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Forum Discussion
Dabsterrr
Aug 27, 2023Aspirant
Orbi RBR350 AP mode guest network improper IP Assignments
I have my RBR acting on AP only mode with 2 orbi RBS350 as nodes. Connected to the ethernet port on my RBR give me internet access. I see on my router that some devices are being assigned correctly i...
FURRYe38
Aug 28, 2023Guru - Experienced User
Guest Network only works for a limited time frame as the least time is only for a short period of time. Guest Network is not meant for long term use. It's a transient network as generally most guest devices are only connected for a short period of time then move on or leave. So GN is set up for a limited time frame for an IP address least.
GN is also designed to use a different IP address subnet from the main subnet. Also be design. It's not user configurable.
Dabsterrr wrote:
I have my RBR acting on AP only mode with 2 orbi RBS350 as nodes. Connected to the ethernet port on my RBR give me internet access. I see on my router that some devices are being assigned correctly in my IP table but on the orbi admin panel i see it assigning outside the subnet my devices are assigned to 192.168.2.xxx but the LAN my RBR is assigned to is 192.168.1.xxx
Im trying to understand this as some of my devices are losing internet connection after being connected after a period of time 10-30 mins. Happy to increase the size of the network to accommodate this but I would like to get a better picture of the requirements
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-Wi-Fi-5-AC-and-Orbi-with/Guest-network-in-AP-Mode/td-p/1592645
https://www.reddit.com/r/orbi/comments/jpbr88/orbi_rbr750_plus_2_satellites_in_ap_mode_with/
- KevinLiTAug 28, 2023NETGEAR Moderator
Hello Dabsterrr ,
Welcome to the NETGEAR Community!
michaelkenward is correct.
The guest network is disabled in Access Point mode. To use the guest network features please change your RBR350 to router mode. For an optimal network configuration, you may need to change your ISP router to modem-only mode to prevent double NAT instability.
Best,
Kevin
Community Team
- CrimpOnAug 28, 2023Guru - Experienced User
My experience indicates that with regard to Guest WiFi, the situation is more nuanced than one might expect.
(Spoiler Alert: Guest WiFi is NOT disabled in AP mode.)
I have an RBR750 with the WAN port connected to my RBR50 Orbi LAN.
- When the RBR750 is in router mode, it is assigned an IP address in the 192.168.1.x range and creates its own IP LAN in the 10.0.0.x (as it should). It supports both primary and guest WiFi networks.
- Devices connected to the 750 primary network get addresses in 10.0.0.x.
- Devices connected to the 750 Guest WiFi network are assigned IPs in the 192.168.2.x range.
- When the RBR750 is changed to access point (AP) mode, It is assigned an IP in the 192.168.1.x range, but the Attached Devices page now shows the same MAC address with two different IP addresses see image below):
- 192.168.1.84, and
- 192.168.2.1
- In AP mode,
- Devices connected to the 750 primary network (wired or WiFi) are assigned IPs in the upstream router 192.168.1.x network, and they appear in the Attached Devices display of the upstream router, but...
- Devices connected to the 750 Guest WiFi are assigned IPs in the 192.168.2.x range.
These devices do not appear in the upstream Attached Devices display.
My belief is:
- Guest WiFi network is not "disabled" when an AX router is placed in AP mode.
- No matter what mode an AX router is in, devices connected to the Guest WiFi are assigned IPs in the 192.168.2.x range. In router mode, they appear on the Attached Devices display. In AP mode, they do not.
In router mode, every device connected to the AX router is hidden from the upstream router by NAT. In AP mode, devices on the primary network are reported on Attached Devices, but devices connected to the Guest WiFi network are hidden behind the 192.168.2.1 NAT.
This is a fairly simple experiment to conduct. (although a bit tedious)
- michaelkenwardAug 29, 2023Guru - Experienced User
CrimpOn wrote:
My experience indicates that with regard to Guest WiFi, the situation is more nuanced than one might expect.
(Spoiler Alert: Guest WiFi is NOT disabled in AP mode.)
What are we to make of Netgear's KnowledgeBase article on AP mode?
Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support
It is just plain wrong.
My belief is:- Guest WiFi network is not "disabled" when an AX router is placed in AP mode.
Nor is the Guest Network disabled when you put an old warhorse router like the R7800 into AP mode.
Someone with inside connections should get Netgear to revise its advice on this front.
- When the RBR750 is in router mode, it is assigned an IP address in the 192.168.1.x range and creates its own IP LAN in the 10.0.0.x (as it should). It supports both primary and guest WiFi networks.