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Netgear Orbi and SH3
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Old 04-01-2018, 14:35   #1
bolgerp
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Netgear Orbi and SH3

Hi all

Am thinking about getting the Netgear Orbi system. Whilst the SH3 signal reaches the top floor of my house (3 story) the speed is not very good at all in comparison to the speeds on the ground and 1st floors. I have tried extenders etc but they don't increase the speed much. Unfortunately, Powerlines won't work on the top floor as it's a loft conversion and on a different circuit.

So, was wondering if anyone else has used Orbi with Virginmedia and SH3? I assume I would have to put the SH3 in modem mode and then attach the Orbi that way? Are there any other hints/tips/pitfalls I should be looking out for?
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Old 06-01-2018, 10:44   #2
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

you need to do a bit more reading first dude. I have never heard of the orbi so just had a quick google and from the sounds of it they are just Netgear's posh version of powerline adapters. You need to plug a "satellite" into the wall in your loft to extend the coverage so you are still going to have the same problem. You are basically buying a triband router with a range extender and I very much doubt you need the triband atm. The only good thing about them is that because they are one system it will appear as one network for you. If you had a shub or any other router and then bought powerline adapters they would appear as two different networks even though the data is going over the same connection.

If I were you I would try going for a more practical and novelty free option which will also be cheaper and buy two Asus routers. Whether they are the same model or one is superior (depending on your requirements), one can be used as the primary router downstairs with the shub in modem mode and the other can specifically be put in "access point mode" (it is an actual setting/feature) for your wifi upstairs. The only snag is (and you would want to do this for optimal performance anyway) that you will need to connect the two routers ideally by a patch cable. Can you run some flat cat5e under a carpet upstairs or through the floor?

I would strongly suggest getting two of these Asus ac68u's and perhaps or one ac68u and one ac3200 if you really think you are going to use triband in the not too distant future. As an example of the type of cable you would be looking for, this would be perfect. 20m of flat cat6 for £12.

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Originally Posted by bolgerp View Post
I assume I would have to put the SH3 in modem mode and then attach the Orbi that way?
Incidentally though, any 3rd party router you get will involve putting the shub in modem mode and directly connecting the new router to port 1 on the shub. You just need to make sure the new router you buy fulfils your needs.

Last edited by General Maximus; 06-01-2018 at 10:48.
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Old 06-01-2018, 12:26   #3
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Thanks General... my understanding is that the Orbi is a mesh WiFi, not really like a powerline (but I could be interpreting it wrong).

Problem is I can't lay any cables, thus why I am looking for a wire free option. I guess I could ask Virgin if they's install cables and an access point for me?
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Old 06-01-2018, 16:12   #4
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

they won't touch 3rd party stuff that they don't support. They will install another coax for you running from the box on the side of your house to wherever you want but it will be a direct external wan connection for the shub (as if you were moving it to another room) and they won't run any other type of internal cable for you. As an fyi last time I checked there was a flat rate charge of £99 for any equipment moving. When I setup my network back in 2012 and wanted to connect all the TV's, sky boxes, bluray players, pc's, nas', printers etc in the house. I ran what cables I could upstairs under the carpet to switches in different rooms and then I had an electrician come up and drill another hole through the wall (next to where the coax for Sky comes into one of the bedrooms), run some cat5e down the side of the house and then another hole in the wall (next to where Sky goes in downstairs) and feed it through to the switch down there. There is one switch downstairs and two upstairs that serve as access layer switches which connect to a distribution layer switch which connected to my Asus router. Everything now has a wired connection that needs it and the laptops, tablets and phones etc still have the wifi.

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Originally Posted by bolgerp View Post
the Orbi is a mesh WiFi
I'll need to read up on mesh wifi and get back to you

Edit: I have had a quick read and the Orbi sounds great for what it is supposed to do. I think I got a bit confused earlier because I read that the satellites (Netgear's name for the wifi extenders) needed to be connected to a power socket. I assumed it was for data transmission but it is purely for power. Each satellite maintains its connection to one another and the router via a point to point wifi connection so the thing which I am worried about for you is how well it is going to work up in the loft if you only have the router and one satellite. I would have thought that you would still have the same range/weak signal problem that you would if you was trying to use a laptop to connect to any router downstairs. I am wondering if you'll need to place a satellite on the first floor of the house to act as a relay/go between and then a second in the loft for what you actually want it to do. The loft will connect to the first floor one which will connect to the router. If you go for a 3 pack you are looking at £300 minimum.

