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Nighthawk R7000 + Orbi RBR50 - apps, Armor and a lot of devices... best approach?
Hi, I tried to search the community but have not found what i was looking for so if i missed something, feel free to just point me to the right thread... I have a 2 floor house, wooden. approx 1...
To sum up this thread for any future useage:
You can find best setup in the following links in regards to Orbi:
https://www.tech21century.com/netgear-orbi-questions-and-answers/
https://averagetechblog.com/how-to/netgear-orbi-settings/
After review of several sources and chat within this thread, it seems having the router (R7000) as router is the best thing but disable the wifi of the router. Use Orbi as main Wifi-connector!
If you can, then connect Orbi by cable to the router, disable daisy-chain in Orbi RBR50 unless you have 3 satellites or more OR have in a chain situation like RBR - Sat - Sat approach... and if you have them connected by wore / cable to the router you should not need to have daisy chain either...
So, above are my findings after a lot of reviews and questioning.
Netgear Armor has for me been very useful, covering unlimited devices. The portal is still a bit "crappy" but finctionality remains good. Both Orbi as well as the R7000 can enable Netgear Armor for you.
If you want to use teh Nighthawk APP you need to enable and connect to the Nighthawk wifi (i set up a small "admin SSID" that i use now and then but disable it, when in "normal use".
Also, please note - my R7000 did NOT find the latest firmware that was released in early April. I had to update manually to close the security flaw. Might be useful to know!!
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Hello, Mats-cz
welcome to the community!
I can try to give some answers, based on what you have described in your post.
1) The setting seems quite correct and functional, however I should ask you if in the path between the various devices, routers / satellites there are obstacles that can somehow make the connection unstable.
Also, are all the devices updated with the latest firmware version?
2) As for possible "deletions" or "reductions" in the next firmware releases for R7000, unfortunately, I can't help. I encourage you to check the device page regularly to check for any new updates.
3) The best solution considering your needs, is to set R7000 in AP mode and to put ORBI as a router, so that you can increase the range of your WiFi network, attaching, if possible, satellites to the ORBI router, thus guaranteeing the possibility of connecting other devices.
4) If the R7000 is in Access Point mode, some of its functions will be disabled and it will not be possible to access it, for this reason you will encounter errors by connecting with the Nighthawk App.
5) You can find a list of products that support NETGEAR Armor on this page
The drops in connectivity could be due to the high number of devices connected together, or to environmental interference.
Greetings
Marco
Team NETGEAR
MarcoBr wrote:
4) If the R7000 is in Access Point mode, some of its functions will be disabled and it will not be possible to access it, for this reason you will encounter errors by connecting with the Nighthawk App.
You can access the R7000 in AP if you know the IP address that your router has allocated it. (This will appear in the router's list or in something like the Netgear desktop genie for your operating system.) Just aim a browser at the ip address.
For the sake of convenience. some of us setup our networks so that the AP device always gets the same IP address from the router. Then we can bookmark the IP address and get there whenever we feel the urge.
What will not work is an address like routerlogin.net.
Here is a full list of disabled functions that might be useful.
Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support
Some of us also put the Orbi system into AP mode and leave the router to do its thing. But it you have Armor on the Orbi, that is best left as the router.
Thanks Michael. think i got a handle on teh reply now as well... :)
See my response below... in case you can help me further.
michaelkenward wrote:
MarcoBr wrote:4) If the R7000 is in Access Point mode, some of its functions will be disabled and it will not be possible to access it, for this reason you will encounter errors by connecting with the Nighthawk App.
You can access the R7000 in AP if you know the IP address that your router has allocated it. (This will appear in the router's list or in something like the Netgear desktop genie for your operating system.) Just aim a browser at the ip address.
For the sake of convenience. some of us setup our networks so that the AP device always gets the same IP address from the router. Then we can bookmark the IP address and get there whenever we feel the urge.
Good idea. Thanks. Will try that out.
What will not work is an address like routerlogin.net.
Here is a full list of disabled functions that might be useful.
Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support
Some of us also put the Orbi system into AP mode and leave the router to do its thing. But it you have Armor on the Orbi, that is best left as the router.
I have the Armor connected to the R7000 and the Orbi in AP mode. i am looking for experiences if you or anyone else deem the R7000 as a better router than the Orbi or vice versa. If the Orbi router is as good as the R7000, i could possibly simply disconnect the R7000 and add in an Orbi satellite to "streamline" things and keep myself into "one product family only" IF that would help. As said, looking for experiences in how well things work as well as if Nighthawk versus Orbi when it comes to router-experiences / performance.Thanks!
Mats-cz wrote:
I have the Armor connected to the R7000 and the Orbi in AP mode.I'd stick with that.
Not all routers support Armor. Does your Orbi?
I have an R7800 router, probably better than the R7000, and is the connoisseur's pick of Netgear's routers, but I don't think it supports Armor. (I beta tested it on the R7000P.)
My Orbi is in AP mode. Experience tells me that Orbi supports AP mode much better than the R series routers. And generally R series routers offer more features than the Orbi as a router. But you'd have to compare and contrast to get a definitive assessment.