You in fact can use an orbi mesh wifi system with an existing router. The following article will discuss how to set up your orbi system normally, as well as how to set it up as an access point to connect to existing routers.

Orbi First Steps

You can start by placing your Orbi router at your desired location. Grab an ethernet cable (you should have one that came with your router) and plug it into your device. If you haven’t done so already connect your orbi to a power source. Try clicking the power button if you do not see it light up.

Orbi Light Indications

You should notice the LED ring on your orbi router to turn solid white. Next it should flash for a moment before turning solid blue which indicates it can connect to your home network. This may take a minute or two. If you see an orange color then try repositioning your orbi devices closer to your router.

The following will be what you can expect depending on the color of the ring illuminated on your device:

An orangish/amber color will signify a connection, although not a great one. The distance between devices may be too great if you are seeing this and should consider moving the satellite closer to your router. Obviously connection strength is extremely important so play around with device locations to see what gets you the best coverage for your household.

If you see a pinkish purple/magenta color then the satellitecannot connect to the orbi router successfully. You will need to move your device closer to your router to ensure a stable connection. If you move it closer and the light is still flashing, you may just need to hit the sync button on your satellite as well as your router. They may in fact be close enough but still need re-synced, so don’t throw them across the room out of frustration just quite yet!

Blue is what we want! If you have a solid blue light then you have a stable connection to your orbi router.

Setup Options

You can setup your router via the orbi app or orbilogin.com. Whichever method you choose you will be able to edit your network as well as little things like the LED brightness on your devices. You will also be able to check things such as internet speed, parental controls, security, network map, wifi settings, guest wifi, and a tracking meter. This is also where you will be able to connect to an existing router. It should be noted that in order to proceed with the setup process you will need to have your orbi plugged and and connected with the solid blue light mentioned above. This will allow you to select the network from your devices wifi list and properly setup the network. If you are seeing a message from the website like below, then the system may not be plugged in or connected and ready for setup.

In order to connect orbi with an existing router, you will need to complete the setup below and change your orbi router to AP mode.

Orbi App Setup

In order to start the setup via app you will need to download it on your phone. Remember the app will be by NETGEAR.

Once you open the app you will be greeted by a login screen. If you have a netgear account then login using your credentials, if not you will need to setup an account.

There will be a question asking if you would like to install a new orbi system, click yes.

Next you will need to scan the QR code on your orbi router. If you don’t have the means to scan the QR code, then you can connect via the default network that is printed on the back/bottom of your orbi device.

Assuming your orbi is plugged in and working you should be prompted to join a pre existing network. Go ahead and click join. You should see a screen detecting your orbi satellites. If it is not seeing all of them then make sure you are seeing a solid blue light on each. Re-position if necessary.

After orbi has successfully detected all of the satellites you will be able to setup your admin credentials now followed by some security questions.

Your orbi will automatically check for updates and apply some settings. Wait for this to finish or click update firmware if applicable.

If you changed the network name then you will need to reboot your orbi router if it did not restart automatically already. Once this is done you can reconnect with your phone and any other devices you want on your wifi.

Setup With Existing Router

Once the above steps are complete you will need to navigate to “advanced” either through the app or web page. Click on the router button, then click the “AP Mode” button. Once this is done select “IP Addressing.” You can choose either dynamically generated or fixed IP address. We recommend dynamically generated as it will find your existing router automatically and change the IP from the orbi to other routers connected. Using fixed IP you will need to manually put in the IP address from a fixed router.

Should you have any questions then check out this video for a better visual to help with your setup or go to netgear.com/support