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Forum Discussion
krgoodwin
Jan 15, 2026Aspirant
RBE970 Satellite Connections
Why does a WiFi device 10 feet away from the satellite end up connected to the Router RBE971 which is a 100 feet away? I've also seen where devices close to the satellite initially connect to the sat...
CrimpOn
Feb 04, 2026Guru - Experienced User
krgoodwin wrote:the next day, the device in question has decided to change and attach to the Router which is considerably further away
Is this repeatable? If the device is powered on when both the 971 router and the 970 satellite are already active, it chooses the nearby satellite (which is the expected behavior). Does this happen reliably? (every time) i.e. power it off. Power it back on and see what it connects to. (several times).
If left connected to the satellite, is there a pattern to the device switching to the router? (every night? some nights? sometimes during the day?)
One possible explanation for the device changing from satellite to router could be that the satellite WiFi signal disappears for a short time. Although the device may not be programmed to "keep looking for a better signal", it almost certainly will begin looking if the WiFi access point it is using disappears. "Oh, there's one I know the password to" (the router) Once connected, it falls back to staying connected and not looking for a stronger signal.
I have a sense that there have been discussions on the forum about 970 satellites dropping connections, but not having one I have not followed them closely.
Not certain what tools can be used to document when specific WiFi signals are being broadcast and when they are not.
p.s. What device is this? If it is under $30, I'll have Amazon bring me one to experiment with.