ORBI Compatibility

[EBXHOMM]

I have a Netgear Nighthawk R8500.  If I get the ORBI RBK50, what could the nighthawk be used?

[CrimpOn]

Orbi and Nighthawk have different router capabilities.  Some users prefer to keep their Nighthawk doing the "router functions" and place their Orbi in Access Point (AP) mode.  Some users believe their Orbi's are more stable as Access Points than as routers.  Some people simply put the Nighthawk on a shelf as a back up in case something happens to the Orbi.

[EBXHOMM]

So the R8500 can still be used and have the Orbi as an AP?  Are there instructions I can follow to make this happen? I really like my Nighthawk, but because there are  areas in the house that are dead spots (basement), I need to have some coverage there.

[JoeCymru]

Though now eclipsed by other routers, a couple of years ago this was the killer device. Nice router. Why are you thinking about Orbi? Do you have weak or dead spots in the house? As just a router, your R8500 is superior to the Orbi. The Orbi's purpose is to give large coverage at good speed everywhere with minimal signal degradation. If you buy Orbi, you would probably want to put the RBR model router in the AP mode after your Nighthawk. Then the R8500 controls your wifi system and the Orbi just insures access points, and coverage where the main router signal falls off to not being usuable for device purposes. The Orbis will never be able to utilize the full capabilities of the Nighthawk (and neither will extenders), but will give you great speed and coverage in weak or dead areas.

You absolutely do not want to run the two routers independently as routers. 

[CrimpOn]

As Joe pointed out, you would connect the Orbi RBR (router) directly to the Nighthawk.  Go into Orbi "Advanced->Advanced Setup-> Router/AP Mode" and select AP instead of Router.  This will ensure that the Nighthawk continues doing all of the "router things" (assigning DHCP addresses, acting as a gateway to the Internet, etc.)  The main benefit of the Orbi is that is covers a wider area with a single WiFi name (the SSID), including 2.4G and 5G.  Your phone or tablet can move around the house and it gets switched to whichever Orbi has the best signal without you doing anything. If you keep the Nighthawk WiFi radios on, then you will have two competing WiFi networks in your house (not typically a good thing).  If you connect to the Nighthawk and then move where the signal is not very good, your device will stay connected until it loses signal completely before saying, "Hey, I need to look for a new WiFi to connect to."

This may be more technical than you are interested in, in which case you can always just plug the Orbi in where the Nighthawk was and put the Nighthawk in a closet in case you need it some time.