NETGEAR Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh System — Setup & Review
Is this the best mesh WiFi 6 router to speed up your WiFi in 2022?
Buy on Amazon: (paid links)
WiFi 6 — AX6000 (best)
2 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK852
3 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK853
4 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK854
5 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK855
WiFi 6 — AX4200 (cheaper & slightly slower)
2 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK752
3 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK753
4 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK754
5 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK755
WiFi 6 — AX1800 (Budget)
2 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK352
3 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK353
I’ve been using — and recommending — the Netgear Orbi mesh WiFi system for a few years now to cover every nook and cranny of my house and garden with strong, fast and reliable WiFi.
Since I first reviewed it on this channel 3 years ago, it’s been so good that I never have to think about my WiFi or any issues like signal strength, blackspots or speed… and because of that I genuinely believe Orbi is the best WiFi system for your average home user. Well the best is now even better and Netgear have kindly sent me their newer, range-topping WiFi 6 version which promises even better performance and reliability as more and more devices get connected to my network.
I should point out that Netgear did send me this kit for free, but they’re not paying me, telling me what to say or having any other input into this review.
Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 — Kits & Versions Available
The WiFi 6 Orbi is available in various different configurations depending on your speed requirements, budget and how many physical access points you’ll need around your house. I’ve put full details and links in the video description, but this RBK853 kit here contains the top of the range RBR850 router which connects to the modem your ISP gave you, and two extra satellites to support the main router.
It’s those extra satellites that make all the difference and form what’s called a mesh network to provide coverage around the whole house rather than just relying on one router tucked away in the living room and a WiFi signal that gets weaker and slower the further away you are from it. Just like you might see various WiFi points dotted around the corridors in a school, hospital or other public building, these extra satellites play together as a team and decide which one is best placed to serve devices like smartphones and tablets at any one time, seamlessly handing over from one to the other as you walk around the house.
Ethernet Ports on Orbi Router & Satellites
The satellites, as well as the main router itself, also have Gigabit ethernet ports on the back meaning you can also plug wired devices into them. This also means that if you already have existing Cat5e, Cat6 or other network cabling around your house you can use that to connect the satellites back to the router and they can communicate over a wired backhaul link. But there’s no need to worry if you don’t, because the Orbi is also a Tri-band Mesh System meaning it can use a separate, dedicated 5GHz wireless backhaul link between the satellites and router. This gives far better performance than if you were using say a WiFi extender, because without a dedicated separate link, a large proportion of the bandwidth on a WiFi extender is used up sending data to and from the router — but not so with Orbi.
Day-to-Day, Real World Use — How Good is Netgear Orbi?
So how good is it in day-to-day use? Netgear quote up to 6,000 sq. ft. of WiFi coverage, which is over 550m 2for those of us who prefer the superior metric system! I live in a 3-bedroom semi-detached house with an extra 4th bedroom in a loft conversion on the 2nd floor, so between the router and two satellites that gives me a WiFi access point on every floor of the house… which is probably overkill to be honest as my house is far less than 6,000 sq ft — but either way it means I never really see anything other than full signal strength everywhere in my house with the Orbi WiFi 6, and my WiFi speeds everywhere are pretty much the same as the speed of the Internet connection coming into my house which is phenomenal.
The same was also true of my older WiFi 5 Orbi system this has replaced — they all have fantastic range and speeds, but the difference is that with this newer WiFi 6 system I’ll be future proofed for many years to come; as more and more new WiFi 6 devices connect to my home network, it will handle that even better and keep everything running quickly and efficiently.
The WiFi 6 Difference
This is because the newer WiFi 6 standard allows for faster connections due to more efficient use of that bandwidth, so as more devices are connected and all start vying for their piece of the action, the router doesn’t end up slowing them all down in order to be able to service them all simultaneously, or make them wait and take turns for their data packets. This means you can connect more devices — over 100 easily — without the whole network taking a performance hit which is great with things like doorbells, smart plugs, smart LEDs, security cameras, multiple phones and tablets and so on plus with WiFi 6 there’s also the potential to improve the battery life of some devices, too.
I’ll be doing a more in-depth video soon on the features and benefits of WiFi 6, so make sure you’re subscribed for that, and if you have any questions that you’d like me to answer in that video then please leave them in the comments section of this video.
Looks & Appearance — Why is the Netgear Orbi so HUGE?!
Looks wise, the Orbi looks very smart and is nicer to look at than the older WiFi 5 models with their minimalist, matte white plastic design and deep blue accent around the edge. I mean, it’s hardly a Rembrandt or a Monet but to work best they do have to be kinda ‘on show’ so it helps if they’re not ugly! They are very large when compared with some of the other mesh router systems on the market but that extra size serves an important purpose as it allows them to house 8 high performance internal antennas with high-powered amplifiers — that’s how they achieve the superior range and speed.
The larger size also means they can house more gigabit ethernet ports for wired devices, so you don’t need to have the clutter of an extra switch connected to it. They’re highly-specced devices too, with a Quad-core 2.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM meaning they can handle anything you throw at them, and internal LAN speeds of up to 6Gbps over WiFi are just phenomenal, out of this world speeds which would have been science fiction just a few short years ago.
Cost
As you’d expect, this phenomenal speed and coverage of this top-of-the-range system does come at a cost and the RBK853 kit is certainly not cheap but don’t worry, there are various models and kit sizes to suit every requirement and budget so I’ve put links with more details at the start and end of this article.
How to Setup Netgear Orbi with the Mobile App
Regardless of which variant of Orbi you choose, though, setup is very easy, only takes a few minutes and can all be done via the smartphone app. It guides you through what to do and when to power up your ISP’s modem, when to turn on the Orbi router and then you just scan the QR code on the device to connect and it walks you through configuring and securing your home wifi network. As a Pro Tip, you can set the same network name and password as on your previous WiFi router, so all your devices around the house will just connect to your Orbi mesh network automatically without you having to do anything.
Other App Features: Check Status & Speedtest your Internet
Once you’re all up and running you can also do other things in the app like check the system’s status, see (and pause) connected devices — useful for locking out a child’s tablet if the 14th request to come to the dinner table still hasn’t been heeded #truestory, and check your main home Internet speed — that is, the router’s wired Internet connection speed before the signal is sent to devices wirelessly. I see very little, if any, difference between that and the WiFi speeds on my phone as I roam around the house testing in different locations (I sure know how to party on a Friday night!) which just goes to show how impressively good the Orbi system is.
Extras: Armor Security & Parental Controls
It’s also via the app that you can access some of the Orbi’s powerful, but premium and paid-for features like Armor network security and the Parental Controls. I’ll be making some follow-up videos exploring these features in more depth and seeing if they’re worth paying extra for so if you have any questions about them, leave a comment on this video and make sure you’re subscribed to see those videos when they’re out.
Buy on Amazon: (paid links)
WiFi 6 — AX6000 (best)
2 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK852
3 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK853
4 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK854
5 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK855
WiFi 6 — AX4200 (cheaper & slightly slower)
2 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK752
3 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK753
4 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK754
5 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK755
WiFi 6 — AX1800 (Budget)
2 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK352
3 Pack: https://geni.us/OrbiWiFi6RBK353
Originally published at https://www.switchedonnetwork.com on January 14, 2022.
