Singtel Airties 4930 vs Singtel Mesh Extender AC2600

[richard_crl032]

Noted. Thanks!

4920 and 4930 works fine together. Cheers.

 

[xiaofan]

> These airties are so dirt cheap now when used on carousell and will be a good upgrade into mesh if not already having having one.

That is interesting point.

One potential use case is used as wireless bridge for Singtel TV box (not for Internet) now that it is rather cheap.

Singtel ONR -- Airties/Askey main node -- wireless -- Airties/Askey mesh node -- Singtel TV box (not for internet)
Singtel ONR --other mesh solution like Asus or TP-Link (for internet)

 

[richard_crl032]

4920 and 4930 works fine together. Cheers.

 

[xbkhoo]

hi, I bought 2 more airties from carousel. but noticed the one with FW
2.61.6.2.1483 wifi keeps disconnecting.

not sure how I can update the firmware to match the rest at 2.76.10.1.1904.
checked for auto-update but didn't have...

 

[xbkhoo]

hi, I bought 2 more airties from carousel. but noticed the one with FW
2.61.6.2.1483 wifi keeps disconnecting.

not sure how I can update the firmware to match the rest at 2.76.10.1.1904.
checked for auto-update but didn't have...

update:
anyone that needs a firmware upgrade can just contact Singtel support, they will push the update to your devices remotely. the current latest FW is 2.98.8.2.2089. just got mine updated.
ps, my internet provider is Singtel.

 

[richard_crl032]

I got a WiFi 6 router but no WiFi 6 devices so I don't benefit much.

What an excellent reminder that I believe many, including myself, overlook e.g. tv, laptops, low to mid range mobiles etc. ! Even my low end latest Intel NUC does not come with ax wifi 6. Tks. !

 

[richard_crl032]

update:
anyone that needs a firmware upgrade can just contact Singtel support, they will push the update to your devices remotely. the current latest FW is 2.98.8.2.2089. just got mine updated.
ps, my internet provider is Singtel.

Hey Xiaofan, good to know ! Kindly advise if aware of the included improvement or if any trouble experienced.

Btw, found a good deal for Orbi RB50 that I can afford 2 sets for 4 satellites and would they be an expected improvement over 4930 ?

TIA

 

[xiaofan]

Hey Xiaofan, good to know ! Kindly advise if aware of the included improvement or if any trouble experienced.

Btw, found a good deal for Orbi RB50 that I can afford 2 sets for 4 satellites and would they be an expected improvement over 4930 ?

TIA

2 sets with 4 nodes may be two wasted. For wireless backhaul, I am even guessing one Orbi node will be equal to three 4930 nodes, if not, at least two 4930s. Maybe RBK852 will already be good enough for your full flat. If not RBK853 (one router two satellites) will do.

But you may want to post the floor plan so that people can have better understanding of your setup. You can also consult Netgear Singapore.

 

[richard_crl032]

2 sets with 4 nodes may be two wasted. For wireless backhaul, I am even guessing one Orbi node will be equal to three 4930 nodes, if not, at least two 4930s. Maybe RBK852 will already be good enough for your full flat. If not RBK853 (one router two satellites) will do.

But you may want to post the floor plan so that people can have better understanding of your setup. You can also consult Netgear Singapore.

3x 4930 for singtel boxes and I have no knowledge to do with another Tplink setup as well as this repeatedly mentioned too many NATs and/or congested 2.4g and 5g environment. There is 1 dedicated music server that I wish for also need 3rd node and furthest room on 2nd floor will probably need another 4th node i.e. 5 pcs including router.

As the setup box on ground floor and dedicated server are all in the living room, I have one 4930 in the kitchen for furthest helper's room on the ground floor and maybe another orbi node or back to 6 pcs of orbi ?

Will triband non wifi 6 RBK50 be better than current 4930 ?

Cheers.

 

[xiaofan]

> Will triband non wifi 6 RBK50 be better than current 4930 ?

Most likely yes but no guarantee how good it is. You'd better consult Netgear Singapore.

