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Forum Discussion
RBS350 same network as RBS850 - bad?
Is this a bad idea?
I have 2x RBS850 satellites and one RBR850 router. I need to hit a deadspot for some of my IoT things - so wondering if I picked up a RBS350 it's a MUCH cheaper option then another 850 satellite.
Netgear's table shows they are compatible.. but ,my head says take the plunge on another 850 satellite (double the price of the 350) and keep the network nodes the same and not have devices connecting to the slower satellite etc etc..
Or is there another option for the dead spot?
2 Replies
Yes, Netgear says the RBS350 satellite is compatible with the 850 system. I believe there is an active post on the forum reporting frustration with this setup. The reason the 350 is less costly is that it has only one 5G WiFi radio, rather than two like the rest of the AX product line. The one radio services both user devices and the 'backhaul' connection to the main network. Bandwidth is not much of a concern with IoT devices.
I would certainly purchase from someplace with a generous return policy.
If the "dead spot" concerns only IoT things, then seamless roaming is not such a priority. (they tend not to be mobile devices). Any WiFi extender (from any company) could be used to provide a stronger WiFi channel in that area. My guess is that these IoT devices are probably all 2.4G devices as well. A Netgear EX3700, for example, could connect to the main network on the 5G channel and create a separate 2.4G channel just for these devices.
https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/datasheet/en/EX3700.pdf
A 'renewed' EX3700 is under $50 US on Amazon. (under $25 'renewed') There are several (obvious Chinese knockoff brands) that have hundreds of positive reviews for under $50.
