Orbi RBK40 system and building construction issues

[tom488]

I would replace my R6300v2 router / EX6100 extender combination with an Orbi system if it would solve the problem of poor WiFi performance we are having.  We need to get good 5G signal from one end of a 2 bedroom apartment to the other.  But with 2-3 intervening plaster walls (depending on placement) between router and extender, the 5G signal from the EX6100 extender either drops or won't connect.  The 2G signal from the extender sometimes also drops. 

The tri-band AC2200 Orbi is supposed to blanket a 4000 square foot home with high speed WiFi  --  we only have 1700 square feet.  I can tell from the promotional material that the Orbi is an upgrade in terms of setup and user convenience.  But I can't tell whether the Orbi's tri-band feature represents the kind of technology upgrade that will deliver 5G speeds from the satellite unit given our building construction issues.  If not, one alternative to the Orbi may be to just add more extenders to the existing R6300v2 router.  Thanks for any input.    

[DarrenM]

Hello Tom488

It possibly could solve your issues as the orbi may put out a stronger signal in the home to get a faster internet connection to where you need but if something is interfering with the signal enough it may not work it just different for every persons environment.

DarrenM

[tom488]

Thank you Darren for your reply.  By experimenting with placement, I have found that the 5G signal from our existing Netgear equipment has characteristics of a "beam".  If you are exactly in the right spot, the signal is very strong, even through plaster/cement wall.  But if you go even a few feet to one side or the other, the signal strength drops. 

Can you tell me, does the third band carrier signal on the Orbi have the same characteristics  --  if so, then the Orbi may not be able to resolve the signal strength issue in our building.  Thank you. 

[DarrenM]

Hello Tom488

If you know the exact spot where 5g worked orbi might be good for you if you can place the satellite in the same position because it would then broadcast a better signal to the rest of that area.

DarrenM

[Techlore]

It sounds like the R9000 Nighthawk might work for your situation as well. You can look into that as well. Many tech geeks prefer it. 

[cyberprashant]

If you have a bad wifi coverage construction house - if you're gonna do an orbi get the RBK50 AC3000 kit, the RBK40 is a watered down version and the range sucked compared to the RBK50.  It was night and day when I tried it against the RBK50 - I have a number of issues in my house which make wifi coverage poor and the ORBI RBK50 system works great! ( i got mine from costco so you get 2 satellites and 1 router base).  I had all sorts of problems with extenders (lag and dropout) despite the RE6700 Linksys extender which is supposed to be really good - all those issues went away with orbi.