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NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Whole Home Mesh WiFi System (RBK23) $349.99

  • Last Updated:
  • Jun 2nd, 2020 6:01 pm
Sr. Member
Nov 18, 2019
502 posts
244 upvotes
GTA
So to use Orbi, do we need to call in to our provider (I use Cogeco) and the supplied modem to bridge mode?
Deal Addict
Apr 14, 2006
1152 posts
734 upvotes
St Johns
ChibaK wrote: So to use Orbi, do we need to call in to our provider (I use Cogeco) and the supplied modem to bridge mode?
I don’t think you need to do that
Newbie
Dec 13, 2017
16 posts
16 upvotes
Niagara
Orbi will work in Access Point mode or Router mode, so you can just set it as AP Mode and let it take care of your wireless.
Sr. Member
Nov 18, 2019
502 posts
244 upvotes
GTA
freddyba wrote: Orbi will work in Access Point mode or Router mode, so you can just set it as AP Mode and let it take care of your wireless.
But doesn't AP mode mayslow things down, since it has to go through the Cogeco modem (Hitron) and then the Orbi. Where bridging acts... like a bridge.. and everything is controlled by Orbi?

Pardon my lack of understanding (even after using good ol' Google to figure this out).
Newbie
Dec 13, 2017
16 posts
16 upvotes
Niagara
It's basically deciding which device you want to be your router, the Hitron or the Orbi.

If you have been having issues with the router in the Hitron, or you want more control over the router then for sure turn it off and put the Orbi in router mode.

Otherwise you can leave the Hitron the way it is and set the Orbi to AP mode (and save calling Cogeco to try and get them to make the change).

Just don't leave both the Hitron AND Orbi in router mode. That is not good, although it will appear to work at first glance.
Newbie
Oct 15, 2016
98 posts
154 upvotes
milobloom wrote: A few people have said it, I'll reiterate. If you are willing to pay $300-500 or more for gear, please buy Ubiquiti access points and get wires to locations you are placing them, rather than dicking around with wireless "mesh" to try and make up for not having Cat6 cable runs. If you "can't" get wires run, consider hiring someone who can.

You will have the same SSID across all of them if you set them up correctly, and you can control which channels are used so you don't get interference between them (or deal with a neighbour whose gear is on the same channel as yours, for example). And again.. if you're not comfortable setting it up, hire someone who can, it's not that difficult and does not take long if you have the wiring in place. You will have a far superior system for your money in the end that's easily upgraded later on if needed, versus whatever proprietary stuff Asus, Google, or whoever are doing to extend wireless coverage using wireless coverage.
I'll add to this:

Unifi can mesh as well if you don't have the option to pull ethernet cables. I've done a multi link across a clients garden and tennis court (couple hundred feet) from an INDOOR access point to a AC Mesh mounted on the outside of their gym and got 100mbps all day, stable enough for the Rogers Ignite live streaming box in the gym and a couple ms of ping increase.

I find it funny about every 1 in every 10 comments is someone saying "unifi" while the others are all AIMesh. I'm sorry guys, I've got multiple sites I manage, 10,000sqft to normal homes and I've pulled out many ASUS, Google etc products that were failing and replaced with unifi. (Also a bunch Ruckus, Aruba and Cisco but they are not close to a comparable price point.) ASUS AIMesh is just consumer nonsense speak for a standard that Unifi does much better, seamless roaming between bands and access points, same SSID between bands and access points. Remote management if you spring for a cloudkey is awesome, I called a client and asked if he wifi in his garage was down=he went and checked and was surprised it was much slower than usual.

Not to worry, I said, I got an alert via the management system that RADAR had been picked up on that access point (small airstrip across the lake) so it automatically shut down the 5Ghz band. We changed frequencies and moved the device to the other side of the garage and he was back to full speed. You won't get with some "AIMesh".

