Orbi with Engenius Outdoor AP should I adjust settings/mode?

[ipswichclam]

I recently switched from an Apple Airport home network to the Orbi RBR50 with 2 satellites. So far so good.  I already had an Engenius ENS1750 outdoor access point installed outside my house so my large yard gets coverage. The Engenius AP is hardwired by ethernet to the same Fios Actiontec modem/router that feeds the Orbi. I have configured the SSID and password the same on the Orbi and Engenius.

So far, I think they are playing together nicely.

Will there by any issue caused by the fact that the Orbi is giving out IP address in the 10.1.1.X range, while the Engenius gives addresses in the 192.168.1.X range? Should the Engenius be in Access Point mode or something else (the only options are WDS Access Point and WDS Bridge). 

Or just leave it since it seems to work?

My setup: Orbi RBR50 with 2 satellites 

MacOS 10.13.16

[plemans]

I think there's some confusion here and needs a little clarification.

1. Engenius ENS1750 is an access point itself. It doesn't have routing capabilities that I could find.

2. So your Fios Actiontc modem/router is acting as router.

3. So it sounds like you have your Orbi in router mode? 

Your Engenius should already be in AP mode. You're currently in a double nat if your orbi is in router mode as well as your fios actiontec device. 

https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT

Easiest route/fix to make sure everthing stays working right? Put your orbi in AP mode. You'll lose the routing functions but you won't have to worry about network instabilities or double nat. 

You're other option would be to configure the Actiontec to work in passthrough mode/modem only mode. I'd recommend contacting your provider of that device to help you set that up if you go that route. 

[CrimpOn]

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@ipswichclam wrote:

So far, I think they are playing together nicely.

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It may seem that they are playing together nicely, but that could be an illusion.  For one, there will be no automatic "hand-off" between the Orbi and the Engenius.  Second, there could be issues when devices on one network need to communicate with devices on the other network.  (For example, I regularly print from my smartphone and tablet to a printer on my Orbi network.  People seem to have a devil of a time with network media servers with complicated networks.  And, the "double NAT" definitely causes issues with specific applications.)

There seems to be no urgency.  When there is, getting to a single router may be the solution.

[ipswichclam]

Thank you for the succinct and helpful explantion. I suspected somthing could be amiss, even through right now things are working, and I hadn't thought about double NAT.

If I switch the Orbi to AP mode, would that affect my ability to use the ethernet ports (for things like printers) on the Orbi or its satellites? Or do they become something like the ports on an ethernet switch? 

[ipswichclam]

Thank you, that makes sense. I think I may put the Orbi in AP mode to avoid the double NAT. 

[CrimpOn]

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@ipswichclam wrote:

If I switch the Orbi to AP mode, would that affect my ability to use the ethernet ports (for things like printers) on the Orbi or its satellites? Or do they become something like the ports on an ethernet switch? 

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All the ethernet ports (router and satellite) remain active when the Orbi is in Access Point (AP) mode.  You can even attach simple (unmanaged) ethernet switches to the ports if you need more connections. The primary router assigns IP addresses to every device that makes a DHCP request.

Some things to consider: (1) Do you need to "assign" specific IP addresses to some devices (such as NAS or printers)?  Are you able to do that with the primary router?  (2) How do the "router functions" compare between the primary router and the Orbi?  For example, I have no use for Disney Circle or the "Armor" capability.  If you need to forward ports, can that be done with the primary router?

[ipswichclam]

Thanks, I have now switched to AP mode on the Orbi. I am confortable with using the primary router to assign IP addresses, open ports, etc. I will obeserve how it works for a few days. I am about to open a separate thread about whether I can still use ethernet backhaul, and how to do that. Thanks all for your help!

[plemans]

You'll still be able to use the wired backhaul. I have mine setup this way right now.

[ipswichclam]

Thanks, I am going to start a separate thread because my set up is not straighforward. I want to use an ethernet backhaul that is running via a MOCA network (coax cable) connected to to the Actiontec router that is now my primary (only) router now that ORBI is in AP mode. That is the only option I have with the existing wiring in my house.

I will repeat this on the other thread. The proposed setup is:

coax MOCA network connect to FIOS ONT; one node is the Actiontec router, the other nodes are MOCA adpaters that provide an Ethernet connection, and devices like Tivos that take both internet and video from the MOCA coax.

The ORBI base is attached directly to the Actiontec router. The satellite with ethernet backhaul would plug in to an ethernet MOCA adapter attached by coax.  I can "see" things like the Tivos using Moca over the Orbi web interface and app (they appear as "wired").

I tried this setup briefly and I didn't seem to connect reliably, but since I just switched to AP mode, I thought I observe the the work for a while before I introduce another variable.

Thoughts?

[CrimpOn]

I used MoCA with my Tivos for years.  In order to provide better connectivity than Orbi RBR50 WiFi backhaul, it might be critical to ensure that ALL of the MoCA adapters are the latest "bonded" 2.0, which came out in 2015.  If even a single older adapter is attached, the entire system reverts to the slower speed.  Also, with MoCA, Orbi is sharing the bandwidth with everything else that is attached.  I am not sure what the net effect will be.  For example, if Tivo remotes are using MoCA to show live or recorded Tivo content, they will take bandwidth from Orbi.

For Orbi, wired ethernet is the best possible backhaul, but it is impractical in many (most?) homes.