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What is the right Orbi model to buy for 3-floor house with a network switch
This weekend i bought an Orbi RKE963 Mesh as a replacement for my current setup consisting of 1 router and 2 access points all connected via a network switch. Setting up was pretty horrible. One sattelite was fine, the other never connected. When using a wired connection, the sattelites appeared as devices instead of sattelites. After reading up, i concluded that a mesh wifi with wireless backhaul is useless when you are using a network switch and wires are available, the units are also unable to connect to eachother wirelessly, i returned the unit.
But in the end i still need buying advice. I have 3 floors and a lot of concrete, but i have foreseen a place for access points on each floor.
I would like to have overall good seamless wifi coverage on all floors. Today i just used the same SSID for router and access points, but if you move from one place to another the signal becomes terrible on a device until it connects to another access point.
I would need the idea of a mesh setup but one that has a dedicated ethernet backhaul. Wireless backhaul is useless, there is so much concrete that the units are barely able to send something via that way.
So my question is more which unit is the right one for my situation ?
Accepting that the product search has been narrowed to Netgear (although I am not certain why), there needs to be a router in the basement (because (a) that is where the ISP modem is and (b) that is where all the Ethernet cables terminate) plus one WiFi access point on each of the three floors. (Because the concrete floors will not support WiFi connection between floors -[all of them?])
The residential WiFi6 (AX) products support almost every existing device. The 850 series has slightly higher capacity than the 750.
The business WiFi6 (AX) products have similar hardware, but offer more substantial capability in terms of setting up sophisticated networks.
It's a matter of cost vs. capability. The more you spend, the more you get. For example, that 960 product will support WiFi6E products when someone begins selling them.
The 960 product (which has been returned?) has an added wrinkle that the router and each satellite have a 2.5G Ethernet port, which means that one of the upstairs satellites can be connected to the router at 2.5G.
>>> Does this mean that only one of the sattelites can be used in this way, what happens with the second sattelite ?
Since the router has only one 2.5G Ethernet port, it can be connected to one device at 2.5G (a 2.5G switch, a 2.5G server, or one of the satellite 2.5G ports). If it connects to a satellite, then the remaining satellites can connect at 1G. If it goes to a 2.5G switch, then *probably* all the satellites can connect at 2.5G.
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? What is the distance between the router and 📡 satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS📡 to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected. https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite📡
I have a 5000sq ft home and my RBK993 works well. Thought I don't really need the extra RBS, I can turn down the transmit power on the system to 50% and all runs nicely with the extra RBS. RBS can be ethernet or wireless connected.
Re: What is the right Orbi model to buy for 3-floor house with a network switch
The house is about 1500ft, cellar and 2 floors. So not really extreme. But the router is in a concrete cellar, almost no signal comes out of there.
My current router is a d-link D-Link DGS-1210-48. A 48 port switch with 1Gbps.
My modem is from the ISP provider, i don't know the brand name.
I read the ethernet backhaul manual, but the Orbi sattelites have 1 2.5Gb ethernet port, and 3 Gb ports. I tried connecting the ethernet 2.5 Gb port to the switch but that didn't work, it worked for 1 sattelite with the normal 1Gb Ethernet ports but in the app it only appeared as a device instead of a sattelite.
The house is about 1500ft, cellar and 2 floors. So not really extreme. But the router is in a concrete cellar, almost no signal comes out of there. For this size of home, you may only need a RBR and maybe 1 RBS.
Basements are not recommended places or locations for the main host router. All that concrete and steel can cause wifi problems.
My house is 5000sq ft home 3 levels and the 1 RBR and 1 RBS work well for me, though I can have the 2nd RBS online. I turn down the power though when I do this.
My current router is a d-link D-Link DGS-1210-48. A 48 port switch with 1Gbps. <The DGS would be switch and not a router.
You could ethernet connect the RBS, however the RBS would be limited to the 1Gb rate if you used this switch.
My modem is from the ISP provider, i don't know the brand name.
There a picture of the front and back of this modem?
I read the ethernet backhaul manual, but the Orbi sattelites have 1 2.5Gb ethernet port, and 3 Gb ports. I tried connecting the ethernet 2.5 Gb port to the switch but that didn't work, it worked for 1 sattelite with the normal 1Gb Ethernet ports but in the app it only appeared as a device instead of a sattelite. Yes, RBS have 1 2.5Gb port and the rest are 1Gb ports. I recommend if you want to connect them using the 2.5Gb port, you'll need to upgrade the switch to something that supports 2.5Gb or higher. Otherwise, use the 1Gb ports.
