Going beyond 4 Satelites with ethernet backhall

[whoops]

I called customer services, they said the Netgear Orbi is only guaranteed to work with a maximum of 4 satelites. They said although the router allows you to add more, if you go beyond 4 you will experience various problems due to "bandwith". I asked them if an ethernet backhall would overcome these problems but they insited no. However I am doubtful as to reliability of this answer, the guy I spoke too seemed low IQ. Please can someone advise. My ideal scenario is 6 orbi units conected by ethernet backhall, and up to three units sprinkled around using the mesh. My home is large but the real problem is my extremely think flint walls which absorb signal. Even on a mesh instead of ethernet backhall, the Linksys Duo supports 9 units, the Velop 10+, Google Home 17, eero say they are unlimited. I can't understand how the Orbi could fail with more than four it would have to be doing something very different. So I think the guy I spoke to was talking nonsense but I need someone who really knows the system to give me a true answer. Thanks very much

[waynealight]

just buy 2 more satellites and try.  the range is so powerful they might not of ever tested it.

you may also consider moving away from orbi and going to ubiquity unify. needing that many access points may require a higher level of equipment to really run properly.

[whoops]

I have the router plus two satellite pack plus I bought the outdoor satelite. All are connected via ethernet backhall. However due to the thickness of the walls I need many more. I am renovating parts of the property, in these areas its easy for me to add ethernet backhall. Other parts are not so easy- hence my decision to go for a mesh capable system instead of paying someone to do a site survey and install ubiquiti networks 2.4ghz long range access points which would obviously be the ideal solution for thick wall penetration.
Does anyone know the answer to my question please. I don't want suggestions or complaints. I want to understand the three / four satelite limit on the netgear system which is the lowest limit on the market. How can there be such a low limit with an ethernet backhall? There is no explanation on the internet.

[whoops]

I should add that I was not aware of the limit when I bought the devices from netgear it is something I only just found out about as I was looking to expand and I have invested so much money in the system I don't want to start again.

[waynealight]

you are on a internet forum asking about possible firmware limitions at the engineering level.  No one here will have that answer.  Thats why I suggested you just buy a few more satellites and try it. If it doesn't work, return it and get your money back and you will have answered the question if it will work.  It will not answer the why, its just not possible to know without being the team to created the system.

On the ubiquity side Im not referring to long range antennas, just a router and some poe access points.

I bring it up because ive used google home wifi and linksys velop.

google is great but low throughput.  velop is just too unstable and basic setup will require you to call tech support.

[whoops]

My friend I told you I spoke to netgear sales. I would like to call customer support but there is no number and the app does not support my serial number and the web interface is not giving me a phone number. So I am stuck on this forum.
It is not about firmware limitations, the guy from sales said on his first day he got a lecture on the product and they said although you can add as many satelites as you like in theory, it will grind to a halt due to insufficent "bandwidth" so you have to tell customers that only three satelites are supported. But I said to him if I use an ethernet backhall surely I will be OK. He said NO, but he could not explain and he was talking nonsense about various things and so the question remains open.
Now I could just go and buy some more and try it but I have to decide quickly because my return window is closing in the next few days.
Therefore I am hoping someone from netgear who knows thier technology does read this post. Or someone who has tried it for themselves. Eg there is a post on this forum by a guy with four satelites. But I could not see any by someone who has tried to go much further.

[waynealight]

 I did find a post of someone using 5 but he never posted a pic fo the connection status.  official support used to be 3 now its 4.  Orbi was orignally release without ethernet backhaul so official support of multiple satellites would be just a few to gaurentee system would work with their advertised transfer rates.  i agree with you that it should allow more.  the only reason it wouldnt would be a firmware limitation.  Something else you can do is save your setup information. return your system and purchase it again so you will start your return window agian.  I know its not the solution you are looking for but it will give you time to test.  With any of these mesh system we are all beta testers.  Our feedback, testing and suggestions are how they improve/change firmwares.   Thats how we got ethernet backhaul,  a large out cry from the consumers.  it took over a year to get but it did finally happen.  its not perfect and the 4x4 backhaul can not be used for devices but it did happen.    

[whoops]

Thanks waynealight for that reply. I think failing someone giving me a solid answer my best bet is to return and switch to the TP-Link Duo. Its cheap but it supports 10 units even on mesh. I choose the netgear for the outdoor antenna but I can live without it.

[whoops]

P.S. You say "With any of these mesh system we are all beta testers. Our feedback, testing and suggestions are how they improve/change firmwares."
So here is my feedback: The ability to have lots of access points is very important. The three units covers xm2 stuff is nonsense, in residential installs wall thickness is a huge problem. Eg on Amazon I see many users are installing 6 duos because of wall thickness problems. Eg on Amazon I see many complaing they can't cover thier property with the 3 unit limit on BT Whole Home Wifi.
I also think the focus on speed is less important than the focus on coverage. That means a powerful 2.4Gz only unit might better suit home applications. Not many home users transfer files around thier network, they are never going to notice anything faster than thier 20Mb internet connection.
For me the best Orbi features are the outdoor satellite and the four ports on every device. This means I can get a faster connection on my desktop where I have ethernet backhaul.
I wired the parts of the house I am renovating for the Orbi. Instead of a switch I have two ports in each room to daisy chain the ethernet from device to device. Alas when I swich to the two port duo this will leave me with nothing to plug a computer/tv into!

[waynealight]

are you meaning tp link deco?  if so be aware that system has very little in the way of configurations you can change and no web innerface.  smartphone app only.   and having to add switches to every access point would suck too. if you need a switch on the access point orbi seems to be the only real solution.  Asus just release something called aimesh.  https://www.asus.com/us/aimesh/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDRs434LYQ&t=3s

linus tech tips did a install using it.  Looks promising. 

[budy]

Well, from the protocol, there really shouldn't be a limitation on how many satellites you can reasonably connect. However, the bandwidth issue will kick in evenatually, since the units are also constantly chattering among each other. It may also be, that the Orbi App on iOS/Android will not cope with more than 4 Satellites, but that would be a lmitation of that app. I also seem to remember, that the guy with the 5 satellites performed a very weird way of setting those up - afair, he added each satellite while the other ones weren't active/powered off - probably due to limitations of the Orbi Web app.

The issue seemed to be that once all satellites have gotton their secret to connect to the main Orbi, it just worked. I'd also say, take a look at that thread again and decide of you want to try it out.

Cheers,

budy

[FURRYe38]

Bandwidth will and can be a challenge as well as interferences and noise. If you have too many wifi signals in a close proximity, noise and congestion on wifi channels will become a problem and cause disconnets and wifi instability. You don't want too many wifi signal sources too close to each other. Wireless or wire connected satellites. Also the Orbi system seems to have a distance sweet spot in regards to how close the satelllites are to the base router. 30-40feet seems to be a good starting point for these systems when they are connected wirelessly. 4-6 satellites is good for a average home. If your using these for a business, then you not get what you desire as these are for a home setting. Maybe a small office. If you needing them for a Business, then you should looking into the Orbi Pro version or some other kind of wifi system meant and built for business. 

Over all the Orbi is what it is and is designed for limited configurations. Anything beyond this could be problematic and not supported. 

Good Luck

[budy]

Ehh…? In what regard does this relate to the topic of wanting to install more than 4 satelites via wired backhaul?

Cheers,

budy