Re: ORBI vs Nighthawk

mandmonthego · ‎2018-02-08

I had chatted with a Netgear support person about our Nighthawk AC1900. I was hoping to extend our wifi signal to outlying areas in our yard and our barn that is about 200 feet from our router. I was using a Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 and they advised that instead of purchasing a range extender that I should purchase the Orbi system. I did. And now our security cameras in our barn won't connect because of weak signal. They DID connect to our Nighthawk. Should I just stick to the Nighthawk or am I doing something wrong?

wase4711 · ‎2018-02-09

make sure the Orbi is setup as an access point and not a router..

sdunlap01 · ‎2018-03-11

I finally resolved most of my Orbi communication issues (I believe anyway) and configured in Router mode where my cable modem is in bridge mode. Took many many months to get to even this point.
I even had my cable modem replaced with a different brand which seemed to help dramatically, but now with the new Nighthawk models coming out I'm wondering which solution is best for heavy traffic homes with security cameras both wired and wireless and at-home offices. Has anyone done any side by side comparisons as I really miss my older model Nighthawk router that got taken out by lightening where not protected (of course now all of my devices are protected). The Orbi doesn't seem t have some of the more advanced features I'm accustomed to with the Nighthawk but I don't want to switch without knowing whether the newer model Nighthawk models are going to be able to provide enough bandwidth and speed to keep my 20+ devices operating as expected

Joechang · ‎2018-03-11

Nighthawk firmware is very much stable and abundant with good faction while Orbi is making lot of people suffering internet droping or rebooting.

My Orbi worked great for first 2 month and cover my house(3x1500ft ) 100%. Everyone of my family gave better comments compare Nighthawk+Ex7300. But recently the connect between satellite and router was quite not stable, droping also happen frequently. sometimes makes me miss my Nighthawk R7000+Ex7300

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-03-12

I believe that 200feet from the router or using an orbi to get singal that far is a bit much. Home class routers are good up to about 50 feet out side of the main building. Even for a NH router and extender maybe prolematic as time goes on. I would highly recommend getting a buried eithernet LAN cable ran from the main building to the barn area. Then install a dedicated wireless AP there. I hope there is power there? You may need to get into a out doors designed style wireless AP.

@mandmonthegowrote:
I had chatted with a Netgear support person about our Nighthawk AC1900. I was hoping to extend our wifi signal to outlying areas in our yard and our barn that is about 200 feet from our router. I was using a Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 and they advised that instead of purchasing a range extender that I should purchase the Orbi system. I did. And now our security cameras in our barn won't connect because of weak signal. They DID connect to our Nighthawk. Should I just stick to the Nighthawk or am I doing something wrong?

sdunlap01 · ‎2018-03-12

I certainly don't disagree with you regarding firmware stability. Also the Orbi doesn't offer QOS features which I have to assume is a coming feature since the option is included in the management menus. I hate to swap out equipment again but if my Orbi loses connectivity again after all I've gone through to gain some stability after more than a year of having this up and running, then I will probably move back to the Nighthawk series since they have proven track record of stability and reliability over the years. Until then I guess I'll just keep things the way they are since I've got the Orbi router installed in the back of a 1500 sq foot house and a single Satellite in the front of the house that provides wifi connectivity to wireless cameras mounted to the front of the house facing the street. Outside of that I'm not sure what else I could do with Orbi. And just to be clear, prior to replacing my previous cable modem with a different brand/model, I was losing connectivity to both wired and wireless devices. So that might be an option for those still experiencing issues. My Ubee cable modem was replaced with an Arris which I prefer anyway.

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-03-12

What is the model # of the Arris modem you have now?

Have you tested your system with out the following enabled to see if there are any changes?

Beamforming, MIMO, Daisy Chain and Fast Roaming?

Set manual channels to 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz? Any unused channel on 5ghz.

WPA2 and AES only.

1500 sq ft shouldn't really need a Satellite. one Orbi router should be able to handle that size of a buiding. I have a 5000sq ft house and only use 1 Satellite as the opposite end from where the router is.

