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(I did look for posts about this, but I couldn't find anything that matched. If I missed it, please point me in the right direction.)
I recently upgraded to faster Internet, with GotNetSpeed 1 Gbsp fiber, so I switched to the Orbi 6E. Here's my setup:
Basement: - ISP's fiber terminal.
- Orbi router, connected by Cat6 patch cable to 10G port.
- Computer used as a network storage device, connected by Cat6 to the Orbi.
Main floor: - Orbi satellite, connected to a TV.
Second floor:
- Orbi satellite
- Main computer, connected by Cat6 patch cable to 2.5G port.
All over: Assorted WiFi devices running on 2.4 Ghz, 5 Ghz, and even 6 GHz.
When I run SpeedTest on the basement computer, which is wired directly to the Orbi that's just a few feet away from it, I get about 930 Mbps down, 950 Mbps up. Great speeds, and pretty close to what I pay for. Even if I unplug the Ethernet and connect with WiFi over 6 GHz, it's pretty close to that, at 760/830. This is the sort of performance I'd like to have upstairs.
But when I run it on the main computer, wired to the second-floor Orbi satellite, and selecting the same upstream server, I get 260/600!
Ok, I understand that I'm going to lose some speed because it's going through two floors, but I don't understand why I'm losing so much or why I lose less on the upload speed. I'd even imagine that the satellite on the main floor might be able to relay signals from the basement, so it's two hops, not one long one. All this is on modern, fast computers and no VPN.
I'm returning it. Still have the original boxes I got it from Amazon.
I was already frustrated with the fact that it's not getting me 600 Mbps over WiFi 6MHz from 3 feet away or more than 400 Mbps upstairs, and I don't need the second satellite. At this point, I went with an Ethernet backhaul and turned off the spare satellite, so I'm barely using it for its designed features.
That's why I was frustrated. Just now, the satellite stopped working. Rebooting it didn't help. Removing the Ethernet backhaul didn't help. Turning on the spare didn't help. I could have tried rebooting the router itself and then repeating the steps to sync with the satellites and so on, but this would have been pointless.
The Orbi does not do the job I need it to and it's not even reliable for what little I ask of it. So it's gone.
Thanks for your attempt to help me, though. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you took. I am not at all likely to purchase an Orbi product in the future.
What Firmware version is currently loaded? What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? What is the distance between the router and 📡 satellite(s)? 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📡
Are these computers the same or any differences between them?
Same ethernet connection?
Try using the 1Gb ports on the RBS. If your PC doesn't support multi gig speeds, it's recommended to use the 1Gb ports on the RBS.
Short answer: connect the two upstairs satellites to the router using Cat6 Ethernet cables, a separate cable to each satellite. For many users, such as myself, this is simply impractical. (i.e. really costly)
It would helpful to verify how the satellites are connected now, i.e. do they both connect to the basement router or do they Daisy Chain. The Orbi web browser Attached Devices page will show this, or the Orbi 'app' Network Diagram.
If the main computer has a gigabit Ethernet port (as most do), then using the 2.5 GB port instead of one of the gigabit ports makes no difference.
What Firmware version is currently loaded? V6.0.3.85_3.1.15
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
It's whatever GoNetSpeed provides. I don't think it matters, since it's consistently fast when connected to directly (or even through the Ethernet ports of the router right next to it).
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? 1,500 sqft for the first and second floor combined, but not including basement.
What is the distance between the router andsatellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS. They're one floor apart, although not stacked on top of each other. I haven't measured, but that's usually 9 feet in height, perhaps a little less for the basement. If you think that disabling the middle satellite would help, I could do that, but I'm not sure why it would. I didn't really want a second satellite, but unfortunately that's the only way the 6e model is available.
Are these computers the same or any differences between them?
They're not identical, but they're both late-model desktops that are more than capable of gigabit I/O. The one on the 2nd floor has only 5 Ghz WiFi but a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, while the one in the basement has 6 GHz WiFi but I think only gigabit Ethernet. If it helps, I could use my laptop, which has 5 GHz WiFi and gigabit Ethernet; it can be easily tested at both the second floor satellite and the basement router. Should I do that?
Same ethernet connection? Try using the 1Gb ports on the RBS. If your PC doesn't support multi gig speeds, it's recommended to use the 1Gb ports on the RBS. As I mentioned above, the second-floor computer does support 2.5 Gbps Ethernet.
What Firmware version is currently loaded? V6.0.3.85_3.1.15
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
It's whatever GoNetSpeed provides. I don't think it matters, since it's consistently fast when connected to directly (or even through the Ethernet ports of the router right next to it).
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? 1,500 sqft for the first and second floor combined, but not including basement. <For this size of home, the RBR is only needed. Maybe 1 RBS and you'll need to set the RBRs power to 50% or even 25%.
Too much wifi for that size of home.
What is the distance between the router andsatellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS. They're one floor apart, although not stacked on top of each other. I haven't measured, but that's usually 9 feet in height, perhaps a little less for the basement. If you think that disabling the middle satellite would help, I could do that, but I'm not sure why it would. I didn't really want a second satellite, but unfortunately that's the only way the 6e model is available.
