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ORBI AP mode and ethernet backhaul
Hi,
I've been having some trouble setting up wired ethernet backhaul in my home environment.
My gateway/perimeter appliance is a black box from from the ISP (1000Mbit fibre into an IPTV router). Home network is Gb wired with a bunch of wired and wireless devices.
I have one RBR850 in AP mode and one RBS850.
If I connect the two Orbi devices directly, the router shows the satellite as connected and all is well. When I move the satellite to another place in the house (where it is actually needed) the Orbi Mobile App shows the Satellite as disconnected, and the Web GUI shows no satellite at all. In this location, there is a NG GS208 8 port switch sitting between the Orbi devices.
I can, however, access the web GUI on both the router and satellite and my network seems to be working. Both devices are broadcasting the same SSID / security settings and password. So I guess my environment is Ad-hoc WiFi rather than "mesh" WiFi. Given my environment are these "effectively" (or exactly) the same thing?
Would there be any advantage trying to sync the two devices to have ethernet backhaul, or is the current setting optimal as-is? I'd like phones and laptops to roam betwen the access points as optimally as possible.
Thanks for any information / guidance!
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Cheers,
-droog
Glad you got it working. I new you would.
Please mark your thread as solved so others will know.
Enjoy. :smileywink:
16 Replies
If you have the RBS ethernet connected, then it will connect primarily via ethernet, however if it's ethernet connected and not using the wired backhaul, or not appearing corectly, then there is a problem in the following areas:
RBS should be wirelessly synced first, then ethernet connected afterwards.
RBS is connected to a different router thats in parallel with the RBR. ALL RBS have to be directly or indirectly connected behind the RBR for correct sync and proper backhaul use. https://kb.netgear.com/000051205/What-is-Ethernet-backhaul-and-how-do-I-set-it-up-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-Sy...
Bad ethernet cable in use between the RBS and RBR or switch.
Kind of LAN switch being used between the RBS and RBR is faulty.
Kind of LAN switch being used between the RBS and RBR is managed and IGMP protocoles are in use on this switch and should be disabled.
Kind of LAN switch being used between the RBS and RBR has green ethernet features that maybe incompatible with Orbi systems.
Be sure that the wiring and ethernet switch being used is wire configured behind the RBR correctly and the switch is working. If the RBS works directly connected behind the RBR and not in the remote location, I would check on the wire connection configuration to make sure that wired ethernet line is connected behind the RBR in AP mode. Swap out switches if needed to test.
FURRYe38 wrote:RBS should be wirelessly synced first, then ethernet connected afterwards.
OK, that is helpful. After I posted this I tried moving the ethernet cable in the RBR from the WAN port to the next one over. All of a sudden I saw the satellite. In fact, I saw 2 devices one wired and one wireless. Similar MAC addresses, not sure if this is a problem or not.
But there was another problem: now I see the satellite is broadcasting my SSID on 5GHz but a different SSID on 2.4. And the one that matches somehow has security "non" instead of the chosen password from the router.
So I hard reset everyhing and started over (now for the third time). A few hours I got the satellites connecting, to the router (in router mode). Phew!
Then change the router to AP mode, and bam! The satellites cannot be found. This has to be the hardest and most frustrating end-user experience of any consumer electronics product I have ever used in over 20 years. I'm about ready to give up :-(
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Cheers,
Droog
The WAN port on the RBR has to be use always in router or AP Mode. Both RBS need to be connected to the back of the RBR or can be connected to a switch that is connected to the back of the RBR while in AP Mode: