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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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Thanks for your reply! I added in my response under each bullet and hope you can help me a bit further... ;)
MarcoBr wrote:Hello, Mats-cz
welcome to the community!Many thanks!
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?Yes, all have latest firmware and are updated. If the setup seem right, is the R7000 a "better" router than the Orbi?
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.
Thanks. Will do.
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.
Hmm.. i struggle a bit here. If i put the Orbi in router mode, would it not be easier to just add another Orbi satellite and ditch the R7000 or does the R7000 play a valid role in AP mode? I was a bit under the belief that R7000 could be a better router approach than the Orbi but if not, then adding an Orbi satellite and remove the R7000... would that help "streamline" things? Simplify it?
Also, i have not seen any chnages by adding specific items that coudl distrub the signals apart form more smart devices of course. Could that be an issue considering "only" having an Orbi + satellite? Would an additional satellite help handle all the devices better or would a shift to the new Wifi6 be a better option even?
Currently R7000 is my router and that is also what the Netgear Armor is connected to (even if it states something different in german of all langiages ;) )
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.
OK. see my question 3 as i wonder if the R7000 "AP mode" is a better solution than adding an Orbi satellite? is there a risk that I "make it more complex" by having 2 "different types" running the same SSID? I assume the Orbi using one technology while R7000 is usinga different one?
5) You can find a list of products that support NETGEAR Armor on this page
Thanks!
The drops in connectivity could be due to the high number of devices connected together, or to environmental interference.
OK. So adding more AP to handle the volume of devices would/could make a positive difference?
Greetings
Marco
Team NETGEAR
I searched further on the internet and came by this article (with all comments). Could be useful...
https://www.tech21century.com/netgear-orbi-vs-nighthawk-wifi-routers/
Anyway, it seems by this article that R7000 is a "better router" or at least have more possible configurations including Advanced QoS... When using Orbi together with Nighthawk there was a recommendation to use Orbi for wireless and not have Nighthawk doing any wireless (when acting as router). Not sure if anyone else has similar or different experiences?!
The R7000 is from early 2016 as well so not sure if it is the fastest and most reliable. Could a new Nighthawk make a big difference even if i do not use it for wireless?
So many questions... ;)
Mats-cz wrote:
When using Orbi together with Nighthawk there was a recommendation to use Orbi for wireless and not have Nighthawk doing any wireless (when acting as router). Not sure if anyone else has similar or different experiences?!
That is the usual advice. There are a couple of reasons for this.
For a start you don't want too many wifi sources around to interfere with each other and to confuse your wifi clients. And Orbi systems usually come with satellites and "Mesh" technology that provides a smoother handover from source to satellite as you move around with your wifi clients.
I have experimented with turning on and off the router wifi (the R7000 in your case but here an R7800). I saw no adverse effects. But my Orbi is about 20 feet away and on Powerline ethernet. I generally keep the wifi off on the R7800 because I don't need it.
The Orbi is generally designed to be easier to use, but that can mean less controllable, a feature that upsets some propeller heads who like to mess around under the bonnet, often for no obvious reason.
Mats-cz wrote:
Could a new Nighthawk make a big difference even if i do not use it for wireless?
Only if you desperately need a new router and it has features that you lust after.
The R7000 continues to be one of Netgear's workhorse routers. It gets features like Circle and Armor but at the expense of removing features that are important to some people.
The newer incarnation of the R7000, the R7000P, based on a different chip, is still on sale. Netgear even has the R7000 in stock.
So, work out what you want to do and get the kit that can do it.
Thanks Michael, sounds reasonable. Some final questions / validation points though...
michaelkenward wrote:
Mats-cz wrote:When using Orbi together with Nighthawk there was a recommendation to use Orbi for wireless and not have Nighthawk doing any wireless (when acting as router). Not sure if anyone else has similar or different experiences?!
That is the usual advice. There are a couple of reasons for this.
For a start you don't want too many wifi sources around to interfere with each other and to confuse your wifi clients. And Orbi systems usually come with satellites and "Mesh" technology that provides a smoother handover from source to satellite as you move around with your wifi clients.
Question: do you have the Orbi devices connected by wire to the router or wireless between Orbi? I assume wired should help bandwidth? My plan would be to add another Orbi satellite to cope with the devices and i assume best would be to connect it with cable to the router? Or do you have a different view?
I have experimented with turning on and off the router wifi (the R7000 in your case but here an R7800). I saw no adverse effects. But my Orbi is about 20 feet away and on Powerline ethernet. I generally keep the wifi off on the R7800 because I don't need it.
Question: do you use the same SSID as on Orbi or a different one?Question: do you have the router wifi on or off in your current setup with Orbi attached? If i read it right you only use Orbi wifi?!?
The Orbi is generally designed to be easier to use, but that can mean less controllable, a feature that upsets some propeller heads who like to mess around under the bonnet, often for no obvious reason.
Mats-cz wrote:Could a new Nighthawk make a big difference even if i do not use it for wireless?
Only if you desperately need a new router and it has features that you lust after.
The R7000 continues to be one of Netgear's workhorse routers. It gets features like Circle and Armor but at the expense of removing features that are important to some people.
Question: There is something in the oruter called "Dynamic QoS" which uses a a database for performance but it has not been updated since 2018-06-21. Do you use this function as well? if yes - does it work well or do you use something else / disabled?The newer incarnation of the R7000, the R7000P, based on a different chip, is still on sale. Netgear even has the R7000 in stock.
So, work out what you want to do and get the kit that can do it.
Thanks!There's a lot going on in there. And my attention span is not great.
Let's deal with this bit, it is important:
Mats-cz wrote:
Question: do you have the Orbi devices connected by wire to the router or wireless between Orbi?
You can't do a wireless router > Orbi link.
The Orbi router has an access point mode, but not a wireless bridge (repeater) mode.
Your other questions are down to personal preference and are best answered when you have worked out what you really want to do.