 

[tank_t]

No info on the Mesh Extender AC2600 in this forum. You can safely assume it is as bad as the Airties and Asked for now. None of them are really good. Their main advantage is the support of SingTel TV. Other than that they are all lower end dual band mesh solution and tied to Singtel for firmware updates.

If you do not have SingTel TV, or your SingTel TV box is connected to the ONR, you can safely use other mesh solution like Asus, Netgear and TP-Link.

If you need to connect your SingTel TV box to the mesh node, you can consider Netgear.

Airties and Askey should be usable by other ISP users by connecting them to the main router. But you can not upgrade the FW if you are not in Singtel network.

Hi may i know the recommended netgear model i would like to netgear as a mesh and connect singtel tv. Meaning i need 2 of them? Or i could use the airties router.

i just got 1 airties router and 1 mesh extender. Problem is they drop upon either reset. Need to redo the wps again. I also observe the wifi needs to be in the same band. It feel like playing russia roulette spinning a bullet in a pistol.

 

[xiaofan]

Hi may i know the recommended netgear model i would like to netgear as a mesh and connect singtel tv. Meaning i need 2 of them? Or i could use the airties router.

i just got 1 airties router and 1 mesh extender. Problem is they drop upon either reset. Need to redo the wps again. I also observe the wifi needs to be in the same band. It feel like playing russia roulette spinning a bullet in a pistol.

Are you using Singtel ONT or Singtel ONR?

For mesh to work, you need two nodes.

Netgear setup guide
https://netgearstore.sg/blogs/knowledge-base/orbi-singtel-tv-vlan-tag
ONR users: wireless connection to Singtel TV box is possible

ONT users: wireless connection to Singtel TV box is not possible.

 

[tank_t]

Are you using Singtel ONT or Singtel ONR?

For mesh to work, you need two nodes.

Netgear setup guide
https://netgearstore.sg/blogs/knowledge-base/orbi-singtel-tv-vlan-tag
ONR users: wireless connection to Singtel TV box is possible

ONT users: wireless connection to Singtel TV box is not possible.

Mines ont, but i want to do the wireless setup as per the onr.

 

[xiaofan]

Mines ont, but i want to do the wireless setup as per the onr.

Then I think you can not use Netgear, or I should say, it does not make good sense to use Netgear.

What is your main router model and the Mesh Extender model?

I think the following will work.
1) Singtel ONT -- Singtel Mesh Router (AC1900) --wireless -- Singtel Mesh Extender (AC2600) -- Singtel TV box
2) Singtel ONT -- Singtel Mesh Router (AC1900) -- Askey AP5100W (AC1750) main node -- wireless -- Askey AP5100W (AC1750) mesh node -- Singtel TV box
3) Singtel ONT -- Singtel Mesh Router (AC1900) -- Askey Wifi 6 mesh extender AX5400 main node -- wireless -- Askey Wifi 6 mesh extender AX5400 mesh node -- Singtel TV box

I do not know whether the following will work or not. You may have to check with Singtel.
4) Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- Askey/Airties/Singtel Mesh Extender main node -- wireless -- Askey/Airties/Singtel Mesh Extender mesh node -- Singtel TV box

I believe the following should work.
5) Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- Power line adapter -- Powerline adapter -- Singtel TV box

Netgear or other mesh solution may work but it will be wasted (no Internet access, just for TV box).
6) Singtel ONT --3rd party main router with Singtel VLAN -- main mesh node connected to the specific Singtel TV box port (not for Internet) -- wireless -- mesh node (not for Internet) -- Singtel TV box

Reference:
https://www.singtel.com/personal/support/broadband/routers-ont

 

[tank_t]

Then I think you can not use Netgear, or I should say, it does not make good sense to use Netgear.

What is your main router model and the Mesh Extender model?

