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Forum Discussion
EX8000 or similar mesh extender w/wired backhaul and single SSID
I have an R8000 and would like to set up mesh extension with multiple extenders (see below) with wired backhaul.
Questions:
1) Can the R8000 be part of the mesh network also providing wif...
Okay... So can you connect the EX8000 to an existing router using a wired backhaul versus a wireless one and use in MESH mode (One WiFi name)? The Orbi got a firmware update to do so. Does the EX8000 need a firmware update to do so? Can the EX8000 be upgraded to do so? Will the EX8000 be upgraded to do so? I know you can setup the EX8000 in AP mode but the MESH (One WiFi name) feature is disabled.
knighstalker wrote:
I know you can setup the EX8000 in AP mode but the MESH (One WiFi name) feature is disabled.
You can still set the AP's network name to match your router.
Great, but will they seemlessly transfer you as you go from one device zone to another? Also would there be any issues where the zones overlap?
knighstalker wrote:
Great, but will they seemlessly transfer you as you go from one device zone to another? Also would there be any issues where the zones overlap?
I don't know if it will be as seamless - Netgear hasn't provided much information on that. In theory it could be, there is no reason why 802.11k can't work with a wired AP.
Behavior here also depends on the clients, as 802.11k only provides hints to the clients that they should switch. The clients don't have to pay attention to those hints.
The other option is to go with an Orbi RBK53. It's pretty close in price ($40 more at the moment on Amazon US), and it will certainly have those features when you use its ethernet backhaul.
I tried getting this all working smoothly and decided to move over to Ubiquiti. Their architecture fully supports meshing and way more configuration options. Very happy with their coverage and analytics.