RAX200 + Orbi best practice

[jonshamieh]

I currently own a RAX200 for my one bedroom apartment.  It's amazing.  I just bought a 5 bedroom house (2300 sqft) and have CAT6 run to every room.  Sonic Fiber Modem is in garage.  I have 9 ethernet lines that terminate in the garage near the modem.

I am thinking to add an Orbi Mesh to the system.  I just am torn -- should I use the RAX200 straight from modem and use Orbi as Access Point and satellites from there?  Or should I run the Modem straight to Orbi and set up my RAX200 as an Access Point in one of the bedrooms?

modem--RAX200--Orbi (AP)--Orbi Satellites

-OR-

modem--Orbi--Orbi Satellites--RAX200 (AP)

[plemans]

I'd first just try it out with the RAX200. It has surprising range/capabilities. 

Just centrally locate it in the home. 

If it doesn't work, Then i'd go: 

modem---rax200------mesh setup in AP mode

[jonshamieh]

I would but the RAX200 will be in garage as that’s where all my ethernet jacks terminate. So I’ll need a switch down there and a router before the switch. I guess I could get a cheaper wired only router, but I like the idea of having RAX200 be the main brain of whole network.

[plemans]

You sure can do it. 

I ran it that way for a while

I had a CM1100----->rax200----->orbi rbk53 system 

the orbi system was ran in AP mode. The only other thing I made sure that I did was my satellites that were connected via wired backhaul, connected directly to the rbr50 and not through the rax200 then rbr50

[jonshamieh]

Thank you.  This is exactly the type of info I was looking for.  Very helpful.  I am also considering the Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6 system - I know it's not TriBand, but might be all I need for extra coverage to rest of house.  Most of my devices will be hardwired via Gigabit lines anyway.  Orbi might be overkill.  I assume with the Nighthawk Mesh the idea is exactly the same, run the main in AP, and then chain the Satallites to it.  Although there aren't enougn ports on the Nighthawk to backhaul each one via wrired.  hmmm...

[plemans]

running them with the wired backhaul is ideal since its just the dual band system. A cheap gigabit switch would fix the port issue. 

[jonshamieh]

Got it, thank you!

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@plemans wrote:

running them with the wired backhaul is ideal since its just the dual band system. A cheap gigabit switch would fix the port issue. 

---

  Yep I have a 5-port gigabit Netgear unmanaged switch that will be hit directly after RAX200.

MODEM-RAX200-MK63 Router-GS305-MK60 Satellites

Some other three wired ports from the RAX200 will go directly to select rooms and will hit switches of their own.

[jonshamieh]

---

  Yep I have a 5-port gigabit Netgear unmanaged switch that will be hit directly after RAX200.

MODEM-RAX200-MK63 Router-GS305-MK60 Satellites

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Sorry, to correct my last post, the the GS305 switch will be hit after the Nighthawk Mesh router (in AP mode) - not after the RAX200.

[plemans]

should work great!