How to add MK72s mesh system to AX3000 4-Stream WiFi 6 RAX36S

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vegemitetoastie wrote:

Hello,

I purchased a Netgear Nighthawk AX3000 4-Stream WiFi 6 RAX36S Router from JB Hi-Fi. I then also bought a Netgear Nighthawk MK72S (AX3000) Dual-Band WiFi 6 Mesh System (2-pack: Router + Satellite), as I was told I’d be able to set them all up together as a mesh system.

Trying to add one router (MR70) to another (RAX) can cause problems.

For example, you can end up with local problems with addresses on your network. Among other things, the other router can misdirect traffic to addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual default IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.

This explains some of the other drawbacks.

What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

Unless you have specific reasons for using two routers – to create two separate networks for example – it is often easier to use just one router and then to set up the second router as a wifi access point (AP) with a wired connection to the main router. Netgear advises this, as does just about every site you will visit.

How do I change my NETGEAR router to AP mode? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

But that has its own drawbacks:

Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support

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vegemitetoastie wrote:

I was told I’d be able to set them all up together as a mesh system.

I don't know who told you that, but you won't get a genuine Mesh wifi system between the RAX36S and the MK72. Different wifi technologies.

And you cannot connect the MS70 to the RAX router. You need the MR70 in the middle.

My first inclination would be to see if the MK72 system would do the job without the RAX router. That would be a lot simpler.

An alternative would be to use the MR70 as the main router and the RAX as an AP. But that won't be a full Mesh either.

Just another user with time on their hands.