Partial upgrade from RBR50 to Orbi Wifi 6

[stickooo]

Hi, 

I am thinking to upgrade my RBR50 (wifi 5) partially to wifi 6. Currently my setup is, I have RBR50 and 2 satelites connected with LAN. 

If I get RBR850,

1. Will my current satellites (connected with LAN) still working properly?

2. I am assuming that if the device is connected to Wifi RBR850, then it will get wifi 6 otherwise it will still connected to wifi 5. Is this correct? Or everything will be downgraded to Wifi 5 since not all mesh are in Wifi 6?

3. Is it best to get the:

      (a) Router wifi 6 and Satellite wifi 5 OR

      (b) Router wifi 5 and Satellite Wifi 6

What is the best combo (everything will still be Orbi)

upgrading the whole system to wifi 6 is just plain to expensive, so this is why i'm planning to partially upgrade to wifi 6 until all old Orbi need to be replaced.

regards

Mike

[plemans]

I've heard/read that if you connect a rbs50 to the orbi setup hardwired it'll work. but it doesn't integrate with the system. So its not really compatible.

What you could do so you'd have a little more integration?

Go RBK850--->RBR50 (in access point mode)---->RBS50

The RBK50 series was the top performing AC router. What speeds do you pay for that you think upgrading to wifi 6 will be beneficial? 

And do you have any wifi 6 (AX) devices? 

[stickooo]

I have few apple devices that support Wifi 6

Do you think the mesh network would work between RBK 850 and RBS50 assuming it's all in the same SSID?

What I like the most about mesh is it always select the strongest satellite, and drop the weakest one without having to do it manually

[plemans]

I don't have an 8 series to connect and see how it functions. 

I've just read a few posts on there that you can hardwire wire a satellite in and it works but doesn't integrate. 

IF you connect it with the rbk850 setup and then connect the rbk50 series in access point mode, then I wouldn't use the same ssid as devices wouldn't roam properly

[CrimpOn]

I also remember reading posts about connecting 50 series satellites to the AX routers with Ethernet and have a distinct impression that (a) it worked with the original AX firmware, but (b) later versions of the AX firmware no longer support that type of connection.

Thus, the only  way to connect the original satellites to a new AX router is by connecting the old RBR50 router to the new AX RBR850 router with an Ethernet cable and then putting the RBR50 in Access Point (AP) mode.  This has a number of issues:

• Unless the house has in-wall Ethernet cable, it will be impractical to move the RBR50 very far from the RBR850.  For the satellites to function at all, the RBR50 WiFi must be active, so there will be two WiFi routers in the same room and on the same 5G channel. (The 2.4G channels could be different, but not the 5G)
• No matter what SSID's are used for the two Orbi systems, they remain separate systems.  Devices will not change from one system to the other until the WiFi signal they are using drops to the point that they say, "I need to give up on this weak WiFi and look for a better one."  That is entirely different from the device saying, "Hey, my access point is not as strong as this other access point, I'll use the 802.11 protocol for switching access points."
• You may be comfortable with this complicated WiFi setup, but other users are more likely to be annoyed, especially if they notice no difference in how their iPhones work.

Prices will come down.  I'd wait.

[FURRYe38]

Ethernet connected RBS50 no longer work with Orbi AX systems.