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How can I change the 960 / AXE11000 backhaul channel?
How can I change the RBKE962 / Orbi 960 / AXE11000 backhaul channel? I'm using firmware 7.2.6.21, and my backhaul channel is 157. Multiple other nearby devices are also using 157. I'd like to change it to anything other than 157 so I can avoid/reduce conflicts, and poor service/interruptions via my satellite connections.
Regards
WiFi channels cannot be changed. Although the web interface identifies two "channels", those are actually the single channel that is used to communicate management information. (Beacon frames, association requests, acceptances, disassociation, etc. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11_Frame_Types#Types_and_SubTypes
In the unlicensed 5GHz frequency band, there are only two groups of channels that can be grouped to form a single 80MHz wide broadcast. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels#5_GHz_(802.11a/h/n/ac/ax) The US is fortunate to have these two 'empty' groups of frequencies. Some parts of the world have only one. A WiFi Analysis tool such as https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en_US&gl=US (there are a dozen similar apps in the Play Store) or WiFi Info View (from Nirsoft. Free for Windows) will show that the User facing 5G WiFi uses frequencies 5170-5250 = 80MHz and the WiFi backhaul channel uses frequencies 5735-5815=80MHz. When data packets are exchanged, the system determines how much bandwidth is available at that instant and uses as much as possible.
For the user facing 5G WiFi, the management channel can be selected (36, 40, 44, 58), but this does not affect data.
On the backhaul connection, there is very little management traffic aside from the beacon frames (5-10 per second), so offering a choice of management channels is not worth the effort.
It is truly unfortunate that the intrepid folks who created WiFi made such a hash of it. (all those 2.4G "channels" that overlap. The 5GHz spectrum having so little available that is not eaten up with weather radar or other uses) But, "it is what it is."
Generally speaking, 5G WiFi has such a limited penetration capability and signal strength falls off so quickly with distance that most customers are not seriously affected by neighbor systems. When interference is a problem, there is little anyone can do about it except switch to Ethernet cables to connect the router and satellites. For many, this is simply impractical or too expensive to contemplate. Some users are able to use either Multimedia over Coax (MoCA) adapters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_over_Coax_Alliance or Power line adapters to substitute for physical Ethernet cables.
Perhaps it would be worth describing the performance problems in more detail. Perhaps there are solutions other than changing WiFi channels.
3 Replies
BH can not be changed by users. It's handled automatically.
WiFi channels cannot be changed. Although the web interface identifies two "channels", those are actually the single channel that is used to communicate management information. (Beacon frames, association requests, acceptances, disassociation, etc. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11_Frame_Types#Types_and_SubTypes
In the unlicensed 5GHz frequency band, there are only two groups of channels that can be grouped to form a single 80MHz wide broadcast. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels#5_GHz_(802.11a/h/n/ac/ax) The US is fortunate to have these two 'empty' groups of frequencies. Some parts of the world have only one. A WiFi Analysis tool such as https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en_US&gl=US (there are a dozen similar apps in the Play Store) or WiFi Info View (from Nirsoft. Free for Windows) will show that the User facing 5G WiFi uses frequencies 5170-5250 = 80MHz and the WiFi backhaul channel uses frequencies 5735-5815=80MHz. When data packets are exchanged, the system determines how much bandwidth is available at that instant and uses as much as possible.
For the user facing 5G WiFi, the management channel can be selected (36, 40, 44, 58), but this does not affect data.
On the backhaul connection, there is very little management traffic aside from the beacon frames (5-10 per second), so offering a choice of management channels is not worth the effort.
It is truly unfortunate that the intrepid folks who created WiFi made such a hash of it. (all those 2.4G "channels" that overlap. The 5GHz spectrum having so little available that is not eaten up with weather radar or other uses) But, "it is what it is."
Generally speaking, 5G WiFi has such a limited penetration capability and signal strength falls off so quickly with distance that most customers are not seriously affected by neighbor systems. When interference is a problem, there is little anyone can do about it except switch to Ethernet cables to connect the router and satellites. For many, this is simply impractical or too expensive to contemplate. Some users are able to use either Multimedia over Coax (MoCA) adapters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_over_Coax_Alliance or Power line adapters to substitute for physical Ethernet cables.
Perhaps it would be worth describing the performance problems in more detail. Perhaps there are solutions other than changing WiFi channels.
Thanks, I'm very intrigued with the MoCA adapters. I'm most interested in the ScreenBeam Bonded MoCA 2.5 Network Adapter for Highest Speed Internet, Ethernet Over Coax - Starter Kit (Model: ECB7250K02). Let me know if you've any particular adapters that you've experience with, or that you would recommend. My internet connection is ~2.1Gb, and I've cable outlets near my router & satellite locations.
Regards
