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Forum Discussion
Steve1019
Oct 30, 2021Guide
Orbi 960 Series Throughput
I'm a bit confused by an aspect of the new Orbi 6E routers. That is, if the 6GHz frequency has so much more throughput than the 5GHZ frequency (twice as much) and the second 5GHz band that is the one...
Zultan
Nov 03, 2021Star
So I just contacted Netgear support to ask if the new Orbi 960 (6E - AXE11000) router would work with the RBS850 Satellites and was told that they are not compatible from a wireless backhaul perspective even though both are Wifi 6. So it would appear that we will be in the same situation when upgrading from the RBR50. Wireless backhaul will not be compatible but I was told you 'should be able to' wire the old satellites to the 960 6E router. Obviously the RBS850 will only give you the single SSID on the 2.4 and 5ghz bands where as the new 960 satellites (RBSE960) will allow 4 different SSIDs (Separate 2.4ghz, 5ghz, and 6ghz) plus the guest network option. I searched everywhere for this information and finally just called so I figured I would share what I learned. I was told the new 6E system was designed for much better coverage so I would probably only need 3 satellites where I have 5 today. Same $2100 investment again so I am going to wait until more 6E clients are available and NOT be an early adopter on this one.
Mikey94025
Nov 04, 2021Hero
Zultan wrote:I was told the new 6E system was designed for much better coverage so I would probably only need 3 satellites where I have 5 today. Same $2100 investment again so I am going to wait until more 6E clients are available and NOT be an early adopter on this one.
It would be best for you to wait it out and see what happens. Information out there may be inconsistent, especially if pre-release and from different people or sources.
For example, this announcements like from the left side of this forum implies you may need more satellites: https://kb.netgear.com/000062799/What-is-the-difference-between-WiFi-6-and-WiFi-6E
NOTE: The 6 GHz band has a shorter range than the 5 GHz band. This means that a higher density of Orbi or mesh satellites are required for complete 6 GHz coverage.