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ricorami's avatar
ricorami
Aspirant
Feb 10, 2021

Netgear nighthawk xr500 and Orbi RBR50 Mesh wifi

Hi - Is it possible to connect the Orbi RBR50 mesh wifi system as an access point to the Nighthawk xr500? 

 

My current setup is Gateway/Modem--> XR 500 WAN port. XR 500 Lan port---> Orbi RBR50 (router base) Wan port, and the RBR50 satellite is in another room. All ethernet connections are going into the XR500 currently. 

 

The orbi is set to AP mode, and the nighthawk has wifi disabled so that the orbi can handle all things wirelessly and the nighthawk and DUMAos can handle the ethernet portion. 

 

I have not changed any settings in any of the routers/access points. And I think it is imporant to note that the only change in my modem/gateway has been that I disabled wifi on there as well. Only the power cable and an ethernet cable going into the XR500 are connected to it. It is not in bridge mode. 

 

Is this the optimal setup, to avoid any network interferance (if any)? Would Lan to Lan instead of Lan to Wan change anything? I would like incorporate both pieces of hardware into my home network. Looking for optimization!

 

Thanks. 

 

5 Replies

  • Netduma-Fraser's avatar
    Netduma-Fraser
    NetDuma Partner
    Feb 10, 2021
    That is exactly how I would recommend having it setup so that the XR can control the whole network effectively. I'd suggest now having a look at the XR settings to fine tune the network.
    • ricorami's avatar
      ricorami
      Aspirant
      Feb 10, 2021

      What settings do you think i could fine tune? If you have any recommendations. 

       

      Thanks!

      • Netduma-Liam's avatar
        Netduma-Liam
        NetDuma Partner
        Feb 11, 2021

        You can use a Wi-Fi analyser to work out which channel to use based on which is the least congested!

        Otherwise as long as you resolved the NAT type issues caused by the upstream router, you should be good to go!

  • plemans's avatar
    plemans
    Guru - Experienced User
    Feb 10, 2021
    ricorami wrote:

     

     

    The orbi is set to AP mode, and the nighthawk has wifi disabled so that the orbi can handle all things wirelessly and the nighthawk and DUMAos can handle the ethernet portion. ---I'd leave the wifi enabled but make sure its on a different channel to prevent interference. then you can put things like IoT devices or other fixes wireless devices on it. Always good to spread out the load. 

     

    I have not changed any settings in any of the routers/access points. And I think it is imporant to note that the only change in my modem/gateway has been that I disabled wifi on there as well.----disabling wifi on the modem/gateway doesn't disable its routing functions. This can add latency/create nat issues. What modem/gateway is it? Does it have a passthrough/modem only mode?  Only the power cable and an ethernet cable going into the XR500 are connected to it. It is not in bridge mode. 

     

    I. 

     

     

    • ricorami's avatar
      ricorami
      Aspirant
      Feb 10, 2021

      Thanks for the tips. 

      The gateway is a Hitron CODA-4582. The way i currently have it setup, i did experience some NAT type issues today. The hitron has a option to bridge it, but the option is called "Disable residential gateway function" for whatever reason. That's what is listed as putting it into bridge mode on my ISP's webstie at least. 

       

      Regarding the wifi being enabled on the XR. Does it matter which channel? and how would i know which one to choose and which one to not choose? 

       

      Thanks again!