Using Orbi without the Pace router

Internet access discussion, including Fusion, IP Broadband, and Gigabit Fiber!
15 posts Page 2 of 2
by Larns576 » Fri Jan 04, 2019 7:52 pm
Maybe try a different router. One user switched to an Ubiquiti Amplifi and was getting 400Mbps. Or the Eero that Sonic recommends. I have no experience with either though.
by joeyyung911 » Fri Jan 04, 2019 8:24 pm
tinadeb wrote:@rodflohr and @dane

I have been hitting my head against the wall for weeks now with my new Sonic fiber installation, my Orbi, and abominably slow wifi speed (in the 100s both download and upload). Direct connections to Sonic are fine here, but who hardwire-connects a laptop or phone to the Internet?

(I am a networking novice.)

I know that Orbi worked beautifully here in my house with Comcast. Wifi speeds were good. I switched to Sonic for the enhanced speed and other benefits of being with Sonic.

Sonic referred me to Netgear for help with the Orbi. I spent more than 20 hours on the phone with Netgear, with no result. We reset, reconfigured, and tried all else that the support reps could think of, to no avail. The Orbi is in router mode, so should be fine without the Sonic router, and Orbi was fine without another router on Comcast.

(The Orbi cannot be split into two wifi channels, one for 5 GHz, one for 2.4 GHz. That would require a telnet configuration, which Mac High Sierra no longer supports.)

I am ready to purchase a newer Orbi in case the older one (RBR 50) is not compatible with Sonic fiber. Sonic cannot tell me if the RBR 50 is compatible with Sonic. If I don't get a new Orbi, I could purchase an Eero (would never want to rent per month, per Sonic's plan). Or I could go back to Comcast, which I really do not want to do.

Any new ideas? This slow-wifi issue is beyond my skills and patience. Perhaps there is something simple I am overlooking?

- What's the brand/make of the wireless on your laptop?
- What's the laptop speed of the connection to the Orbi? (Don't know if a Mac provides that info)
- Any other devices to test the WIFI?
- How is the Orbi connected to the fiber connection? (ONT --> ??? --> ???? --> etc.)
- As mentioned above, have you tried to replace the ethernet cable the Orbi is connected to?
" I did fix the speed problem by using the cable supplied with the Orbi to replace the cable originally supplied by the Sonic installer, so that the Orbi could properly negotiate the port speed."
Excelsior, Sonic Fiber
by pockyken007 » Mon Jan 14, 2019 3:29 pm
This is the spec data for your model of Orbi - https://www.netgear.com/images/datasheet/orbi/RBR50.pdf

Try running orbi as a repeater behind the sonic router and see if that works .
by tinadeb » Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:23 am
@joeyyung911 When you say to try a different Ethernet cable between the Sonic wall unit and the Orbi, what should it look like? A standard Ethernet cable, or a different type?

I want to use the Orbi as the router and skip the Sonic-supplied router. I am paying enough for the Orbi setup itself, without paying a rental fee for an additional router. The Orbi can be installed in router mode.

I have tested a desktop Mac, a laptop Mac, and an iPhone on the wireless provided by Orbi for Sonic. The wireless desktop if near the Orbi main unit is in the 200s and 300s, but in the other parts of the house, wireless device speed is in the low 100s when depending on the satellite. This is much worse than I had on Comcast for wireless.

Having great Sonic speed when hardwired is of no use to me. Thinking of dropping Sonic and going back to Comcast because I cannot get good wireless speed on Sonic.

@rodflohr Which model of Orbi are you using, and what wireless speeds are you getting?

@dane Can you be of any help here?
by timyu94 » Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:56 am
tinadeb wrote:@joeyyung911 When you say to try a different Ethernet cable between the Sonic wall unit and the Orbi, what should it look like? A standard Ethernet cable, or a different type?

I want to use the Orbi as the router and skip the Sonic-supplied router. I am paying enough for the Orbi setup itself, without paying a rental fee for an additional router. The Orbi can be installed in router mode.

I have tested a desktop Mac, a laptop Mac, and an iPhone on the wireless provided by Orbi for Sonic. The wireless desktop if near the Orbi main unit is in the 200s and 300s, but in the other parts of the house, wireless device speed is in the low 100s when depending on the satellite. This is much worse than I had on Comcast for wireless.

Having great Sonic speed when hardwired is of no use to me. Thinking of dropping Sonic and going back to Comcast because I cannot get good wireless speed on Sonic.

@rodflohr Which model of Orbi are you using, and what wireless speeds are you getting?

@dane Can you be of any help here?
This is how your configuration should be.

Sonic Adtran ONT --> Netgear Orbi RBR50 as the base station --> wireless backhaul --> Orbi satellites.

Devices connected to the base station and satellites will sync at 2x2 MIMO AC (867 max theoretical link w/ ~300-400 mbps top due to half duplex / overhead). Likewise

Satellites are wireless connected back to the Orbi base station. The 5 GHz range gets attenuated really quickly in a household with subsequent huge drops in speeds as signal strength goes down which may be the issue with your satellites if they're placed in really weak locations. In such a case you may want to relocate satellites to more optimal locations or use hard wired backhaul to connect those sattelites (ethernet).

Do you by any chance have ethernet jacks in the house that can be activated or coax cable which can be used for MOCA adapters?
15 posts Page 2 of 2

Who is online

In total there are 24 users online :: 2 registered, 0 hidden and 22 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)
Most users ever online was 999 on Mon May 10, 2021 1:02 am

Users browsing this forum: amayfield, joeyyung911 and 22 guests