Last edited by General Maximus; 06-01-2018 at 16:55.
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Old 07-01-2018, 18:33   #5
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Orbi is a great system, I use the BT whole home wifi and it is a bit hit and miss in a traditional build property but works really well in a "new build" style property.
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Old 07-01-2018, 18:41   #6
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

If you use an Orbi, you need most likely need to use modem mode on the superhub.

Mesh routers like Orbi Eero and Google Wifi have their own way of handing off when moving between different AP.

Orbi probably better as it has it own dedicated backhall, but eero is cheaper and might be enough for you.

Here is the wirecutter link which I feel are quite trustworthy.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/be...tworking-kits/
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Old 08-01-2018, 10:27   #7
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Thanks for all the advice, guys.... need to do some thinking!

---------- Post added at 09:27 ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 ----------

Oh... meant to say... I was doing a bit of moving stuff around at the weekend and noticed that there is a node in one of the first floor bedrooms which, I am guessing, the previous owners of the house had installed so they could watch TV in that bedroom before they converted the loft. I hadn't noticed it before as I was hidden behind a wardrobe!

I was wondering.... could I use this mnode to connect my SH3 and leave the V6 connected to the one downstairs? I'm afraid I have no idea technically if this is possible... I'm not even sure if the node works.... but might save me getting out a virgin engineer and £99 if it's already done!
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Old 08-01-2018, 10:54   #8
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Simplest thing to do is to plug the SH3 in and see what happens. It would be advisable to find the other end of the the cable before doing that ( just in case the cable isnt what you think it is). I have cables running to each floor but only two out of the three are connected. I do have the advantage of being the one who had Virgin (NTL then) installed.
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Old 08-01-2018, 11:48   #9
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Cheers buddy.... will give that a go and see...
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Old 09-01-2018, 16:30   #10
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Quote:
Originally Posted by bolgerp View Post
Unfortunately, Powerlines won't work on the top floor as it's a loft conversion and on a different circuit.
Have you actually tested this theory? While it's true powerlines work best when on the same ring, they do still often work on separate rings. I do think a mesh system will be ultimately much better for you, but if you've got a couple of powerlines already, it'd be worth testing them in case it's what you need.
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Old 09-01-2018, 17:11   #11
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Ubiquiti Amplifi may be another option if you plan on going the mesh route. I don’t personally have any experience with them but I believe Ubiquiti is meant to be good hardware.

Asus are also starting to rollout their AiMesh firmware (hopefully Merlin will have firmware based on it in the near future) to recent routers. But you’d need say 2x RT-ac68u or more recent router (RT-ac88u/86u etc) to achieve the same thing.
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Old 10-01-2018, 13:06   #12
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kushan View Post
Have you actually tested this theory? While it's true powerlines work best when on the same ring, they do still often work on separate rings. I do think a mesh system will be ultimately much better for you, but if you've got a couple of powerlines already, it'd be worth testing them in case it's what you need.
Yes, unfortunately... I have tested.. and the unit won't even pick up the main one.
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Old 21-01-2018, 21:37   #13
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Reading here and I'm curious....when people say triband are they referring to AC Wave2/MU-MIMO?

Looking at the amazon link it seems to broadcast on 2 separate 5Ghz streams but is that not just 1 x 160Mhz bond (or I guess it could be even less than that and be 80).

Just trying to figure out the marketech to actual standards translations.

As a side note +100 on the Ubiquiti side - you'll learn a lot about wifi while having some fun and some of the best gear for the price (although I've no experience with the mesh side I highly recommend the AC-Pros or the AC-HDs if you really want wave2)
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Old 22-01-2018, 05:36   #14
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

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Originally Posted by bolgerp View Post
Unfortunately, Powerlines won't work on the top floor as it's a loft conversion and on a different circuit.
Thats not entirely true.

If they are on the same phase, in the same house (i.e. same incoming consumer unit) then they should work, as they are ultimately on the same circuit.

They may not be quite as fast as if they were on the same ring main.
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Old 22-01-2018, 17:07   #15
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Re: Netgear Orbi and SH3

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul M View Post
Thats not entirely true.

If they are on the same phase, in the same house (i.e. same incoming consumer unit) then they should work, as they are ultimately on the same circuit.

They may not be quite as fast as if they were on the same ring main.
My second V6 box is connected to my SH3 via BT Homeplugs even though they're on different rings without any problem and communicates with the main V6 perfectly.

Although I did find that for some reason, my wifi extender works better when it is on the same ring circuit.
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