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Orbi RBR50 + satellite

JAR1
Aspirant

Orbi RBR50 + satellite

I have an Orbi RBR50 & satellite wifi network setup at home. Working OKish but dead spot in gamer son's bedroom. Bought a Nighthawk X4S Range Extender to try and boost the signal there. Can start up the X4S and connect to Orbi but it does not have a connection through to the internet.
Are range extenders not compatible with Orbi system?
Should I be configuring the connection differently? (I've tried with and without having the same network name and password)
Happy to reconfigure entirely from start, if I know the steps to follow.

Thanks in anticipation, John

Message 1 of 12

Accepted Solutions

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

That makes it a repeater by my reckoning, a subset of the extender range. Most extenders can repeat and do genuine access point.

 

Why does Netgear insist on confusing people with its inconsistent nomenclature?

 

Might not be the best choice in these circumstances, given that the user already has Powerline.

 

 

View solution in original post

Message 10 of 12

All Replies

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

You might get better answers in the Orbi section:

 

Orbi - NETGEAR Communities

 

There is a manual for the Orbi somewhere at the end of this link:

 

>>>> Orbi RBR50 | WiFi System | NETGEAR Support <<<<

 

Which Nighthawk X4S Range Extender?

Message 2 of 12
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

Your better bet would be to add another Satellite near your son instead of a EX7500. The EX7500 needs separate SSID wifi names to conect to. I believe the ORBI system uses Smart Connect that combines both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz SSID names into one already. I have an ORBI system and works well. Also have two game consoles connected however they are LAN cable wired to the router. I have a DISH Joey that streams to the Satellite at that end of the house. I only have one Satellite for a 5000Sq ft house. System range is great. 

 

You may need a 2nd if your house is fairly large or building materials are heavy like brick or concrete...

Message 3 of 12

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

Yet another approach, if the son has any wired devices Powerline Ethernet with a combined access point could fill the bill.

 

For example:

 

PLW1000 | Powerline | Networking | Home | NETGEAR

 

That would feed off the original router, with no need to get the Orbi involved.

 

Another option would be to get Powerline plugs minus the AP and use that to feed the extender.

 

XAVB1301 | Powerline | Networking | Home | NETGEAR

 

The advantage of this approach, which I know from experience, is that it removes possibly dodgy wifi links from much of the chain.

 

Message 4 of 12
JAR1
Aspirant

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

Thanks for both replies, Michael. I'm already running a TP-Link Powerline AV500 adaptor with ethernet cable to his room but the signal is very weak, which is why I was trying to boost the wifi signal to that area, as it works well in other locations around the house. We have fibre optic to the house and a router connects to the fibre optic box. Both the Orbi system and the Powerline are connected to that router, that's the Access Point, right?

I didn't understand your two connection plans, if I work in the other direction this is what I think I have:

fibre optic box (internet to house) > router (access point) > Connection 1: Orbi home system / Connection 2: Powerline AV500 adaptor (for son's room). The adaptor is not in his room as the signal is too weak, I have to run the ethernet cable across the lounge floor! The router was supplied by the ISP as their top oif the line, also connects the phone. House has standard plaster walls with wooden frame but is quite large, wifi signals always seem to get blocked somehow.

Message 5 of 12
JAR1
Aspirant

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

Hi Furry,

I did try and place an Orbi satellite close to his room but the signal was very weak and not worth the effort, which is why I then tried a TD-Link Powerline AV500 adaptor near his room and ran an ethernet cable to rest of the way. Internet connection speed is still pretty low. I was hoping the Nighthawk 7500 extender added to the Orbi system might give the boost needed. But can't get the Nighthawk to connect to the internet through the Orbi, it connects to the Orbi OK but has no internet connection. That's why I was looking for some help to see if what I was doing was never going to work together or I hadn't made the right connection?

Message 6 of 12
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

What is the sq footages this this house. 

Whats this house built of? Wood and dry wall? 

 

Mines a 5000sq ft house two story, I currently have my Orbi AC2200 router set up on 2nd story of one side of my house and the Satellite at the far end of the house and after getting up and running, the range and performances are wonderful. I'm only using 1 Satallite. I have a NG wireless bridge connected to the Satellite at the far end that services a DISH Joey for my mom in law and Bro in laws PC LAN connected to the back of the Satellite. IT's not using any ethernet currently however i do have LAN there if needed. 

 

One thing about the EX7500, they rely on having separate SSID names coming from a host router. The orbi uses Smart Connect for this mesh system. I don't know if the EX7500 will work correctly with the Orbi system. I've tired this EX on a few other smart connect supporting routers and had issues with the EX if Smart Connect was enabled on the main host router. I had to disable Smart Connect to make the EX work better. I don't know if the EX is fully compatible with the Orbi system. Thus I haven't tried to connect my EX to the Orbi system. 

 

Is there any way you can run a LAN cable from the Remote Satellite to the sons room? 

Message 7 of 12

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite


@JAR1 wrote:

Thanks for both replies, Michael. I'm already running a TP-Link Powerline AV500 adaptor with ethernet cable to his room but the signal is very weak, which is why I was trying to boost the wifi signal to that area, as it works well in other locations around the house. We have fibre optic to the house and a router connects to the fibre optic box. Both the Orbi system and the Powerline are connected to that router, that's the Access Point, right?

No, that isn't the access point I was referring to. An AP is really just a wifi extender that is wired back to the router.

 

In other words, the AP doesn't receive wifi from the router and act as a relay. It receives the Internet over a LAN cable and acts as a wifi source. (You still haven't told us the model number of this Nighthawk X4S Range Extender – EX7000? EX7300? EX8000? – so I can't show you where to look in the manual.)

 

This arrangement wouldn't make the most of the Nighthawk X4S Range Extender, but you could connect that to the TP-Link Powerline AV500 adaptor plugged into your son's room and use that as an AP.

 

If that works your son will have powerful wifi. The only problem is that the LAN link from the Powerline AV500 adaptor runs at 100 Mbps while the Range Extender will be able to communicate at 1000 Mbps over the LAN. This should still be faster than a wifi repeater, but not as fast as if you had the newer generation powerline plugs.

 



The adaptor is not in his room as the signal is too weak, I have to run the ethernet cable across the lounge floor!


I do not understand that. What signal? A Powerline adaptor works off the mains network. It isn't "listening" to any wifi. It may, though, be sending out wifi. That is also an access point.

 

Are you saying that the mains "signal" isn't up to it when you put the Powerline adaptor in his room? Or is the wifi signal no good when you do that?

 

From what you say, I assume that the TP-Link adaptors are delivering wifi and that the "source" plug for the powerline network is connected to your router rather than the Orbi.

 

Again, we are left in the dark because you don't say what the model numbers are for the TP-Link Powerline AV500 adaptors.

 

 

Message 8 of 12
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

@michaelkenward

The EX7500 doesn't have a LAN port. 

 

Message 9 of 12

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

That makes it a repeater by my reckoning, a subset of the extender range. Most extenders can repeat and do genuine access point.

 

Why does Netgear insist on confusing people with its inconsistent nomenclature?

 

Might not be the best choice in these circumstances, given that the user already has Powerline.

 

 

Message 10 of 12
JAR1
Aspirant

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

Thanks to both of you for your valuable advice. I'm abandoning the X4S as a non-workable idea and will stick with the Powerline for the time being. I'm sure technology will catch up with this problem in the very near future!

Message 11 of 12
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR50 + satellite

PL should work for your needs. 

 

At some point you might have your son get up in the attic and run you a CAT6 LAN cable from the router location to some place at the remote location. Smiley Very Happy

 

Good Luck. 

Message 12 of 12
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