Can Verizon 4g LTE In home Network Extender be connected to Orbi 750 series Satellite?

klt813
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hi, I have a Verizon 4G LTE In-Home Network Extender connected to my Netgear Orbi  RBR750 router. I have two Orbi 750 Series Satellites also.  I am still having call issues in the room farthest from the router.  Can I connect the Network Extender to the ethernet port on one of the Satellite vs the router?  One Satellite is mid-way in my house and closer to a window.  Thinking that might solve the issue I am having in the room over my garage.  Thanks

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smith6612
Community Leader
Community Leader

The LTE extender should be fine being connected via one of the Satellite units so long as the connection between your Internet connection and wherever you place the extender is stable, and the Satellite units do not disconnect from the main node.

Just curious, have you tried Wi-Fi Calling? That is available on many phones and would work on any commodity Wi-Fi network, since it uses the same protocols as the LTE Extenders to get back to Verizon Wireless. Usually the reason why that breaks is because some routers don't remember connections for a long enough time, and they cause the Wi-Fi Calling connection back to the carrier to be dropped. Sometimes that setting can be tweaked, usually on more pro-sumer oriented routers.

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smith6612
Community Leader
Community Leader

The LTE extender should be fine being connected via one of the Satellite units so long as the connection between your Internet connection and wherever you place the extender is stable, and the Satellite units do not disconnect from the main node.

Just curious, have you tried Wi-Fi Calling? That is available on many phones and would work on any commodity Wi-Fi network, since it uses the same protocols as the LTE Extenders to get back to Verizon Wireless. Usually the reason why that breaks is because some routers don't remember connections for a long enough time, and they cause the Wi-Fi Calling connection back to the carrier to be dropped. Sometimes that setting can be tweaked, usually on more pro-sumer oriented routers.

klt813
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thank you very much. I did try Wi-Fi calling in the very beginning. Where I live, Spectrum is the only option for internet. They are very unreliable. That is why I reached out to Verizon for the network extender. Also, I understand, not sure correctly, that under Wi-Fi calling you do not get your voicemails because it can't detect the Verizon network properly. I am not sure if that is still the case. Appreciate the help.

smith6612
Community Leader
Community Leader

Voicemail Indicators should still work over Wi-Fi Calling. It relies on cellular data to work just like MMS, and Wi-Fi Calling can carry that traffic as well. I've had the Visual Voicemail throw up an icon, and work on my phone while using in-flight Wi-Fi with the device in Airplane mode. Your Mileage will of course, vary!

If you're currently using Spectrum for Internet and they're flaking out, the 4G Network extender will still be at the mercy of your Internet's stability. It might work a little better than Wi-Fi Calling due to being a dedicated device. With that said, if you need something which works independent of your home's Internet connection, what you're looking for is a repeater. Companies like WeBoost sell such hardware, which grabs the signal using a donor antenna placed outside of your home, and repeats it indoors. The hardware will also repeat the signal from your phone and send it to the tower.

From a Spectrum customer such as myself, it wouldn't hurt to make sure your coaxial connections are in good shape, and there aren't too many splits on the coaxial line coming into your home. Make sure your connections are hand tight (+1/8th wrench turn). Especially with their new Spectrum branded modems (which I would recommend using if you're not using - they seem to be able to glean more information from them versus the older models from Arris, Ubee, etc they used to provide, and they give better performance), signal quality is key and can really make or break the connection. Damaged coax or loose hardware can also cause things like your LTE Extender placed near your modem, active coaxial outlets with nothing connected to them, etc, to break the Spectrum connection further, since Spectrum's Internet frequencies on the Coax run in the same ranges used by the cell phone providers for LTE and  5G. Coaxial cable networks are meant to be "closed" to prevent signals from entering or exiting that shouldn't be.

Hope this helps!

klt813
Enthusiast - Level 2

Appreciate all the good info.  Thanks much!