Orbi RBK50 Setup with existing Netgear WiFi router

[TJMagee222]

Setup question regarding office need for wired connection - my house has a main junction point downstairs.  This is where my cable modem is and where all my wired LAN connections are for the various rooms in the house.  My office is upstairs to the far left of the house - my two PCs in this office need to be LAN connected.  

Can I do the following:

Step 1 - In the main junction, connect my cable modem to the Orbi RBK50 router.  The Orbi router will provide wireless for downstairs.

Step 2 - Place the Orbi satellite upstairs in the main living room (center point of upstairs) - provides wireless for upstairs coverage

Step 3 - For my office - LAN wire connect from my Orbi router to my existing Netgear Nighthawk WiFi router (R6900P), then have two LAN connections from my Netgear Nighhawk to each PC in my office?

Thanks!

Tom

[CrimpOn · Accepted solution]

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@TJMagee222 wrote:

You bring up a great point for Step 2.  I believe it will be within the 30 ft.  However, I also have an option upstairs in the main living room where I can connect a LAN cable to the RBS down to a LAN connection in the RBR (at the main junction).  I'm hoping this won't be necessary, but is an option I should be able to leverage, if needed?

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The "30 feet to start with" is a useful rule of thumb.  There are several factors at work:

• If the router and satellite are close together, the "backhaul link" between them will be very strong. (This is good.)
  But, the total area covered will be small (this is bad), and
  two access points broadcasting on the same channels will "overlap" and interfere with each other.
• If the router and satellite are too far apart, the backhaul link will be weak. (This is bad.)
  But, the total area covered will be much larger.  (This is good.)
• There is usually little point in having great coverage outside of the living space (building plus patio, etc.)
  So, putting a router or satellite up against a wall means that up to half of the radio strength is "going outside to the neighbors" (i.e. wasted).

What Netgear recommends is moving the satellite farther and farther away, but not so far that the "ring light" on top of the satellite turns orange instead of blue.  Roughly 30 feet is typically a good place to start.

Having an ethernet cable to link the router and satellite frees you from caring about the WiFi backhaul link.  (This is very good.)  You no longer have to care about the WiFi backhaul penetrating walls, chimneys, furniture, etc.  The satellite can go where it "makes sense" as far as radio coverage.  "Hope this won't be necessary."  Most of us envy you the opportunity to use a wired backhaul.

[CrimpOn]

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@TJMagee222 wrote:

Can I do the following:

Step 1 - In the main junction, connect my cable modem to the Orbi RBK50 router.  The Orbi router will provide wireless for downstairs.

Step 2 - Place the Orbi satellite upstairs in the main living room (center point of upstairs) - provides wireless for upstairs coverage

Step 3 - For my office - LAN wire connect from my Orbi router to my existing Netgear Nighthawk WiFi router (R6900P), then have two LAN connections from my Netgear Nighhawk to each PC in my office?

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Yes, you can do this if you change the Nighthawk from router to Access Point (AP) mode, but this is "way overkill".

If the two office computers already have ethernet cables to the Nighthawk, then simply connect them to the Orbi.

If there is only a single ethernet cable to the office, spend $30 on an unmanaged Gigabit ethernet switch.  Connect the switch to the Orbi and the two computers to the switch.  (Since they are so cheap, I would purchase an 8-port switch and have five ports open for "other stuff", printers, cameras, what-not's).

[FURRYe38]

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@TJMagee222 wrote:

Setup question regarding office need for wired connection - my house has a main junction point downstairs.  This is where my cable modem is and where all my wired LAN connections are for the various rooms in the house.  My office is upstairs to the far left of the house - my two PCs in this office need to be LAN connected.  