Re: What is the right Orbi model to buy for 3-floor house with a network switch
In reading through this discussion, I am confused about how the various components are connected.
It appears that this house has Ethernet wiring from various places terminating in the basement at a patch panel and there is a D-Link 48 port switch in the basement, along with the ISP device. My guess is that the ISP device is a combination modem/router with an Ethernet port connected to the D-Link switch, which then distributed service to the rest of the house.
Orbi systems are designed for internet access to come through the Internet (Yellow, marked WAN on some models).
Satellites can be connected only via the Ethernet ports on the router.
Thus the connection must be ISP->to->Router->satellites.
A very common mistake is to connect all of the Orbi units to a switch so that the satellites appear (to the router) to be on the "internet side". This simply will not work.
Another issue that comes up a lot is connecting the satellites through a switch that has IGMP snooping capability.
Thus, the safest connection strategy is:
ISP->to->Router Internet Port.
Router LAN port directly to patch panel to satellites upstairs.(bypassing switch) (for each upstairs satellite)
Router LAN port to switch to feed other hardwired devices upstairs.
The 960 product (which has been returned?) has an added wrinkle that the router and each satellite have a 2.5G Ethernet port, which means that one of the upstairs satellites can be connected to the router at 2.5G.
Re: What is the right Orbi model to buy for 3-floor house with a network switch
Response :
In reading through this discussion, I am confused about how the various components are connected.
It appears that this house has Ethernet wiring from various places terminating in the basement at a patch panel and there is a D-Link 48 port switch in the basement, along with the ISP device. My guess is that the ISP device is a combination modem/router with an Ethernet port connected to the D-Link switch, which then distributed service to the rest of the house.
In response to the guesses :
The house indeed has Ethernet wiring from various places terminating in the basement at a patch panel and there is a D-Link 48 port switch in the basement near the ISP modem.
Orbi systems are designed for internet access to come through the Internet (Yellow, marked WAN on some models).
Satellites can be connected only via the Ethernet ports on the router.
Thus the connection must be ISP->to->Router->satellites.
A very common mistake is to connect all of the Orbi units to a switch so that the satellites appear (to the router) to be on the "internet side". This simply will not work. >>> This is indeed what i did, i followed the guidelines from this article:
Router LAN port directly to patch panel to satellites upstairs.(bypassing switch) (for each upstairs satellite)
Router LAN port to switch to feed other hardwired devices upstairs.
The 960 product (which has been returned?) has an added wrinkle that the router and each satellite have a 2.5G Ethernet port, which means that one of the upstairs satellites can be connected to the router at 2.5G.
>>> Does this mean that only one of the sattelites can be used in this way, what happens with the second sattelite ?
I indeed returned the 960 product after reading up multiple reviews that all said that the unit was great with a wireless backhaul but is overkill if your house is wired and you are not using that wireless backhaul.
So my question is more which unit is the right one for my situation ?
So my question is more which unit is the right one for my situation ?
Accepting that the product search has been narrowed to Netgear (although I am not certain why), there needs to be a router in the basement (because (a) that is where the ISP modem is and (b) that is where all the Ethernet cables terminate) plus one WiFi access point on each of the three floors. (Because the concrete floors will not support WiFi connection between floors -[all of them?])
The residential WiFi6 (AX) products support almost every existing device. The 850 series has slightly higher capacity than the 750.
The business WiFi6 (AX) products have similar hardware, but offer more substantial capability in terms of setting up sophisticated networks.
It's a matter of cost vs. capability. The more you spend, the more you get. For example, that 960 product will support WiFi6E products when someone begins selling them.
The 960 product (which has been returned?) has an added wrinkle that the router and each satellite have a 2.5G Ethernet port, which means that one of the upstairs satellites can be connected to the router at 2.5G.
>>> Does this mean that only one of the sattelites can be used in this way, what happens with the second sattelite ?
Since the router has only one 2.5G Ethernet port, it can be connected to one device at 2.5G (a 2.5G switch, a 2.5G server, or one of the satellite 2.5G ports). If it connects to a satellite, then the remaining satellites can connect at 1G. If it goes to a 2.5G switch, then *probably* all the satellites can connect at 2.5G.
