Please kindly help with placement of RBK50

[cellomaster]

I need your advice on where to place RBK50 router and one satelite.

I live in a three story house.  Evry floor is bout 1300 sf.

I am able to pleace both the router and satelite centrally in the middle of the house.

Yet, I can only do so one the first and the third floors of the house.  NOT on the second floor.

I know it would be ideal to place the main router on the middle floor, but I do not have that option.

Which would give me better results?

1.  Main router on 3rd floor and satelite on the 1st floor?

2.  Main router on the 3rd floor and satelite on the 1st floor?

Please kindly suggest what would give me the best results.

Does the router have a stonger transmission range than the satelite?  Should I daisy channel them or not?

Thanks,

[cellomaster]

I need to clarify my orifginal post.  Sorry.

What I really meant to say is that I can only place the main modem with router on either floor #3 or floor #1, as that's where the coaxial cable cable is.

I can place the satelite on any floor, as it doesn't require the coaxial.

So, the four options I have are:

1. Router on floor 1, satelite on floor 2

2. Router on floor one, satelite on floor 3

3. Router on floor 3, satelite on floor 1

4. Router on floor 3, satelite on floor 2

Which is the best option?

[vajim]

If you are able move the router to the 2nd floor 

[CrimpOn]

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@cellomaster wrote:

I need to clarify my orifginal post.  Sorry.

1. Router on floor 1, satelite on floor 2

2. Router on floor one, satelite on floor 3

3. Router on floor 3, satelite on floor 1

4. Router on floor 3, satelite on floor 2

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With only one satellite, Daisy Chain can be disabled as the entire purpose of Daisy Chain is to connect a satellite through another satellite on the way to the router.

Is the need for WiFi evenly distributed across all three floors?

[cellomaster]

Yes, the need for wifi is evenly distributed across all three floors. 

[CrimpOn]

Ii would start with the router on the 1st floor.  Carry a smartphone around the house and record the signal level at various places on each floor. My Android phone, for example, in the network settings displays the transmit and receive rates. (A more "scientific" process would be to load up a HeatMap app.  There is a cool app that iPhone users rave about, but I cannot remember the name of it.).  With this baseline established....

Power up the satellite in the same room as the router and verify that it "sync's". (Blue light).  Then, move the satellite somewhere on the 2nd floor (not directly above the router). Plug it in a verify "Blue".  Repeat the experiment with the smartphone.  Both floor 2 and floor 3 should be "better".

Then, move the satellite to floor 3 and repeat.  Blue? (yes: experiment. not Blue: this is not going to work.)

Reading through the posts, I see that we failed to inquire about the building construction.  We are so used to "wood frame" buildings that we seldom consider things like concrete floors or concrete walls inside of buildings.

[cellomaster]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful explanation and suggestions!
You mentioned not to put satellite directly above the router.
I was uder impression the router has to be centrally located. Yet, the satellite does not?
I also have an option to position the router on the 2nd of the three floors, yet it is at the utmost end of the house. Would that be better than placingt in the middle of the first floor?
And if so, where would you then place a satellite?

[cellomaster]

I was able to connect the router on the middle floor, the 2nd floor.  Yet, it is in the very front of the house.

I need to connect the staelite on the floor below it, the 1st floor.

What is the best placement of the satelite in relation to the main router?

In line? Diagonally across?  It will be most likely in the middle of the 1st floor.

Any thoughts?

[FURRYe38]

30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite

[cellomaster]

Okay. I checked out the diagraham and it appears Netgear is placing router on the bottom floor, and the satelite on the second floor of a three storey house.

I have a three storey house.

Which is the better option of these 2?

1. Router on floor 2 at the very front of the house, and satelite on floor 1, in the middle of the house

2.  Router on floor 1, in the middle of the house, and satelite on the 2nd floor, at the very front of the house.

In either case, there would be a distance of about 40 feet between them.

[FURRYe38]

Either placement should work well. 

[cellomaster]

Another question.

Is there a way to force a particular device, like my macbook to connect to a satelite as opposed to it connecting to the router?

