Mesh Wifi Installation

[Parth_Goyal]

I'm looking for setting up my home network. I have 5 Floors(Residence) + 1 Floor(Maintainence). Entire home's on automation so network would be very populated. On maintainence floor there is modem from ISP and ethernet wire running to all the other 5 floors. So, my entire backhaul is wired.

I'm planning to install Orbi RBK50 on maintainence floor with 5 RBS50, one on each floor.

What would be better

1. Modem(Maintainence Floor) >a robust Router(Maintainence Floor) >Orbi RBK50(in Access point mode on Maintainence Floor) >non green unmanaged gigabit ethernet Switch(Maintainence Floor) >RBS50(on each floor)
2. Modem(Maintainence Floor) >Orbi RBK50(in Router mode on Maintainence Floor) >non green unmanaged gigabit ethernet Switch(Maintainence Floor) >RBS50(on each floor)

In RBK50 I'm planning to connect

• WAN: Modem/Router(based upon above choice)
• Ethernet 1: Non green unmanaged gigabit ethernet Switch(for connecting orbi satellites)
• Ethernet 2: Switch for connecting IOT devices(automation, cameras & security)
• Ethernet 3: Master computer via Ethernet port 3

Each floor is of 2,350 sq. ft. The satellites would be installed in the center on each floor. Each satellite individually would further be connected to a switch for devices on that floor eg. TV, soundbars, alexas.

>each RBS50 >Switch >devices(on respective floor)

Im looking for a robust solution with:

• Organised traffic
• Efficiency with fast communication among devices in the network
• MU-MIMO
• Beamforming
• Security Firewall (by BitDefender via Netgear Armor)

Should I put a router in b/w Modem & RBK50(option 1/option 2)?

What switches shall I use A. for connecting RBK50 to RBS50  B. for connecting RBK50 to IOT devices  C. for connecting RBS50 to lan devices

Thanks in advance .

@netgear @Orbi @AC3000 @rbk50 @orbiRBK50 @RBS50 @switch @WAP 

@Home @homeautomation

[Mstrbig · Accepted solution]

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@Parth_Goyal wrote:

I'm looking for setting up my home network. I have 5 Floors(Residence) + 1 Floor(Maintainence). Entire home's on automation so network would be very populated. On maintainence floor there is modem from ISP and ethernet wire running to all the other 5 floors. So, my entire backhaul is wired.

I'm planning to install Orbi RBK50 on maintainence floor with 5 RBS50, one on each floor.

I would choose Modem(Maintainence Floor) >Orbi RBK50(in Router mode on Maintainence Floor) >non green unmanaged gigabit ethernet Switch(Maintainence Floor) >RBS50(on each floor)

This sounds fine as well since cable is already run. 

WAN: Modem/Router(based upon above choice)

Ethernet 1: Non green unmanaged gigabit ethernet Switch(for connecting orbi satellites)

Ethernet 2: Switch for connecting IOT devices(automation, cameras & security)

Ethernet 3: Master computer via Ethernet port 3

However if cable is cat5 and not cat5e or larger, you should run new cable. If so you coould eliminate the switch for connecting the satellites and daisy chain them up the floors.

[Mstrbig · Accepted solution]

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@Parth_Goyal wrote:

I'm looking for setting up my home network. I have 5 Floors(Residence) + 1 Floor(Maintainence). Entire home's on automation so network would be very populated. On maintainence floor there is modem from ISP and ethernet wire running to all the other 5 floors. So, my entire backhaul is wired.

I'm planning to install Orbi RBK50 on maintainence floor with 5 RBS50, one on each floor.

I would choose Modem(Maintainence Floor) >Orbi RBK50(in Router mode on Maintainence Floor) >non green unmanaged gigabit ethernet Switch(Maintainence Floor) >RBS50(on each floor)

This sounds fine as well since cable is already run. 

WAN: Modem/Router(based upon above choice)

Ethernet 1: Non green unmanaged gigabit ethernet Switch(for connecting orbi satellites)

Ethernet 2: Switch for connecting IOT devices(automation, cameras & security)

Ethernet 3: Master computer via Ethernet port 3

However if cable is cat5 and not cat5e or larger, you should run new cable. If so you coould eliminate the switch for connecting the satellites and daisy chain them up the floors.