Need to measure distances to get a more accurate result. 30 feet is needed in between them to start.
Are these computers the same or any differences between them?
They're not identical, but they're both late-model desktops that are more than capable of gigabit I/O. The one on the 2nd floor has only 5 Ghz WiFi but a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, while the one in the basement has 6 GHz WiFi but I think only gigabit Ethernet. If it helps, I could use my laptop, which has 5 GHz WiFi and gigabit Ethernet; it can be easily tested at both the second floor satellite and the basement router. Should I do that?
Worth trying.
Same ethernet connection? Try using the 1Gb ports on the RBS. If your PC doesn't support multi gig speeds, it's recommended to use the 1Gb ports on the RBS. As I mentioned above, the second-floor computer does support 2.5 Gbps Ethernet.
Yeah, it's impractical because I'd either have to have it snaked through the walls or crudely attached near the baseboards. One thought is that I could use a 30' Ethernet cable to bring the router to the top of the stairs, right behind the door and almost at the level of the first floor. That would avoid any interference from metal in the basement.
I checked as you suggested and I was surprised to find that both satellites were connecting directly to the router, not daisy-chaining. Based on the WiFi Analyzer software on my phone, the basement signal is pretty weak on the second floor, which is precisely why I went for mesh. Is there some way to convince it to daisy-chain?
I don't think the 2.5 Gbps port makes much of a difference here as top speed is still a little under that limit. I'm just mentioning it because it's my topology.
As I mentioned in the other thread, I really do need at least one satellite because the signal from the basement isn't very strong once it gets to the second floor. The basement signal is -66dBm upstairs, while the first-floor signal is -51dBm. The second-floor signal, from a few feet away, is -33dBm.
I don't know how to manually lower the power, but I'd think that I need enough to get from the basement to the second floor, since that's the limiting factor in signal speed. I could at least turn off the first-floor satellite for testing purposes. That would quite likely give me about 30' between the two remaining ones.
Since my ISP is gigabit and 5 GHz supports even more than that (at least when close by), there's no good reason why I should be much slower with WiFi in the basement than wired, but that's something I can check. I'm not sure if it's ideal, but my phone supports 6 GHz and it's quite portable. I guess I could use it to get a second WiFi measurement, although I'd need to figure out how to make sure it uses WiFi but not 5G!
So here's my new plan: - Using the laptop, get benchmark numbers for wired and 5 Ghz wireless connections to the basement router. This will be a baseline. I can also use the phone to get benchmark 6 GHz wireless speeds, again as a baseline.
- Turn off the first-floor satellite, since it's not being used by the second-floor satellite anyhow and could possibly be interfering.
- Repeat the tests with the laptop on the second floor, both wired and wireless. Repeat with the phone, too.
- Move the router from the basement to the top of the steps, almost at the level of the first floor, and repeat the second-floor benchmarks.
I can do all this in the next day or so and get back to you all with hard numbers.
I believe there is no method to lower the power of the backhaul radios. On the Orbi web browser interface,the Advanced Tab, Advanced Settings (bottom menu), WiFi settings there is setting to lower the Transmit Power, but I believe that affects only the user facing radios. One way to verify this is to drop the setting to 25% and use that analyzer program to detect the power level of the hidden backhaul signals (which do not broadcast their SSID).
my phone supports 6 GHz and it's quite portable. I guess I could use it to get a second WiFi measurement, although I'd need to figure out how to make sure it uses WiFi but not 5G!
My understanding is that the 6E product allows the 6GHz WiFi SSID to be set to a different value, which would guarantee that the phone is connected at 6G.
- Turn off the first-floor satellite, since it's not being used by the second-floor satellite anyhow and could possibly be interfering. It will definitely interfere in the sense that only one WiFi radio may broadcast at a time. When the router backhaul radio broadcasts, both the satellite radios must be quiet. When one satellite broadcasts, the other two devices must be quiet. This is a serious factor in Daisy Chain environments as each data packet makes "two hops"
- Move the router from the basement to the top of the steps, almost at the level of the first floor, and repeat the second-floor benchmarks I like this idea.
Try turning down the power output of the RBRs wifi radios from 100% to 50% and see if this changes anything. This changes ALL radios. Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings
I have same system in a 5K sq ft home and run 50% with two RBS. Basement RBS and main level RBS. Thought I have the RBR on 2nd floor. Though I don't probably need both RBS, power set to 50% helps with having too much power. So with yours, having 1 RBS at 50% with the basement RBS should work.
As I mentioned in the other thread, I really do need at least one satellite because the signal from the basement isn't very strong once it gets to the second floor. The basement signal is -66dBm upstairs, while the first-floor signal is -51dBm. The second-floor signal, from a few feet away, is -33dBm.
I don't know how to manually lower the power, but I'd think that I need enough to get from the basement to the second floor, since that's the limiting factor in signal speed. I could at least turn off the first-floor satellite for testing purposes. That would quite likely give me about 30' between the two remaining ones.