@sdunlap01wrote:
I certainly don't disagree with you regarding firmware stability. Also the Orbi doesn't offer QOS features which I have to assume is a coming feature since the option is included in the management menus. I hate to swap out equipment again but if my Orbi loses connectivity again after all I've gone through to gain some stability after more than a year of having this up and running, then I will probably move back to the Nighthawk series since they have proven track record of stability and reliability over the years. Until then I guess I'll just keep things the way they are since I've got the Orbi router installed in the back of a 1500 sq foot house and a single Satellite in the front of the house that provides wifi connectivity to wireless cameras mounted to the front of the house facing the street. Outside of that I'm not sure what else I could do with Orbi. And just to be clear, prior to replacing my previous cable modem with a different brand/model, I was losing connectivity to both wired and wireless devices. So that might be an option for those still experiencing issues. My Ubee cable modem was replaced with an Arris which I prefer anyway.

sdunlap01 · ‎2018-03-12

Unfortunately without the satellite my outdoor cameras mounted to the front of the house do not connect to wireless. That I've tested several times. The ARRIS model I'm currently using is TG1672G and I noticed the improvement immediately. I had tried every imaginable mode on the Ubee router without much success and the cable company came out and verified my signal is good so I was in process of elmination and found even without my Orbi connection, my cable modem connection disconnected (both wired and wireless) and its firmware was up to date so I was very grateful to have a different model modem.

As far as the Orbi goes, I've tried every imaginable setting and have settled on the following to date:

WPA2-PSK [AES]

2.4Ghz is set to Auto but currently reported on channel 3
While 5Ghz is set to channel 48 and 9 devices streaming at 5Ghz while others that don't support such are streaming at 2Ghz

None of the following features are enabled as I've read other blogs that reported issues so instead of adding layers of complexity, I was trying to eliminate them so all are unchecked

Enable Implicit BEAMFORMING - Boosts WiFi speed, reliability, & range for all mobile devices
Enable MU-MIMO
Enable Fast Roaming

Access control is enabled and configured to :
Block all new devices from connecting

And finally, my Orbi is in Router mode while my Arris is in bridge mode

Prior to this I wasn't able to work a single day from home without being disconnected.
Today was my first successful day staying connected but i'm still in monitoring mode but hopeful

sdunlap01 · ‎2018-03-12

Which model Orbi are you using btw? That's probably why I'm having to use an added Satellite .... maybe I chose the wrong model Orbi for my home

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-03-12

I would set manual channel to 1, 6 or 11 on the Orbi router.

Also you have a built in router in the modem as well. This is a gateway router/modem. IT's recommended to either turn this combo unit into a modem only or use the on board DMZ for the IP address that the Orbi router gets from the ISP modem.

Also this is a Intel based modem. There are known issues with Intel based modems:

http://www.badmodems.com

I'm currnent using an RBK22 system AC2200. 1 Satellite. I don't have any cameras out side. All mine are inside.

sdunlap01 · ‎2018-03-13

Thanks for the info. Right now I'm sticking with the settings I have since they are working. Should that change (again) I will take additional changes into consideration but probably won't continue to spend too much more time on this as I've lost alot of time troubleshooting these connection issues I never had to before with Nighthawk routers but time will tell

FURRYe38 · ‎2018-03-13

AT some point, you might give Orbi a try and see how it goes. I've had good luck with mine and so have others. The next FW update will be good. Should make things better for those who haven't had good luck with theres.

Good Luck in your endeavours.

@sdunlap01wrote:
Thanks for the info. Right now I'm sticking with the settings I have since they are working. Should that change (again) I will take additional changes into consideration but probably won't continue to spend too much more time on this as I've lost alot of time troubleshooting these connection issues I never had to before with Nighthawk routers but time will tell

Brain29 · ‎2018-03-13

@mandmonthegowrote:
our yard and our barn that is about 200 feet from our router.

You want to look into a router that can accept 3rd party antenna for point to point -- the orbi is not a friend for distance and with the firmware the way it is youre climbing an uphill battle you can make it work though. With outdoor bridge point to point systems you then just plug it in the satalite as a backend.(*random product link just for refrence)

** I would honestly rent a ground trencher if you can and just run a shallow line underground with some pvc pipe -- it will be work but you wont have to worry about it. (guessing your barn isnt surrounded by concrete)