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Forum Discussion
Modem -> Router -> EdgeRouter -> Orbi
I have a unique set-up here...I have a Spectrum Modem, connected to a Spectrum Router, then connecting to my Edge Router Lite 3, and a few switches and AP's. I want to replace the AP's with the R...
Long term I want to take the ERL out of the picture, but until I've had time to set-up firewall rules/parental controls wahtever you want to call them on the Orbi, I need to keep the ERL in play.
I currently have the Orbi connected to the 5 Port Switch, which is connected directly to the ERL and the Orbi will say connected with no internet...is this possibly due to the IP Range conflict I mentioned? I noticed the Orbi by default is 192.168.1.XXX and my ERL is on 192.168.5.XXX (or is this not an issue at all)?
Spectrum states the spectrum router MUST stay in play, anytime I have tried to remove it and connect my ERL directly to the modem everything seems fine on my end, but i'm unable to "talk" to the internet on the outside world. The second the spectrum router is added back to the equation things work exactly as expected. There is some configuration/setting that is on that router that is needed in order for the set-up to work, or at least that's what they keep telling me.
Do the Orbi Satellites need to be hardwired or can they pick up a wireless connection from the Orbi Router? The two ports on the back of the satellites makes me think they can pick up the wireless signal, and I can hardwire up to two devices if I go that route.
miketheknight20 wrote:
Long term I want to take the ERL out of the picture, but until I've had time to set-up firewall rules/parental controls wahtever you want to call them on the Orbi, I need to keep the ERL in play.
Some questions first:
- Is the only reason the EdgeRouter uses 192.168.5.x for the IP subnet because the Spectrum router had already taken 192.168.1.x?
- Have you reserved (assigned) 192.168.5.x IP addresses to specific devices that you want to keep that way?
(If the answer is "no", then the path forward is much easier.) - The existing WiFi access points are attached to the switch?
- You want to keep the existing WiFi SSID/password so that WiFi devices do not need to be reconfigured?
miketheknight20 wrote:
Spectrum states the spectrum router MUST stay in play.
Spectrum may say that, but it is not correct. My Orbi is connected directly to a Spectrum E31T2V1 modem. Getting rid of the Spectrum router is not necessary unless you intend to do certain things, such as some internet gaming, forwarding ports from the internet, using OpenVPN to reach your LAN from the internet, etc. https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT The fact that the EdgeRouter exhibits a problem when the Spectrum router is removed indicates a problem with the EdgeRouter.
miketheknight20 wrote:
Do the Orbi Satellites need to be hardwired or can they pick up a wireless connection from the Orbi Router? The two ports on the back of the satellites makes me think they can pick up the wireless signal, and I can hardwire up to two devices if I go that route.
Orbi satellites are designed to use a 5G WiFi signal to communicate with the base router. No cable is required. However, performance of the satellites is generally better if they are connected using ethernet cable. I would wire my satellites to the router if installing cable in my 60 year old two-story house was practical. (Oh, for the days when the attic and crawl space could be used to connect any part of the house to any other part.) No matter how the satellites communicate with the router (WiFi or ethernet), the LAN ports on satellites can be used to support devices, including switches.
I chose the 192.168.5. range because work "stuff" is on 192.168.1.1 so to avoid conflicts/connection issues, I changed my home IP Range. I do have some devices with hardcoded IP's but they are hardcoded in the ERL itself so changing to a different IP range is not an issue.
All existing AP's are hardwired in, yes. I do not care about keeping the same SSID/password. I'll reconfigure all the devices, that's no issue at all to reconnect.
I'll see if I can get a spectrum tech out here again to see why the Spectrum Router is required in any set-up I can come-up with (or them). I don't care about having it in the mix, but I would like to do portforwading etc. I currently use Splashtop (commercial edition since it's work related), but I'd love to access router logins/ip settings while away if need be.
Does that help at all?
miketheknight20 wrote:
I chose the 192.168.5. range because work "stuff" is on 192.168.1.1 so to avoid conflicts/connection issues, I changed my home IP Range. I do have some devices with hardcoded IP's but they are hardcoded in the ERL itself so changing to a different IP range is not an issue.
Thanks. Avoiding the work IP subnet makes a lot of sense.
What most customers would do it this:
- Power up the Orbi RBR750 not connected to anything.
- Reset the Orbi to Factory Settings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMw4ePACgc4
- Connect a computer (PC, Mac, laptop) to one of the Orbi LAN ports.
- Open the Orbi web administration with a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.)
- Ignore the suggestion to use the Orbi 'app'. Click on that tiny link at the bottom of the page, "I do not have a smartphone."
(The app will not do what you need to do.) - Proceed through the setup, only changing the admin password from "password" to something else.
Don't connect satellites. Don't enable Parental Control, Armor, etc. - Once the admin menu is available, select the Advanced Tab, Setup, LAN Setup menu.
- On the LAN setup, define the DHCP parameters:
Set the Orbi IP address to 192.168.5.1
Set the DHCP range to match the EdgeRouter - Use the table at the bottom of the LAN setup page to reserve IP addresses:
Duplicate the EdgeRouter entries using MAC address, IP address, and user friendly name - It is generally a good practice to keep reserved IP's and the DHCP pool separate.
- At this point, unplug the Spectrum router from the modem and connect the Orbi router directly to the modem.
- In a short time, the Advanced Tab home page will display the public IP address of the Orbi router. (in the "Internet" box)
- The PC that is connected should have internet access.
- Disconnect that switch from the EdgeRouter and connect it to one of the LAN ports on the Orbi router.
- All devices should have internet.
- At this point, you can deal with WiFi.
- ff you are keeping the same WiFi SSID, the existing AP's should be powered off. If you are changing SSID''s they can stay on. My practice for the past 20 years has been to use exactly the same WiFi SSID/password ever time I replace a WiFi router because (a) all of my devices connect automatically, and (b) if I decide to "go back" to the previous router, all of my devices will connect automatically to it as well. If you want to change WiFi SSID/password, you can.
- Now, use the Basic menu option, "Add Orbi Satellite" to add the first satellite. I usually do this with the satellite in the same room as the router so I can observe the lights and not have to run around the house. Once it is working, it can be moved to a permanent location. Continue until all satellites are in place.
- At this point, the system should be functioning. All devices working correctly. My parents do not need to be controlled, so I have never enabled Parental Controls. You might want to read through some posts in the Parental Controls forum to see what issues others have faced before 'taking the plunge'.
https://community.netgear.com/t5/NETGEAR-Smart-Home-Parental/bd-p/en-home-smart-parental-controls
Likewise with Armor. Once I saw "Free Trial" (which implies, "then it costs money"), I lost interest. So, I do not know if it is worth the month, or a pain in the A**. The Armor forum posts may give you some perspective.
https://community.netgear.com/t5/NETGEAR-Armor/bd-p/en-home-armor
This sounds more complicated than it is. I'd say about 1 hour total.
CrimpOn - my mind is blown! You are 1000% correct, that following the above steps allowed me to REMOVE the Spectrum Router and connect the Orbi directly to the Spectrum Modem!
The only last thing I haven't seen how to do yet with the ORBI is firewall rules...for example is there a way for one internal IP that all data when it leaves my home network and goes to the internet it is broadcast over OpenVPN so it is encrypted? We were currently doing that with the ERL