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Limited Channel selection on Orbi RBR50 in AP mode?
I have an Orbi RBR50 wired to my Fios Router with the Gigabit Fios plan. The Orbi is in AP mode with two RBS50 satelites. The Orbi RBR50 offers the standard 1-11 channels for 2.4 GHz. BUT it only ...
Hi,
Firmware V2.5.1.16 - it says there's no newer firmware
The distance between the router and the satellite is 27 ft. This is a very old apartment building (1903) and the walls are unbelievably thick. When the satellite is further away I can't find the router and turns magenta.
Channels were set to 4 and 36. Now set to 11 and 36 since very few 5 GHz channels are available.
There are 90 apartments in the building and each apartment has at least one router. When I scan for wifi signals I usually pick up at least 15 with decent signal strength.
I already had MMO, Beamforming and WMM selected.
I don't have any mention of Armor.
I just now disabled daisy chain and fast roaming. Also just changed preamble from Auto to Short.
I was unable set Coexistence to 40 because it's only listed as a checkbox which offers 20/40. Also IPV6 has always been greyed out and as a result I couldn't adjust that setting.
I'll be using it for work tomorrow and will check in to update any differences.
Thanks very much for your suggestions.
Try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings
mlg250 wrote:Hi,
Firmware V2.5.1.16 - it says there's no newer firmware
The distance between the router and the satellite is 27 ft. This is a very old apartment building (1903) and the walls are unbelievably thick. When the satellite is further away I can't find the router and turns magenta.
Channels were set to 4 and 36. Now set to 11 and 36 since very few 5 GHz channels are available.
There are 90 apartments in the building and each apartment has at least one router. When I scan for wifi signals I usually pick up at least 15 with decent signal strength.
I already had MMO, Beamforming and WMM selected.
I don't have any mention of Armor.
I just now disabled daisy chain and fast roaming. Also just changed preamble from Auto to Short.
I was unable set Coexistence to 40 because it's only listed as a checkbox which offers 20/40. Also IPV6 has always been greyed out and as a result I couldn't adjust that setting.
I'll be using it for work tomorrow and will check in to update any differences.
Thanks very much for your suggestions.
I ask this in great frustration: do all the quality mesh systems take so many channels for their own backhaul - or for any other reason?!
I turned down the radios but then had trouble getting a stable signal when relying on a satelite.
I've spent several hours with my Android running WiFi Analyzer (tried 3 different ones) trying to find a channel that doesn't have "interfence" above 40%, particularly on the 5 GHz band. This followed my having the sound on Zoom suddenly drop for no apparent reason several times while working today. I moved the satellite around and did find a spot slightly further from the router where it worked and I seemed to get a slightly stronger signal.
Using the WiFi Analyzers I discovered there is someone named "hidden" with a signal consistently as strong as mine and often 10 db higher. I then remembered that someone very recently moved in directly above me and I'll be it's their network.
I also kept getting an analysis that addressed the level of interference on my chosen channels. It looks like I can find a place on the 2.4 GHz band away from any very strong signals. But with the limited choices Orbi offers for 5 GHz, I can't get away from the very clear interference of "hidden",
I also have the guest network turned on. It often seems stronger than the one I'm using and there doesn't seem to be a way to set the guest to a different channel.
I'm feeling disappointed with the Orbi which was an excellent system until FIOS came into the building, Spectrum increased their speeds and now there are a great number of routers close to me that also have good strong signals.
I don't understand a lot about mesh systems although I know I need one to combat the extremely thick walls. Might I have to invest in a whole new system? If so, is there a good mesh system that would give me access to most of the channels? Or - is there a Netgear solution with my existing devices?
Thanks again.
mlg250 wrote:I ask this in great frustration: do all the quality mesh systems take so many channels for their own backhaul - or for any other reason?!
Thanks again.
Pretty much all mesh systems reserve higher channels for backhaul.
Turning down signal strength is more for you if you have too much signal for a smaller area. For me that defeats the purpose of the whole WIFI coverage scheme.
Moving the satellites around sometimes helps you get a better coverage.
The hidden network is your backhaul network, so ignore it.
5GHZ is not a big issue as it is a much narrower band and usually has less interference issues.
I have the RBK50 system, which is 1 RBR50 router and 2 RBS50 satellites. I wouldn't trade it for any other model or brand, as it is very powerful with great coveage. The only exception would be upgrading to WIFI 6, but I have no need for it at this time.
THANK YOU! I've been trying to get away from "hidden" and now I understand it's part of my own network!
This is long narrow very old apartment building with thick walls and you're correct when you say lowering the signal did no good at all. I am finding that moving the satellites even a little bit so as to change angle and direction is providing the best results. Appreciate the confirmation.
And, since all mesh routers use the upper channels for backhaul I can stop cursing Netgear - at least for the moment :)