Can I do the following:

Step 1 - In the main junction, connect my cable modem to the Orbi RBK50 router.  The Orbi router will provide wireless for downstairs. Yes

Step 2 - Place the Orbi satellite upstairs in the main living room (center point of upstairs) - provides wireless for upstairs coverage. Yes

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 RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-router

Step 3 - For my office - LAN wire connect from my Orbi router to my existing Netgear Nighthawk WiFi router (R6900P), then have two LAN connections from my Netgear Nighhawk to each PC in my office? Yes, however you might cause connection problems here. There would be two routers on the same line which isn't recommneded. You would also need to change the network IP adderss on the R6900P to something different as the Orbi and R6900P use 192.168.1.1 as a default address. You could configure the R6900P for wireless bridge mode possibly and use it to connect to the Orbi wifi, then connect your PCs to the back of the R6900P bridge.

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[TJMagee222]

I agree on the 'overkill'.  I could do this, but you answered what I suspected I might do - just buy a simple router for the office.  This will be my plan!

[TJMagee222]

You bring up a great point for Step 2.  I believe it will be within the 30 ft.  However, I also have an option upstairs in the main living room where I can connect a LAN cable to the RBS down to a LAN connection in the RBR (at the main junction).  I'm hoping this won't be necessary, but is an option I should be able to leverage, if needed?

[CrimpOn · Accepted solution]

---

@TJMagee222 wrote:

You bring up a great point for Step 2.  I believe it will be within the 30 ft.  However, I also have an option upstairs in the main living room where I can connect a LAN cable to the RBS down to a LAN connection in the RBR (at the main junction).  I'm hoping this won't be necessary, but is an option I should be able to leverage, if needed?

---

The "30 feet to start with" is a useful rule of thumb.  There are several factors at work:

• If the router and satellite are close together, the "backhaul link" between them will be very strong. (This is good.)
  But, the total area covered will be small (this is bad), and
  two access points broadcasting on the same channels will "overlap" and interfere with each other.
• If the router and satellite are too far apart, the backhaul link will be weak. (This is bad.)
  But, the total area covered will be much larger.  (This is good.)
• There is usually little point in having great coverage outside of the living space (building plus patio, etc.)
  So, putting a router or satellite up against a wall means that up to half of the radio strength is "going outside to the neighbors" (i.e. wasted).

What Netgear recommends is moving the satellite farther and farther away, but not so far that the "ring light" on top of the satellite turns orange instead of blue.  Roughly 30 feet is typically a good place to start.

Having an ethernet cable to link the router and satellite frees you from caring about the WiFi backhaul link.  (This is very good.)  You no longer have to care about the WiFi backhaul penetrating walls, chimneys, furniture, etc.  The satellite can go where it "makes sense" as far as radio coverage.  "Hope this won't be necessary."  Most of us envy you the opportunity to use a wired backhaul.

[TJMagee222]

---

---

The "30 feet to start with" is a useful rule of thumb.  There are several factors at work:

• If the router and satellite are close together, the "backhaul link" between them will be very strong. (This is good.)
  But, the total area covered will be small (this is bad), and
  two access points broadcasting on the same channels will "overlap" and interfere with each other.
• If the router and satellite are too far apart, the backhaul link will be weak. (This is bad.)
  But, the total area covered will be much larger.  (This is good.)
• There is usually little point in having great coverage outside of the living space (building plus patio, etc.)
  So, putting a router or satellite up against a wall means that up to half of the radio strength is "going outside to the neighbors" (i.e. wasted).

What Netgear recommends is moving the satellite farther and farther away, but not so far that the "ring light" on top of the satellite turns orange instead of blue.  Roughly 30 feet is typically a good place to start.

Having an ethernet cable to link the router and satellite frees you from caring about the WiFi backhaul link.  (This is very good.)  You no longer have to care about the WiFi backhaul penetrating walls, chimneys, furniture, etc.  The satellite can go where it "makes sense" as far as radio coverage.  "Hope this won't be necessary."  Most of us envy you the opportunity to use a wired backhaul.

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This is so helpful!!  Thank you!  I absolutely will link the two via the ethernet cable.  🙂