Help with network planning

[DaleE]

Hi all,

I’m looking for assistance on replacing my existing wifi setup. I have spent hours reading the Netger site but am unsure which products to use (they all seem so similar!)

The situation is like this; I currently have an Apple airport with ethernet cabling to 2 Airport Expresses. This kit is almost 10 years old and not so reliable anymore - often dropping the signal.  Also I am looking to change for something with easy to use parental control. Circle seems to fit the bill. I have tried google Wifi - the actual connections and the wifi system was great but the parental control not reliable and fiddly to use.

Installation is in a brick 5 bedroom house that is long and thin so 1 wifi point is not enough. The main router is roughly in the middle of the house and there is cat5e cabling from the cabinet where the router to both the Airport Expresses (located at either ends of the house). I want to be able to move between the points without having to change networks.

I have not counted the exact number but probably around 40 wifi devices on the network at any one time. The rest of the kit (NAS, printers, etc) are wired via a ProSafe switch attached to the Router.

I want to be able to have a guest network throughout the house.

I looked at the Orbi RBK50 with using the existing cat5 to connect the Router to the satellites but from reading the support forums that seems to be considered overkill. So, what are my other options? Can I use a nighthawk router with 2 range extenders to achieve the same thing? Or do I need access points? Which ones?

Or am I better off with the new Nighthawk mesh extenders?

Or is Orbi actually the right solution?

Lastly, I would like to find a solution that I don’t have to revisit again for the next few years; I just want it to work and be reasonably future proof so is wifi6 a requirement? or will regular wifi be ok for another 5 years or so?

[Mstrbig · Accepted solution]

It has been my experience that WIFI mesh systems work way better than routers and extenders and really don't cost much more. So I would go with a wireless mesh system.

Since you have a ranch style home, I would go with a 3 unit system such as the RBK53 or RBK23, for a more even coverage throughout the home.

The RBK53 system, (1 router and 2 satellites) is a great system, has wide coverage, is very fasy, because of the enhanced backhaul channel and is Tri-band. But if you are going to wire your satellites to your router, the faster backhaul is a moot point. If you are going to use wired backhaul, take a look at the RBK23, 1 router and 2 satellites). It has great coverage, but not as much as the RBK53, is also very fast, is Tri-band and should fit your needs. I know I'm suggesting a 3 unit system. It is because your other option is 1 at each end of your home, which an RBK50 or RBK20 would work. If placed correctly, you would get good coverage, but not as good as 3 units.

Here is a comparison:

RBK23 Vs RBK50

The RBK23 is a more economical model to cover the needs of medium to large sized houses with some reductions in hardware to lower the price.

The main hardware differences of the RBK23 compared to RBK50 (which is the best selling kit) are the following:

• Smaller size: (5.6 x 2.4 x 6.6 in)  compared to (6.4 x 3.1 x 8.0 in).
• Fewer Internal Antennas: The RBK23 has 4 internal antennas compared to 6 antennas of RBK50.
• Fewer Wired Ethernet Ports: The RBK23 has 2 Ethernet Ports while the RBK50 has 4.
• Wireless Backhaul speed: The RBK23 has 866Mbps backhaul speed compared to 1733Mbps of the RBK50
• Less coverage area The RBK23 covers up to 6000 sq ft and is rated at AC2200 compared to the RBK53 7500 Sq Ft at AC3000

Other than the above hardware differences, the main features of the RBK50 are also supported by RBK23 as well (such as Tri-band WiFi, wireless backhaul on 5Ghz band, beamforming, excellent speed performance and coverage etc).

Regarding WIFI 6, right now there isn't much advantage unless you are going to upgrade all your devices to it. For the long haul, I've found that a newer faster technology will come out just about the time you will want to upgrade. However if money is no object nd you want the latest platform, go with the WIFI 6 system. The RBK753 would work for you. 

[Mstrbig · Accepted solution]

It has been my experience that WIFI mesh systems work way better than routers and extenders and really don't cost much more. So I would go with a wireless mesh system.

Since you have a ranch style home, I would go with a 3 unit system such as the RBK53 or RBK23, for a more even coverage throughout the home.

The RBK53 system, (1 router and 2 satellites) is a great system, has wide coverage, is very fasy, because of the enhanced backhaul channel and is Tri-band. But if you are going to wire your satellites to your router, the faster backhaul is a moot point. If you are going to use wired backhaul, take a look at the RBK23, 1 router and 2 satellites). It has great coverage, but not as much as the RBK53, is also very fast, is Tri-band and should fit your needs. I know I'm suggesting a 3 unit system. It is because your other option is 1 at each end of your home, which an RBK50 or RBK20 would work. If placed correctly, you would get good coverage, but not as good as 3 units.

