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Add a 973 Router to a current 970 Mesh System
I bought 2 Orbi 970 3-pack Mesh Systems and I want to set them up as one fully-meshed network in 4 different construction trailers. One router is setup already with one 970 satellite hard-wired for ...
Yes, it should work.
Almost. When the second router is set to Access Point (AP) mode, it should not enable DHCP. All devices on the network should get their IP address from the primary router.
Even though the second system can have identical WiFi credentials as the primary WiFi system, in radio terms, they are separate. Thus, mobile devices may not roam seamlessly between system.
Thus, if a person carries a smartphone or laptop from one building to another, WiFi performance may be "not so good" (metal walls, etc.) Going into Network Settings to disconnect the WiFi and then reconnect will switch the connection to the stronger signal. A little irritating, but certainly more convenient than having different WiFi names.
That's a LOT of people on a residential system.
p.s. As long as you are going to the trouble to run Ethernet cable, it might be a good idea to run separate cables from each satellite to the router location and plug them all into a 2.5G or 10G switch that is connected to the router. If the cable is already run, I hope the conduit between buildings is large enough to accommodate additional cables in the future.