what is the next "model" that supports these higher speeds.
My hope is that even if the max speeds are lower than the service I change to that I can still use this RB40 system while I look for a replacement.
I do run via ET (from the Orbi) to my Mac but everything else is WiFi access.
Thanks in advance for your help!
4 Replies
Speeds will vary greatly depending on obstructions, interference, distance, etc. Here's the review from smallnetbuilder that they did on the AX2200 mesh (RBK43, and a few other).
https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/wi-fi-system-roundup/
In my experience, my RBK43 was pretty reliable for 300mbps anywhere in my home (3200 sq ft). I usually ran a flagship router at the time in the center for close devices for faster speeds, and then just connected anything mobile or futher away to the Orbi. That isn't needed, its just what I did. 300mbps should be enough for anything you're going to throw at it as even streaming 4K only takes 25-50mbps.
plemans, thank you for the information! I sounds like I am okay staying with my current Orbi for the mean time and I will just upgrade from 100mpbs to 500mbps for now understanding I may not get the full throughput. My only issue might be in my Hangar (I was going to build an experimental plan but at my age figured I would build a golf simulator instead). Out there I have one of the RB20s and I am sure my speed is degrading some as it is metal building/workshop. However, we have been able to use a high, not the highest, resolution for the simulator and also watch movies on the "big screen" (10'x20') which is not a great movie screen but rather a golf impact screen. Still love watching football out there.
Thanks again for your help and I will now go do my upgrades/changes with Spectrum.
CrimpOn, as always, thank you for your prompt help. It is appreciated!
We (wife and me full time) have iPhone 15s, an older iPad, but WiFi for streaming on Samsung TVs, Firesticks & Roku (and a projector). My Mac is the only device on ET, rest is WiFi. Given all our WiFi needs, do you have any idea of what the average WiFi speeds I should expect? I guess the TV streaming is the most important although we do stream to our Mac, Windows machine & iPad as well.
Basically getting ready to migrate to Spectrum (ugh, only decent choice living in the country besides Starlink) streaming and getting rid of old cable boxes. Spectrum forced me to go from Time Warner to Spectrum packages and dropped my speed from 400mbps to 100mbps. As such, my options to increase once I upgrade to streaming are 500mbps or 1gbps. I just want to be sure I am not wasting money by upgrading and not being able to use the bandwidth. If it does not provide economies of scale, what is the next Orbi model (not top of the line because of price) should I look into.
If I do need to upgrade the Orbi RBR40 (and RB20s), can I port my current configuration to the new Orbi as I use MAC addresses to authorize users on my network and would prefer to port the configuration rather than manually rebuilding it.
Thanks again for all you expertise and help!
The RBR40 WAN port is gigabit Ethernet, so it will support a 500MB download speed. WiFi5 is getting a bit "long in the tooth" as people upgrade their phones, tablets, and laptops. Until you have a number of more modern WiFi devices, there is no urgency in making an upgrade decision.