Here is a comparison:

RBK23 Vs RBK50

The RBK23 is a more economical model to cover the needs of medium to large sized houses with some reductions in hardware to lower the price.

The main hardware differences of the RBK23 compared to RBK50 (which is the best selling kit) are the following:

• Smaller size: (5.6 x 2.4 x 6.6 in)  compared to (6.4 x 3.1 x 8.0 in).
• Fewer Internal Antennas: The RBK23 has 4 internal antennas compared to 6 antennas of RBK50.
• Fewer Wired Ethernet Ports: The RBK23 has 2 Ethernet Ports while the RBK50 has 4.
• Wireless Backhaul speed: The RBK23 has 866Mbps backhaul speed compared to 1733Mbps of the RBK50
• Less coverage area The RBK23 covers up to 6000 sq ft and is rated at AC2200 compared to the RBK53 7500 Sq Ft at AC3000

Other than the above hardware differences, the main features of the RBK50 are also supported by RBK23 as well (such as Tri-band WiFi, wireless backhaul on 5Ghz band, beamforming, excellent speed performance and coverage etc).

Regarding WIFI 6, right now there isn't much advantage unless you are going to upgrade all your devices to it. For the long haul, I've found that a newer faster technology will come out just about the time you will want to upgrade. However if money is no object nd you want the latest platform, go with the WIFI 6 system. The RBK753 would work for you. 

[FURRYe38]

https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router

https://www.netgear.com/orbi/default.aspx
https://www.netgear.com/orbi/wifi-systems.aspx
https://kb.netgear.com/000038220/What-are-the-hardware-specifications-of-the-available-Orbi-WiFi-Sys...
https://kb.netgear.com/31097/How-many-devices-can-my-Orbi-system-support

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@DaleE wrote:

Hi all,

I’m looking for assistance on replacing my existing wifi setup. I have spent hours reading the Netger site but am unsure which products to use (they all seem so similar!)

The situation is like this; I currently have an Apple airport with ethernet cabling to 2 Airport Expresses. This kit is almost 10 years old and not so reliable anymore - often dropping the signal.  Also I am looking to change for something with easy to use parental control. Circle seems to fit the bill. I have tried google Wifi - the actual connections and the wifi system was great but the parental control not reliable and fiddly to use.

Installation is in a brick 5 bedroom house that is long and thin so 1 wifi point is not enough. The main router is roughly in the middle of the house and there is cat5e cabling from the cabinet where the router to both the Airport Expresses (located at either ends of the house). I want to be able to move between the points without having to change networks.

I have not counted the exact number but probably around 40 wifi devices on the network at any one time. The rest of the kit (NAS, printers, etc) are wired via a ProSafe switch attached to the Router.

I want to be able to have a guest network throughout the house.

I looked at the Orbi RBK50 with using the existing cat5 to connect the Router to the satellites but from reading the support forums that seems to be considered overkill. So, what are my other options? Can I use a nighthawk router with 2 range extenders to achieve the same thing? Or do I need access points? Which ones?

Or am I better off with the new Nighthawk mesh extenders?

Or is Orbi actually the right solution?

Lastly, I would like to find a solution that I don’t have to revisit again for the next few years; I just want it to work and be reasonably future proof so is wifi6 a requirement? or will regular wifi be ok for another 5 years or so?

---

[AwesomeQA]

Since I have RBR50 with many Sats wired and wireless, 7 sats connected to RBR50, and I have RBK852.
I would say don’t buy Orbi AX, it is not ready for prime usage because of the OS issues.
Use Orbi AC which is more stable and cheaper than AX.

[DaleE]

Thanks for the input. Reliability is a key requirement here, so will stick to the AC series.

[FURRYe38]

I haven't seen to many issues with my orbi AX. Been working well since v32 came out. Most stable FW IMO.

Firmware Version: V3.2.15.32_1.3.25

CPU Load: 10.43%

Memory Usage(Used/Total): 483 MB/867 MB

System Uptime: 13 days 13:43:29

NG hasn't made Orbi AC RBS compatible with Orbi AX. Not sure if or when that will happen. You can connect RBS from Orbi AC via eithernet is all. RBS50Y works in extender mode with Orbi AX.