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Forum Discussion
Using ORBI with Nighthawk router
I have an ORBI RBR850 and RBR50 in AP mode. I'm doing this because I need 2 Outdoor satellites to reach further on a 2+ acre site. Total of 6 satellites in use. I'd like to add a separate system for...
The RBR850 is the main router. It is connected to my Internet provider. The RBR50 is in AP mode and Ethernet connected to an RBR850 port. I need to utilize wifi on the NH router because there are a multitude of IoT devices in the barn. Thoughts? Thanks!!
What's the size of this home?
Having too much wifi may also be problematic.
slapshot2213 wrote:
The RBR850 is the main router. It is connected to my Internet provider. The RBR50 is in AP mode and Ethernet connected to an RBR850 port. I need to utilize wifi on the NH router because there are a multitude of IoT devices in the barn. Thoughts? Thanks!!
The house is only about 2500 sq/ft, 2 story, but the area I need to cover is about 2 acres. My ISP connection is on the 2nd floor. The barn (metal bldg) I need to reach is about 150 feet from the router and 110 ft from an existing RBS50Y. Thanks....
I see two separate issues:
- Extending service to a metal barn over 100 ft. from the house.
- Sharing "only internet access" to the barn.
Metal buildings are difficult in terms of WiFi, unless the WiFi access point can be mounted on the exterior or in a window. Metal blocks WiFi signals and over that distance a typical WiFi signal will be dramatically lower to begin with. The typical solutions to this are:
- #1 - Install an Ethernet cable. This provides full duplex gigabit capacity, but may be impractical to install. (It's not the cost of the cable, but the installation can be physically challenging and expensive.)
Connect a switch, WiFi access point, or router to this cable. - #2 - Use a WiFi point to point bridge. Costing under $150, these units concentrate the WiFi signal in a narrow beam which provides higher signal strength. They are rated in terms of kilometers. Often one unit can be mounted inside the house, which removes the cost of penetrating the building wall. The far end will probably need to be mounted on the outside of the barn. The Ethernet cable from the barn unit goes inside and then anything can be connected to it.
"Only internet access" is more of an issue. Orbi residential products are not designed to create separate LANs. If the only connections in the barn are WiFi, then an 850 satellite located in the barn could be used to connect those devices to the guest WiFi network, which means they have no access to the primary network. But, nothing in the barn can be connected using Ethernet, which be definition is on the primary network.
