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RBR40

burksde
Aspirant

RBR40

     I've been searching but I keep going down "rabbit holes".  Hope someone a lot smarter than me can assist, before I call a company to come out.

     Currently have 1 RBR40 with 1 satellite (whatever came in the box when new). Home is 3,200 square feet. Mostly 1 story but do have a small office in a 2nd story. Internet provided is via direct line of sight satellite (Nextlink) and speed is up to 50 Mbps Download and Up to 10 Mbps Upload. (painful after having fiber. sacrifices to live in the country lol)  Currently, the inside and back/front porch are good but I want more coverage. Wanting to install some WiFi security cameras also, so I'm hoping to get some WiFi extended out a good ways from the house. .

--In one direction. I have direct line of sight from house to barn (260') RBR40 is in the center of the house (350').

--Other direction has a large tree and is 160'.

I was looking to add some rbs50y. One inside and one at the barn (360') then one inside on the other end of the house to point at my front gate (160') but was not sure if using the current RBR40 would work, speed wise or chaining wise. Or just needing an upgrade all around with some additions to get outside coverage.  

Thanks for any suggestions and feedback,

Message 1 of 3
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: RBR40

Unfortunately, Netgear Orbi products have omnidirectional antenna coverage.  They do not "point at" distant locations.  WiFi over distances of 160ft. or 350ft. is unrealistic.

 

The most effective solution is Ethernet cable.  Outdoor cable is relatively inexpensive and will provide gigabit speeds up to 90 meters (about 300ft.)  Cat6A cable will probably provide gigabit even farther.  Unfortunately, most of us find installing Ethernet cable, penetrating the building, etc. much more costly and complicated than the cost of the cable.

 

My advice is to search Amazon for "point to point wireless bridge".  Models are available from recognized mainstream manufacturers (TP-Link, Engenius, Trendnet, Ubiquiti... even Netgear) and also from "emerging" companies.  (Just personally, I would shy away from products with 6 total reviews in favor of products with 100's of reviews.  But, heck, I am a cynical Old Fart!  The "no-name" brands are a LOT less costly.)

 

Notice that:

  • Many products are rated in terms of kilometers. 200-300 ft. is well within their capability.
    In fact, many of them will be able to blast through the building walls, cover the distance, and get inside a wooden barn with "no problem".  (Metal barns are hell on WiFi signals.)
  • Many products are designed to be mounted outdoors and carry both the data signal and electrical supply using Power over Ethernet (PoE) which greatly reduces the installation effort.
  • Any sort of switch or WiFi unit can be placed at the far end to provide coverage in that area.  The Orbi router can still manage the DHCP assignment of IP addresses

Read the reviews and comments, specifically those that mention situations similar to yours. (barns, outbuildings, etc.)

 

 

Message 2 of 3
burksde
Aspirant

Re: RBR40

Thank you for the reply.
I’ll start doing some research and see where that leads. Thanks again
Message 3 of 3
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