Orbi RBS50Yv2 compatible with existing router?

[neeliec]

I want to puchase the Orbi RBS50Yv2 outdoor range extender. Will it work with my existing Amped Athena router conneced to my cable service?

[Dustin_V · Accepted solution]

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@neeliec wrote:

I want to puchase the Orbi RBS50Yv2 outdoor range extender. Will it work with my existing Amped Athena router conneced to my cable service?

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Yes, the Orbi Outdoor can be set up in Extender Mode which will let you use it with an existing, non-Orbi router. For more info, please check out this KB article on how to set that up: https://kb.netgear.com/000060131/How-do-I-set-up-my-Orbi-Outdoor-Satellite-in-Extender-Mode

[FURRYe38]

Please post about this in the Orbi forum:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/bd-p/Orbi

RBSY require Orbi systems to connect with. 

Good Luck.

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@neeliec wrote:

I want to puchase the Orbi RBS50Yv2 outdoor range extender. Will it work with my existing Amped Athena router conneced to my cable service?

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[CrimpOn]

Not only NO, but NEVER. As @FURRYe38 points out, the Orbi products are a "package deal."  They work with each other.

[michaelkenward]

As @CrimpOn says, the RBS50Yv2 is a satellite for the Orbi system. It is not a generic wifi extender.

No need to repost questions that are easily answered here. That just clutters up the place with noise. On the othert hand, if you have different questions, then try the right place.

[Dustin_V · Accepted solution]

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@neeliec wrote:

I want to puchase the Orbi RBS50Yv2 outdoor range extender. Will it work with my existing Amped Athena router conneced to my cable service?

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Yes, the Orbi Outdoor can be set up in Extender Mode which will let you use it with an existing, non-Orbi router. For more info, please check out this KB article on how to set that up: https://kb.netgear.com/000060131/How-do-I-set-up-my-Orbi-Outdoor-Satellite-in-Extender-Mode

[CrimpOn]

Learn something every day, thanks!

Would like to see a link to User Manual explaining how "extender mode" works, i.e. is it simply an outdoor rated AP?

[FURRYe38]

Will keep this in mind for the RBSY. 

[michaelkenward]

I just happen to have an RBS50Y on my network. I'll see if I can get it to work with an R7800.

Unless there has been a considerable rework of this device to create the V2, it is hard to see how to turn this into an access point or repeater, without wandering off to a well hidden KnowledgeBase article.

The data sheet describes it as a "Mesh Extender and Add-on Satellite".

That does not tell us much, but it also says:

Simple browser setup as an extender with your existing router. No professional installation skills required.

Sadly, the manual does not explain how to do that. The "extender" word is absent.

(Dontcha love the bit "No professional installation skills required.")

But as we all know, Netgear's manuals are, er, shite. All that boilerplate text transferred from document to document without any check of the contents. (Recently found yet another bit of kit described as 100 MBps LAN in the manual when it is really 1000 Bps LAN.)

Oh dear, here's another screwup. Have you looked at the KnowledgeBase piece that reveals this feature? Check which devices it claims to cover:

This article applies to:

• Orbi (2)
  RBK20
  RBK22

Good luck to anyone trying to find that information on the support pages for the RBS50Y.

Easy to see how people who are familiar with Netgear's products missed this feature.

Oh, and the instructions on that KnowledgeBase page are near-on impenetrable without "professional installation skills".

[FURRYe38]

I believe that maybe the FW versions a user needs to install would be a factor in how the RBSY works with non Orbi systems. There are two FW modes that are avaialble,

(Orbi Mode)
(Orbi Extender Mode)

I presume the Extender mode version of FW maybe the one to use for non Orbi router systems? 

[neeliec]

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@neeliec wrote:

I want to puchase the Orbi RBS50Yv2 outdoor range extender. Will it work with my existing Amped Athena router conneced to my cable service?

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I recently asked ^ ^ ^  if the Orbi RBS5OY extender could be used with my existing Amped Athena router. Some repliies stated NO and a couple said yes.  I contacted Netgear directly and was told it WILL work with existing routers.  This is from the Costco webpage where I intend to purchase:

Works with any WiFi router or gateway

Use your existing WiFi equipment to extend your current WiFi coverage outdoors to the garden, pool, garage, and other areas that are usually out of WiFi range. Enjoy uninterrupted video and music streaming on all your devices for seamless entertainment anywhere in your property.

So just a FYI for anyone else considerin purchasing the Orbi RBS5OY.

[neeliec]

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@CrimpOn wrote:

Not only NO, but NEVER. As @FURRYe38 points out, the Orbi products are a "package deal."  They work with each other.

Works with any wifi router or gateway. Use your existing WiFi equipment to extend your current WiFi coverage outdoors to the garden, pool, garage, and other areas that are usually out of WiFi range. Enjoy uninterrupted video and music streaming on all your devices for seamless entertainment anywhere in your property.

Just a FYI for anyone else considering purchasing the Orbi RBS5OY.

[FURRYe38]

I believe that maybe the FW versions a user needs to install would be a factor in how the RBSY works with non Orbi systems. There are two FW modes that are avaialble,

(Orbi Mode)
(Orbi Extender Mode)

I presume the Extender mode version of FW maybe the one to use for non Orbi router systems? 

Thanks for letting us know.