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Forum Discussion
Older system - no satellites
I have a six year old RBK752 system with one satellite (RBS750). I need now to reach a part of my house that wasn't necessary before...the signal gets through from the main router (satellite is very far in opposite direction) but in looking for additional satellite, they appear to be only used or reconfigured etc. So I am thinking about getting an extender that would strengthen the signal in that location. Any suggestions?
5 Replies
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router 📡 and satellite(s)🛰️? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR 📡 and RBS 🛰️ to begin with depending upon building materials when wired or wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite 🛰This is an existential question. Which is more important:
- Cheap, or
- Convenient?
Any brand of WiFi Extender will connect to the RBR750 and extend WiFi to that part of the house. This was the only choice people had until "mesh" WiFi routers were designed around 2015-2016. (Google Mesh was one of the first. Netgear Orbi "Tri-Band" in 2016.) The primary difference between WiFi extenders and "mesh" WiFi is that
- WiFi extenders create a separate WiFi network. Even if it is assigned the same (identical) WiFi SSID/password as the primary WiFi router, devices do not roam seamlessly between the extender network and the primary network. For WiFi devices that do not move, this is not an issue. Mobile devices, however, will exhibit frustrating behavior as they cling stubbornly to one network as that signal grows weaker and weaker and performance gets worse and worse.
- Mesh networks utilize some 802.11 standards to facilitate seamless roaming. The network and WiFi devices detect that a different WiFi access point gives better service and switch without user intervention.
Yes, the 750 product is no longer sold by Netgear. Used RBS750 satellites are available on eBay, Shop Goodwill, etc. for under $150. On the other hand, brand new WiFi6 mesh system 3-packs can be had for $150 - $250.
If the only need is to connect some devices that remain in one location (television, security camera, smart plug, etc.) and you can tolerate those occasions when your cell phone or tablet makes you think, "oh, s**t. I need to stop and restart WiFi." A WiFi extender for under $50 lets you "kick the can down the road" and put off investing in WiFi equipment for a while.
Good Luck!
Oh, this is useful to help me think this through.
The item it cannot reach is fixed-- solar battery that will be installed in next few months that needs internet connection to reach the web. I can get a weak wifi signal now from the router at the place the powerwall will be placed but worry that it is weak. The location is about 40 feet away from the router...on a straight line (set next to window on high bookshelf). The solar inverter is at the front of the house connected to the current satellite, the powerwall will be at back. They are supposed to be on the same network. As I understand it from your description, the extender --which would connect to the router about thirty feet away and then rebroadcast another 10-12 feet to the powerwall--would be a separate wifi network. What I don't know is whether this new network would then be considered the same network for the purposes of the inverter and powerwall being on the same network. This is getting really complicated. Maybe the new system makes the most sense.
When I looked into used or satellites, I heard that the firmware may cause problems in connecting to my system which has been updated regularly and updating the firmware in a satellite that is not connected is apparently challenging.
Thanks very much for your response.
"network" is a complicated concept. When a WiFi extender is connected to a WiFi system, all of the devices connected to the extender become part of the primary network. They are assigned IP addresses by the primary network. They can communicate with all devices on the primary network, including devices that are 'wired' and those that are connected via WiFi. (The Guest WiFi network is deliberately separated from the primary network and devices on it are not part of the primary network.)
The issue people face with WiFi extenders is only in terms of devices transitioning from one WiFi access point to another. With mesh WiFi units, the transition is seamless. With WiFi extenders, it is not.
This sound like a perfect application for a WiFi extender.
