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Forum Discussion
XR700 booster compatibility
I currently have the nighthawk XR700 router, which has been great despite the common configuration issue when power is cut.
But I just moved into a new house that has a larger floor plan and much thicker walls. There are a lot of dead spots on the main floor that I’d like to sort.
Ideally, I’d leave my XR700 where it is and use a booster that can connect via Ethernet (to prevent bandwidth drops) and configure with the same name and password for seamless connection.
I’m open to a whole new setup if I need to get rid of my XR700, I’ve seen the EX7700 and wonder if it can do that seamless connection via the nighthawk app and same network ID, but cannot find any info to confirm it.
Has anyone had any experience of this or similar systems?
I am reticent to go with a mesh system as I don’t like the idea of degradation over distance, and I want to hard wire some room electronics anyway so Ethernet extension is best. But any advice would be appreciated
But I just moved into a new house that has a larger floor plan and much thicker walls. There are a lot of dead spots on the main floor that I’d like to sort.
Ideally, I’d leave my XR700 where it is and use a booster that can connect via Ethernet (to prevent bandwidth drops) and configure with the same name and password for seamless connection.
I’m open to a whole new setup if I need to get rid of my XR700, I’ve seen the EX7700 and wonder if it can do that seamless connection via the nighthawk app and same network ID, but cannot find any info to confirm it.
Has anyone had any experience of this or similar systems?
I am reticent to go with a mesh system as I don’t like the idea of degradation over distance, and I want to hard wire some room electronics anyway so Ethernet extension is best. But any advice would be appreciated
6 Replies
so here's your issue.
1. if you use a standard extender and wire it in and run it in access point mode (what you'd need hardwired in), it doesn't function as part of a mesh and devices won't roam as effectively.
2. you could use a triband mesh extender like the EX7500/EX7700/EX8000 as part of mesh but not hardwired. They need to use their wireless backhaul to be part of the mesh. When they're wired in, its in access point mode.
3. The benefit to actual mesh systems like MK nighthawk and Orbi have the option of either using the wireless backhaul or using a wired backhaul while still retraining their smart roaming features. The extender line doesn't have that option.
- That’s good to know, thanks.
Frustratingly, the areas that are in dead zones are on the other side of thick walls. I can run the EX7700 wirelessly boosting in an adjacent room, as it will be 1 floor closer than the current setup, I just won’t know the signal strength until I set it up.
I had an older set of Orbi RBK30 before I bought my nighthawk, but found they constantly dropped out over our 3 floor terrace.
My current virgin line comes in the loft, so is (technically) 3rd floor up. I can run Ethernet across the entire loft for a mesh system, as they don’t tend to have the range of routers with external antenna from what I’ve found.
The dead spot is the conservatory (2floors down, and through a Victorian thick walls), which I plan on running Ethernet to.
Do you think the mesh will work for the whole house (2 floors) from the loft if I hardwired one mesh unit in the conservatory?
So for the MK model, 2 in the loft, either side, then one in the conservatory through the thick wall.
I just worry the range won’t be strong enough, and each set is hundreds of pounds, so an expensive experiment.
If you could pick one wired single login option, what product would you choose? Or would you just throw a tri-band in a neutral location to get it through the wall
Thanks for your input, it’s much appreciatedStill got your orbi system? they are much better hardwired in and would give you some rough coverage figures before buying a more expensive system. The XR700 is only faster in close range versus the older system.
Reason I say that is the broadcast strength has been set for a while. The AX and BE systems (wifi 6/7) didn't increase the broadcast power so coverage isn't much improved.
What actual speeds do you pay for? Picking up an older orbi system and getting some second hand satellites for increased coverage might be a better option than buying new if you're putting in some hardwired lines. My older orbi's were fantastic up to 800-1000mbps speeds. After that, i needed to upgrade my system but lower, they were great with the wired in satellites.
I had a bit of trouble with compatibility initially, but once I updated my router’s firmware, everything connected perfectly. Worth checking that first!
