Re: Orbi router with another network but same house

Jilllett · ‎2021-02-23

We have the orbi RBK13 hooked up to our satellite internet and it works great. Our internet is amazing. We have another internet service (satellite out where i live can be crappy and it caps out at 100mbs) can i buy another system a d hook it up to my other internet connection? I’m not the most savvy internet person so I’m not sure. TIA

vajim · ‎2021-02-23

@Jilllett wrote:
We have the orbi RBK13 hooked up to our satellite internet and it works great. Our internet is amazing. We have another internet service (satellite out where i live can be crappy and it caps out at 100mbs) can i buy another system a d hook it up to my other internet connection? I’m not the most savvy internet person so I’m not sure. TIA

I would think you could as long you understand they will be seperate networks. Kinda like having your neighbor in your front room and it sounds like at no time would they both be up and running at the same time...??

CrimpOn · ‎2021-02-23

@Jilllett wrote:
We have the orbi RBK13 hooked up to our satellite internet and it works great. Our internet is amazing. We have another internet service (satellite out where i live can be crappy and it caps out at 100mbs) can i buy another system a d hook it up to my other internet connection? I’m not the most savvy internet person so I’m not sure. TIA

Yes, you could. Two systems creates a coordination issue. Every device will be connected to either one or the other. If one is interrupted, all of those devices lost internet until they are switched to the other WiFi system. When it comes back on, they remain on the other system until manually switched back.

It might be worth looking into a product that connects to two ISP connections and feeds both of them to the Orbi. (and less costly, too.)

For example, the Ubiquiti Edgerouter X (https://www.ui.com/edgemax/edgerouter-x/ ) sells for $59 (Amazon is higher, possibly because of free shipping https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3...

Page 71 of the User Manual explains how to connect the Edgerouter to two (or more) internet connections and then connect the combined feeds to the local LAN (which would be the Orbi router).

Using a product such as this would leave you with a single mesh WiFi network, higher total capacity, and automatic "fail over" if one of the ISP connections is interrupted.

vajim · ‎2021-02-23

@CrimpOn wrote:
@Jilllett wrote:
We have the orbi RBK13 hooked up to our satellite internet and it works great. Our internet is amazing. We have another internet service (satellite out where i live can be crappy and it caps out at 100mbs) can i buy another system a d hook it up to my other internet connection? I’m not the most savvy internet person so I’m not sure. TIA
Yes, you could. Two systems creates a coordination issue. Every device will be connected to either one or the other.

Perhaps, but this is the issue I wasn't sure about from the original post. Is he/she planning on running both networks at the same time or use one as a backup?

Jilllett · ‎2021-02-23

So we have our satellite internet that my daughter mostly uses for zoom classes. We use it as well for work or whatnot. But after we hit 100 mbps or whatever it slows down.
So we have internet that’s not satellite as well. It’s not as fast as our satellite so we only use it when needed. So we set up the orbi on the main internet and i was thinking of purchasing another one to use on our backup internet. I hope this makes sense lol

vajim · ‎2021-02-23

@Jilllett wrote:
So we have our satellite internet that my daughter mostly uses for zoom classes. We use it as well for work or whatnot. But after we hit 100 mbps or whatever it slows down.
So we have internet that’s not satellite as well. It’s not as fast as our satellite so we only use it when needed. So we set up the orbi on the main internet and i was thinking of purchasing another one to use on our backup internet. I hope this makes sense lol

Yes...it should work, however as @CrimpOn mentioned the device management may be a nighmare from the stand point you won't have any control over what device connects to what network unless you use separate passwords for each router. Not something the average user thinks about.

Interesting setup. If you do go with, please let us know how it comes along.

Jilllett · ‎2021-02-23

Ok thanks. Makes sense. Maybe I’ll try their advise instead. I will let you know if it works 😊

CrimpOn · ‎2021-02-23

There are several aspects of this situation to consider.

The cost difference between Edgerouter X and another RBK13 is not as great as I thought. Probably on the order of $40-$60.
The "10 series" Orbi product is different from the rest of the Orbi line, being "dual band" rather than "tri band." While the two systems could have the 2.4G WiFi channels set so as not to overlap, the 5G channel on the 10 products is fixed and cannot be changed by the user. With under 200MB total bandwidth, this probably does not present a significant issue. WiFi is designed to tolerate interference and there probably are few neighbors blasting WiFi on every available channel (unlike my house).
Adding a second WiFi network has the benefit of being a "low tech" solution. Someone yells out, "WiFi1 is down. Go into settings and change to WiFi2". Of course, things like smart plugs, smart speakers (Alexa anyone?), Ring Doorbells, security cameras, etc. will just go dead until the network comes back. It would be far too labor intensive to switch networks on IoT devices.
It is also low tech in the sense that some devices could be set to WiFi2 permanently, thus reducing the load on WiFi1.
Deploying an Edgerouter (or equivalent) to provice automatic (a) load sharing and (b) failover is a "high tech" solution. Another piece of equipment to learn how to work. Something else to fail. There's a definite learning curve.

The answer to the original question remains, "Yes, another Orbi system can be installed in the same house, connected to a different ISP."

Which solution is most useful and practical depends on value judgements.