I recently bought an Orbi RBK753 system and set it up in a daisy chain configuration. I have my modem at one end of the house on the upper floor, therefore placed the router next to it, then kept one satellite in the middle of the house and the remaining satellite at the opposite end of the house on the lower floor.
I have 3 PCs connected to each unit with ethernet cables. When I speed tested the LAN using OpenSpeedTest, I got around 910Mbps between the router and middle satellite and also between the middle satellite and the last satellite. But I can barely get 500Mbps between the router and the last satellite, which is a little disappointing.
I expected to see at least 7~800Mbps between the router and the last satellite, after accounting for wireless interference and overheads, but I didn’t think the speed would be cut in half. The backhaul on these is rated for 2400Mbps, so technically, the middle satellite should be able to handle two 900Mbps streams, right?
the 2400mbps is link speed, not actual throughput. throughput tends to be roughly 55-65% of link speed.
another thing to keep in mind is that 5ghz speeds drops of quickly with distance. Plus it doesn't pass through materials as well as 2.4ghz.
So if you're starting at the 2400mbps - 65/55% you get roughly 1300-1500mbps actual throughput speed. but thats going to be at close range. With distance/interference/obstructions, it can drop off quickly. Thats why there's multiple satellites, to account for distance/obstructions/interference.
Thanks for clarifying the link speed and actual throughput, so I guess that means the best I can expect between the router and the last satellite is around 650~750Mbps i.e: (1300~1500) / 2 because the middle satellite has to communicate concurrently with both the router and the other satellite when daisy-chained.
As I have indicated earlier I can get 900Mbps (actual OpenSpeedTest test result) between the router and the middle satellite (~25feet apart through a couple of walls) and also between the middle satellite and the last one (~25feet apart through a couple of walls and the floor). All speed tests were done with computers wired into each unit. So if the middle router can communicate with both ends at 900Mbps then shouldn’t it be able to pass the data from one end to the other end at the maximum throughput (i.e: 650~750Mbps) ? I guess 500Mbps is not too far off, but still..
You will see some performance loss with a daisy chain setup at the end of the chain. Not nearly as bad as you would using standard extenders because of the dedicated backhaul but it does cause a little loss of speed and increased latency. Its why so many places hardwire in their access points.
But 500+mbps is still going to be more than most devices can use or even receive because the fronthaul is only a 1200mbps link speed fronthaul.
You will see some performance loss with a daisy chain setup at the end of the chain. Not nearly as bad as you would using standard extenders because of the dedicated backhaul but it does cause a little loss of speed and increased latency. Its why so many places hardwire in their access points.
But 500+mbps is still going to be more than most devices can use or even receive because the fronthaul is only a 1200mbps link speed fronthaul.
You will see some performance loss with a daisy chain setup at the end of the chain. Not nearly as bad as you would using standard extenders because of the dedicated backhaul but it does cause a little loss of speed and increased latency. Its why so many places hardwire in their access points.
Unfortunately installing new cabling to the ground floor is quite difficult and expensive, which is why opted to get a mesh system. But I may be able to link the router and the middle satellite on the top floor with a cable, but not the other satellite on the lower floor. This begs the question: can I hardwire the router and middle satellite and then wirelessly daisy chain the other one ?
But 500+mbps is still going to be more than most devices can use or even receive because the fronthaul is only a 1200mbps link speed fronthaul.
I just did a speed test on my phone which is connected to the last satellite over WiFi 6 and got 887Mbps / 844Mbps from the OpenSpeedTest server running on a PC connected to the middle satellite. That is 73% of 1200Mbps.
Anyhow, I'm more interested in the backhaul speed because I have wired a few devices to the satellites, and getting a 1Gbps internet connection soon.
When I was setting up the nodes I did try with just one satellite, turned off the middle one just to see how far the signal reaches, with the router and one satellite 60ft apart with 5 ~6 walls and a floor in between I got around 250~300Mbps, which is around half what I am getting now, so having the middle unit certainly helps.