[WAP]

Really happy with my Orbi RBR50 but if I was buying equipment now I would spend the extra money for Orbi wifi6 (little more current than my RBR50).  The following is what I have:

AT&T Fiber Install.  I have three pieces of equipment plugged into the AT&T supplied residential gateway.

•medium netgear switch that is dedicated to my UVerse Set-Top Boxes

•large netgear switch that is only used for my wired connections in the house (with very few exceptions everything is hardwired in a homerun back to this switch, xbox, appletv, computers etc)

•Orbi RBR50 (not using as router, set-up as access point).

The Orbi BR50 has the following two wires connected to it:

•ethernet from the AT&T gateway

•ethernet going back to my wiring closet.  (this ethernet going back to my wiring closet is to a small ethernet switch)

The small ethernet switch described in the line above has 4 ethernet wires.

•from the Orbi BR50

•to Orbi BS50 #1

•to Orbi BS50 #2

•to Orbi BS50 #3

There maybe a way to daisy chain between the BR50 and BS50 but this small netgear switch that handles all of my orbi's was the easiest for me to get my head around it (I originally had the BS50's hung off the large switch but it works better now that the small switch is hung off of the BR50 and then the BS50's are hung off that same small switch)

I have a few hard wired connections going to gaming systems from the Orbi BS50 #3 but for the most part the only traffic the BR50, 3 BS50's and the small network swich see if wifi activity.

Works very well.

[WAP]

also check and see if you can have have 5 pieces of equipment of the OBRI BR50/BS50.  I have 4, that might be the max you can have with that vintage of ORBI equipment.

[CrimpOn]

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@WAP wrote:

also check and see if you can have have 5 pieces of equipment of the OBRI BR50/BS50.  I have 4, that might be the max you can have with that vintage of ORBI equipment.

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Users have reported as many as six satellites in one Orbi system.

I agree this is an awkward time to purchase a large WiFi system. (six units counts as "large" to me).  At some point, almost everyone will have devices compatible with WiFi6 (or 6+), but few do today and all of those IoT devices we are installing will remain 802.11b/g/n (2.4G) as long as they remain in the house, which could be years and years.

[Parth_Goyal]

What switch shall I use for connecting RBK50 to satellites? Please suggest one that is available in India. Thanks.

[Parth_Goyal]

Is it that Orbi WiFi 6 is not stable as of now and lacks netgear armor features. Also, I heard in a youtube video that performance on WiFi 5 devices is better with Orbi Wifi5 than Orbi WiFi6.

Could you please confirm th same?

Thanks.

[FURRYe38]

Armor is available on Orbi AX and WiFi 6 has higher connection rates than Orbi AC, I don't see how Orbi AC would be better than Orbi AX. Also you need AX supporting devices to take advantage of Orbi AX high speed rates. 

Please review the spec sheets between the Orbi AC and AX models to compare speeds.

[Parth_Goyal]

If the majority devices are to be WiFi 5 and if over time 25% of them become WiFi6. Then, majority devices in network being WiFi 5, which setup would provide better efficiency AC3000 or AX4200?

Thanks in advance 

*I'm from India

@netgear @Orbi @Orbi6 @AC3000 @rbk50 @orbiRBK50 @RBS50 @switch @WAP 

@Home @homeautomation 

[FURRYe38]

Well if you started supporing AX on your devices then to take advantage of AX wifi, you would need a wifi 6 system so if you wanted to support AX for your devices, Orbi AX would be recommended. 

[Mstrbig]

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@Parth_Goyal wrote:

If the majority devices are to be WiFi 5 and if over time 25% of them become WiFi6. Then, majority devices in network being WiFi 5, which setup would provide better efficiency AC3000 or AX4200?

Thanks in advance 

*I'm from India

Here's my personal experience.

I had an RBK53 AC3000 system, that was my primary system in my home. I never had any issues, had 100% great coverage and fast local and internet speeds. 

I replaced that system with an RBK753 AX4200 system. I immediately noticed a much better speed and throughput with regard to internal and internet speeds. I can now take advantage of WAN Aggregation, I have AX support, making my AX supported devices, (currently 1 laptop and 2 phones), incredibly faster. I'm also future proof and upgradeable ready for a while. 

So I guess it boils down to choice. If you don't feel you will be headed toward WIFI6, then go with the AC3000 system and save the money. If you feel you will, then go with the AX4200 system.