NETGEAR Orbi review: One of the most powerful mesh router

Netgear Orbi RBK50 AC3000 mesh router system has appeared and can provide high speed WiFi for a large house. A dedicated channel from the router to the Orbi extension helps deliver the maximum throughput for your family's online needs.

Starting at $ 400 (VND 7,200,000) for a set of 2 routers (or $ 250 / 5,750,000 VND for the base router only), this is one of the most expensive home WiFi routers, but worth the money.

Join TipsMake.com to learn more about NETGEAR Orbi mesh router through the following article!

Netgear Orbi's design

Netgear Orbi looks like a small tower with an oval section head, 8.9 x 6.7 x 3.1 inches (22.6 x 17 x 7.9 cm), quite large. Like Google Wifi, Orbi routers have color-coded LEDs, mounted on the top oval, when they glow:

1. White: The device is booting
2. Blue: Everything's fine, well connected
3. Amber: Weak Internet connection
4. Fresh gauge color: Disconnected

Orbi transmits WiFi data on 3 radio bands. The 2.4GHz and 5GHz main radio waves provide the highest theoretical throughput of 1.2Gbps for user devices. In addition, Netgear adds a 5GHz band, a second 1.7Gbps speed dedicated to backhaul, data is transmitted from the Orbi router to the Orbis satellite and back.

To support this configuration, each Orbi device has 6 high-performance amplification antennas around.

The back of the Orbi has a power input, on / off switch and 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports. On the router, there is a yellow port, connected to the broadband modem. You can use other LAN ports to connect to printers, NAS storage devices (network hard drives) and static PCs.

There are also buttons to reset the device and synchronize the router with additional satellites.

Performance of Netgear Orbi

Like Google Wifi, Orbi is a 2x2 router and can handle two simultaneous data streams for properly configured devices on each frequency band. But Orbi adds the latest MU-MIMO WiFi technology to send centralized data streams to multiple devices at the same time.

With the Orbi router set 30 feet (9m) away and with two walls, the Orbi extension gives 429.1Mbps to a laptop on one floor - more than double the performance of Google Wifi.

Orbi's performance decreases with distance, but not as fast as Google Wifi. Average throughput reached 510.9 Mbps at 4.5m, 447.1 Mbps at 15m and 371.4 Mbps at 30m.

Setup, warranty and support

NETGEAR took the lead in the race to create a completely self-set home WiFi network. Pre-paired and installed devices do not require knowledge of IP address, Ethernet or encryption. You do not even need to install a mobile application.

Installation can be done using a PC or Mac connected via Ethernet to the Orbi router or via a smartphone or tablet connected via WiFi. Simply enter orbilogin.com into your computer's web browser or download the Orbi app for iOS or Android. You can also use the Netgear Genie app, available for Windows and Mac as well as Android and iOS.

Netgear includes a one-year warranty on the Orbi system, but only three months of technical support. The Orbi support section on Netgear's website includes not only tips and video tutorials, but also explains everything you can do with Orbi.

Customize Netgear Orbi

All Orbi mobile app screens use portrait mode and the app's functions are limited to a basic level, even without a network speed screen. For more detailed diagnostic and control information, you'll need to use the local interface of your computer's browser or the Netgear Genie software.

A more detailed browser interface, with network speed and usage tracking. It also allows you to set up a guest network so that you can access the Internet from your laptop or smartphone without using a password to access the main network.

Since Orbi first shipped in 2017, a firmware update has added Amazon Alexa compatibility. To use Alexa, you will need to create a Netgear account and install the Netgear Genie mobile app on your smartphone or tablet. Currently, Alexa commands are limited to turning on and off guest networks, restarting routers and reading WiFi settings.

Netgear Orbi also provides privacy settings and parental controls.

Conclude

Although expensive, but Netgear Orbi (RBK50) is one of the most powerful routers at the moment.