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Forum Discussion
What happens to the extra band when one of the triband satellites uses a wired backhaul
So looks like one of my triB satellites (RBS20) is located where I can use a wired Backhaul. So, I wonder what happens to that extra band?
The 5G backhaul channel remains active even when there are no satellites or when all satellites are connected over ethernet.
The best I can make sense of it is that customers do not expect to have to "do something" to make a satellite work. Take it out of the box. Plug it in. Follow the directions... and (to quote Dr. Frankenstein) it's alive. Also, if the ethernet cable is disconnected, in a few minutes the satellite will recognize the link no longer exists and switch back to the WiFi connection. It's all automatic.
There are customers who do not even configure their WiFi systems. Plug it all in. Read the WiFi SSID/password from the label. Connect their devices. Never look back. When my phone displays the names of WiFi systems in my neighborhood, it is surprising how many obviously have the original WiFi credentials.
If you have a WiFi scanner app, the backhaul channel appears as an access point with no SSID. There actually IS an SSID, but it is not broad cast. (Mine is NETGEAR_ORBI_hidden41. Isn't that cute?)
p.s. That is one reason to disable the Daisy Chain capability if all satellites are connected directly to the router (if your model of Orbi has the option to disable it). When Daisy Chain is enabled, then satellites connected to the router create their own access points and begin broadcasting "Beacon Frames" 5 to 10 times a second for other satellites to use. Beacon Frames are a type of WiFi management frame.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon_frame
Management frames do not consume a huge amount of WiFi bandwidth, so the effect is probably minimal. There's just no reason to create those access points if they are not needed.
It is a bit surprising how much is "going on" with networks that user devices are not aware of. For example, when a person has one router and three satellites with both primary and guest WiFi networks, then each of the four devices broadcasts beacons for primary and guest networks 5-10 times per second. That's 40 to 80 beacons per second, every second of the day.
(Sorry, I get wound up and go on and on... and on)