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Forum Discussion
What is the functional difference between an Orbi System and my N300 WiFi extender model EX2700
What is the functional difference between an Orbi System and my N300 WiFi extender model EX2700?
The Orbis are big and expensive. I just do not get the difference between the Orbi and the ex2700 in terms of functionality and best use of the devices. Can someone enlighten me?
Thank you.
3 Replies
These are the main differences that come to mind.
- The Orbi is a system composed of a base station wirelessly connected to one or more satellites. The base station is a full-fledged router with firewall and NAT functions. The EX2700 is just a range extender.
- The Orbi supports dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) Wi-Fi. The EX2700 is single-band (2.4 GHz only).
- The Orbi supports 802.11ac as well as older Wi-Fi protocols. The EX2700 does not support 802.11ac or 802.11a, only 802.11n and older protocols.
- The Orbi uses a high-speed Wi-Fi link that is dedicated to connecting the base station and satellites together. Separate Wi-Fi links are used to communicate with devices. By contrast, the EX2700 uses a single Wi-Fi link to communicate with the router and clients. This imposes a minimum performance penalty of 50%.
- The Orbi supports up to 2x2 stream Wi-Fi. The EX2700 only supports 1x1 stream Wi-Fi.
Thank you for that excellent and comprehensive reply. So in follow up, can I connect my ex2700 to the Orbi system in order to extend the wifi even more? With the understanding that the ex2700 is functionally limited compared to the Orbi.
Also, I have a modem/wireless router that came with my new Time-Warner ( new name of company: Spectrum) cable system. For the week prior to my purchase of the Orbi, I was using the Time-Warner Cable (TWC) router exclusively. I pay an extra $5.00 to TWC to have the Wifi portion of the router active. A TWC technician suggested I still keep ( and pay $5.00/month) the wireless router portion of my TWC router and that another wireless access band is a good option to maintain my connection speeds. I do not know what to make of such a suggestion. Is this true and worthwhile based on your knowledge and experience -- which appears significant -- or just a way to squeeze another $5.00/month out of me? Is there ant real benefit to me.
P.S. Maybe I can connect the ex2700 to the wireless band of the TWC router to extend its reach?
Thank you again....you rock!
Garvin Fred ( Male "P" do you know the reference?)
Garvin wrote:
Thank you for that excellent and comprehensive reply. So in follow up, can I connect my ex2700 to the Orbi system in order to extend the wifi even more? With the understanding that the ex2700 is functionally limited compared to the Orbi.
In principle, you should be able to use the EX2700 to extend the Orbi. The Orbi is supposed to have amazing range, so this may not be necessary.
Also, I have a modem/wireless router that came with my new Time-Warner ( new name of company: Spectrum) cable system. For the week prior to my purchase of the Orbi, I was using the Time-Warner Cable (TWC) router exclusively. I pay an extra $5.00 to TWC to have the Wifi portion of the router active. A TWC technician suggested I still keep ( and pay $5.00/month) the wireless router portion of my TWC router and that another wireless access band is a good option to maintain my connection speeds. I do not know what to make of such a suggestion. Is this true and worthwhile based on your knowledge and experience -- which appears significant -- or just a way to squeeze another $5.00/month out of me? Is there ant real benefit to me.
Unless you live in a huge residence, the Orbi will probably cover all of your Wi-Fi needs, so save yourself the $60/year. The TWC Wi-Fi is probably not that good, anyway.
P.S. Maybe I can connect the ex2700 to the wireless band of the TWC router to extend its reach?
Frankly, I would trash or sell it. Range extenders should only be used as a last resort.
Thank you again....you rock!
Garvin Fred ( Male "P" do you know the reference?)