[FURRYe38]

Its up to devices to pick and choose where they conencted to. Also try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

[CrimpOn]

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@cellomaster wrote:
You mentioned not to put satellite directly above the router.
I was uder impression the router has to be centrally located. Yet, the satellite does not?

---

This is an awkward situation.

• WiFi antennas are omnidirectional, which means that they broadcast/receive equally in all directions.
  Placing a WiFi access point in the center of a space maximizes the useful area covered.
  Placing an access point against an outside wall, for example, would mean that half of the coverage area
  is "outside" the building, and thus wasted.  So, center of the space is "best".
• Alas, dipole antennas have their lowest strength directly above and below the antenna.
  i.e. exactly above or below.  An offset of 10ft or so, makes a tremendous difference.
  So, in general terms it is better to place a satellite on an upper (or lower) floor, at least a little
  bit offset from the router.  This most likely will happen naturally because electronics have to be connnected
  to electrical power and probably will not be located (for example) in the middle of rooms or hallways.
• So the 'ideal' placement is for both router and satellite close to the center of the space, but not exactly above or below each other.

Sorry if I created confusion.

[vajim]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Its up to devices to pick and choose where they conencted to. Also try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

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Not true 

once the device provides the network security password it's the router acts like a traffic cop  

The actual connection may be as simple as location and building material

  Devices that require a certain freq may appear they are in control but in the mesh system special configurations may be required, once connected the router directs traffic.  

[cellomaster]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Its up to devices to pick and choose where they conencted to. Also try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

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Please clarify.  I am in the right section.  Yet, there is no option to adjust RBR specifically.

The only options I have is adjust the power output of 2.4GHZ and 5 GHZ.

Which band should I adjust to 50%?

[vajim]

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@cellomaster wrote:

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Its up to devices to pick and choose where they conencted to. Also try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

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Please clarify.  I am in the right section.  Yet, there is no option to adjust RBR specifically.

The only options I have is adjust the power output of 2.4GHZ and 5 GHZ.

Which band should I adjust to 50%?

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you turn down the freq opposite of what you're trying to connect to

[cellomaster]

Another weird thing is happening.

Both my modern Oneplus 7T phone and iPad Pro are connecting on the 2.4 GHZ, even when right next to the satelite.

Yet, both are 5 GHZ capable devices.  I would think the 5GHZ would be a better and stronger connection, especially at the close proximity.

What is causing this? And is there way to force them to connect to 5GHZ?

[vajim]

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@cellomaster wrote:

Another weird thing is happening.

Both my modern Oneplus 7T phone and iPad Pro are connecting on the 2.4 GHZ, even when right next to the satelite.

Yet, both are 5 GHZ capable devices.  I would think the 5GHZ would be a better and stronger connection, especially at the close proximity.

What is causing this? And is there way to force them to connect to 5GHZ?

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Not sure of the 'cause' but I wouldn't worry about it.  As long as the phone and IPAD work what difference does it make.  You may find the connection to shift as you move around in the home.

[FURRYe38]

Yes your in the right section, you can turn down the power output of either 2.4G or 5G radios. to 50 or 25%. You can leave the more prefered frequency at 100% to help steer those devices to connect to this frequency. This should help some. Again, it's up to devices to pick and choose where they connect too. Orbi only provides the platform, there is no direction at the Orbi level. 

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@cellomaster wrote:

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Its up to devices to pick and choose where they conencted to. Also try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings

---

Please clarify.  I am in the right section.  Yet, there is no option to adjust RBR specifically.

The only options I have is adjust the power output of 2.4GHZ and 5 GHZ.

Which band should I adjust to 50%?

---

[cellomaster]

Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated.

My network is working better than ever now.

Lastly, is there a general consesnus on which is the best channel for 2.4 and for 5 GHZ?

[FURRYe38]

Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and any unused channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

[cellomaster]

Yes, lots of wifi neighbours near by.

There are about 9-10 wifi neighbours near by.

[FURRYe38]

Ok, I would also reduce the power out put of both radios to 50% as well. Helps reduce some nieghboring wifi interferences with your signals when there are lots of other nieghboring wifi signal near by. 

[cellomaster]

Reducing the power output to 50%?  Does that decrease the transmission rate?  Does that effect how far the signal will travel within my house?