Netgear Orbi Mesh WiFi

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  • G4RHL
    Automated Home Legend
    • Jan 2015
    • 1580

    Netgear Orbi Mesh WiFi

    Help!

    Because my BT HomeHub has never been as good as it should be, wifi disappears and all that, I have invested in Netgear's Orbi system. It seems to work fine and the signal is good around the house. One problem. The Evohome Control Panel does not see it. Everything else I have requiring a wifi connection has no problem and all have set up perfectly but the Control Panel fails to find the Netgear system. It is the only device out of many that will not connect. I have tried selecting "other" on the Panel and inputting the name of the Wifi Router and the password but it does not connect. The Panel sees the wifi of my neighbours either side of me and across the road but not the Neatgear despite being next to it. Anybody got any ideas? Has the Panel got an old type of wifi system in it?
  • paulockenden
    Automated Home Legend
    • Apr 2015
    • 1719

    #2
    What channel are you using for 2.4GHz. Make sure it's 11 or below.

    P.

    Comment

    • G4RHL
      Automated Home Legend
      • Jan 2015
      • 1580

      #3
      Originally posted by paulockenden View Post
      What channel are you using for 2.4GHz. Make sure it's 11 or below.

      P.
      Thanks. It was set to "Auto". I should have thought of that. I have forced the 2.4ghz frequency to 11 and it works. The only problem is I believe it can give some degradation in the wifi signal. It works though and will do some more research. The nether Orbi also seems to work well everywhere in the house.

      Comment

      • paulockenden
        Automated Home Legend
        • Apr 2015
        • 1719

        #4
        I've been testing Orbi here and really like it. I'll miss it when I have to send it back to the PR agency.

        BTW, haven't tested it with this router, but on most if you convince it you're in the USA it won't use bands above 11.

        But I do wish manufacturers would stop releasing kit with this silly restriction. Often the kit will open up once you tell it you're not in the US, but you need to make a US style wifi connection with it before you can do that. Catch-22.
        Last edited by paulockenden; 17 January 2017, 08:01 PM.

        Comment

        • DBMandrake
          Automated Home Legend
          • Sep 2014
          • 2361

          #5
          Or Honeywell could update the firmware to support channels 12 and 13 ?

          After all, the Evohome isn't sold into the US market, so why use US channel numbering ? I'd have to check but I think all EU countries that it is sold in do support channels 12 and 13.

          Comment

          • G4RHL
            Automated Home Legend
            • Jan 2015
            • 1580

            #6
            Originally posted by DBMandrake View Post
            Or Honeywell could update the firmware to support channels 12 and 13 ? .
            Asking too much?!!

            I am only 3 days in using the Netgear Orbi but it is so far proving far better than anything else I have tried over the years. The signal gets to parts other routers and expanders cannot reach. I have yet to see how far down the garden I can get and still connect. The Evohome Control panel is happy once I forced the Channel to be 11 and whether it is because it is happier connecting to the Netgear or not I have found using the app away from home has been better. Quite an improvement on the BT Homehub. My wife has stopped complaining about losing connection with her iPad!

            Comment

            • paulockenden
              Automated Home Legend
              • Apr 2015
              • 1719

              #7
              It's a lovely bit of kit. I just wish (other) reviewers would stop referring to it as a mesh network. It isn't. The (shared) dedicated back-channel means it's effectively a star topology.

              Sorry non-nerds, I was just having a little moment there!!!! ;-)

              Comment

              • G4RHL
                Automated Home Legend
                • Jan 2015
                • 1580

                #8
                Nice to know I am a star topologist. Does that mean I get to walk down the red carpet at the Oscars?

                More seriously I go on to be impressed with the Orbi.

                Comment

                • doni
                  Automated Home Jr Member
                  • Jul 2016
                  • 24

                  #9
                  Just read this thread and it made me go look at the Orbi. Wow that is an expensive wifi router!

                  We've always had wifi reception issues in different parts of the house. I recently moved to a BT smart hub having been taken in by the advertising (no difference over previous hubs plus a poor stability), so am now starting to look for alternative solutions.

                  The Orbi is about £300 over my original budget! If it's as good as claimed, maybe I should consider it? Are there alternatives that anyone would recommend?

                  Comment

                  • PaulV
                    Automated Home Lurker
                    • Jan 2016
                    • 5

                    #10
                    The Linksys Velop, not necessarily cheaper but a lot faster.

                    Shop our selection of products such as Mesh WiFi Systems at Linksys: UK. We provide fast and reliable solutions made for home, business and enterprise.

                    Comment

                    • bruce_miranda
                      Automated Home Legend
                      • Jul 2014
                      • 2307

                      #11
                      For those with either the Netgear or the Linksys mesh kit. Do the various nodes advertise the same SSID on different channels or the same channel? The issue I have at home is I have various APs all joined by a cat cable. They all have the same SSID but different channels. All our Apple devices will happily roam between them. But our main phones are Androids and those just drive me nuts. They won't hop between the APs even when there is a stronger signal. I didn't want to sink some more money if it won't help me.

                      Comment

                      • paulockenden
                        Automated Home Legend
                        • Apr 2015
                        • 1719

                        #12
                        Same channel and same SSID. Completely the opposite of what seems logical, and yet it works. Brilliantly!

                        Band steering between 2.4Ghz and 5GHz just seems to work.

                        This is for Orbi, BTW.

                        Oh, and a new (not sure if it's out yet, but if not then very soon) firmware update allows you to do the backhaul by Ethernet.

                        P.

                        Comment

                        • bruce_miranda
                          Automated Home Legend
                          • Jul 2014
                          • 2307

                          #13
                          Oh, then in which case I'll look at the Netgear again then. I was only looking at the Linksys because of the Ethernet backhaul. Before I do that I wonder if turning all my APs to use the same channel will make things better. I am fed up with Android just not jumping APs even with special apps that are designed to do precisely that.
                          Does the Netgear publish 2.4 and 5g channels with the same SSID too?

                          Comment

                          • paulockenden
                            Automated Home Legend
                            • Apr 2015
                            • 1719

                            #14
                            Originally posted by bruce_miranda View Post
                            Does the Netgear publish 2.4 and 5g channels with the same SSID too?
                            Yup. But that's no use unless you have band steering (which Orbi does well).

                            P.

                            Comment

                            • HenGus
                              Automated Home Legend
                              • May 2014
                              • 1001

                              #15
                              Originally posted by bruce_miranda View Post
                              Does the Netgear publish 2.4 and 5g channels with the same SSID too?
                              The Fritz!Box does.

                              Comment

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