Nighthawk R7000 as a switch

[eman6880]

I have an R7000 and use a USB 3 hard drive connected to access media on devices in my home. I want to switch over to the orbi mesh system (for many reasons not important here) but would like to utilize the R7000 as a switch to keep devices in my office hardwired and hopefully keep the hard drive. I don't see any issue with changing the router to a switch but wondered will the USB functionality still be there or will I lose that when I disable the router features? 

[michaelkenward · Accepted solution]

---

@eman6880 wrote:

.....would like to utilize the R7000 as a switch to keep devices in my office hardwired and hopefully keep the hard drive.

---

Talk of a "switch" may be a red herring. That usually means simply adding more network ports to plug in wired LAN devices. If that is what you mean, if you set it up right, you can use the Orbi and the R7000 as LAN ports for your network.

The easiest way to do this is to use the Orbi in AP mode and stick with the R7000 as the router. Then you can use the spare ports on the router for LAN devices. You can also use the LAN ports on the Orbi for other stuff.

Given that the Orbi is a router, a surprising number of people do just that. Like you, they want to carry on using USB devices.

I have an R7800 router in front of an Orbi network in AP mode.I also have a genuine 16-port switch hanging off the R7800.

I also have Arlo cameras running off the LAN port on the Orbi router.

If you have some other interpretation of switch, just say so. It should be possible to do what you want.

[antinode]

   Assuming that "as a switch" is equivalent to as a wireless access
point (with or without actually using the radios)...

> [...] will the USB functionality still be there or will I lose that
> when I disable the router features?

   I wouldn't expect any serious problems.  Note that "ReadySHARE" (or
"USB") does not appear in the following KB atricle:

      https://kb.netgear.com/26765

   Typically, the worst difficulty is finding the thing at its new LAN
IP address, but that shouldn't be a big problem, either.

[michaelkenward · Accepted solution]

---

@eman6880 wrote:

.....would like to utilize the R7000 as a switch to keep devices in my office hardwired and hopefully keep the hard drive.

---

Talk of a "switch" may be a red herring. That usually means simply adding more network ports to plug in wired LAN devices. If that is what you mean, if you set it up right, you can use the Orbi and the R7000 as LAN ports for your network.

The easiest way to do this is to use the Orbi in AP mode and stick with the R7000 as the router. Then you can use the spare ports on the router for LAN devices. You can also use the LAN ports on the Orbi for other stuff.

Given that the Orbi is a router, a surprising number of people do just that. Like you, they want to carry on using USB devices.

I have an R7800 router in front of an Orbi network in AP mode.I also have a genuine 16-port switch hanging off the R7800.

I also have Arlo cameras running off the LAN port on the Orbi router.

If you have some other interpretation of switch, just say so. It should be possible to do what you want.

[eman6880]

I went ahead and used the Orbi as the router and disabled DHCP on the R7000 and connected it via LAN in my office and all is well. USB functionality and additional wired LAN ports working as expected. 

[antinode]

> [...] disabled DHCP on the R7000 and connected it via LAN [...]

   Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation.  Get the User Manual.  Look for "Use the Router as a
Wireless Access Point".