I need the middle satellite because it is in my server closet. Having it there is quite important because the server closet now has an almost 1Gbps link to the modem (and there are a few wired devices in there) as well as the other two units i.e: the router and the remaining satellite also have ~1Gbps links to the server closet. I also need a unit on the lower floor for a PC and a few other devices I like to hardwire, and the router also has to stay where it is. Therefore the current setup works well for me, but I wish the last satellite also had a ~1Gbps link to the modem so I'll be able to get close to the full speed of my future 1Gbps connection at each of the nodes.
I would make sure the distance between the RBR and RBS and RBS to RBS is 30feet or more. Having distances too close causes wifi overlap issues as well.
Sever closet maybe problematic as well. Open areas are recommended for the RBR and RBS.
I would make sure the distance between the RBR and RBS and RBS to RBS is 30feet or more. Having distances too close causes wifi overlap issues as well.
What is the impact of wifi overlap? I haven't had the system for long, still testing and setting things up. But so far everything seems to be working quite well. But too early to tell for sure.
Sever closet maybe problematic as well. Open areas are recommended for the RBR and RBS.
What I meant by a server closet is actually a 6x6 walk-in closet where I keep a home server PC, NVR and a few other networked devices, not a proper metal server rack or anything like that.
Wifi signal cross talk and collision in the overlap can cause problems. Finding the sweet spot is recommended. We we suggest 30 feet to start between the RBR and RBS. More distances can be used as well, depending on building materials. Concrete and Steel is always a blocker for any wifi signal.
Everytime I try out a new mesh system or arrangement (going from 2 to 3 satellites) I try several locations. Tends to give you the best performance. But if you limited in where you put the one satellite, then it limits how much testing you can do.
With the speeds you're hitting, sounds like you're in a fairly decent location.
But if you limited in where you put the one satellite, then it limits how much testing you can do.
Yes, I can’t really move the satellites or the router.
But except for the link between the last satellite and the router, I’m currently happy with the overall speeds. I was looking to see if there are any configuration settings I can change to improve the last leg of the chain. I may revisit this when I get my new connection, but for now, the internet bandwidth at the last satellite is almost enough to max out my 500Mbps internet service, and I have a near ~1Gbps connection to the server closet, so all good.
One last question: Can I link the router and the middle satellite over ethernet but have the last satellite daisy chain wirelessly to the middle one? Something I’d like to try once I upgrade my internet connection. If I can do that, then can I turn off the wireless backhaul channel on just the main router but leave it on in the two satellites? Right now, if there is a power interruption or if I have to restart the system, the last satellite always links to the router instead of the middle one. It won’t switch automatically (at least not in a timely manner, I’ve waited up to 30 mins once); the only way to get the daisy chain going again is to restart the last satellite physically. Guess that’s one of the drawbacks of having three units so close. But if I can turn off the wireless backhaul on the router, that may fix the issue and may also reduce a bit of wifi interference.
But if you limited in where you put the one satellite, then it limits how much testing you can do.
Yes, I can’t really move the satellites or the router.
But except for the link between the last satellite and the router, I’m currently happy with the overall speeds. I was looking to see if there are any configuration settings I can change to improve the last leg of the chain. I may revisit this when I get my new connection, but for now, the internet bandwidth at the last satellite is almost enough to max out my 500Mbps internet service, and I have a near ~1Gbps connection to the server closet, so all good.
One last question: Can I link the router and the middle satellite over ethernet but have the last satellite daisy chain wirelessly to the middle one? Something I’d like to try once I upgrade my internet connection. If I can do that, then can I turn off the wireless backhaul channel on just the main router but leave it on in the two satellites? Right now, if there is a power interruption or if I have to restart the system, the last satellite always links to the router instead of the middle one. It won’t switch automatically (at least not in a timely manner, I’ve waited up to 30 mins once); the only way to get the daisy chain going again is to restart the last satellite physically. Guess that’s one of the drawbacks of having three units so close. But if I can turn off the wireless backhaul on the router, that may fix the issue and may also reduce a bit of wifi interference.
