Netgear Router with ORBI MESH SYSTEM

[Ryukyu01]

I posted this in the wifi extender area and it was recommended that i post this here:

I currently have a Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 router connected to my fiber modem. I have a concrete house and want to try the Orbi Mesh system and want to know the best setup for using both.  Do i connect the Orbi to the AC1900 or connect the 1900 to the fiber line modem and then connect the 1900 to that.  If i connect the Orbi to the ac1900C i am told i should disable the wifi on the 1900. If i do that can i still use the CAT 5 ports on the back of the 1900 to run cable to the TV.?? THanks.

[FURRYe38]

Connect the ISP modem to the RBR and thats it. You don't need the R7000 router. 

Which orbi system did you get? 

What Firmware is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the ISP modem the NG router is connected too?

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet is recommended in between them to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.

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@Ryukyu01 wrote:

I posted this in the wifi extender area and it was recommended that i post this here:

I currently have a Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 router connected to my fiber modem. I have a concrete house and want to try the Orbi Mesh system and want to know the best setup for using both.  Do i connect the Orbi to the AC1900 or connect the 1900 to the fiber line modem and then connect the 1900 to that.  If i connect the Orbi to the ac1900C i am told i should disable the wifi on the 1900. If i do that can i still use the CAT 5 ports on the back of the 1900 to run cable to the TV.?? THanks.

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@Ryukyu01 wrote:

I posted this in the wifi extender area and it was recommended that i post this here:

I currently have a Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 router connected to my fiber modem. I have a concrete house and want to try the Orbi Mesh system and want to know the best setup for using both.  Do i connect the Orbi to the AC1900 or connect the 1900 to the fiber line modem and then connect the 1900 to that.  If i connect the Orbi to the ac1900C i am told i should disable the wifi on the 1900. If i do that can i still use the CAT 5 ports on the back of the 1900 to run cable to the TV.?? THanks.

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[FURRYe38]

Any progress on this? 

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@Ryukyu01 wrote:

I posted this in the wifi extender area and it was recommended that i post this here:

I currently have a Nighthawk R7000 AC1900 router connected to my fiber modem. I have a concrete house and want to try the Orbi Mesh system and want to know the best setup for using both.  Do i connect the Orbi to the AC1900 or connect the 1900 to the fiber line modem and then connect the 1900 to that.  If i connect the Orbi to the ac1900C i am told i should disable the wifi on the 1900. If i do that can i still use the CAT 5 ports on the back of the 1900 to run cable to the TV.?? THanks.

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[Ryukyu01]

All thanks for your replies... I travel alot and cant respond as quick as i like .

FYI, i have not bought the ORBI mesh system.. my questions center around best method to connect with concrete walls. . I have a TV and PS3 in the same bedroom as the  router, and will connect via cable to those devices, and then setup the orbi system in other rooms. My intent is to use the router ports in that bedroom as i can run cat5 to  the tv and PS3 and then connect the ORBi via wifi... There is a  possiblility that i can run cable in the overhead at least to the living room which is basically the center of the house.   Also, one of the respondents said "If you have an option of wired backhual or using powerline/MoCa adapters for the backhaul, it'll perform better. "  Could you explain about powerline /MoCa adapters for  backhaul... what is that???    Thanks.

[CrimpOn]

You are correct to thing this through before purchasing.

1. The Orbi router MUST connect using the WAN (Yellow) ethernet connector.  It cannot connect to the internet over WiFi.
2. The reason most people would abandon the R7000 and connect the Orbi router directly to the internet modem is to avoid having two routers back-to-back, which produces what is called a "Double NAT" condition.  I did this for two years, but eventually I wanted to set up a VPN and immediately ran into problems that went away once the internet modem/router combination was replaced with an ordinary modem.  If you decide to keep the R7000 to service only that room, then most people would put the Orbi in Access Point (AP) mode and reply on the R7000 to perform ALL of the "routing functions."
3. Those "concrete walls" are indeed a major issue.  WiFi suffers with concrete, especially the super fast 5G signals.  Running CAT6 ethernet cables will allow you to connect devices at wire speed and avoid the dismal situation of WiFi backhaul not working well.
4. Alas, sometimes installing ethernet cables in the building is really difficult.  That is where MoCHA and PowerLine come in.  MoCHA uses adapters to carry ethernet signals over an existing cable TV coax line.  Tivo, for example, likes to connect its "mini" units to the main unit over MoCHA.  I used it for several years, and it worked well.  PowerLine is a technology to carry ethernet signals over existing electrical wiring.  I now use Powerline to connect my Tivo's and an R7000 to my Orbi.
5. Neither MoCHA nor PowerLine are "magic" like regular ethernet cables are.  My PowerLine goes bonkers every couple of months for no apparent reason and I have to resync all the adapters.  MoCHA can be sensitive to changes in the coax cables.

I believe there are now WiFi extenders made especially to work with Nighthawk R7000's.  That might be a solution to rival the Orbi.

Orbi excells where the 5G WiFi backhaul channels can connect satellites to the main router with no wiring or adapters of any kind.  It is "magic".  Orbi produces one single WiFi name (SSID) for both 2.4G and 5G channels and devices can roam automatically from one satellite to another.  I LOVE my Orbi.  However, this forum exists in large part because some customers are pulling their hair to get things to work and are very unhappy with Netgear.

"Measure Twice.  Cut once."

[Ryukyu01]

Thanks, for the info on MoCha and PowerLine,  I live in Japan and have not heard of that.

I think i will try the PowerLine first since the house i am in does not have any coax cable.

Also, I have question, As i explained previously I would like to keep the R7000 to connect its ports to the PS3 and Tv in the room where its at, so could i connect a power line adapter to the router , and then add another adapter in main living room, and attach an ORBI satellite to that adapter to broadcast wifi?  OR would it be better to connect the ORBI router to my R7000, turn off that wifi and connect the Poweline adapter and then add another adapter and ORBI satellite in the main living room about 30 feet away. Currently i am gettng a good wifi signal from the R7000 in the living room, where the signal has travel about 30 feet down a hall with concrete walls. Hope this makes sense.....

[CrimpOn]

Two things about Powerline:

1. I have zero knowledge about electrical wiring in Japan.  Please research user experiences with Powerline products in Japan.  Netgear makes Powerlineproducts and has a community forum: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Powerline-Networking/bd-p/home-powerline
   I happen to use the PA-9020 products from TP-Link.  Best to see what "works best" in Japan (if anything).
2. Avoid "cheaping out" on Poweline.  As the Wikipedia article points out, Powerline is like so many networking standards.  It is backward compatible.  If even a single lower capability Powerline adapter is on the network, the entire network drops to the lowest speed.  To make WiFi networking happy, you need the latest standards.

It is fine to keep the R7000, and place the Orbi in Access Point (AP) mode, so that your network has only a single router.  The Orbi router must be connected to the R7000 with ethernet (there goes one of your R7000 ports unless you install a gigabit switch).  Of course, the Orbi and R7000 will not know if this ethernet connection consists of an ordinary cable or a Powerline connection.

Netgear has a line of "extender" products designed to add on to the Nighthawk line of routers. Two years ago, when I purchased my Orbi, I was not aware of them and did no research into them at all.  It is probably worth a few minutes examining how the Nighthawk extenders seem to function, what they cost, etc.