Ultimately what sets them apart is if you install them in the ceiling, single cable with power over ethernet, you get a wayyy better wifi experience, versus some router sat on the floor or next to a TV. All to do with density of materials, how the signals are reflected through the house. One LR access point from Ubiquti installed in the correct place will be serving a similar speed but more stable connection over 2.4ghz than the anemic connection you'll get on 5ghz from a mesh system once you calculate all the backhaul hops (plus great 5ghz in the rooms surrounding the AP).
Deal Addict
Jan 25, 2008
2945 posts
3014 upvotes
Montréal
Unifi is great for commercial installs - I've deployed them in the past in medium office environments

I got the orbi system for my home on sale (cheaper than this) and it’s great for non tech ppl residential installs
Last edited by thesubmitter on May 29th, 2020 2:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sr. Member
Nov 18, 2019
502 posts
244 upvotes
GTA
freddyba wrote: It's basically deciding which device you want to be your router, the Hitron or the Orbi.

If you have been having issues with the router in the Hitron, or you want more control over the router then for sure turn it off and put the Orbi in router mode.

Otherwise you can leave the Hitron the way it is and set the Orbi to AP mode (and save calling Cogeco to try and get them to make the change).

Just don't leave both the Hitron AND Orbi in router mode. That is not good, although it will appear to work at first glance.
Thanks for clearing it up. The Hitron has been pretty good as a router (I think). AP mode it is :)
Jr. Member
Feb 10, 2018
131 posts
144 upvotes
For those interested, Best Buy has the RBK22 on sale again (the 2 pack with 1 router and 1 AP) for $229 ($100 off).

Link: Netgear Orbi RBK22

Got one of these a few weeks ago, been rock solid reliable and fast. Fastest I've registered is a consistent 333 mbps (we pay for Shaw 300). Full coverage in all areas of our house (~2800 sq ft over 2 levels) and most of the yard beyond the house. AP speeds are in the 260-280 mbps. Very happy.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Dec 26, 2010
1193 posts
824 upvotes
Markham
fatestkid wrote: Thank you for this insight. So i can use my asus ac68u as the router/switch and I can do without the Unifi Router, Switch and Cloudkey. I'll just their APs?

A follow up question then if I have 5-6 users and with 25-30 devices is there benefit in replacing the ac68u with a Unifi Router, Switch and Cloudkey?
The AC68U works fine as a router even for gigabit plans. Just disable the wifi and get APs to substitute for the wifi broadcast.
h00pla wrote: I am not too concerned with speed as my internet is junk anyways (yay rural providers), my biggest concern is a stable connection and coverage. My house is a 6,000+ sq ft bungalow and the modem is connected on the far corner of the basement. Right now i have one next to the modem, one upstairs about 20 ft laterally from the basement (good signal to main), and one in the middle of the main floor (decent signal to satellite). Right now the signal is junk on the opposite end of the house (closet spot to pool house) and in some other spots. So to extend my current setup i would need 2 more connect homes and the PL adapter which is why I am looking at a new system anyways.

I have tested with a single router (what I brought from my old house) before getting the samsung connect home and I would need at least 3 routers to cover the house and to reach the pool house which would need the PL adapter.

Maybe i will try the two in the house on nearly opposite ends with the PL adapter and see how it goes
I strongly do not recommend using PLs to connect routers/mesh nodes. Although they are great for reducing latency, they significantly hinder overall performance compared to 3x3 and 4x4 5Ghz point to point connections, and should only be used from router -> clients.
An alternative would be MoCa adapters, though they are very costly.
juniorkid wrote: Alright, so I just bought the Ubiquiti NanoHD AP. I reset my R7000 router 2 days ago and it's still dropping. Not going to both installing custom firmware since I actually already have Cat6 cables running from my basement to the TV room. So that makes this proposition plug and play.

Plus, as the kids get older, and if they want greater range in the back of the house, it would be easy to just add another access point at the back of the house since all the cabling in is the basement and I have a way to run one more if needed in a few years.

