Satellites are part of mesh Wi-Fi systems, which are used in computing. When you have more satellites, you get more wireless coverage. On the other hand, most home mesh networks only come with two or three satellites. Because of this, people who want more coverage or have a bigger home get two or more mesh networks. Netgear’s Orbi is a popular mesh network, and people often ask can you use orbi router as a satellite to enhance coverage and if there are any other options.
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Satellites are part of mesh Wi-Fi systems, which are used in computing. When you have more satellites, you get more wireless coverage. On the other hand, most home mesh networks only come with two or three satellites. Because of this, people who want more coverage or have a bigger home get two or more mesh networks. Netgear’s Orbi is a popular mesh network, and people often ask can you use orbi router as a satellite to enhance coverage and if there are any other options.
Orbi Router as Satellite
The answer is that can you use an orbi router as a satellite because it’s not a satellite. You need to know how a router differs from a satellite to understand why we can’t use a router instead.
How Does a Router Do Its Job
Most explanations say that the router attaches to a modem, but most ISPs give you a device that is both a router and a modem. The router connects to a place where you can get online.
The name “Router” comes from the fact that it works like a dispatcher. It connects your devices to the internet and sends information to the internet. More specifically, a web page, an email, or anything else that moves through the internet is broken down into data packets.
Data packets are small pieces of a website, an email, a video, etc. The router makes sure that these packets of data get where they need to go. They read the address from the data packet’s header, which is how it gets to your laptop.
How Does a Orbi Satellite Work
An access point is a satellite. It doesn’t matter if it’s wired or wireless because a satellite’s only job in a mesh Wi-Fi system is to take the wireless signal from the router and send it all over the house.
It’s not a router and it won’t increase your wireless range. In contrast to an extension, it does not broadcast its network name. A satellite uses the same SSID as the primary router. What sets it apart from a router is that it operates without a physical connection.
That’s how it works. Think of it as a booster and a copy of the main router in your home. You can connect it to the router with an Ethernet cable, but it will do the same thing and use the same IP, SSID, etc., as the router.
How to Make a Mesh Network Bigger
Adding satellites
Adding a satellite to your mesh Wi-Fi system will make it bigger, but you must be careful where to put it. It’s a pretty simple process to get everything in sync. You must move the used orbi router as a satellite to where you want it to be.
Then, turn on the satellite and press the “Sync” button. You have two minutes to press the same button on your router. If your Orbi satellite’s light turns blue, everything is fine.
But if you get a different color, you’ll need to move your satellite closer to the router so it can connect better.
Orbi Daisy chain topology
When you use the daisy chain topology to place your Orbi satellites, you can extend the range of your Wi-Fi system. This means that the satellites talk to other satellites closer to the router.
Your Orbi satellite uses a dynamic process to choose the best possible connection at any given time and set it up. By going to www.orbilogin.com, you can turn on the daisy chain. First, turn off the satellites.
After that, expand the Advanced Setup section and click Wireless Settings under the ADVANCED tab. Once you’ve done that, scroll to the bottom of the page to read about backhaul topology. You see this Enable Daisy-Chain Topology and click on it.
When you’re done, click the Apply button. When you reset the router, you’ll need to turn on the satellites one at a time, from the one closest to the router to the one farthest away.
Orbi Router as Satellite Alternatives
To get more Orbi satellites, you can do one of two things. The first turn your router into a bridge, and the second turns it into an access point.
An access point and a wireless bridge can do the same thing, but there is one small difference between the two.
Bridge mode
A wireless bridge lets two different parts of a network connect and share data. You can also wire Orbi bridge mode. Depending on the type of router, bridges can also be wireless access points. If the router is good enough, it can do both things at the same time.
The Orbi mesh Wi-Fi system from Netgear does not have a bridge mode for its routers. There isn’t much we can do, but we can use the access point feature.
Access Point
A wireless Orbi as a access point is all it is. An Orbi AP mode gives us access to the internet and lets us connect our devices to our routers. It’s not precisely a satellite, but it can be used as one.
It’s more of a gathering place. Here’s how to turn your Orbi router into a wireless access point:
You can use orbilogin.com to log in to your router.
Type in “username” and “password” for the username and password, respectively.
Choose the tab that says “Advanced.”
Select AP Mode in Advanced Setup.
Put the settings to use.
Look at the Orbi login guide if you had trouble getting in. After that, all you need to do is make sure your Orbi access point is linked to your Orbi router. It’s not quite a satellite, but it can be used as an extender.
Conclusion
We can’t use an Orbi router as a satellite, but we can add more satellites to the mesh network to improve coverage and make it bigger. If you already have another Orbi system, maybe as an upgrade or because you bought one for yourself and one for someone else, you can set up one as an access point.
You don’t need to buy extra satellites or extenders when you have an access point. In conclusion, you can use a second Orbi router to extend your network and make it work in a way that is similar to a satellite.