Since my ISP is gigabit and 5 GHz supports even more than that (at least when close by), there's no good reason why I should be much slower with WiFi in the basement than wired, but that's something I can check. I'm not sure if it's ideal, but my phone supports 6 GHz and it's quite portable. I guess I could use it to get a second WiFi measurement, although I'd need to figure out how to make sure it uses WiFi but not 5G!
So here's my new plan: - Using the laptop, get benchmark numbers for wired and 5 Ghz wireless connections to the basement router. This will be a baseline. I can also use the phone to get benchmark 6 GHz wireless speeds, again as a baseline.
- Turn off the first-floor satellite, since it's not being used by the second-floor satellite anyhow and could possibly be interfering.
- Repeat the tests with the laptop on the second floor, both wired and wireless. Repeat with the phone, too.
- Move the router from the basement to the top of the steps, almost at the level of the first floor, and repeat the second-floor benchmarks.
I can do all this in the next day or so and get back to you all with hard numbers.
Ok, so I did what I said I would and ran those various benchmarks.
After turning off that excessive satellite in the middle floor, I was getting 940 Mbps down with a wire attached directly to the router and 580 Mbps with WiFi at a few feet away. Since 5 GHz is rated for 1300 Mbps, that 580 Mbps figure seems really low. And if I can't get full speed over WiFi right next to the base router, how can I expect the satellite's backhaul to do any better? In fact, it doesn't: I was only getting 426 Mbps upstairs.
So I did what I really, really didn't want to do, what I bought the Orbi to avoid: I strung up an Ethernet backhaul. Now I'm getting 940 Mbps on my main computer, exactly as fast as the one in the basement.
But I'm deeply disappointed because the whole point of 6e is that it's fast enough to provide gigabit throughout the house. It's only providing half that, and now I have a spare satellite that I need to eBay or something, as well as some crude wiring that I need to cover up. If my previous system had been 6e, I'd probably just return the Orbi and give up.
As it stands, I'm not a happy camper. Any ideas before I call it a day?
The wifi backhaul connection may support 1300Mpbs or higher, I think 2400Mbps for Orbi AX series. however what will impact this and speeds seen at the RBS will be building materials and distances between the RBR and RBS. Nature of ANY wifi on 5 or 6Ghz is the impact of building materials. Line of sight of course will be near perfect and should see higher speeds however normal environments will always not be ideal. Wired connection will be the one resolving factor on this as it it not impacted by building materials.
The other item is there is some minor performance degradation as well as the data is doing from one point to another then out side.
Last item will be the client device. Most devices are only 2x2 MIMO supporting, so the max out at around 300-700Mpbs, DEPENDING on how they are designed and supported. Even with AX mode support. Devices with 4x4 MIMO support should see near 900Mpbs or some beyond, over wifi, depending on configuration, placement and environment. My iphone can see near 700Mpbs most of the time, however general average speeds are around 500-600m. As long as I'm seeing this I feel that's enough. My Mac Book Pro 2018 usually maxes out at around 500-600 as well on wifi, thought I have seen 700Mpbs back in history. I've connected a ASUS GT-AX1100 5Ghz router and a NG RAXE500 router in bridge mode and have never seen 4800Mpbs connection rate which NG and ASUS both support this 4800Mpbs connection speed. I was told a while go that to see 4800Mpbs speeds, system would need to be in a ideal and noiseless environment and at close range for these speeds to be seen. Why I don't care for marketing of some of these router products boasting 4800Mpbs as we the average home user will never see. I know, it's crazy. Most highest rates I see between the RBR and these routers are around 2800Mpbs to maybe 3200Mpbs.
I have seen 900Mpbs with these two routers connected to the 9 series RBR with a wired PC connected to the bridged routers. So I know that works. I have tested my RBS as well with my iphone and Mac book. However my RBS are always ethernet connected. Since the systems supports 2.5Gb on the LAN side, I wanna take advantage of that feature.
Overall WiFi is varied and can fluctuate some in users home. Wifi will never be as good as wired. Wifi has lots of factors to consider and to take in.
I'm returning it. Still have the original boxes I got it from Amazon.
I was already frustrated with the fact that it's not getting me 600 Mbps over WiFi 6MHz from 3 feet away or more than 400 Mbps upstairs, and I don't need the second satellite. At this point, I went with an Ethernet backhaul and turned off the spare satellite, so I'm barely using it for its designed features.
That's why I was frustrated. Just now, the satellite stopped working. Rebooting it didn't help. Removing the Ethernet backhaul didn't help. Turning on the spare didn't help. I could have tried rebooting the router itself and then repeating the steps to sync with the satellites and so on, but this would have been pointless.
The Orbi does not do the job I need it to and it's not even reliable for what little I ask of it. So it's gone.
Thanks for your attempt to help me, though. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you took. I am not at all likely to purchase an Orbi product in the future.
Sounds like maybe the system you have is just faulty. You might try getting just the RBR alone. They have the RBR alone for sale now and then you could add ON a RBS.
However understand the frustrations. Hope you find something that works for you.
