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Forum Discussion
Extending Orbi with EX3700
I have a Netgear EX3700 extender that I'd like to use as an Extender and install in a nearby shop building and connect it to the closest sattelite on my Orbi RBK23 system. But it doesn't seem to be w...
All I need to know is if it will connect to an Orbi sattelite and supply a connection to the internet. The main Orbi device is too far away, so it will have to connect to a sattelite. The EX3700 does not seem to be able to do this.
OrbiRocks wrote:All I need to know is if it will connect to an Orbi sattelite and supply a connection to the internet. The main Orbi device is too far away, so it will have to connect to a sattelite. The EX3700 does not seem to be able to do this.
I do not have a Netgear "extender". However, I do have a TP-Link TL-WA855RE extender, which I purchased specifically to test issues with 2.4G IoT devices. It is only capable of 2.4G, which is one reason it cost $19.99.
http://download.fp-usa.com/product_docs/wifi-adapter/TP-Link-TL-WA855RE-Ver2.pdf
Just now, I plugged it in next to my Orbi RBS50 satellite and did the "WPS Sync". As the attached screen shot shows, Orbi Attached Devices shows that the WA855RE is now connected to the satellite (at 2.4G which is all it can do). It has automatically created a WiFi access point called ("MyOrbiName-EXT"). I hauled out an old laptop and connected to this new WiFi network. Got an IP address. Open a web browser and "it works." The laptop shows up on the Orbi Attached Devices display as connected to the satellite.
Can I "guarantee" that a Netgear "extender" will work? Well, unless it is drastically less capable than my $20 TP-Link extender, I certainly hope so. (My last guarantee was that "you know who" could never win the nomiination, much less the election. After the way THAT turned out, no more guarantees!)
I was hoping to hear a response from someone who works at Orbi about whether this will work or not.
OrbiRocks wrote:I was hoping to hear a response from someone who works at Orbi about whether this will work or not.
Its rare to find an actual netgear employee on here since this is the community forum.
And CrimpOn is great with orbi systems. You're getting the answers you need but not grasping what it means.
Can you add an extender to orbi? yes
Will it function like an orbi satellite? No
Historical posts I remember said that stock FW does not allow EX3700s to connect. One user I remember contacted NG support and NG game them a beta version of EX FW to install which made there EX3700 connect to Orbi. I also tried the same thing with my EX7700s and they would not connect. I asked NG about this and they sent me beta FW For the 7700s. Which worked to get the EX7700s connected to Orbi. You might ask NG support about this FW.
OrbiRocks wrote:I was hoping to hear a response from someone who works at Orbi about whether this will work or not.
Thanks Furry, that is what I sort of suspected. I can connect to the main router, but not the sattelite with the EX700. I'm thinking of ordering one of the new Mesh Extenders, but I first need to know if it will actually be able to connect to a sattelite. I guess I'll have to call Netgear support and see if I can get an answer.
Let us know what you find out.
OrbiRocks wrote:I'm thinking of ordering one of the new Mesh Extenders, but I first need to know if it will actually be able to connect to a sattelite.
It may prove useful to be very clear about the terminology and exact model number if you are able to reach Netgear.
The EX3700, for example, is a "range extender" not a "mesh extender."
Since the newer "mesh" extenders are much more costly, you are right to ask about "Orbi satellite". When reading through the promotional literature on the "newest and greatest" EAX80 ($220 on Amazon), they seem to be really slippery about what happens when it is used with a "legacy" (non AX) router, and the Orbi system is not mentioned at all (let alone "satellite").
From a brief glance at the community forum for AX and Nighthawk extenders, it looks like there are the same sort of questions I see on this forum, "Doesn't do (this or that)"
Amazon won't have the old EX3700 in stock until May 6, or I would order one to test. (But, prehaps the conversation has moved on to other products making that adventure unproductive.)
Other option? Run an underground ethernet cord to the shop.
Then run the EX3700 in AP mode.
You'd get better performance as you won't take the speed hit you'd take from using an extender.
Plus, you'd have the option to upgrade in the future pretty easily since you've already got the cable ran.
Might even be about break even on price if you run it yourself versus having to buy a satellite or different extender.
