![]() ![]() The Netgear Orbi combines its 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands into one network, so we had problems connecting some smart-home gadgets-namely our garage door. However, you might run into some issues with older devices. ![]() Every aspect of the connectivity from the AC3000 speed rating, the wealth of Ethernet ports, and the Tri-Band wireless connections mean that it’s going to be a top-end router for years to come. The Netgear Orbi is a forward-looking wireless router, and there’s no getting around that. Lifewire / Jordan Provost Connectivity: Ethernet galore The Netgear Orbi is similarly set up and managed through an app, but unlike the competition, it still allows for advanced controls that get simplified on other devices like Google Wifi. This is great for most users, as it does away with the need to fish through arcane network gateway software. ![]() These days, it’s becoming increasingly common for network management to take place primarily on a smartphone app. However, once setup was complete, our 250Mbps Xfinity connection was seamless, though there were some weird connectivity issues we ran into which we’ll discuss later. Setup did take a while to finish, taking about five minutes to detect the satellite, rather than the nearly instant setup from some other mesh units out there. We just had to plug it into our modem, open the Netgear Orbi app, and follow the prompts on the screen. Setting up the Netgear Orbi was as simple as downloading an iOS app and scanning some QR codes (there’s also an Android app). Something has to be said about the quality of life improvements brought by smartphones. The Orbi RBK752 is, however, a lot cheaper than the former, and more stylish and user-friendly than the latter factor in its unimpeachable coverage and it’s a great all-round mesh solution.Lifewire / Jordan Provost Setup: There’s an app for that If you’re hungry for the best performance you’ll need to step up to the beefier RBK852, while those seeking plenty of features and connectors should check out the Asus ZenWifi AX. ![]() The RBK752 won’t be everyone’s ideal mesh. In light of all that, it’s amazing that the RBK752 performs as well as it does. That translates to an expensive bill of materials so, to keep costs under control, Netgear has used client-facing 5GHz radios rated at a relatively slow 1,200Mbits/sec, ditched 160MHz channels and limited the design to 2x2 MU-MIMO. The RBK752 is a tri-band system, with each node containing a pair of 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 radios so that client connections don’t have to share bandwidth with backhaul traffic. While the RBK752 projected a strong signal to all the places we wanted it, its Wi-Fi 6 connection was generally slower than Netgear’s standalone RAX80 and even the Linksys MR7350. Before we get too excited, it’s worth noting that, in absolute terms, speeds were good rather than great. Top speeds were once again only achieved at short range, but the results in other parts of the house were almost indistinguishable, with performance barely falling at all as we transported our last-generation laptop between the living room and bathroom. The $70-a-year fee might seem steep when Asus provides similar online protection for nothing, but Netgear’s deal includes Bitdefender client software for all your home devices.īest broadband 2022: The top UK internet providers for service, speed, reliability and value As an optional extra, you can enrol your RBK752 system into the Armor security service, which aims to detect malicious content on your network and block dangerous websites. The RBK752 retains Netgear’s integrated VPN server for secure access to your home network over the internet, and a few integrations with Amazon Alexa allow you to turn the guest network off and on, check your internet statistics and review your wireless settings with a quick voice command. Still, the web portal itself is neater than the Nighthawk variant and the smartphone app works well as a central point of management for your distributed network. And, inevitably with no way to connect external storage, you miss out on file-sharing functions. Parental controls are entirely absent: the manufacturer says it’s working on adding support for the Circle app, but it hasn’t committed to any time frame. For some reason, band splitting isn’t allowed on the Orbi platform, so you’ll have to operate both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks under the same name. The software features are also simplified in a few places, compared to Netgear’s standalone routers. ![]()
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