In doubt between RKB23 and RKB50

[michel1918]

Hi,

I am in doubt between the orbi RKB23 and the RKB50.

I have a house with3 floors, 60m2 each. Ceilings are concrete.

I understand the RKB50 is faster, but only has 1 sattelite and the RKB23 is slower, but has 2 sattelites

So I am in doubt: should I choose a faster one with only 1 sattelite (in which case I guess the connection itself is less stable on the floor without the sattelite) or should I choose a bit slower one, but with better connection because every floor has it's own sattelite?

We are with 4 people, 2 phone streaming teens and 2 surfing adults (via phone/laptop/tablet).

IPTV, movie streaming, heavy duty pc usage and such are all done via cable so not via this new network.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[FURRYe38]

If there is concrete in the home or building, this will effect wifi coverage. I would get a kit that has additional satellites. 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials. Concrete, you may need to get the satellites closer. I would go for the RBK53 system. 

[ekhalil]

Please base your decision on the following facts:

1. Bandwidth:

RBK50 (AC3000) is not faster, but it supports up to 1.7Gbps backhul between the router and satellites. You need this if you have need for simultaneous high bandwidth streaming in multiple devices at the same time.

The RBK23 (AC2200) supports 867 Mbps which is not bad at all. So depending on your internet speed and how much communication you have between your devices you should be able to choose between the two. Please note that Google wifi is AC1200 and it's enogh for home use!!

2. Coverage:

The RBK50 units are physically bigger and have longer antenns so these have wider coverage than the RBK23 which are smaller. According to specs the RBK23 (1 router + 2 satellites) covers 6000 sq ft while the RBK50 (1 router + 1 satellite) covers 5000 sq ft.

On the other hand barriers and building material affects negatively the coverage c/s of the base station so if you have 3 floors you might choose to go for 1 base startion for each floor to maximize the coverage, but you also need to also think about the distance between the router and the satellites which should be around 30 ft for best wireless backhaul stability. If you will use cables for the backhaul then you can forget about this last limitation.

3. LAN ports

The RBK50 has 3 LAN ports on the router and 4 on the satellite, while the RBK23 has only one LAN port on the router and two on the satellites.

[michel1918]

Ok, thanks for the answers, decided to go for the RKB50.

[ekhalil]

Good choice, good luck!