Log Home, Cement Floors, No wiring. Suggestions?

[DRRyan]

Trying to bring Wi-Fi coverage to a large, multi-level log home.  Some interior walls are log, some are drywall.  Floors are concrete with radiant heat, then clay tile.  Built before networking and apparently before cable came to the area (no Cat5/6, no coax, just a few cat3 runs for phones).  Wi-Fi range extenders are nearly worthless.  I've tried two different Powerline type models but multiple panels appear to slow things to under 1MB/sec.  Drilling holes is not an option.

Any Orbi or Orbi Pro systems going to perform any better than range extenders in this environment?  What is the maximum number of daisy chained satellites that can be used?

Goal is Wi-Fi coverage that allows about 4 security cams to be used while unoccupied, and normal internet activities while occupied.  Currently have to take tablet or PC to areas of coverage.

Thanks

[jamanjeval]

I cant speak to how it would perform in a log home, but I have a system in a larger older plaster/lathe/masonary building. The system is a RBR50 with 4 RBR50 satellites.

Short answer: Look at another wifi system, possibly one that is true mesh. In my experience, Orbi daisy chaining doesn't work.

Longer answer: The Orbi router, by itself, does have great range. But, chaining just doesn't work (for me). My system is running firmware 2.1.4.16 There are 4 satellites and one router (For thsose who may think my problem is using 4 satellites, see the end of this post *** )

Upon restart, a satellite may properly choose to chain (about 25% of the time). However, a short time later and from then on, it will switch to favoring a poor direct connection to the router rather than daisy chain to another satellite that has a much better connection to the router. Other times, the satellite will simply drop off the network for some time rather than daisy chain to the other satellite with a much stronger signal than the router.

There may be some legitimate reasons for it not favoring daisy chaining even if there is only a  "poor" level signal from the router: For example, the aggregate of a good connection plus a poor connection back to the router will always be better than chaining where the good connection back to the router is being shared. So, maybe it is trying to fully utilize the WAN connection? The firmware gives you no information as to why it is making the choices it is making and whatever weights it uses to make them or even at least a way to set a static configuration.

*** There are posts on this forum, answered by moderators, that claim you can only have 3 satellites for a router. (for example this ) According to the firmware, this is not true at least as far as chaining is concerned. This is a screen shot from the "help" in the administration console's "Advanced Wireless Settings" page. It  says that the Orbi chaining feature requires 3 or more devices and does not specify a maximum.

[Ulairi]

I also advise to stay away from Orbi.  I have plonked down some serious money, have had no end of problems and  cannot get this bleeping system to work. I've been through two different RBW30 wall plug satellites and now can't get a brand new RBS50 satellite to work. 

Some people have a charmed run but there's a significant (circa 20%) portion of dud units out there. 

The reviews on Amazon and the gripes on this forum should be ample evidence of the potential for heartache.