I think the following will work.
1) Singtel ONT -- Singtel Mesh Router (AC1900) --wireless -- Singtel Mesh Extender (AC2600) -- Singtel TV box
2) Singtel ONT -- Singtel Mesh Router (AC1900) -- Askey AP5100W (AC1750) main node -- wireless -- Askey AP5100W (AC1750) mesh node -- Singtel TV box
3) Singtel ONT -- Singtel Mesh Router (AC1900) -- Askey Wifi 6 mesh extender AX5400 main node -- wireless -- Askey Wifi 6 mesh extender AX5400 mesh node -- Singtel TV box

I do not know whether the following will work or not. You may have to check with Singtel.
4) Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- Askey/Airties -- wireless -- Askey/Airties -- Singtel TV box

I believe the following should work.
5) Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- Power line adapter -- Powerline adapter -- Singtel TV box

Netgear or other mesh solution may work but it will be wasted (no Internet access, just for TV box).
6) Singtel ONT --3rd party main router with Singtel VLAN -- main mesh node connected to the specific Singtel TV box port (not for Internet) -- wireless -- mesh node (not for Internet) -- Singtel TV box

Reference:
https://www.singtel.com/personal/support/broadband/routers-ont

currently the setup is
Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- Mesh Extender -- Singtel TV box

Singtel tv box works but... once either the airties or Mesh Extender reboot. it will not auto resume back, perhaps like what you said need 2 nodes.

the mesh extender is the ac2600. black saucer looking.

 

[xiaofan]

currently the setup is
Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- Mesh Extender -- Singtel TV box

Singtel tv box works but... once either the airties or Mesh Extender reboot. it will not auto resume back, perhaps like what you said need 2 nodes.

the mesh extender is the ac2600. black saucer looking.

Are you saying that you use the following setup and it mostly works other than the above issue? That is interesting.

Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- wireless -- Singtel Mesh Extender AC2600 (by Arcadyan) -- Singtel TV box

By right, the Singtel Mesh Extender will only work with Singtel Mesh router to form a mesh solution.

There are very few reports of how the Airties 4960R behaves in general.

As mentioned before, I do not know whether the following will work or not. So you may have to consult Singtel whether adding one more mesh extender will work with your expectation.
4) Singtel ONT -- Airties 4960R Wifi 6 router -- Askey/Airties/Singtel Mesh Extender main node -- wireless -- Askey/Airties/Singtel Mesh Extender mesh node -- Singtel TV box

 

[boobip]

Hi, I've used Orbi RBK52 and although it's one of the best mesh setups you can find in the market for wifi5, there is a big downside: both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands share the SAME SSID and you cannot split them. If the 2.4Ghz signal at your residence is overly congested and unuseable like mine (i.e. too many neighbors using), once the Orbi mesh decides to route traffic through the 2.4Ghz frequency, internet traffic can slow to a crawl.

The workaround is to set the 2.4Ghz transmitting power to lowest, and 5Ghz transmitting power to highest. It works most of the time to hook up all your devices onto the 5Ghz frequency. However it's not a 100% workaround, sometimes the Orbi still connects your devices to the 2.4Ghz frequency, and sometimes even the backhaul switches down to 2.4Ghz as well.

After a while, I decided it was time to upgrade from the RBK52 to maybe RBK752 or RBK852. But as I felt the upgrade may be too expensive, I thought I'd give my spare mesh system Mk62 a try ( it was sitting around in my storeroom for half a year and I knew the specs weren't as good as the RBK52). So I hooked it up and at first, yeah, it worked exactly the same as the Orbi, sharing a SSID with both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies. Then I looked around at the netgear website and found firmware updates for them. Updated the MK62 and discovered a new option that allows me to set up separate 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz networks!

So I created a dedicated 5Ghz network and gave it a try. It's pretty good I must say. The backhaul works to cover my entire 5 room flat (old type with THICK concrete walls), and never had to reset the mesh at all in my last 4 months of usage (TV, internet, light gaming). The MK62 uses the same broadcom chipset as the Asus AX55, so I'd say it saved me from upgrading to a more expensive wifi6 mesh in the meantime. VLAN support for Singtel IPTV is available as well.

However, given your scenario with the Singtel ONT and airties to wirelessly relay signals to another airties then to the TV box, I'm not so sure if it'll work. My TV box is right next to the fibre point, so my TV Box connects directly to the MK62 router. In my room at the farthest end, I use Apple TV, with meWATCH and SingtelCast if I need TV channels.

