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Re: Central Placement of Orbi

bdsmith63
Apprentice

Central Placement of Orbi

I just purchased the Orbi AC300 Tri-Band WiFi System to replace my Apple Airport Extreme router.  I have always setup my modem and router on the 2nd floor of my 2,200 sq. foot home.  I had the cable company run a dedicated line from the outside of the house to my 2nd floor office in order to get the best output for my internet connection.  The 2nd floor office is centrally located.

 

Based on several scenarios that I've read, the modem and router are placed on the 1st floor with the satellight on the 2nd floor, ideally, the reverse of this situation should be just as optimal being that WiFi coverages generally do well when placed higher than lower.

 

Also, I assume I will need to disconnect my complete existing router before installing the new Orbi, as I had planned to set up the new system using the same SSID and password so all my devices would continue to be connected.  In the past it seems I have to completely signout and back into a majority of my home automation devices, should this be the case with the new Orbi system?

 

Thanks to anyone for their input!

 

BDS

 

Model: Orbi High-Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System (RBK50)
Message 1 of 5
TomMac
Guru

Re: Central Placement of Orbi


@bdsmith63 wrote:

Also, I assume I will need to disconnect my complete existing router before installing the new Orbi, as I had planned to set up the new system using the same SSID and password so all my devices would continue to be connected.  In the past it seems I have to completely signout and back into a majority of my home automation devices, should this be the case with the new Orbi system?

 



 

I used the same password/ssid as my older system so I wouldn't have to change all in every device...worked fine, no problem

Message 2 of 5

Re: Central Placement of Orbi


@bdsmith63 wrote:

I just purchased the Orbi AC300 Tri-Band WiFi System to replace my Apple Airport Extreme router.  I have always setup my modem and router on the 2nd floor of my 2,200 sq. foot home.  I had the cable company run a dedicated line from the outside of the house to my 2nd floor office in order to get the best output for my internet connection.  The 2nd floor office is centrally located.

 

Based on several scenarios that I've read, the modem and router are placed on the 1st floor with the satellight on the 2nd floor, ideally, the reverse of this situation should be just as optimal being that WiFi coverages generally do well when placed higher than lower.

 


 


the placement of the two is nether here or there as far as that goes but if you want wifi on the ground floor you may ned to locate the orbi router on the first floor and a seat on the second floor , that way in the future or if you have a second sat now you can place it on the ground floor

 

the orbi system works

 

sat ---- router ---sat

 


@bdsmith63 wrote:

 

Also, I assume I will need to disconnect my complete existing router before installing the new Orbi, as I had planned to set up the new system using the same SSID and password so all my devices would continue to be connected.  In the past it seems I have to completely signout and back into a majority of my home automation devices, should this be the case with the new Orbi system?

 

 

 



yes you would disconnect the extreme to then connect the orbi system

 

 

btw your home size is pretty small did the extreme not cover it all anyway ?

 

pete

Message 3 of 5
bdsmith63
Apprentice

Re: Central Placement of Orbi

Hey Pete, thanks for the reply.  The Extreme has performed well.  I've just about fully equipped a large majority of the home with in-wall and plug-in lighting devices, outside cameras, WiFi thermostat, and newer appliances with connectivity features -- along with the regular use of media devices (iPads, Apple TVs, etc).  With certain devices on 2.4 gHz and others competing for 5 gHz, the Orbi system I feel will really perform an even flow of signal through the home.  We get some pockets of lower bandwith in certain areas, although I do have my main entertainment system fed with an ethernet connection directly from the Extreme currently.

 

So all in all, if I understand what you're saying, having the Orbi router connected on the second floor which is in about the middle of the home, and a Sat unit on the first floor shouldn't make any difference -- as long as both units have strong connectivity between them, which should provide a mesh of good signal on both levels.  I wanted to be able to keep the modem connected to the dedicated cable rather than having to connect it on the first floor and have it split between the modem and a Time Warner DVR box.

 

BDS 

Message 4 of 5
bdsmith63
Apprentice

Re: Central Placement of Orbi

I must report I am blown away by the EXCELLENT speed test results with the new Orbi setup compared to my Airport Extreme router!  An initial test on WiFi on the 1st floor (which would be the satellight unit) was 218 Mbps!  This morning I tested on from my Mac Pro on an ethernet connection to the router and it was 234 Mbps!  Thanks for everyone's input!

Message 5 of 5
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