Thank you all for another great RFD thread on what works and what doesn't!
Try connecting a client to the R7000 via LAN and see if the dropping still persists. This will identify if its a setup issue with AP, or if its still an issue with the R7000 firmware.
ji_hyun_jun wrote:
Is this overkill for a 1300 squarefoot 2 storey? What might be a better option?
The Asus AC86U from the other thread is a great alternative.
Octataral wrote:
...

I've got multiple sites I manage, 10,000sqft to normal homes and I've pulled out many ASUS, Google etc products that were failing and replaced with unifi. (Also a bunch Ruckus, Aruba and Cisco but they are not close to a comparable price point.) ASUS AIMesh is just consumer nonsense speak for a standard that Unifi does much better, seamless roaming between bands and access points, same SSID between bands and access points. Remote management if you spring for a cloudkey is awesome, I called a client and asked if he wifi in his garage was down=he went and checked and was surprised it was much slower than usual.

...
Most people here don't have the experience deploying setups in multiple sites, or rather working with multiple products to differentiate them. Either that or they would google supported standards from both products, and assume the implementation is identical between consumer and enterprise equipment.
Member
May 13, 2009
483 posts
647 upvotes
Ottawa, ON
Expliciate wrote: Try connecting a client to the R7000 via LAN and see if the dropping still persists. This will identify if its a setup issue with AP, or if its still an issue with the R7000 firmware.
A valid point. I checked the logs of my Synology NAS and my 2 raspberry Pis. Nothing came up for the same times as the AP drops. Heck, it says NAS has been up since April. So I unplugged the network cable and saw the logs refresh that the LAN went down just to make sure logging is working. So everything checks out on the wired side of things.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Dec 17, 2007
6413 posts
2704 upvotes
Not sure anyone else has run into this issue with their Orbi's, but I tend to get fairly pedestrian speeds when my desktop is connected directly to the Orbi Router (around 100Mbps, paying for 500Mbps). I know it's a router issue as I was able to connect to my Rogers modem and get well over 500Mbps. Any ideas?
Deal Addict
Nov 17, 2017
2441 posts
3157 upvotes
tradinghumble wrote: Thx. Still wi-fi 5 right? I can't tell from the description
Yes.

Has anybody tried the Telus booster system for Telus customers.
TELUS Boost Wi-Fi Starter Pack
$120
Probably not as good as these mesh systems.
Public Mobile, Tangerine
Newbie
Oct 15, 2016
98 posts
154 upvotes
Expliciate wrote:



Most people here don't have the experience deploying setups in multiple sites, or rather working with multiple products to differentiate them. Either that or they would google supported standards from both products, and assume the implementation is identical between consumer and enterprise equipment.


That's the whole reason I came on here to post. Instead of fumbling around with consumer products that arnt upto the task, entry level small business gear will have better performance today and be more relevant tomorrow at a modest price increase (or cheaper!)

I focus on ubuiquti unifi because I know if you can follow simple steps anyone capable of setting up a regular router will be able to setup a couple of their AP's. Install the controller, press "adopt" on all your devices, follow a wizard to set SSID and security key=done for 98% of use cases.
Member
Feb 5, 2013
216 posts
130 upvotes
Really, paying this kind of money for Wi-Fi 5 ... wait for Wi-Fi 6 ( 802.11ax) to lower their prices a little more, you guys will have much better experience as the new protocol is designed with mesh in mind.

Wi-Fi 5 is no future proof at all and those systems are far from stable.
Newbie
Aug 25, 2004
8 posts
9 upvotes
Toronto
Got this unit at Walmart yesterday for $250, it is a clearance item.
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Deal Addict
User avatar
Mar 8, 2008
4046 posts
1304 upvotes
Toronto
Foku wrote: Got this unit at Walmart yesterday for $250, it is a clearance item.
Which Walmart was this?

Walmart clearances have been store specific unfortunately

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