NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Adding Netgear PoE WAP to Orbi Network
I currently have an Orbi RBR850 router and two RBS850 satellites. I have Cat5e cabling running to several rooms in the house. If I have the Orbi satellites connecting to the Orbi router through a wired backhaul, can I add a Netgear PoE wireless access point and manage it through the Orbi network? All devices would be connected via wired backhaul.
If I had one Orbi satellite connecting via wifi rather than through ethernet, does that change the answer?
Thanks!
3 Replies
It would help to specify the specific model of PoE Access Point.
No Orbi models provide PoE, so the device will have to be powered by a PoE injector.
Whatever it is, it should appear as a device on the network. It should be assigned an IP address by the Orbi router.
You should be able to connect to the device and "manage" it.
It will, however, not be part of the Orbi network. i.e. WiFi devices that connect to it will not roam seamlessly between this device and the rest of the Orbi network. if the devices are not mobile (do not "roam") then this will present no problem.
CrimpOn wrote:
It will, however, not be part of the Orbi network. i.e. WiFi devices that connect to it will not roam seamlessly between this device and the rest of the Orbi network. if the devices are not mobile (do not "roam") then this will present no problem.
As long as all devices - Orbi, WAX6xx, WAX2xx, Nightawk Mesh, or third party models - are configured to WPA2-PSK only, there is no Mesh platform or cloud support required to support seamless connectivity. A nice "feature" of this standard. This does not apply if intending to change everything to WPA3-SAE.
Granted, each "world" does have it's own management platform like Orbi or Netgear Insight, or the devices need to me managed individually.
Thank you both for the reply. I'm trying to weigh making my current Orbi setup work, or just starting over and doing a rack setup with wireless access points throughout the house (UniFi).
NETGEAR Academy
Boost your skills with the Netgear Academy - Get trained, certified and stay ahead with the latest Netgear technology!
Join Us!