The Netgear Nighthawk Mk62 and MK63 are cheap on Carousell, and I believe most of the ViewQuest signups dump them because they encountered the 2.4Ghz congestion like I initially did, and didn't know how to update the firmware. Sellers are pretty realistic about the price as well, so feel free to negotiate with them. Just make sure they have some remaining warranty. If u don't like it or doesn't work for your scenario, u can always resell them.

 

[GabeVanHelsing]

whats the general consensus in regards to Singtel WiFi 6 Mesh Extenders? Currently using 4 x Airties but coverage not very good. Thinking whether to get 4 x Singtel WiFi 6 Mesh Extenders or 2 x Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi Mesh.

my current setup is Singtel 2Gbps

ONR (L1)
|
ASUS RT-AC87U (L1)
|
2 x Airties (L2) 1 room wired 1 room wireless, 2 x Airties (L3) 1 room wired 1 room wireless

1 Airties (L2) wireless because i think the ethernet cable is broken, thinking of getting contractor to recable is a pain.

1 Airties (L3) wirless because i dedicated my port wired into my PC haha.

 

[xiaofan]

whats the general consensus in regards to Singtel WiFi 6 Mesh Extenders? Currently using 4 x Airties but coverage not very good. Thinking whether to get 4 x Singtel WiFi 6 Mesh Extenders or 2 x Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi Mesh.

my current setup is Singtel 2Gbps

ONR (L1)
|
ASUS RT-AC87U (L1)
|
2 x Airties (L2) 1 room wired 1 room wireless, 2 x Airties (L3) 1 room wired 1 room wireless

1 Airties (L2) wireless because i think the ethernet cable is broken, thinking of getting contractor to recable is a pain.

1 Airties (L3) wirless because i dedicated my port wired into my PC haha.

If you do not have Singtel TV, forget any Singtel specific mesh solution (Askey, Airties, Arcadyan). They are not worth the trouble. You can then choose to go with mesh solution from Netgear, Asus or TP-Link or Linksys. Netgear and Asus are the best for mesh solutions.

Even if you have Singtel TV box, I will still recommend Netgear Orbi as it support Singtel TV box.

Whether two untis of Orbi is good enough for you is another story, that will depend on your floor plan and placement. I tend to think you need 3 units or more, say Netgear Orbi RBK753 (S$759 from Netgear Singapore store). If you can use pure Ethernet backhaul after fixing the Ethernet ports, then you can use much cheaper RBK354 solution (S$478 from Netgear SIngapore) if you have lower budget.

Ref:
https://netgearstore.sg/products/orbi-rbk354-ax1800-dual-band-4-pack-wifi-6-mesh-systemhttps://netgearstore.sg/products/orbi-rbk753-ax4200-tri-band-3-pack-wifi-6-mesh-system-1

 

[boobip]

whats the general consensus in regards to Singtel WiFi 6 Mesh Extenders? Currently using 4 x Airties but coverage not very good. Thinking whether to get 4 x Singtel WiFi 6 Mesh Extenders or 2 x Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi Mesh.

my current setup is Singtel 2Gbps

ONR (L1)
|
ASUS RT-AC87U (L1)
|
2 x Airties (L2) 1 room wired 1 room wireless, 2 x Airties (L3) 1 room wired 1 room wireless

1 Airties (L2) wireless because i think the ethernet cable is broken, thinking of getting contractor to recable is a pain.

1 Airties (L3) wirless because i dedicated my port wired into my PC haha.

My experience with Singtel bundled router/mesh equipment is that you'll experience some form of freeze in the wireless traffic pretty often, I find that they are pretty low-spec'ed. Just search Carousell for 'Airties' and see how many listings there are. I'd since changed to Netgear and Asus equipments sometime last year and they are far better, even with the occassional hiccups.

I'm on ONT, so I'm not exactly sure how robust the ONR is in regards to it's router functionality.

But I guess, if u're paying for a 2Gbps plan, might as well get better equipment to improve the wifi experience