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Orbi RBKE 963 and Starlink (again?)
I followed with interest the (now locked) discussion at https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-WIFI-6-AX-AND-Wi-Fi-6E-AXE/Orbi-6e-cannot-connect-to-Starlink/td-p/2223240/page/2 and being somewhat desp...
Here is my 960 connected to a simple D-LInk DGS-105 Gb switch connected to a CAX30 modem:
Port 1 is the cable coming from the 960. Port 2 is the cable going to the CAX30 modem.
Power OFF the RBR and switch then connect the WAN port to your switch. Do not use a cross over cable. Don't connect the StarLink adapter to the switch just yet. Power ON the RBR and switch. The Switch should see the connection and both LEDs should be GREEN for the port the 960 is connected too on the 108 switch.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Indeed, "Those were the days". I am not totally convinced about two of the conclusions:
- That the flat cable shipped with the router is straight through because it is flat. It is straight through if the color codes on both ends match exactly. Each pair inside the cable is twisted, just as it is inside round cable. The cables I found on Amazon are terminated T568B, which means that the pairs have to be separated (at both ends) to fit into the correct slot of the connector.
- That the Orbi WAN port does not auto sense straight vs. crossover cable. Somewhere in my "box of stuff" is an old crossover cable (orange, of course). I can dig it out to test the hypothesis, but am not confident that this will address the issue because my Orbi is connected to a Spectrum modem rather than Starlink.
p.s. T568A vs. T568B is not relevant when discussing Ethernet applications. As long as both ends of each cable segment are terminated to match, they perform identically. The reason T568A was mandated by the government (long ago) was to support for devices with RJ11 plugs when connected to the RJ45 jack. (fax machines using phone line 2, for example).
CrimpOn the transparent RJ45s do allow confirmation that the flat CAT-6 cable IS straight through and T-568A style. Of course, past the end of the flat cable, there are moulded plastic strain relief ends providing plenty of room for any (absent) crossover to happen. I was just reacting in line with decades-old habits of (now incorrectly) assuming that any flat cable must be cheap and nasty 😷. The CAT.6 printed on the cable should have calmed my fears 😁