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RBK852 maximum satellites

prozone
Follower

RBK852 maximum satellites

I am moving to a new apartment that is 3000 sqft in size but has very thick walls in between rooms. 

Am planning to have 6 satellites connected to the main router via backhaul. Is that possible? Any one has any experience with that many satellites? 

 

Thanks 

 

Message 1 of 5
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: RBK852 maximum satellites

Netgear recommends a maximum of 4 WiFi6 or WiFi6E satellites:

https://kb.netgear.com/000062035/How-many-satellites-can-you-add-to-an-Orbi-WiFi-System 

 

There are plenty of forum posts mentioning more satellites.  A total of 7 WiFi units in 3,000 ft. sounds like a lot.

 

Message 2 of 5
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: RBK852 maximum satellites

I would be carefull having too many RBS in that size of home. Even with the building materials being a factor, you should look into may some Power Line adapters and connect two to maybe 3 RBS for ethernet backhaul instead of wireless and having too many RBS in that size of home. 6 would be too many. I'd try some PL adapters and try two RBS first. 


@prozone wrote:

I am moving to a new apartment that is 3000 sqft in size but has very thick walls in between rooms. 

Am planning to have 6 satellites connected to the main router via backhaul. Is that possible? Any one has any experience with that many satellites? 

 

Thanks 

 


 

Message 3 of 5
plemans
Guru

Re: RBK852 maximum satellites

Thats a pretty expensive setup. Sounds like you're pretty much putting an access point in every room with a wired backhaul. 

If thats they plan, why not go with something a little cheaper like the SXK30 series? With that many access points, you're load on each isn't going to be that high and they'd be a lot cheaper. 

 

Message 4 of 5
donawalt
Virtuoso

Re: RBK852 maximum satellites

Whoa I think that is way overkill! I live in a house built in 1862, and I bet the walls can withstand an artillery attack lol! Lots of stone in this house. Plus, my house is just under 5000 square feet on 3 floors and a basement. I have an RBR850 and TWO RBS850 satellites - I used to have three but didn't need it, in fact it made things worse.

 

But of course YMMV - so how to proceed?

 

I would highly recommend to do this right, you need a software app that shows real time WiFi signal strength. There are a number of free ones. I use a Mac laptop, and walk around the house running either/both of 2 tools - WiFi Explorer Lite and iAnalyzeWiFi. Both are free and in the Mac App store. I am sure there are comparable tools in the Windows world, if not more of them. Both tools will give a real time view of ALL signals in your house where you are standing. As a bonus, you'll even see neighbor's signals if they are close enough, so it gets really easy to determine channels to set up with the NG routers for 2.4GHz and 5Ghz so that contention between networks is minimized.

 

Now there's two options with how you do this - you didn't say if your backhaul would be wired or wireless. With wired, pick the WORST signal area that you can get a wire to, to increase the coverage. With WiFi backhaul, pick a STRONG signal area so the backhaul connection is fast and reliable.

 

I would recommend getting an RBR and 2 RBSs to start. Get the RBR working, walk around with your laptop signal app, and place the second RBS - THAT'S IT. get them both up, and then do some more walking around to see what the final strength is. You can see them in RSSI so it doesn't take any "figuring" to know if the signal is good enough for WiFi. One e that is working, you will know whether you have an area with weak signal to set up the second RBS. Try putting it as far as you can in the apartment from either the RBR or RBS - I think Netgear recommends 30 feet minimum? Others can chime in.

 

With 2 RBSs in place, just keep walking around checking signal strength - and do some speed tests. Only then will you know if you have an objectively weak signal area demanding a 3rd RBS. Keep in mind as well, if that area for the third (or even the second) RBS is weak but small in size, you may need to reduce the signal power from that RBS so it doesn't overlap - you want it just strong enough to cover the weak area. Note on the two signal apps I mentioned above, I can see signals from each RBR and RBS individually - so I know if I have a strong overlap in a region of the house.

 

I really think you will be shocked at how few satellites you need - certainly well less than 6 unless your walls are like Fort Knox.  I was SHOCKED how strong the signal is, in some cases going to a room directly above on the next floor, but at the other end of the room - it has a lot of interference to get through but it does GREAT.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes - but please don't buy 6 RBSs until you know objectively you need them - the overlap in signal between them will destroy the successful operation of your mesh! 

 

 

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