RBR850 and RBS850 in AP mode with RAX80

Question

Hello all.&nbsp;I have a few questions and wanted to lean on the experts :).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have several (6) Cat5 wires throughout the house.&nbsp; They terminate in one location down in my basement (which is where my Verizon Modem is located).&nbsp; I have the RBR850/RBS850 upstairs hardwired through a switch down in the basement.&nbsp; In short, I have the modem connected to the RBR850 and another wire running from the RBR to a switch.&nbsp; The switch is in the basement and connects the RBS Satelite and provides direct connection to several other rooms.&nbsp;I'd prefer to lose the switch, plug in the Netgear RAX80 in the basement (in place of the switch) and use it as my primary router (no wifi).&nbsp; Let me know if you think this is bad idea.&nbsp;&nbsp;First question:&nbsp; Do I lose any quality or WIFI speed if I use the RAX80 as the primary router and Orbi in AP mode?&nbsp; Is the Orbi router better?&nbsp; Any suggested settings I should steer away from?&nbsp;Second questions: If I put the Orbi into AP mode and want to maintain the hardwire (I want to spread them out), do I have to daisy chain the RBR and RBS (direct connect) or can I plug them both into the router and maintain a wired connection (with mesh)?&nbsp; If not, can I use the switch in basement to accomplish this?&nbsp; I dont have two cables running to the location I would like to put the RBR850 as I assume I would need one cable connected to the router and another connect to the satelite or switch to make this work?&nbsp; Any thoughts on a better way to lay this out.&nbsp;My goal is to have the RAX80 in the basement as the router/switch hardwired to the Orbis upstairs handling the WIFI.&nbsp; All my Cat5 terminates in the basement, however I have no desire to run an additional cable from the RBR850 to the satelite to maintain the wired connection.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the distance I want create between the units is a bit far to utilize the wireless backhaul.&nbsp;Many thanks for your comments.

Mstrbig · Answer

First off if you have cat5 cable, you should upgrade it for the faster speed throughput.

You should not lose any quality or WIFI speed if you use the RAX80 as the primary router and Orbi in AP mode. The specs are very close.

Don't quite understand your question. If you are referring to satellites, they should be plugged into the RBR850 router, if you want wired backhaul. Wireless backhaul is a different story. However you can plug both satellites into the RBR850 router or a switch connected to the RBR850 router, or run wireless backhaul.

cabchop · Answer

Thanks mstrrbig.&nbsp;The question was can I maintain the hardwire mesh connection witih the RBR and RBS plugged directly into the RAX80 router?&nbsp; The answer appears to be no, which means I need a cable to the RBR wan and a cable from the RBR lan to the RBS or to a switch that is connected to the RBS.&nbsp; So two cable are needed to and from the RBR850.

Mstrbig · Answer

cabchop&nbsp;wrote:Thanks mstrrbig.&nbsp;The question was can I maintain the hardwire mesh connection witih the RBR and RBS plugged directly into the RAX80 router?&nbsp; The answer appears to be no, which means I need a cable to the RBR wan and a cable from the RBR lan to the RBS or to a switch that is connected to the RBS.&nbsp; So two cable are needed to and from the RBR850.You could try connecting your WAN and LAN port of the RBR850 to the RAX80 and then connect the 2 satellites to the RAX80. You may have issues or it may work. Or connect Orbi router WAN to RAX80 and ORBI router LAN and both satellites to a switch.My home was initially setup a similar way before I installed a wireless mesh system. I had 2 routers connected to the main router. The main router was connected to a switch in the garage, with a WAN and LAN port connection. Then the other 2 routers were connected to the same switch from their LAN ports. The main router was the DHCP server and it covered my entire 2 story home.&nbsp;Now my Orbi router is connected via WAN to the ARRIS ISP modem and LAN to a 16 port switch. From there I have cables going to wired devices and 2 satellites. Each satellite has an 8 port switch connected to them, connected to wired devices. Of course my wireless devices use the Wireless Mesh system.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

FURRYe38 · Answer

RBS needs to be connected behind the RBR:https://kb.netgear.com/000051205/What-is-Ethernet-backhaul-and-how-do-I-set-it-up-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-System

Mstrbig · Answer

Although this is not a good office environment setup, due to internal security risks, I currently have a couple of home systems, due to ISP modem and switch in a bad location, setup as follows:Homes were&nbsp;pre wired to every room. ISP modem and switch,with modem connected to the switch, are in a remote closet. 2 network cables come from the router, one WAN, one LAN, to the switch.&nbsp;Some wired devices and 2 satellites are connected to the switch. The ISP modem is distributing 1 IP address, that is configured on the router. The router is set to Router mode and DHCP server is distributing IP addresses to the devices and satellites. There have been no issues.My own home was setup in a similar way before I changed ISPs and went with a mesh system. My ONT and 16 port switch were in a closet, with the ONT connected to the switch. The main router was also connected to the switch via LAN and WAN port. 2 routers, in AP mode, were connected from their LAN port to the switch, along with a few other devices connected to the switch. I never had any issues.&nbsp;Since changing ISPs, my new configuration is ISP Modem&gt;Orbi Router&gt;Switch&gt;2 satellites and few devices. Then each Satellite has 8 port switches connected to them, with devices connected to the switches.&nbsp;

Forum Discussion

RBR850 and RBS850 in AP mode with RAX80

5 Replies