RBR750 ap mode wired backhaul, wan port=internet/no synced sats, lan port=no internet/synced sats

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zombywoof wrote:

This setup did work for 2 years!

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There have been several conversations on the forum in the past year about using the Orbi AX product line (750, 850) in Access Point (AP) mode. My observation from these discussions is that the AX product routers are programmed to expect:

• The internet will appear on the WAN port of the router.
• Satellites that are not connected via WiFi will appear on one of the LAN ports of the router.
• Because all of these units have Ethernet switches as an essential component, many devices appear to communicate because of the "layer 2" Ethernet LAN capability.  But, the router is not collecting essential information because it is looking at specific ports for specific information (WAN and LAN).

Many of the discussions are a result of the router unit being placed in a location with only one Ethernet cable to a central patch panel or switching location.  The previous generation of Orbi products appears to have dealt with a single cable connection differently than the AX products.  Thus, what "worked" before no longer works.

The solution is to create the ability to connect the router WAN port to the ISP device (bypassing switches if possible) and one of the LAN ports to the satellites.  Method to achieve this include:

• Physically installing another Ethernet cable
• Using smart Ethernet switches to create VLAN to allow the single Ethernet cable to appear separate the WAN and LAN traffic.

One easy way to test is to temporarily connect the router to the ISP device using a separate Ethernet cable. (I got a 100 ft. Cat6 cable from Amazon for under $20.) while using the existing cable connection for the LAN port.  If suddenly "it works", then this is the problem.