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CouldUseHelp's avatar
CouldUseHelp
Aspirant
Sep 22, 2022

Can someone help with getting an Orbi System going? Not used to these

Helping out my church.  I've installed wireless access points with wired connections back to the router / firewall.   The church got a RBR750 and 4 RBS750 satellites late last year.  I set those up...
CrimpOn's avatar
CrimpOn
Guru - Experienced User
Sep 22, 2022
CouldUseHelp wrote:

How do you know where to locate satellites?  just by the light on the satellite?  That's as high tech as it gets? 

There are three factors which affect where to place satellites:

  • Where existing coverage is inadequate.
  • How the satellite will be connected to the router (Ethernet cable or WiFi).
    • With Ethernet connection to the router, the satellite can be placed anywhere within 300 ft. of Ethernet cable.  This is often useful when the area to be covered is so far away from the router that a WiFi link is not possible.
    • With WiFi connection to the router (or to an existing satellite), the distance has to be short enough to get a good WiFi connection.  With typical residential construction, this is usually somewhere around 30-40ft and depends on how many walls are between the units.  Commercial buildings may have more concrete/steel than residential and larger room sizes.
    • And, yes.  When using WiFi connection to the router, the Ring Light tells all.  If it is blue, then the connection is "Good Enough".  If Amber, the connection is not good enough.
  • Electrical power.  Each satellite needs to be plugged in.  (Some brands of WiFi access points use Power over Ethernet (PoE), but the Orbi 750 satellites require a regular 110v outlet.  This means that placing satellites in the middle of a room or in a stairwell is impractical.

My practice is to install a WiFi Heat Map app on an Android tablet, import a basic floor plan as a background, and then walk around the building recording the signal strength of each WiFi access point.. My current favorite is WiFi Heat Map - Survey by Wedprovider.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.wifianalyzer.heatmap   I tried using a laptop application but found carrying a typical laptop around the house too awkward.

 

For example, this is a Heat Map of the ground floor of my house showing the signal strength of a WiFi satellite on the floor above:

 

If you had additional satellites, where would you locate them?  Certainly not in the Dining Room, which has excellent coverage from that upstairs satellite.  Since I have several satellites, I compare the Heat Map for each satellite to find areas which get poor coverage overall.

 

 

 

  • CouldUseHelp's avatar
    CouldUseHelp
    Aspirant
    Sep 22, 2022

    Crimpon   the orbi app / orbi system does nothing like what you are showing, right?  Just using the orbi app, it's trial and error, can't see signal strengths?

     

    Spent a couple+ hours on this already today.

    Now I am noticing.  the 2 satellites that were bought besides the router / 4 satellite bundle), aren't upgrading firmware even when I go to their own IP, walk through update firmware.

    THis image from the router shows there is no update for their firmware?  they are the same RBS750 as the others. only difference is the other 4 were in the bundle.  these 2 were in their own retail boxes in the shipping box bought at same time as the bundle all from netgear in late 2021

     

    thoughts?

     

    • CrimpOn's avatar
      CrimpOn
      Guru - Experienced User
      Sep 22, 2022
      CouldUseHelp wrote:

      Crimpon   the orbi app / orbi system does nothing like what you are showing, right?  Just using the orbi app, it's trial and error, can't see signal strengths?

      That is correct. The 'app' provides only the most basic functions.

       

      CouldUseHelp wrote:

      THis image from the router shows there is no update for their firmware? 

      Firmware update is one of the frustrating issues with Netgear's Orbi product.  There is only one method guaranteed to put the latest firmware on Orbi devices: download the firmware file from the Netgear web site, then connect directly to each unit and manually upload the firmware image to it.

       

      For the 750 product, the latest firmware is found here: https://kb.netgear.com/000065130/RBR750-RBS750-Firmware-Version-4-6-9-11 

      There is a separate download router and satellites.  Each zip file needs to be unpacked to extract the firmware image. which for this particular  product is a file with the extension *.chk.

       

      That page you attached has a tab for Manual Update.  The router is "above the line" and each satellite is listed below.  If the manual function does not work for a particular satellite, I prefer to connect directly to the satellite's web page using the IP address of the satellite.

       

      As a product intended for the residential consumer, Netgear's Orbi may struggle in a commercial (religious?) environment, especially if the number of devices connecting to WiFi is large (or grows large over time as the Orbi 'remembers' the MAC address of each one in case it returns).