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Forum Discussion
Using Orbi with Cat6 home network and Verizon Fios Gigabit
Hi - looking for advice on how to best set up my Orbi system with a newly installed Cat6 home network and Verizon Fios Gigabit internet in a 3-storey wood frame row house. At the moment we have our Verizon modem (Fios Quantum Gateway Router) connected via ethernet cable to the main Orbi router in the basement, and I have 1 x Orbi satellite positioned on each of the upper 2 x floors. Wi-FI on the Fios router has been disabled and AP mode has been applied to the Orbi network as per guidance in various posts - the network operates as expected and performance is relatively solid, though up/down speeds are generally lower than I would hope for with the Fios Gigabit connection. As mentioned, we recently installed a Cat6 network in the house so I am wondering if I can take advantage of it to establish direct physical connections between the main Orbi router and the satellites - plug the main Orbi router into the network patch panel in the basement, and then plug each of the 2 x Orbi satellites into their own ethernet port on the upper floors so communication between the 3 x units is fully wired? I'm no expert, but in theory it seems like this should work and provide a much more robust network than if Orbi system is fully wireless. Any advice/suggestions very much appreciated!
7 Replies
You cannot wire the satellites at this time. Perhaps in a future firmware version.
What speeds are you getting? You won't get anywhere near wired speeds using WiFi, and Orbi is not the fastest WiFi solution out there. You should expect around 450-500 Mbps max.
If you have CAT6 cabling in the house, then you can should install a few switches and wire any devices that you can, such as your TV, desktop PCs, set top boxes, etc. Save the wireless for devices that have no wired option.
Thanks for the reply - disappointing to hear the satellites can't be wired. Hopefully in time...
I'm getting 250-300 Mbps on average on various devices. I haven't made much of an effort to position the satellites optimally, so maybe that will make a difference. I did have ethernet outlets placed at various locations - behind TVs, desk positions, etc. so I do plan to wire whatever I can.
Another thought - rather than have the Fios router feed the main Orbi router directly, would it be possible (and potentially more beneficial?) to have the Fios router feed the network switch in the basement, then have the main Orbi router placed more centrally in the house (connected to ethernet outlet), then position the Orbi satellites (not connected to ethernet) on the other floors for optimal Wi-Fi coverage?